Posts Tagged Judah

The Abomination of Desolation

Posted by Darrell in Christian on March 29, 2010

by Gary Gibbs

Introduction

“When ye therefore shall see the abomination of desolation, spoken of by Daniel the prophet, stand in the holy place, (whoso readeth, let him understand:) Then let them which be in Judea flee into the mountains. . . For then shall be great tribulation, such as was not since the beginning of the world to this time, no, nor ever shall be” (Matthew 24: 15, 16, 21).

What is this prophecy all about, and does it really affect Christians in today’s world?
One of the most interesting prophecies in the Bible concerns the abomination of desolation. The element that makes this prophecy especially intriguing is that Jesus identifies it as a specific sign that the end is near.
It was in answer to the disciples’ question, “When shall these things be and what shall be the sign of thy coming, and of the end of the world?” that Jesus spoke of the abomination of desolation. He said, “When ye therefore shall see the abomination of desolation, spoken of by Daniel the prophet, stand in the holy place, (Whoso readeth, let him understand:) then let them which be in Judea flee into the mountains… for then shall be great tribulation, such as was not since the beginning of the world to this time, no, nor ever shall be” (Matthew 24:3,15-21).
Christians of many persuasions recognize this text as a definite and peculiar sign concerning the last days. Yet even though the majority of them can agree that the abomination of desolation is an important sign, they can’t seem to agree on its specific nature. Even preachers are thrown into a quagmire of confusion – looking for something that no one is very sure about. It is a perfect example of the blind leading the blind.
Of course, some believe they know the identity of the abomination of desolation. Some teach that this prophecy was fulfilled when Antiochus Epiphanes interrupted the temple sacrifices between 168 and 165 B.C. The abomination they point to is the pig Antiochus had offered on the altar in the temple complex. Others believe the abomination of desolation refers to a future time when an atheistic antichrist will overthrow the temple in Jerusalem and use it as his throne. Then there are those who believe the abomination of desolation is the Roman standards which were worshipped in Jerusalem in 70 A.D. at the time of its destruction by Titus.
Just what exactly is the abomination of desolation? Is it any one of these alternatives? Is it all of them at the same time? Or could it be possible that not any of these interpretations are correct? The answer to these questions is vitally important. Jesus clearly implies that our very lives could be at stake over this matter.
Jesus tells us that our study of the abomination of desolation should focus on the book of Daniel (Matthew 24:15). When one makes a careful study of this book, he discovers that the abomination of desolation can be divided into three parts. These parts are: the abomination of desolation in Daniel’s day (involving the first temple); the abomination of desolation in Jesus’ day (involving the second temple); and finally the abomination of desolation in the time of the end (involving the whole Christian church). The issues that come into play in the abomination of desolation as treated in the book of Daniel remain consistent in each of its three phases. Therefore they are types, or examples, of each other.

The First Abomination»

The Second Temple Desolated»

The Final Desolation»
Our only sure protection against the abomination of desolation is to give our lives unreservedly to Jesus, loving others as He loves them and worshiping Him in the way that His word teaches. The greatest commandment is simply to love God with all our heart and soul and strength. If we have such love, it will be natural for us to do all things to please and honor Him. In return, He will see us safely through the desolation that will close this earth’s history just before He comes again.

Original article here at the Amazing Facts website.

Amazing Facts Online Library

The key that unlocks the mystery of this prophetic event is found in the first two verses of Daniel. “In the third year of the reign of Jehoiakim king of Judah came Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon unto Jerusalem, and beseiged it. And the Lord gave Jehoiakim king of Judah into his hand, with part of the vessels of the house of God: which he carried into the land of Shinar to the house of his god; and he brought the vessels into the treasure house of his god” (Daniel 1:1,2). In these two short sentences Daniel provides a concise historical background to the remainder of the book which follows.
Further study of Daniel’s prologue reveals the abomination of desolation was existent in his time and led to Jerusalem’s captivity. The Chronicler reveals the reason the Jewish kings fell to Babylon. “Jehoiakim was twenty and five years old when he began to reign… and he did that which was evil in the sight of the Lord his God.” It was because of Jehoiakim’s iniquitous life that God allowed him to be taken captive.
The significant feature of this is that Jehoiakim’s evil deeds are described this way: “Now the rest of the acts of Jehoiakim, and his abominations which he did, and that which was found in him, behold, they are written in the book of the kings of Israel and Judah: and Jehoiachin his son reigned in his stead” (2 Chronicles 36:5-8). It was specifically the abominations of Jehoiakim that led him and his city to forfeit God’s protection and thus fall to Nebuchadnezzar.
Unfortunately Jehoiachin, his son, didn’t do much better. Scripture tells us he also did “that which was evil in the sight of the Lord.” Consequently he too was taken captive to Babylon, and “Zedekiah his brother” was placed as king over Judah and Jerusalem (v. 9-11).
The Bible goes on to record that not only did Zedekiah turn out to be just as evil as his two predecessors, but “moreover all the chief of the priests, and the people, transgressed very much after all the abominations of the heathen” (v. 12-14). God’s political and religious leaders, as well as the people, adopted heathen ways as their own. They did this at the expense of God’s revealed truth. Notice where these abominations were committed: the people “transgressed very much after all the abominations of the heathen; and polluted the house of the Lord which he had hallowed in Jerusalem” (v. 14). These abominations were standing in God’s consecrated holy place, the “house of the Lord.” The religious leaders of the day had purposefully led the people to adopt heathen worship practices and incorporated them into their worship of God. In substituting for God’s commandments the vain notions of men, the leaders of God’s heritage provoked his wrath. The people rejected God’s calls to repentance and reformation and were left to reap the consequences. “Therefore, he brought upon them the king of the Chaldees, who slew their young men with the sword in the house of their sanctuary” (v. 17).
This judgment was felt not only in the spilling of the blood, but in the complete destruction of the city and sanctuary (v. 19). This all was done “To fulfill the word of the Lord by the mouth of Jeremiah, until the land had enjoyed her sabbaths: for as long as she lay desolate she kept sabbath to fulfill threescore and ten years” (v. 21). The result of God’s people practicing the religious abominations of the heathen was the desolation of their land, city and sanctuary.

Breaking The Sabbath
Brought Desolation

Just what were these abominations that resulted in such desolation? Since this was all done “To fulfill the word of the Lord by the mouth of Jeremiah,” then Jeremiah should be able to tell us what substitutions in worship had been made. In Jeremiah 17 the prophet is told to stand in the gate of the people and prophesy. Under a divine mandate, Jeremiah told the people that if they would honor God’s seventh-day Sabbath their city would remain forever, and that this faithful obedience would lead them into such a relationship with Himself that they would be used to convert the surrounding heathen nations (ch. 17:19-26).
On the other hand, if they would not keep the Sabbath day holy God would allow their city to be desolated. “But if ye will not hearken unto me to hallow the Sabbath day, and not to bear a burden, even entering in at the gates of Jerusalem on the Sabbath day; then I will kindle a fire in the gates thereof, and it shall devour the palaces of Jerusalem, and it shall not be quenched” (v. 27).
Sadly, the Jews chose to continue breaking God’s Sabbath and thus inaugurated their own destruction and captivity. The abomination that led to their desolation was breaking the Sabbath. Thus, we see the significance of 2 Chronicles 36:21: “To fulfill the word of the Lord by the mouth of Jeremiah, until the land had enjoyed her Sabbaths: for as long as she lay desolate she kept Sabbath.”
Ezekiel, who lived during the same time, also tells us about the abominations God’s people were practicing in the holy place. In Ezekiel 8, the prophet was brought by vision to the door of the inner gate. God proceeded to show his servant the progressively greater outrages His people were committing. In verses 5 and 6 He speaks of an image that provoked Him to jealousy. In an escalation of outrage, unclean beasts had been brought into the house of God, women were weeping for Tammuz and the greatest abomination of all was twenty-five men standing in God’s holy place “with their backs toward the temple of the Lord, and their faces toward the east; and they worshipped the sun toward the east” (Ezekiel 8:16).
God had instructed the Jews to erect the temple in a manner that would discourage the imitation of their heathen neighbors in sun worship. The ark of the covenant, the very focal point of the Jews’ worship, was placed at the western end of the tabernacle. Thus the children of Israel would face the west, their backs to the rising sun, when they worshipped the true God. Yet the entrance of paganism among God’s people had grown to such proportions that Judah’s leading men were actually turning their backs on the temple of God. This was a significant act of apostasy.
Both Ezekiel and Jeremiah list the heathen practices that had been incorporated into the worship of God. Whether it was breaking the second commandment by idol worship, adoring unclean beasts, worshipping Tammuz, the mythological god of the pagans, or breaking God’s holy Sabbath and worshiping the sun on the day consecrated to it, these practices all were classed by God as abominations. It was because the Jews persisted in justifying their own course and continued in these heathen customs that God permitted the desolation of their city.
Daniel himself agrees that it was the sins committed by God’s people that caused their desolation. “O Lord, according to all thy righteousness, I beseech thee, let thine anger and thy fury be turned away from thy city Jerusalem, thy holy mountain: because for our sins, and the iniquities of our fathers…. cause thy face to shine upon thy sanctuary that is desolate…. open thy eyes, and behold our desolations…” (Daniel 9:16-18). It is important to note that the abominations were done by the apostate people of God. This in turn resulted in their forfeiture of God’s protection and called down His judgments and chastisement in their desolation. This scenario of the abomination of desolation in Daniel’s day, involving the first Jewish temple period, prefigures the two other abominations of desolation prophesied in Daniel. The next one we shall consider is the one that concerns the second Jewish temple period.

After their release from Babylonian captivity and rebuilding the city and temple, the Jewish leaders erected a mountain of rules and regulations designed to protect them from repeating the sins that had led to their bondage. The fourth commandment’s seventh-day Sabbath became a special object of amendment. The Jews reasoned that since it was transgression of the Sabbath that led to their captivity, they needed to define in minute detail how the Sabbath should be kept.
Over 500 rules concerning Sabbathkeeping eventually resulted. Some of these Sabbath laws were as ridiculous as this: one could not leave an egg in the sun on the Sabbath because the sun might cook it, and cooking on the Sabbath was a violation of the fourth commandment. Of course, this only resulted in a system of pure legalism. At last the people began to believe that favor with God depended on how well they obeyed the traditions of their elders.
Ultimately the people were led full circle to disobedience again. Jesus comments that in spite of their apparent religiosity they were still breaking God’s law even as their forefathers had during Isaiah’s and Daniel’s day. “Well hath Isaiah prophesied of you hypocrites, as it is written, This people honoreth me with their lips, but their heart is far from me. Howbeit in vain do they worship me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men. For laying aside the commandment of God, ye hold the tradition of men… full well ye reject the commandment of God, that ye may keep your own tradition… making the word of God of none effect through your tradition, which ye have delivered” (Mark 7:6-13). Once again the people found themselves immersed in vain and rebellious worship.
Even though their apostasy expressed itself in legalism instead of laxness, it was still based on the same principle upon which all pagan religions are based – that man can save himself by his own works. Jesus, like Jeremiah of old, rebuked this religious system and called it an abomination. “Ye are they which justify yourselves before men; but God knoweth your hearts: for that which is highly esteemed among men is abomination in the sight of God” (Luke 16:15).
Jesus expressed His displeasure for their abominations on numerous occasions. Most notable were the two times He cleansed the temple. On these times He expressed His anger at the desecration of His holy place. The controversy between Jesus and the Jews steamed, boiled and spewed over religion. The religious leaders hated Him because He didn’t look like the Messiah, He didn’t respect their traditions and most notably He didn’t keep the Sabbath in the manner they thought it should be kept. This latter issue infuriated the Jews and led them to seek Jesus’ death (See John 5:10-16; Matthew 12:1-4; Mark 3:1-6).
In spite of the religious leaders’ resistance, Jesus sought time and again to bring them to repentance and reformation. Often He reproved them for their erroneous ways and pointed the way to true and undefiled religion that is of great price in the sight of God. Yet they hardened their hearts and beat back the waves of God’s mercy.
As Jesus entered Jerusalem for the last time, His prophetic eye saw the consequences of their constant rebellion. With a grief-stricken heart and tears coursing down His cheeks, He prophesied the coming doom of the city: “For the days shall come upon thee, that thine enemies shall cast a trench about thee, and compass thee round, and keep thee in on every side and shall lay thee even with the ground, and thy children within thee; and they shall not leave in thee one stone upon another; because thou knewest not the time of thy visitation” (Luke 19:41-44).
After teaching in the temple for several days, Jesus left its precincts for the last time. Again He was choked with anguish as He saw the ultimate result of His people’s apostasy. He exclaimed, “O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, thou that killest the prophets, and stonest them which are sent unto thee, how often would I have gathered thy children together, even as a hen gathereth her chickens under her wings and ye would not! Behold your house is left unto you desolate” (Matthew 23:37,38).
On both these occasions Jesus placed the guilt upon the people by stating, “they knew not the time of their visitation” and “ye would not.” As a result of not responding to God’s call to turn from their abominations, their temple was to be desolated. This prophecy was fulfilled in 70 A.D. when the Roman armies of Titus burned the temple to the ground. This second desolation of the temple perfectly paralleled its first destruction. On both occasions the abominations were done by the apostate people of God and the desolation was an act of judgment performed by a heathen army.
This desolation of Jerusalem was prophesied by Daniel to come as a result of the people rejecting Messiah the prince. A careful study of Daniel 9:25-27 will show this to be the case. In verse 25 Messiah is promised to Israel and the city’s restoration is also predicted. But then, ominously, all is prophesied for doom again. Verse 26 speaks of Messiah being killed by His own people and of how this act would cause their city and sanctuary to be desolated once again.
As Daniel heard Gabriel relay this prophecy, it was to his mind a replay of what he had seen happen to the Jerusalem of his day. The prophecy indicated that history would repeat itself, and this is exactly what happened. The abominations that God’s people committed resulted, in both 586 B.C. and 70 A.D., in the destruction of their sanctuary and city — first by Nebuchadnezzar, then by Titus.
Because Israel rejected the Messiah they lost their place as God’s favored people. Jesus predicted this would take place by saying, “The kingdom of God shall be taken from you, and given to a nation bringing forth the fruits thereof” (Matthew 21:43). Israel forfeited their franchise of the gospel by their own obstinate sin.
Who would be the new nation to receive the kingdom of God and bring forth the fruits thereof? The Bible provides a clear and concise answer in the apostle Peter’s letter to the Gentile converts who “In time past were not a people, but are now the people of God.” Of the converts to Christianity, the new people of God, he further says, “But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should shew forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvelous light” (1 Peter 2:9,10).
In the new dispensation God bestows upon the converted Christians all the privileges and promises that had been made to the literal seed of Abraham (see Galatians 3:26-29). Now converted Christians assume the role of Israel, and the Christian church absorbs the status of the temple or sanctuary of God. The Scriptures make this abundantly clear in such texts as Romans 2;28,29; Ephesians 2:11-13; 19-22; and 1 Peter 2:5.

It is in the light of this New Testament principle of spiritual Israel that Daniel speaks of the abomination of desolation the third and final time. These references can be found in Daniel 8:13; 11:31; and 12:11. Discerning students of prophetic history realize that these verses predict the formation and ascension of power by the Papacy. It is an indisputable fact of history that the Papacy brought into the Christian church the very same practices of paganism for which ancient Jerusalem was destroyed. One has to do only a little study to see how image worship, Tammuz worship, and sun worship were introduced to Christianity during the Dark Ages. Many of these abominations are still with us in the form of statues, candles for the saints, rosary beads, Easter sunrise services and Sunday worship. [For more information on this subject, see Amazing Facts' booklet Baptized Paganism.]
By no means does the papal apostasy exonerate Protestantism. Most Protestant churches accede to the apostasy by continuing the practice of abominations that have their roots firmly fixed in ancient pagan religions, which were established to destroy God’s truth. Both Catholicism and Protestantism have fostered abominations in God’s holy place, His church. The Christian church is mirroring literal Israel. We are repeating many of the same sins and will consequently reap the same punishment of desolation, unless we are willing to read the handwriting on the wall and flee from Babylon.
It is clear that the three occasions of abomination of desolation found in Daniel result from apostasy on the part of God’s people, but what is the sign that will tell us when the desolation is nigh?
In Luke 21:20 Jesus told His disciples what would be the last sign of the imminent destruction of Jerusalem. He said, “And when ye shall see Jerusalem compassed with armies, then know that the desolation thereof is nigh.” This text does not indicate that the armies are the abomination, but rather that the armies were the instrument to cause desolation. Through the Roman armies God would execute “the days of vengeance” for Israel’s abominations.
When the Roman armies surrounded Jerusalem, it was a sign that most of the city’s leaders and inhabitants had passed the boundaries of grace and had filled their cup of iniquity. To the Christians living in the city, this was to be a sign that Jerusalem would soon suffer God’s judgment. As soon as the first opportunity arose, these Christians were to “flee to the mountains” (v. 21). In 66 A.D. when Cestius, the Roman general, surrounded the city the Christians knew the promised sign had arrived and the time had come to flee. At their first opportunity to escape they did so, and not one Christian died in the horrible destruction of Jerusalem in 70 A.D.
Just as God gave the early Christians a sign of when to flee Jerusalem, so He has given us a sign. He has made it possible for every Christian to know when this world’s probationary hour is nearing its close.
In Revelation 13 and 14 John records a list of omens that will tell us just how close we are to the end. The sign that will show this nation has filled its cup of iniquity will be when it makes an image to the Papacy by uniting church and state. How much more neatly could this be effected than by the passage of a national Sunday law commanding everyone to honor a pagan day of worship? Such an event will be a direct fulfillment of Revelation 13:15-17, and provide assurance that the end of this earth’s time is quickly approaching.
One author describes coming events this way: “As the approach of Roman armies was a sign to the disciples of the impending destruction of Jerusalem, so may this apostasy be a sign to us that the limit of God’s forbearance is reached, that the measure of our nation’s iniquity is full, and that the angel of mercy is about to take her flight.” When the churches have apostasized in their abominations to such a degree that they enact legislation of a religious law which displaces God’s holy Sabbath with a pagan holiday, we may leave our cities, knowing that a time of trouble will be forthcoming.
The abomination of desolation is an important subject in these last days. If we study this prophecy carefully, we will find that in each of its three fulfill-ments refers to a national apostasy by God’s people that ends in their tragic destruction. We are now living in the time of the Christian church’s final apostasy, which makes of none effect the commandments of God. We need to see that we are in the midst of fulfilling prophecy and keep our eyes open for the culmination of all things.

abomination of desolation, Daniel, Ezekiel, God, Isaiah, Israel, Jeremiah, Jerusalem, Jesus, JOHN, Judah, Luke, Mark, Matthew, O LORD, Sabbath, temple

2 Comments

The Big Ten

Posted by Darrell in Christian on March 21, 2010

Big Ten

People are confused between the law of God and the law of Moses, although they were recorded and preserved in different ways. God “wrote them (the Ten Commandments) upon two tables of stone” (Deuteronomy 4:13). Compare that with Exodus 31:18, “two tables of testimony, tables of stone, written with the finger of God.”

No one can confuse this writing with the way the mosaic law was produced. “And Moses wrote this law … And it came to pass, when Moses had made an end of writing the words of this law in a book, until they were finished, That Moses commanded the Levites, which bare the ark of the covenant of the Lord, saying, Take this book of the law, and put it in the side of the ark of the covenant of the Lord your God, that it may be there for a witness against thee” (Deuteronomy 31:9, 24-26).

This book of statutes and judgments which Moses wrote in a book was placed in a pocket on the side of the ark. The law that was written by God Himself on tables of stone was placed inside the ark of the covenant. “And thou shalt put into the ark the testimony which I shall give thee” (Exodus 25:16).
Here we notice several distinctions in the two laws. They had different authors, were written on different material, were placed in different locations and had totally different content.

The Eternal moral code which existed from the very beginning of human history, although not written down until Mount Sinai, the Ten Commandments were understood and honored by the earliest patriarchs. Even Cain knew that it was a sin to kill, because God told him that “sin lieth at the door” (Genesis 4:7) after he murdered his brother.
It is impossible for sin to exist where there is no law. The Bible teaches, “for where no law is, there is no transgression” (Romans 4:15).
- – - – - – - – - – - – - -
Some people have mentioned that this is the Jewish Law and does not apply to Christians in general. After creating the first man and woman, Adam and Eve kept the Sabbath holy. Adam and Eve were not Jewish. Do you think that God was only applying the Ten Commandments to one certain group of people or to all people?

In Genesis that when God created the earth, He created something on every day and then on the seventh day, He created the Sabbath. Also found that Jesus worshiped on His Sabbath day. His disciples worshiped on the Sabbath day. John 14:15 says “If you love me, keep my commandments”. Revelation 14:12 says, “Here is the patience of the saints, here are they that keep the commandments of God and have the faith of Jesus”. It seems to me that these two texts, which both are found in the New Testament, point back to the law, the Ten Commandments, which God gave to the Children of Israel at Mount Sinai. God did not just give these Ten Commandments to the Jews, but to the whole world.

I understand that Jesus was raised from the grave on the first day of the week. This event, in itself, is very important and has great meaning to the salvation of mankind, but nowhere in the Bible does it say that Jesus changed the Sabbath from the seventh day to the first day because of His resurrection.

It should be noted that there really is only ONE passage we need to know that demonstrates the unchanging, eternal nature of ALL the Ten Commandments.

Matthew 5:17, 18 says “Think not that I am come to destroy the law, or the prophets: I am not come to destroy, but to fulfill. For verily I say unto you, Till heaven and earth pass, one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass from the law, till all be fulfilled”.

“The wages of sin is death.” Romans 6:23. “He shall destroy the sinners.” Isaiah 13:9. “Whosoever shall keep the whole law, and yet offend in one point, he is guilty of all.” James 2:10.

It is the ceremonial law, the law of Old Testament sacrifices, which ended at the cross.

The only thing abolished at the cross was the ceremonial law, contained in ordinances. They were the sacrificial laws. After Christ’s death, it was no longer necessary to sacrifice lambs at the Temple, for Christ, our Lamb, had died. But, after the death of Christ, we were still obligated to keep the moral law.

Daniel 9:26-27 predicted that, at His death, Christ would cause the sacrifice and oblation to cease. And the Apostle Paul tells us that this is exactly what happened. When Christ died, the ceremonial ordinances were blotted out. The sacrificial services in the Temple no longer had meaning in the eyes of God.

Colossians 2:14 Blotting out the handwriting of ordinances that was against us, which was contrary to us, and took it out
of the way, nailing it to His cross.

Ephesians 2:15-16 Having abolished in His flesh the enmity, even the law of commandments contained in ordinances; for to make in Himself of twain one new man, so making peace; and that He might reconcile both unto God in one body by the cross, having slain the enmity thereby.

An except from Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary Click Here»

Old and New Testaments»

The Meaning and Purpose of the Big Ten

Those unfortunate Christians that have been led astray by the ruler of this world have only one response to attempt to nullify this verse, which is that Jesus fulfilling the law brings an end to the law. If the fulfilling of the law brings an end to the law, then Righteousness, God’s Word, Obedience, Joy and other things eternal in nature are also gone. This of course is obviously not so, and so neither are the Ten Commandments abolished. Not only that but who could ever think that Jesus was abolishing the law after instructing us that we should not only obey the law but teach it as well. Put simply, unless Jesus is contradicting His Word, and Heaven and Earth are still here, then All Ten Commandments have to remain including the fourth Commandment. It is that simple!
If you believe that Jesus, by fulfilling the law brought an end to The 10 Commandments
CLICK HERE»

i-am-the-lord Isaiah 42:21 says “The LORD is well pleased for his righteousness’ sake; he will magnify the law, and make it honourable.” In the remainder of Matthew chapter five we see how Jesus has indeed magnified the law. We note the following; Matthew 5:19 from not only obeying the law but teaching it also, 5:21-22 from do not kill to not being angry with your brother without cause, 5:27-28 from do not commit adultery to being guilty if you look at a woman lustfully, 5:31 from divorcing by a letter to any man who divorces his wife except for sexual immorality, causes her or anyone who marries a divorced woman to commit adultery, 5:33-37 from not breaking oaths made to the Lord to do not swear at all, either by heaven or earth or by Jerusalem. And do not swear by your head, let your Yes be Yes, and your No, No, 5:38-42 from an eye for an eye and tooth for a tooth to turning the other cheek and if someone sues you for your coat, give them your cloak also, 5:43-45 from love your neighbour and hate your enemy to love your enemies and bless them that curse you and pray for those that are spiteful and use you. Does it sound like Jesus is destroying the law? Certainly not!

The Ten Commands

1. Thou shalt have no other gods before me.

2. Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image, or any likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth: thou shalt not bow down thyself to them, nor serve them: for I the LORD thy God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth generation of them that hate me; and showing mercy unto thousands of them that love me, and keep my commandments.

3. Thou shalt not take the name of the Lord thy God in vain; for the Lord will not hold him guiltless that taketh his name in vain.

4. Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy. Six days shalt thou labour, and do all thy work, but the seventh day is the Sabbath of the Lord thy God: in it thou shalt not do any work, thou, nor thy son, nor thy daughter, thy manservant, nor thy maidservant, nor thy cattle, nor thy stranger that is within thy gates: for in six days the LORD made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that in them is, and rested the seventh day: wherefore the LORD blessed the sabbath day, and hallowed it.

5. Honour thy father and thy mother: that thy days may be long upon the land which the LORD thy God giveth thee.

6. Thou shalt not kill.

7. Thou shalt not commit adultery.

8. Thou shalt not steal.

9. Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbour.

10. Thou shalt not covet thy neighbour’s house, thou shalt not covet thy neighbour’s wife, nor his manservant, nor his maidservant, nor his ox, nor his ass, nor any thing that is thy neighbour’s.

1. The First Commandment is about Loyalty.
The Creator of the universe declares He is our God and our deliverer and asks us to demonstrate our love for Him by having no other God’s. The First Commandment is the first of a series of four that define our relationship with our Heavenly Father. Establishing, developing and maintaining that personal relationship with the true and living God is the most important commitment we can ever make. That is the primary focus of the first of the Ten Commandments, You shall have no other gods before Me. We should love, honour and respect Him so much that He alone is the supreme authority and model in our lives. He alone is God. We should allow nothing to prevent us from serving and obeying Him.

2. The Second Commandment is about Worship.
The one and only true God loves us so much that He is jealous of our love and does not want to share our love by us bowing down to meaningless idols. The Second Commandment goes to the heart of our relationship with our Creator. It deals with several crucial questions. How do we perceive God? How do we explain Him to ourselves and to others? Above all, what is the proper way to worship the only true God? The Second Commandment is a constant reminder that only we, of all created things, are made in the image of God. Only we can be transformed into the spiritual image of Christ, who of course came in the flesh as the perfect spiritual image of our heavenly Father. This Commandment protects our special relationship with our Creator, who made us in His likeness and is still moulding us into His spiritual image.

3. The Third Commandment is about Reverence.
God asks us to respect His Holy name and not to use it in vain. The Third Commandment focuses on showing respect. It addresses the way we communicate our feelings about God to others and to Him. It encompasses our attitudes, speech and behaviour. Respect is the cornerstone of good relationships. The quality of our relationship with God depends on the love and regard we have for Him. It also depends on the way we express respect for Him in the presence of others. We are expected always to honour who and what He is. Conversely, the use of God’s name in a flippant, degrading or in any way disrespectful manner, dishonours the relationship we are supposed to have with Him. This can vary from careless disregard to hostility and antagonism. It covers misusing God’s name in any way. The Hebrew name for “vain” is “shaw” and means vanity, falsehood, iniquity and emptiness. Simply summed up, “shaw” means showing disrespect and this is what we do when we take God’s name in vain.

4. The Fourth Commandment is about Sanctification and Relationship.
God starts off the fourth Commandment with the word “Remember”. This is because He knew we would forget it. God asks that we keep it set apart for Holy purposes so we can draw nearer to Him. The Fourth Commandment to remember the Sabbath concludes the section of the Ten Commandments that specifically helps define a proper relationship with God, how we are to love, worship and relate to Him. It explains why and when we need to take special time to draw closer to our Creator. It is also a special sign between us and God forever, that it is Him that sanctifies us Him alone we belong to and worship. The Sabbath, the seventh day of the week was set apart by God as a time of rest and spiritual rejuvenation. So why is this Commandment so frequently ignored, attacked and explained away by so many? Could it be because the challenges to the Sabbath Commandment are views generated by the ruler of this present evil world? After all, this being wants us to accept these views because he hates God’s law. He does all he can to influence us to ignore, avoid and reason our way around it. On our calendar the Sabbath day begins at sunset Friday evening and ends at sunset Saturday evening.

5. The Fifth Commandment is about Respect for Parental authority.
God instructs us to show love for our parents by honouring them. The Fifth Commandment introduces us to a series of Commandments that define proper relationships with other people. The fifth through to the 10th serve as the standards of conduct in areas of human behaviour that generate the most far reaching consequences on individuals, families, groups and society. Families are the building blocks of societies that build strong nations. When families are fractured and flawed, the sad results are tragic and reflected in newspaper headlines every day. Any individual or group, including whole nations that understand the importance of strong families reap the rewards of an improved relationship and blessings from God. The Fifth Commandment shows us from whom and how the fundamentals of respect and honour are most effectively learned. It guides us to know how to yield to others, how to properly submit to authority and how to accept the influence of mentors. That is why the apostle Paul wrote, “Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right. Honor your father and mother, which is the first Commandment with promise: that it may be well with you and you may live long on the earth” Ephesians 6:2-3.

6. The Sixth Commandment is about Respect for Human life.
God asks us to demonstrate love and not hate towards others by not murdering. We must learn to control our tempers. Taking another person’s life is not our right to decide. That judgment is reserved for God alone. That is the thrust of this Commandment. God does not allow us to choose to wilfully or deliberately take another person’s life. The Sixth Commandment reminds us that God is the giver of life and He alone has the authority to take it or to grant permission to take it. God wants us to go far beyond avoiding murder. He requires that we not maliciously harm another human being in word or deed. This is why John wrote, “Whosoever hateth his brother is a murderer: and you know that no murderer has eternal life abiding in him” 1 John 3:15. God desires that we treat even those who choose to hate us respectfully and do all within our power to live in peace and harmony with them. He wants us to be builders, not destroyers of good relationships. To accomplish this we must respect this wonderful gift of this precious possession, human life.

7. The Seventh Commandment is about Purity in Relationships.
God asks us to express and demonstrate our love for our partner by not committing adultery. Adultery is the violation of the marriage covenant by wilful participation in sexual activity with someone other than one’s spouse. Since God’s law sanctions sexual relationships only within a legitimate marriage, the command not to commit adultery covers in principle, all varieties of sexual immorality. No sexual relationship of any sort should occur outside of marriage. That is the crux of this Commandment. Most of us need the support and companionship of a loving spouse. We need someone special who can share our ups and downs, triumphs and failures. No one can fill this role like a mate who shares with us a deep love and commitment. Society suffers because we have lost the vision that God had for marriage from the beginning. Marriage is not a requirement for success in pleasing God. But it is a tremendous blessing to couples who treat each other as God intended. Most people desire and need the benefits that come from a stable marriage. To return to what God intended, we must give marriage the respect it deserves.

8. The Eighth Commandment is about Honesty.
God instructs us to show our love and respect for others by not stealing what belongs to them. The Eighth Commandment safeguards everyone’s right to legitimately acquire and own property. God wants that right honoured and protected. His approach to material wealth is balanced. He wants us to prosper and enjoy physical blessings. He also expects us to show wisdom in how we use what He provides us and He does not want possessions to be our primary pursuit in life. When we see material blessings as a means to achieve more-important objectives, God enjoys seeing us prosper. To Him it is important that generosity rather than greed motivate the choices we make. Because they are qualities of His own character, He asks that we, from the heart, put giving and serving ahead of lavishing possessions on ourselves.

9. The Ninth Commandment is about Truthfulness.
God says if we love others we should not deceive or lie to them. How important is truth? The Bible says that Jesus is “the way and the Truth” John 14:6. To fully appreciate the Ninth Commandment with its prohibition of lying, we must realize how important truth is to God. Jesus Christ said of God the Father, “Your word is truth” John 17:17. The Bible throughout teaches that “God is not a man, that He should lie” Numbers 23:19. As the source of truth, God requires that His servants always speak truthfully. Under God’s inspiration, King David wrote, “…LORD, who may dwell in your sanctuary? Who may live on your holy hill? He whose walk is blameless and who does what is righteous, who speaks the truth from his heart and has no slander on his tongue, who does his neighbour no wrong and casts no slur on his fellow-man, who despises a vile man but honours those who fear the LORD, who keeps his oath even when it hurts” Psalms 15:1-3, NIV. God expects truth to permeate every facet of our lives. Everything in the life of a Christian is anchored to truth. God wants us as His children, to commit ourselves to truth and reflect it in everything we do.

10. The Tenth Commandment is about Contentment.
God instructs us not to covet because He knows it can entrap us into even greater sin. To covet means to crave or desire, especially in excessive or improper ways. The Tenth Commandment does not tell us that all of our desires are immoral. It tells us that some desires are wrong. Coveting is an immoral longing for something that is not rightfully ours. That is usually because the object of our desire already belongs to someone else. But coveting can also include our wanting far more than we would legitimately deserve or that would be our rightful share. The focus of the Tenth Commandment is that we are not to illicitly desire anything that already belongs to others. The opposite of coveting is a positive desire to help others preserve and protect their blessings from God. We should rejoice when other people are blessed. Our desire should be to contribute to the well being of others, to make our presence in their lives a blessing to them. The last of the Ten Commandments is aimed directly at the heart and mind of every human being. In prohibiting coveting, it defines not so much what we must do but how we should think. It asks us to look deep within ourselves to see what we are on the inside. As with each of the previous nine Commandments, it is directed toward our relationships. It specifically deals with the thoughts that threaten those relationships and can potentially hurt ourselves and our neighbours. Therefore, it is fitting that the formal listing of these Ten foundational commands, which define the love of God, should end by focusing on our hearts as the wellspring of our relationship problems. From within come the desires that tempt us and lead us astray.

Do you worship on the Bible Sabbath and keep it Holy? If not, I would like to ask why not and do you think that the Ten Commandments, God’s Law, are still prevalent today.

Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary

11:14-19 Before the sounding of the seventh and last trumpet, there is the usual demand of attention. The saints and angels in heaven know the right of our God and Saviour to rule over all the world. But the nations met God’s wrath with their own anger. It was a time in which he was beginning to reward his people’s faithful services, and sufferings; and their enemies fretted against God, and so increased their guilt, and hastened their destruction. By the opening the temple of God in heaven, may be meant, that there was a more free communication between heaven and earth; prayer and praises more freely and frequently going up, graces and blessings plentifully coming down. But it rather seems to refer to the church of God on earth. In the reign of antichrist, God’s law was laid aside, and made void by traditions and decrees; the Scriptures were locked up from the people, but now they are brought to the view of all. This, like the ark, is a token of the presence of God returned to his people, and his favour toward them in Jesus Christ, as the Propitiation for their sins. The great blessing of the Reformation was attended with very awful providences; as by terrible things in righteousness God answered the prayers presented in his holy temple now opened.

Old and New Testaments

The Ten Commandments are the guide we must use in finding our way to God and holy living. If we ignore even one of the commandments, we are neglecting part of the divine pattern, or blueprint. If only one link of a chain is broken, its entire purpose is undone. The Bible says that when we knowingly break any command of God, we are sinning (James 4:17), because we have refused His will for us. Only those who do His will can enter the kingdom of heaven. Sinners will be lost.
When God made the Sabbath on the seventh day, He blessed and hallowed it (to make holy). As I see in the Scriptures, nowhere does God bless and hallow the first day of the week because of His resurrection. As I can see, the disciples were meeting on the first day of the week sometimes just like we meet in church in the middle of the week for prayer meeting.

Man has no right to change God’s commandment’s to meet his/her needs or wants. God is infinite and eternal. Man is sinful and mortal. It seems like the Sabbath has been changed by man and not by God. Why should a God who “changes not” change His own commandments. Is it better to obey God or to obey man?

Why do most denominations worship on Sunday, the first day of the week, and not on Saturday, the seventh day of the week, which God has pointed out as the Sabbath? Satan helped place a substitute in place of the Sabbath God had commanded. God wrote His commandment’s in stone so that man would know that they do not change just as God Himself does not change. God meant what He said and He said what He meant.

Why does it seem like that the only commandment that people don’t keep is the one that starts with the word “Remember”?

I’ve seen other versions of the fourth commandment which only say, “Remember the Sabbath day to keep it holy”. Man changes it to fit his needs. The full text is as above and was given by God Himself. The text points out that the seventh day is the Sabbath.

God made the seven day week and I believe that He has kept a meticulous eye on the days of the week and that Saturday, the seventh day, is the Sabbath.

Sabbath keeping Churches know that keeping the Sabbath day is a sign that it is God we love and worship and that we are His children. It is also a sign that it is God that sanctifies us and makes us Holy. These are wonderful signs and very much a blessing. What happens when we devote a full day to God because we love Him so? What is the result of spending quality time with anyone you love? This of course is not legalism by any means and applies to any of the Ten Commandments. It is something we do because we love God and our fellow man. Even though we cannot earn our way into the kingdom by keeping the Ten Commandments, we are still judged by them and will not make it into the kingdom by not trying to keep them all in love and obedience to God. Jesus said in John 14:15, “If you love me, keep my Commandments.” and in John 15:10, “If you keep my Commandments, you shall abide in my love; even as I have kept my Father’s Commandments, and abide in his love.” Jesus obeyed the Fathers Commandments and He asks us to demonstrate our love for Him by doing the same. We also find in 1 John 2:4, “He that saith, I know him, and keepeth not his Commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him.” See also Matthew 7:21-23, Hebrews 10:26-29.

The Ten Commandments in the New Testament

THE LAW OF GOD IN THE NEW TESTAMENT	THE LAW OF GOD IN THE OLD TESTAMENT
1. “Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and him only shalt thou serve.” Matthew 4:10.	1. “Thou shalt have no other gods before me.” Exodus 20:3.
2. “Little children, keep yourselves from idols.” 1 John 5:21. “Forasmuch then as we are the offspring of God, we ought not to think that the Godhead is like unto gold, or silver, or stone, graven by art and man’s device.” Acts 17:29.	2. “Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image, or any likeness of any thing that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth: Thou shalt not bow down thyself to them, nor serve them: for I the Lord thy God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth generation of them that hate me; And shewing mercy unto thousands of them that love me, and keep my commandments.” Exodus 20:4-6.
3. “That the name of God and his doctrine be not blasphemed.” 1 Timothy 6:1.	3. “Thou shalt not take the name of the Lord thy God in vain; for the Lord will not hold him guiltless that taketh his name in vain.” Exodus 20:7.
4. “For he spake in a certain place of the seventh day on this wise, And God did rest the seventh day from all his works.” “There remaineth therefore a rest ["keeping of a sabbath," margin] to the people of God. For he that is entered into his rest, he also hath ceased from his own works, as God did from his.” Hebrews 4:4, 9, 10.	4. “Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy. Six days shalt thou labour, and do all thy work: But the seventh day is the sabbath of the Lord thy God: in it thou shalt not do any work, thou, nor thy son, nor thy daughter, thy manservant, nor thy maidservant, nor thy cattle, nor thy stranger that is within thy gates: For in six days the Lord made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that in them is, and rested the seventh day: wherefore the Lord blessed the sabbath day, and hallowed it.” Exodus 20:8-11.
5. “Honour thy father and thy mother.” Matthew 19:19.	5. “Honour thy father and thy mother: that thy days may be long upon the land which the Lord thy God giveth thee.” Exodus 20:12.
6. “Thou shalt not kill.” Romans 13:9.	6. “Thou shalt not kill.” Exodus 20:13.
7. “Thou shalt not commit adultery.” Matthew 19:18.	7. “Thou shalt not commit adultery.” Exodus 20:14.
8. “Thou shalt not steal.” Romans 13:9.	8. “Thou shalt not steal.” Exodus 20:15.
9. “Thou shalt not bear false witness.” Romans 13:9.	9. “Thou shalt not bear false winess against thy neighbour.” Exodus 20:16.
10. “Thou shalt not covet.” Romans 7:7.	10. “Thou shalt not covet thy neighbour’s house, thou shalt not covet thy neighbour’s wife, nor his manservant, nor his maidservant, nor his ox, nor his ass, nor any thing that is thy neighbour’s.” Exodus 20:17.

The Truth

What are the consequences for deliberate sin?
This has already been partly answered in some of the above FAQs but let’s go into more detail using some more scripture. Here is one of the clearest scriptures of all.

Hebrews 10:26-29 “For if we sin willfully after that we have received the knowledge of the truth, THERE REMAINETH NO MORE SACRIFICE FOR SINS, … 28 He that despised Moses’ law died without mercy under two or three witnesses: 29 Of how much sorer punishment, suppose you, shall he be thought worthy, who has trodden under foot the Son of God, and has counted the blood of the covenant, wherewith he was sanctified, an unholy thing, and has done despite unto the Spirit of grace?”
Matthew 7:21-23 “Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven. 22 Many will say to Me in that day, ‘Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Your name, cast out demons in Your name, and done many wonders in Your name?’ 23 And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness!”
1 John 2:4 “He that saith, I know him, and keepeth not his Commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him.” Since Jesus and the Word is truth, what does this verse mean exactly?
Galatians 5:21 “Envyings, murders, drunkenness, revellings, and such like: of the which I tell you before, as I have also told you in time past, that they which do such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God.” There are many such scriptures as this one that can be quoted but I think we get the point.

There is no sacrifice to cover willful sin and it is to count the blood of the New Covenant as an unholy thing despite being under God’s grace. Jesus and the Word is not within you if you do not keep the Commandments, and Jesus also said He will deny knowing anyone that practices lawlessness, that is, deliberate and willful sin. He also says it does not matter what other good works they may have been doing. We could have being casting out demons in His name and healing people in His name but the response of Jesus will still be the same if we do not love Him enough to obey His Commandments. Some have misunderstood all this as meaning they cannot be forgiven if they have deliberately sinned. This is not so. If you have but then come to true genuine repentance afterwards, you will be forgiven. This is what God’s grace is all about, His unmerited, undeserved mercy.

Does the New Covenant abolish the Ten Commandments?
The Old Testament always informs us through the prophets what changes are coming in the future. Note the following scripture. Amos 3:7 “Surely the Lord GOD will do nothing, but he revealeth his secret unto his servants the prophets.”

So what did the Old Testament say about the New Covenant? Jeremiah 31:33 “But this shall be the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel; After those days, saith the LORD, I will put my law in their inward parts, and write it in their hearts; and will be their God, and they shall be my people.”

Note: The New Covenant is ONLY made with the “House of Israel.” But in the meanwhile know that the Bible tells us that if we are Christ’s then we are Abraham’s seed and “children of Israel” or the “House of Israel.” And so here is the fulfillment of Jeremiah 31:33 in regards to the New Covenant.

Hebrews 8:6-10 “But now has he obtained a more excellent ministry, by how much also he is the mediator of a better covenant, which was established upon better promises. 7 For if that first covenant had been faultless, then should no place have been sought for the second. 8 For finding fault with them, he saith, Behold, the days come, saith the Lord, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah: 9 Not according to the covenant that I made with their fathers in the day when I took them by the hand to lead them out of the land of Egypt; because they continued not in my covenant, and I regarded them not, saith the Lord. 10 For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, saith the Lord; I will put my laws into their mind, and write them in their hearts: and I will be to them a God, and they shall be to me a people:”

The Bible tells us that Christ came as the Mediator of a new covenant (verse 6). The belief that the New Covenant abolishes the Ten Commandments reflects a misunderstanding of both covenants. God tells us that He altered the original covenant and made “a better covenant, which was established upon better promises” (verse 6). But it was not established on different laws. The law stayed the same. There was however a weakness or fault in the original covenant. That fault was with the people, NOT with the law. “For finding fault with them, he saith, Behold, the days come, saith the Lord, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah:” (verse 8). It was “because they continued not in my covenant, and I regarded them not, saith the Lord.” (verse 9).

In the Old Covenant God wrote His Ten Commandments on tablets of stone. It was external and not part of the thinking and motives of the people. It was in their literature but NOT in their hearts. In the New Covenant God writes His law “into their minds, and writes them in their hearts.” (verse 10).

To enable people to internalize His law, to love it and obey it eagerly and willingly, God makes this promise, Ezekiel 36:26-27 “A new heart also will I give you, and a new spirit will I put within you: and I will take away the stony heart out of your flesh, and I will give you an heart of flesh. 27 And I will put my spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes, and you shall keep my judgments, and do them.”

Does loving God with all your heart and your neighbour abolish the Ten Commandments?
In Matthew 22:36-40 we find a lawyer trying to trap Jesus into saying which is the greatest of the Ten Commandments. Jesus of course outsmarts the lawyer by summing up the Ten Commandments in two commandments by quoting the Old Testament.Matthew 22:36-40 “Master, which is the great Commandment in the law? 37 Jesus said unto him, You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind. 38 This is the first and great commandment. 39 And the second is like unto it, You shall love your neighbour as thyself. 40 On these two commandments hang ALL the law and the prophets.”

Note carefully that Jesus said “ALL the law hang on these two Commandments.” Below are the two verses that Jesus quoted from, and the first verse is “right after” the second reading of the Ten Commandments. So did all the law hang on these two Commandments in the Old Testament? There can be absolutely no doubt. Since Deuteronomy 6:5 is right behind the second reading of the Ten Commandments, and loving God with all your heart covers the first four Commandments, this includes the fourth Commandment which no one can argue as the Sabbath Commandment had just been read. Did you get that? The fourth Commandment being the Sabbath IS a Love Commandment because Deuteronomy 6:5 says that LOVING God with all your heart, soul and might is to keep each and everyone of the Ten Commandments that had just been read 17 verses earlier. Love of course is eternal and why ALL Ten Commandments are also eternal.

Deuteronomy 6:5 “And you shall love the LORD your God with all thine heart, and with all your soul, and with all your might.”
Leviticus 19:18 “You shall not avenge, nor bear any grudge against the children of your people, but you shall love your neighbour as thyself: I am the LORD.”

So what does this all prove? ALL the law which includes the Sabbath hung on these two Commandments in the Old Testament which no one can dispute, and while Jesus quotes from the Old Testament, He still says ALL the law hang on these two Commandments. So what has changed? Absolutely nothing! All Ten Commandments remain totally unchanged just as Jesus promised they would in Matthew 5:17-19.

Paul also shows that these two Commandments are just a means of summing up the law in the following verses. Romans 13:9-10 “For this, You shall not commit adultery, You shall not kill, You shall not steal, You shall not bear false witness, You shall not covet; and if there be any other Commandment, it is briefly comprehended in this SAYING, namely, You shall love your neighbour as thyself. 10 Love worketh no ill to his neighbour: therefore love is the fulfilling of the law.”

If you love God with all your heart you are obeying the first four Commandments as proven by Deuteronomy 6:5 which is right after the Ten Commandments are given and if you love your neighbour as yourself you will be obeying the last six Commandments. Therefore love is fulfilling the law and if you love God with all your heart and your neighbour as yourself, then you will be obeying all Ten Commandments.

10 commandments, Abraham, Adam, Amos, ark of the covenant, Cain, Christ, covenant, Daniel, day, Egypt, Eve, Ezekiel, God, Honour, Isaiah, Israel, James, Jeremiah, Jerusalem, Jesus, JOHN, Joy, Judah, Lord, Lord GOD, Matthew, Moses, Paul, ten commandments, thy, Till, TIMOTHY

1 Comment

Death and the Immortal Soul

Posted by Darrell in Christian on February 17, 2010

When I read through the Bible for the first time, I followed a Bible reading plan. That plan skipped around, a few verses from the New Testament and a few verses from the Old Testament. I didn’t understand a lot of what I read because of the preconceived ideas that I already had in my mind. These were things that I thought I already knew, but in reality didn’t. I was taught these beliefs from an early age, from respectable people and had no reason to question them.

The thing I wanted to find was the church’s most basic belief, that Man is born with an immortal soul that lives forever. This belief did not survive past the first three chapters of Genesis!

When God first created Adam and Eve they could have had immortality by obeying God and eating from the Tree of Life. Only when they disobeyed God and ate from the tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil did they forfeit the privilege of immortality and condemned themselves (and the rest of mankind to come), to mortality.

God created man and commanded him to not eat from the tree which in the midst of the garden, because the moment he would eat it he will die. When he ate from this tree he died spiritually (which is the eternal life which God gave to him the moment he created man) , when curse fell on the earth and God said to man for out of the dust you were taken, for dust you are and to dust you shall return. Man on earth has nothing in himself that can live more then his flesh (soul, spirit man does not have, only God gives Spirit to man and then man can live forever) that is what God said for dust you are and to dust you shall return. In the Book of Revelation we see there that curse has been removed! Jesus said in order for you to get to kingdom of God you must be born again! Which means born from God himself (must be back to the life that Adam had before the curse.

Originally written in 1706 Read this excerpt from Matthew Henry's Commentary.»

1. God is the ultimate source of all truth.
2. Any honest and persistent search for truth will therefore bring the searcher closer to God.
3. Truth will ultimately come to light, if the pursuit for it is adequately and persistently made. John 8:31,32; John 9; Acts 17:10-12
4. The important question therefore is, To what extent will I give myself to the search for truth?

With these introductory thoughts in mind, let us beseech the Lord to keep us from:

* the cowardice that shrinks from truth which is new to us;
* the laziness which is content with half truths; and
* the arrogance which thinks that it knows all truth already.

In the original writings:

“All Scripture is inspired by God and is useful to teach us what is true and to make us realize what is wrong in our lives. It corrects us when we are wrong and teaches us to do what is right.” 2 Timothy 3:16

Immortality: Conditional or Innate?

by Bob Pickle

1. Preface» 2.The Wages of Sin is Death» 3. Returning to Dust at Death» 4. David Not in Heaven» 5. Death is a Sleep» 6. Body Goes to Hades/Sheol (Grave/Hell) at Death» 7. No Consciousness in Death» 8. Immortality» 9. Sodom and Gomorrha an Example of Hell Fire» 10. What the Fire Did to Sodom» 11. The Wicked to Be Destroyed» 12. The Wicked to Be As Tow (Flax)» 13. The Wicked and Earth to Be Consumed» 14. The Wicked to Be Reduced to Ashes» 15. The Wicked to Be Devoured or Eaten» 16. The Wicked to Be Burned Up» 17. The Wicked and Their Names to Be Blotted Out» 18. Hell’s Fire Destroys Both Soul and Body» 19. The Wicked to Be Put Out or Put Away or Taken» 20. The Wicked Will Perish» 21. The Wicked to Be Cut, Dashed, Broken, or Torn in Pieces» 22. The Wicked to Melt Away» 23. The Wicked to Be No More» 24. The Wicked to Be Overthrown» 26. The Wicked to Be Cut Off or Cut Down» 27. The Wicked to Be Killed» 28. The Wicked to Be Rooted Out or Plucked Out» 29. The Wicked to Be As Stubble» 30. The Day After Hell’s Fire Finally Goes Out» 31. The Wicked and Earth Reserved Until Day of Judgment»

Of every tree in the garden thou mayest freely eat. This was not only an allowance of liberty to him, in taking the delicious fruits of paradise, as a recompence for his care and pains in dressing and keeping it (1 Co. 9:7, 10), but it was, withal, an assurance of life to him, immortal life, upon his obedience. For the tree of life being put in the midst of the garden (v. 9), as the heart and soul of it, doubtless God had an eye to that especially in this grant; and therefore when, upon his revolt, this grant is recalled, no notice is taken of any tree of the garden as prohibited to him, except the tree of life (ch. 3:22), of which it is there said he might have eaten and lived for ever, that is, never died, nor ever lost his happiness. “Continue holy as thou art, in conformity to thy Creator’s will, and thou shalt continue happy as thou art in the enjoyment of thy Creator’s favour, either in this paradise or in a better.’’ Thus, upon condition of perfect personal and perpetual obedience, Adam was sure of paradise to himself and his heirs for ever.2. A trial of his obedience, upon pain of the forfeiture of all his happiness: “But of the other tree which stood very near the tree of life (for they are both said to be in the midst of the garden), and which was called the tree of knowledge, in the day thou eatest thereof, thou shalt surely die;’’ as if he had said, “Know, Adam, that thou art now upon thy good behaviour, thou art put into paradise upon trial; be observant, be obedient, and thou art made for ever; otherwise thou wilt be as miserable as now thou art happy.’’ Here,(1.) Adam is threatened with death in case of disobedience: Dying thou shalt die, denoting a sure and dreadful sentence, as, in the former part of this covenant, eating thou shalt eat, denotes a free and full grant. Observe [1.] Even Adam, in innocency, was awed with a threatening; fear is one of the handles of the soul, by which it is taken hold of and held. If he then needed this hedge, much more do we now. [2.] The penalty threatened is death: Thou shalt die, that is, “Thou shalt be debarred from the tree of life, and all the good that is signified by it, all the happiness thou hast, either in possession or prospect; and thou shalt become liable to death, and all the miseries that preface it and attend it.’’ [3.] This was threatened as the immediate consequence of sin: In the day thou eatest, thou shalt die, that is, “Thou shalt become mortal and capable of dying; the grant of immortality shall be recalled, and that defence shall depart from thee.

This paper is a collection of texts which, taken at face value with no alteration of the meaning of the English words used, indicate that immortality is conditional. Conditional immortality means that death is an unconscious sleep. It also means that hell fire will not last throughout eternity, though it will be hot and will last awhile. On the other hand, innate immortality means that man is naturally immortal and that at least a part of him can never ever die or enter an unconscious state.

On both sides of the question can be found texts in which certain words used cannot carry the same meaning as they do in today’s English and still harmonize with one’s view of the subject. It is my feeling, though, that conditional immortality has a lot fewer texts in which a lot fewer words must be redefined. If immortality is unconditional, then “death,” “die,” “destroy,” “destruction,” “perish,” “melt,” “burned up,” “devoured,” “consumed,” “not be,” “eternal life,” “dissolved,” “slay,” “kill,” and other terms and phrases must be redefined. It seems the safest course to seek to take the Bible just as it reads, as far as possible.

To me the most disturbing redefinition is the one for “eternal life.” In plain English, according to innate immortality, the wicked have eternal life as well, only in a different place. Their bodies are miraculously kept alive to suffer endless punishing, yet they have never accepted Jesus as their Savior. How can the unsaved live eternally, especially since Jesus said they would perish? (John 3:16). If we already have eternal life, why did Jesus have to die for us?

The texts that, taken at face value, support conditional immortality are listed below. In each of them, if it is not explicitly stated what part of man’s being is referred to, then, taking the text at face value in today’s English for the purpose of this discussion, it is assumed that the entire being is meant. For example, if it says, “He slept with his fathers,” “he” is taken to mean a man in his totality. That this is justified can be seen in the following thoughts.

Many who believe in innate immortality describe man as a triune being: body, soul, and spirit. The soul and spirit are said to leave the body at death and go somewhere else, continuing on in consciousness. One or the other or both are said to be immortal. However, a Greek and Hebrew word study of the words translated “soul” and “spirit” raises serious questions about these ideas. (See the paper, “What is the Soul and Spirit?”) Based on the biblical evidence, conditional immortality defines these crucial words differently. Generally, the “spirit” is said to be the spark of life, the “breath of life,” that only God can give, and the “soul” is said to be either the entire being or the life of the person. Neither is given consciousness after death.

“The spirit shall return to God who gave it” (Eccl. 12:7). There is no qualification in this verse as to whose spirit returns to God. Therefore the spirits of all, wicked and righteous, returned to God in Old Testament times. If one believes that “the spirit” referred to here is the “breath of life” God breathed into man’s nostrils and nothing more, the difficulty with the spirits of wicked people returning to God disappears.

Those who hold to innate immortality often refer to Luke 16. They point out that all souls, both righteous and wicked, waited in Hades until after the resurrection of Jesus. Yet this is confusing. It puts the spirit in heaven with God and the soul in Hades with Abraham during Old Testament times. Were both the spirit and soul conscious? How do they differ? Why would one be in one place and the other be in the other? Also, if the saved left Hades nearly 2000 years ago, why does 1 Cor. 15:51-55 indicate that they do not leave until the second coming of Jesus?

Several of the texts that follow show that it is not just the body that sleeps, and that not just the soul and/or spirit goes to Hades at death. The whole person sleeps, and the body goes to Hades as well.

For these reasons, when the text says “he,” it is taken to be the entire person, unless there is clear evidence to the contrary in the verse itself.

What follows are 265 verses from 158 chapters from 35 books of the Bible. Of these, 126 verses from 77 chapters from 25 books deal with the unconsciousness of death. 148 verses from 88 chapters from 27 books deal with the punishment of the wicked. Though the verses may appear more than once in this paper, they are counted but once for the purpose of these totals.

I have done my best to exclude from the totals for the wicked’s punishment all verses that might be referring to judgments in this life. Texts which use similar words to refer to happenings in this life, though not included in the totals, do illustrate the meanings of the words in question. Therefore they appear in separate sections called Examples.

While I have tried to make this sampling of texts on this topic exhaustive, many more texts could have been added in the Examples sections.

One last thought. Many God-fearing men have believed in conditional immortality. John Wycliffe, William Tyndale, Martin Luther, and numerous Baptists, to name a few.

Though John Darby did believe in the immortality of the soul, early editions of his book The Hopes of the Church of God make the following interesting statement:

We would express our conviction, that the idea of the immortality of the soul has no source in the gospel; that it comes, on the contrary, from the Platonists, and that it was just when the coming of Christ was denied in the church, or at least began to be lost sight of, that the doctrine of the immortality of the soul came in to replace that of the resurrection. This was about the time of Origin. Your thoughts and comments upon this subject and these verses are much appreciated.

“In the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die” (Gen. 2:17).

“God hath said, Ye shall not eat of it, neither shall ye touch it, lest ye die. And the serpent said unto the woman, Ye shall not surely die” (Gen. 3:3, 4).

“And the LORD God said, Behold, the man is become as one of us, to know good and evil: and now, lest he put forth his hand, and take also of the tree of life, and eat, and live for ever: Therefore the LORD God sent him forth from the garden of Eden” (Gen. 3:22, 23).

“Behold, all souls are mine; as the soul of the father, so also the soul of the son is mine: the soul that sinneth, it shall die.”

“The soul that sinneth, it shall die.”

“When a righteous man turneth away from his righteousness, and committeth iniquity, and dieth in them; for his iniquity that he hath done shall he die” (Ezek. 18:4, 20, 26). [Two deaths are referred to in this last verse. One who dies in his iniquity shall die again.]

“Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned” (Rom. 5:12).

“For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord” (Rom. 6:23).

“In the sweat of thy face shalt thou eat bread, till thou return unto the ground; for out of it wast thou taken: for dust thou art, and unto dust shalt thou return” (Gen. 3:19). [No mention of continued consciousness or torment somewhere.]

“For now shall I sleep in the dust; and thou shalt seek me in the morning, but I shall not be” (Job 7:21).

“Remember, I beseech thee, that thou hast made me as the clay; and wilt thou bring me into dust again” (Job 10:9).

“They shall go down to the bars of the pit, when our rest together is in the dust” (Job 17:16).

“His bones are full of the sin of his youth, which shall lie down with him in the dust” (Job 20:11).

“They shall lie down alike in the dust, and the worms shall cover them” (Job 21:26).

“All flesh shall perish together, and man shall turn again unto dust” (Job 34:15).

“Hide them in the dust together; and bind their faces in secret” (Job 40:13).

“My strength is dried up like a potsherd; and my tongue cleaveth to my jaws; and thou hast brought me into the dust of death.”

“All they that be fat upon earth shall eat and worship: all they that go down to the dust shall bow before him: and none can keep alive his own soul” (Ps. 22:15, 29).

“What profit is there in my blood, when I go down to the pit? Shall the dust praise thee? shall it declare thy truth?” (Ps. 30:9).

“Thou hidest thy face, they are troubled: thou takest away their breath, they die, and return to their dust” (Ps. 104:29).

“All go unto one place; all are of the dust, and all turn to dust again” (Eccl. 3:20).

“Then shall the dust return to the earth as it was: and the spirit shall return unto God who gave it” (Eccl. 12:7).

“Thy dead men shall live, together with my dead body shall they arise. Awake and sing, ye that dwell in dust: for thy dew is as the dew of herbs, and the earth shall cast out the dead” (Is. 26:19).

“And many of them that sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake, some to everlasting life, and some to shame and everlasting contempt” (Dan. 12:2).

“Men and brethren, let me freely speak unto you of the patriarch David, that he is both dead and buried, and his sepulchre is with us unto this day.”

“For David is not ascended into the heavens: but he saith himself, The LORD said unto my Lord, Sit thou on my right hand” (Acts 2:29, 34).

“And the LORD said unto Moses, Behold, thou shalt sleep with thy fathers” (Deut. 31:16).

“And when thy days be fulfilled, and thou shalt sleep with thy fathers, I will set up thy seed after thee” (2 Sam. 7:12).

“Otherwise it shall come to pass, when my lord the king shall sleep with his fathers, that I and my son Solomon shall be counted offenders” (1 Kings 1:21).

“So David slept with his fathers, and was buried in the city of David” (1 Kings 2:10).

“And when Hadad heard in Egypt that David slept with his fathers, and that Joab the captain of the host was dead, Hadad said to Pharaoh, Let me depart” (1 Kings 11:21).

“And Solomon slept with his fathers, and was buried in the city of David his father: and Rehoboam his son reigned in his stead” (1 Kings 11:43).

“And the days which Jeroboam reigned were two and twenty years: and he slept with this fathers” (1 Kings 14:20).

“And Rehoboam slept with his fathers” (1 Kings 14:31).

“And Abijam slept with his fathers” (1 Kings 15:8).

“And Asa slept with his fathers” (1 Kings 15:24).

“So Baasha slept with his fathers” (1 Kings 16:6).

“So Omri slept with his fathers” (1 Kings 16:28).

“So Ahab slept with his fathers” (1 Kings 22:40).

“And Jehoshaphat slept with his fathers” (1 Kings 22:50).

“And Joram slept with his fathers” (2 Kings 8:24).

“And Jehu slept with his fathers” (2 Kings 10:35).

“And Jehoahaz slept with his fathers” (2 Kings 13:9).

“And Joash slept with his fathers” (2 Kings 13:13).

“And Jehoash slept with his fathers” (2 Kings 14:16).

“He built Elath, and restored it to Judah, after that the king slept with his fathers” (2 Kings 14:22).

“And Jeroboam slept with his fathers, even with the kings of Israel” (2 Kings 14:29).

“So Azariah slept with his fathers” (2 Kings 15:7).

“And Menahem slept with his fathers” (2 Kings 15:22).

“And Jotham slept with his fathers” (2 Kings 15:38).

“And Ahaz slept with his fathers” (2 Kings 16:20).

“And Hezekiah slept with his fathers” (2 Kings 20:21).

“And Manasseh slept with his fathers” (2 Kings 21:18).

“So Jehoiakim slept with his fathers” (2 Kings 24:6).

“And Solomon slept with his fathers” (2 Chr. 9:31).

“And Rehoboam slept with his fathers” (2 Chr. 12:16).

“So Abijah slept with his fathers” (2 Chr. 14:1).

“And Asa slept with his fathers, and died in the one and fortieth year of his reign” (2 Chr. 16:13).

“Now Jehoshaphat slept with his fathers” (2 Chr. 21:1).

“He built Eloth, and restored it to Judah, after that the king slept with his fathers” (2 Chr. 26:2).

“So Uzziah slept with his fathers” (2 Chr. 26:23).

“And Jotham slept with his fathers” (2 Chr. 27:9).

“And Ahaz slept with his fathers” (2 Chr. 28:27).

“And Hezekiah slept with his fathers” (2 Chr. 32:33).

“So Manasseh slept with his fathers” (2 Chr. 33:20).

“Why did the knees prevent me? or why the breasts that I should suck? For now should I have lain still and been quiet, I should have slept: then had I been at rest, with kings and councilors of the earth, which built desolate places for themselves; or with princes that had gold, who filled their houses with silver: or as an hidden untimely birth I had not been; as infants which never saw light. There the wicked cease from troubling; and there the weary be at rest. There the prisoners rest together; they hear not the voice of the oppressor” (Job 3:12-18).

“For now shall I sleep in the dust; and thou shalt seek me in the morning, but I shall not be” (Job 7:21).

“So man lieth down, and riseth not: till the heavens be no more, they shall not awake, nor be raised out of their sleep” (Job 14:12).

“Consider and hear me, O LORD my God: lighten mine eyes, lest I sleep the sleep of death” (Ps. 13:3).

“In their heat I will make their feasts, and I will make them drunken, that they may rejoice, and sleep a perpetual sleep, and not wake, saith the LORD. I will bring them down like lambs to the slaughter, like rams with he goats.”

“And I will make drunk her princes, and her wise men, her captains, and her rulers, and her mighty men: and they shall sleep a perpetual sleep, and not wake, saith the King, whose name is the LORD of hosts” (Jer. 51:39, 40, 57).

“And many of them that sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake, some to everlasting life, and some to shame and everlasting contempt.”

“But go thou thy way till the end be: for thou shalt rest, and stand in thy lot at the end of the days” (Dan. 12:2, 13).

“He said unto them, Give place: for the maid is not dead, but sleepeth. And they laughed him to scorn” (Mat. 9:24).

“And the graves were opened; and many bodies of the saints which slept arose” (Mat. 27:52). [Note on the Greek: "bodies" is in the nominative case, while "saints" and the participle "slept" are in the genitive case. This means that it is the saints who are said to be sleeping, not their bodies. It could well be translated, "many bodies of the sleeping saints." So the entire being sleeps, not just the body.]

“And when he was come in, he saith unto them, Why make ye this ado, and weep? the damsel is not dead, but sleepeth” (Mark 5:39).

“And all wept, and bewailed her: but he said, Weep not; she is not dead, but sleepeth” (Luke 8:52).

“These things said he: and after that he saith unto them, Our friend Lazarus sleepeth; but I go, that I may awake him out of sleep. Then said his disciples, Lord, if he sleep, he shall do well. Howbeit Jesus spake of his death: but they thought that he had spoken of taking of rest in sleep. Then said Jesus unto them plainly, Lazarus is dead” (John 11:11-14).

“And he kneeled down, and cried with a loud voice, Lord, lay not this sin to their charge. And when he had said this, he fell asleep” (Acts 7:60).

“For David, after he had served his own generation by the will of God, fell on sleep, and was laid unto his fathers, and saw corruption” (Acts 13:36).

“The wife is bound by the law as long as her husband liveth; but if her husband be dead [Greek: koimao, "be asleep"], she is at liberty to be married to whom she will; only in the Lord” (1 Cor. 7:39).

“For this cause many are weak and sickly among you, and many sleep” (1 Cor. 11:30).

“After that, he was seen of above five hundred brethren at once; of whom the greater part remain unto this present, but some are fallen asleep.”

“Then they also which are fallen asleep in Christ are perished.”

“But now is Christ risen from the dead, and become the firstfruits of them that slept.”

“Behold, I shew you a mystery; We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed” (1 Cor. 15:6, 18, 20, 51).

“But I would not have you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning them which are asleep, that ye sorrow not, even as others which have no hope. For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so them also which sleep in Jesus will God bring with him. For this we say unto you by the word of the Lord, that we which are alive and remain unto the coming of the Lord shall not prevent them which are asleep” (1 Thess. 4:13-15).

“And saying, Where is the promise of his coming? for since the fathers fell asleep, all things continue as they were from the beginning of the creation” (2 Pet. 3:4).

“And I heard a voice from heaven saying unto me, Write, Blessed are the dead which die in the Lord from henceforth: Yea, saith the Spirit, that they may rest from their labours; and their works do follow them” (Rev. 14:13).

[Hades and Sheol are the Greek and Hebrew words for "grave" and "hell."]

“But his flesh upon him shall have pain, and his soul within him shall mourn” (Job 14:22). [If this text says that there is consciousness after death, as some claim, then the fleshly body must be conscious as well since it is feeling pain. If the "soul" that is mourning is in sheol ("the grave," vs. 13), then the "flesh" that is in "pain" must be there as well.]

“For I know that thou wilt bring me to death, and to the house appointed for all living” (Job 30:23).

“If I wait, the grave [sheol] is mine house: I have made my bed in the darkness” (Job 17:13).

“Drought and heat consume the snow waters: so doth the grave [sheol] those which have sinned. The womb shall forget him; the worm shall feed sweetly on him” (Job 24:19, 20). [Since it is the body that decays, it must be the body that is in the grave (sheol) here.]

“Like sheep they are laid in the grave [sheol]; death shall feed on them; and the upright shall have dominion over them in the morning; and their beauty shall consume in the grave [sheol] from their dwelling” (Ps. 49:14).

“Whatsoever thy hand findeth to do, do it with thy might; for there is no work, nor device, nor knowledge, nor wisdom, in the grave [sheol], whither thou goest” (Eccl. 9:10). [If the spirit or soul was conscious after death, it could not be in the grave (sheol, hades), because whatever is there has no knowledge at all. The body must be referred to here.]

“And they shall not lie with the mighty that are fallen of the uncircumcised, which are gone down to hell [sheol] with their weapons of war: and they have laid their swords under their heads, but their iniquities shall be upon their bones, though they were the terror of the mighty in the land of the living” (Ezek. 32:27). [I can’t imagine people thinking that spirits or souls take their swords to hell with them. This must be a picture of people being buried in the grave with their armor.]

“And in hell [hades] he lift up his eyes, being in torments, and seeth Abraham afar off, and Lazarus in his bosom. And he cried and said, Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus, that he may dip the tip of his finger in water, and cool my tongue; for I am tormented in this flame” (Luke 16:23). [If spirits or souls have tongues, eyes, bosoms, and fingers, why would they need bodies too? If spirits or souls don’t have such parts, then this parable pictures their bodies in hell/hades.]

“His sons come to honour, and he knoweth it not; and they are brought low, but he perceiveth it not of them” (Job 14:21).

“For in death there is no remembrance of thee: in the grave who shall give thee thanks?” (Ps. 6:5).

“What profit is there in my blood, when I go down to the pit? Shall the dust praise thee? shall it declare thy truth?” (Ps. 30:9).

“Wilt thou shew wonders to the dead? shall the dead arise and praise thee? Selah. Shall thy lovingkindness be declared in the grave? or thy faithfulness in destruction? Shall thy wonders be known in the dark? and thy righteousness in the land of forgetfulness?” (Ps. 88:10-12).

“The dead praise not the LORD, neither any that go down into silence” (Ps. 115:17).

“His breath goeth forth, he returneth to his earth; in that very day his thoughts perish” (Ps. 146:4).

“For the living know that they shall die: but the dead know not any thing, neither have they any more a reward; for the memory of them is forgotten. Also their love, and their hatred, and their envy, is now perished; neither have they any more a portion for ever in any thing that is done under the sun.”

“Whatsoever thy hand findeth to do, do it with thy might; for there is no work, nor device, nor knowledge, nor wisdom, in the grave, whither thou goest” (Eccl. 9:5, 6, 10).

“For the grave cannot praise thee, death cannot celebrate thee: they that go down into the pit cannot hope for thy truth. The living, the living, he shall praise thee, as I do this day: the father to the children shall make known thy truth” (Is. 38:18, 19).

“To them who by patient continuance in well doing seek for glory and honour and immortality, eternal life” (Rom. 2:7). [We could not seek for immortality if we already had it.]

“Who only hath immortality, dwelling in the light which no man can approach unto; whom no man hath seen, nor can see: to whom be honour and power everlasting” (1 Tim. 6:16). [God is here declared to be the only one who has immortality.]

“But is now made manifest by the appearing of our Saviour Jesus Christ, who hath abolished death, and hath brought life and immortality to light through the gospel” (2 Tim. 1:10). [If we already have immortality, Jesus did not bring it to light.]

“For if God spared not the angels that sinned, but cast them down to hell, and delivered them into chains of darkness, to be reserved unto judgment.”

“And turning the cities of Sodom and Gomorrha into ashes condemned them with an overthrow, making them an ensample unto those that after should live ungodly” (2 Pet. 2:4, 6).

“And the angels which kept not their first estate, but left their own habitation, he hath reserved in everlasting chains under darkness unto the judgment of the great day. Even as Sodom and Gomorrha, and the cities about them in like manner, giving themselves over to fornication, and going after strange flesh, are set forth for an example, suffering the vengeance of eternal fire” (Jude 6, 7). [Sodom and Gomorrha are used as an example of what the great white throne judgment and the lake of fire will be like. Eternal fire reduced them to ashes.]

“For we will destroy this place, because the cry of them is waxen great before the face of the LORD; and the LORD hath sent us to destroy it. And Lot went out, and spake unto his sons in law, which married his daughters, and said, Up, get you out of this place; for the LORD will destroy this city.”

“Arise, take thy wife, and thy two daughters, which are here; lest thou be consumed in the iniquity of the city.”

“Escape to the mountain, lest thou be consumed.”

“Then the LORD rained upon Sodom and upon Gomorrah brimstone and fire from the LORD out of heaven; And he overthrew those cities, and all the plain, and all the inhabitants of the cities, and that which grew upon the ground” (Gen. 19:13-15, 17, 24, 25).

“And whatsoever soul it be that doeth any work in that same day, the same soul will I destroy from among his people” (Lev. 23:30). [Many of these verses must be talking about the final reward of the wicked, for it is often true that the wicked prosper in this life. The book of Job, as well as certain Psalms, was written to teach that though the wicked may prosper now, they will receive their reward in the end.]

“Know therefore that the LORD thy God, he is God, the faithful God, which keepeth covenant and mercy with them that love him and keep his commandments to a thousand generations; and repayeth them that hate him to their face, to destroy them: he will not be slack to him that hateth him, he will repay him to his face” (Deut. 7:9, 10).

“Thou shalt destroy them that speak leasing: the LORD will abhor the bloody and deceitful man” (Ps. 5:6).

“Thou hast rebuked the heathen, thou hast destroyed the wicked, thou hast put out their name for ever and ever” (Ps. 9:5).

“Thou shalt make them as a fiery oven in the time of thine anger: the LORD shall swallow them up in his wrath, and the fire shall devour them. Their fruit shalt thou destroy from the earth, and their seed from among the children of men” (Ps. 21:9, 10).

“Because they regard not the works of the LORD, nor the operation of his hands, he shall destroy them, and not build them up” (Ps. 28:5).

“But the transgressors shall be destroyed together: the end of the wicked shall be cut off” (Ps. 37:38)

“God shall likewise destroy thee for ever, he shall take thee away, and pluck thee out of thy dwelling place, and root thee out of the land of the living. Selah” (Ps. 52:5).

“For, lo, they that are far from thee shall perish: thou hast destroyed all them that go a whoring from thee” (Ps. 73:27).

“When the wicked spring as the grass, and when all the workers of iniquity do flourish; it is that they shall be destroyed for ever” (Ps. 92:7).

“All nations compassed me about: but in the name of the LORD will I destroy them. They compassed me about; yea, they compassed me about: but in the name of the LORD I will destroy them. They compassed me about like bees; they are quenched as the fire of thorns: for in the name of the LORD I will destroy them” (Ps. 118:10-12). [Verse 22 indicates to me that the one here speaking is Christ.]

“The LORD preserveth all them that love him: but all the wicked will he destroy” (Ps. 145:20).

“Whoso despiseth the word shall be destroyed: but he that feareth the commandment shall be rewarded” (Prov. 13:13).

“And the destruction of the transgressors and of the sinners shall be together, and they that forsake the LORD shall be consumed.”

“And the strong shall be as tow, and the maker of it as a spark, and they shall both burn together, and none shall quench them” (Is. 1:28, 31).

“They are dead, they shall not live; they are deceased, they shall not rise: therefore hast thou visited and destroyed them, and made all their memory to perish” (Is. 26:14).

“For the indignation of the LORD is upon all nations, and his fury upon all their armies: he hath utterly destroyed them, he hath delivered them to the slaughter. Their slain also shall be cast out, and their stink shall come up out of their carcasses, and the mountains shall be melted with their blood. And all the host of heaven shall be dissolved, and the heavens shall be rolled together as a scroll: and all their host shall fall down, as the leaf falleth off from the vine, and as a falling fig from the fig tree” (Is. 34:2-4).

“I will destroy thee, O covering cherub, from the midst of the stones of fire” (Ezek. 28:16).

“Enter ye in at the strait gate: for wide is the gate, and broad is the way, that leadeth to destruction, and many there be which go in thereat” (Mat. 7:13).

“And fear not them which kill the body, but are not able to kill the soul: but rather fear him which is able to destroy both soul and body in hell” (Mat. 10:28).

“There is one lawgiver, who is able to save and to destroy” (Jam. 4:12).

Examples:

“I call heaven and earth to witness against you this day, that ye shall soon utterly perish from off the land whereunto ye go over Jordan to possess it; ye shall not prolong your days upon it, but shall utterly be destroyed” (Deut. 4:26).

“Moreover the LORD thy God will send the hornet among them, until they that are left, and hide themselves from thee, be destroyed.”

“And he shall deliver their kings into thine hand, and thou shalt destroy their name from under heaven: there shall no man be able to stand before thee, until thou have destroyed them” (Deut. 7:20, 24).

“And what he did unto the army of Egypt, unto their horses, and to their chariots; how he made the water of the Red sea to overflow them as they pursued after you, and how the LORD hath destroyed them unto this day” (Deut. 11:4).

“And Joshua said, Alas, O Lord GOD, wherefore hast thou at all brought this people over Jordan, to deliver us into the hand of the Amorites, to destroy us? would to God we had been content, and dwelt on the other side Jordan!” (Josh. 7:7).

“Now therefore call unto me all the prophets of Baal, all his servants, and all his priests; let none be wanting: for I have a great sacrifice to do to Baal; whosoever shall be wanting, he shall not live. But Jehu did it in subtilty, to the intent that he might destroy the worshippers of Baal” (2 Kings 10:19).

“If it please the king, let it be written that they may be destroyed: and I will pay ten thousand talents of silver to the hands of those that have the charge of the business, to bring it into the king’s treasuries” (Est. 3:9).

“And in Shushan the palace the Jews slew and destroyed five hundred men.”

“And the king said unto Esther the queen, The Jews have slain and destroyed five hundred men in Shushan the palace, and the ten sons of Haman; what have they done in the rest of the king’s provinces? now what is thy petition? and it shall be granted thee: or what is thy request further? and it shall be done.”

“Because Haman the son of Hammedatha, the Agagite, the enemy of all the Jews, had devised against the Jews to destroy them, and had cast Pur, that is, the lot, to consume them, and to destroy them” (Est. 9:6, 12, 24).

“And I will pour out mine indignation upon thee, I will blow against thee in the fire of my wrath, and deliver thee into the hand of brutish men, and skilful to destroy. Thou shalt be for fuel to the fire; thy blood shall be in the midst of the land; thou shalt be no more remembered: for I the LORD have spoken it” (Ezek. 21:31, 32). [It seems that Ezekiel is borrowing language referring to the final reward of the wicked when speaking of the Ammonites.]

“Herod will seek the young child to destroy him” (Mat. 2:13).

“They say unto him, He will miserably destroy those wicked men, and will let out his vineyard unto other husbandmen” (Mat. 21:41).

“But when the king heard thereof, he was wroth: and he sent forth his armies, and destroyed those murderers, and burned up their city” (Mat. 22:7).

“But the chief priests and elders persuaded the multitude that they should ask Barabbas, and destroy Jesus” (Mat. 27:20).

“And the Pharisees went forth, and straightway took counsel with the Herodians against him, how they might destroy him” (Mark 3:6).

“And ofttimes it hath cast him into the fire, and into the waters, to destroy him” (Mark 9:22).

“And the scribes and chief priests heard it, and sought how they might destroy him” (Mark 11:18).

“Is it lawful on the sabbath days to do good, or to do evil? to save life, or to destroy it?” (Luke 6:9).

“They did eat, they drank, they married wives, they were given in marriage, until the day that Noe entered into the ark, and the flood came, and destroyed them all.”

“But the same day that Lot went out of Sodom it rained fire and brimstone from heaven, and destroyed them all” (Luke 17:27, 29).

“He shall come and destroy these husbandmen, and shall give the vineyard to others” (Luke 20:16).

“The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly” (John 10:10).

“Now Caiaphas was he, which gave counsel to the Jews, that it was expedient that one man should die for the people” (John 18:14). [The greek word for "die" is the usual one for "destroy."]

“Neither let us tempt Christ, as some of them also tempted, and were destroyed of serpents. Neither murmur ye, as some of them also murmured, and were destroyed of the destroyer” (1 Cor. 10:9, 10).

“I will therefore put you in remembrance, though ye once knew this, how that the Lord, having saved the people out of the land of Egypt, afterward destroyed them that believed not” (Jude 1:5).

“And the destruction of the transgressors and of the sinners shall be together, and they that forsake the LORD shall be consumed.”

“And the strong shall be as tow, and the maker of it as a spark, and they shall both burn together, and none shall quench them” (Is. 1:28, 31).

“Which bringeth forth the chariot and horse, the army and the power; they shall lie down together, they shall not rise: they are extinct, they are quenched as tow” (Is. 43:17).

“For the LORD thy God is a consuming fire, even a jealous God” (Deut. 4:24).

“For a fire is kindled in mine anger, and shall burn unto the lowest hell, and shall consume the earth with her increase, and set on fire the foundations of the mountains.”

“They shall be burnt with hunger, and devoured with burning heat, and with bitter destruction: I will also send the teeth of beasts upon them, with the poison of serpents of the dust” (Deut. 32:22, 24).

“But the wicked shall perish, and the enemies of the LORD shall be as the fat of lambs: they shall consume; into smoke shall they consume away” (Ps. 37:20).

“Consume them in wrath, consume them, that they may not be: and let them know that God ruleth in Jacob unto the ends of the earth. Selah” (Ps. 59:13).

“Let the sinners be consumed out of the earth, and let the wicked be no more” (Ps. 104:35).

“And the destruction of the transgressors and of the sinners shall be together, and they that forsake the LORD shall be consumed” (Is. 1:28).

“Therefore as the fire devoureth the stubble, and the flame consumeth the chaff, so their root shall be as rottenness, and their blossom shall go up as dust: because they have cast away the law of the LORD of hosts, and despised the word of the Holy One of Israel” (Is. 5:24).

“Therefore shall the Lord, the Lord of hosts, send among his fat ones leanness; and under his glory he shall kindle a burning like the burning of a fire. And the light of Israel shall be for a fire, and his Holy One for a flame: and it shall burn and devour his thorns and his briers in one day; And shall consume the glory of his forest, and of his fruitful field, both soul and body: and they shall be as when a standardbearer fainteth” (Is. 10:16-18).

“For the terrible one is brought to nought, and the scorner is consumed, and all that watch for iniquity are cut off” (Is. 29:20).

“For our God is a consuming fire” (Heb. 12:29).

Examples:

“Understand therefore this day, that the LORD thy God is he which goeth over before thee; as a consuming fire he shall destroy them” (Deut. 9:3).

“Now therefore let me alone, that my wrath may wax hot against them, and that I may consume them: and I will make of thee a great nation” (Ex. 32:10).

“And when the people complained, it displeased the LORD: and the LORD heard it; and his anger was kindled; and the fire of the LORD burnt among them, and consumed them that were in the uttermost parts of the camp” (Num. 11:1).

“And there came out a fire from the LORD, and consumed the two hundred and fifty men that offered incense” (Num. 16:35).

“And Elijah answered and said to the captain of fifty, If I be a man of God, then let fire come down from heaven, and consume thee and thy fifty. And there came down fire from heaven, and consumed him and his fifty.”

“And Elijah answered and said unto them, If I be a man of God, let fire come down from heaven, and consume thee and thy fifty. And the fire of God came down from heaven, and consumed him and his fifty.”

“Behold, there came fire down from heaven, and burnt up the two captains of the former fifties with their fifties: therefore let my life now be precious in thy sight” (2 Kings 1:10, 12, 14).

“Therefore have I poured out mine indignation upon them; I have consumed them with the fire of my wrath: their own way have I recompensed upon their heads, saith the Lord GOD” (Ezek. 22:31).

“I will destroy thee, O covering cherub, from the midst of the stones of fire.”

“Thou hast defiled thy sanctuaries by the multitude of thine iniquities, by the iniquity of thy traffick; therefore will I bring forth a fire from the midst of thee, it shall devour thee, and I will bring thee to ashes upon the earth in the sight of all them that behold thee” (Ezek. 28:16, 18).

“And ye shall tread down the wicked; for they shall be ashes under the soles of your feet in the day that I shall do this, saith the LORD of hosts” (Mal. 4:3).

“And turning the cities of Sodom and Gomorrha into ashes condemned them with an overthrow, making them an ensample unto those that after should live ungodly” (2 Pet. 2:6).

“Thou shalt make them as a fiery oven in the time of thine anger: the LORD shall swallow them up in his wrath, and the fire shall devour them” (Ps. 21:9).

“Our God shall come, and shall not keep silence: a fire shall devour before him, and it shall be very tempestuous round about him” (Ps. 50:3).

“Therefore as the fire devoureth the stubble, and the flame consumeth the chaff, so their root shall be as rottenness, and their blossom shall go up as dust: because they have cast away the law of the LORD of hosts, and despised the word of the Holy One of Israel” (Is. 5:24).

“For wickedness burneth as the fire: it shall devour the briers and thorns, and shall kindle in the thickets of the forest, and they shall mount up like the lifting up of smoke. Through the wrath of the LORD of hosts is the land darkened, and the people shall be as the fuel of the fire: no man shall spare his brother” (Is. 9:18, 19).

“Therefore shall the Lord, the Lord of hosts, send among his fat ones leanness; and under his glory he shall kindle a burning like the burning of a fire. And the light of Israel shall be for a fire, and his Holy One for a flame: and it shall burn and devour his thorns and his briers in one day; And shall consume the glory of his forest, and of his fruitful field, both soul and body: and they shall be as when a standardbearer fainteth” (Is. 10:16-18).

“I will destroy thee, O covering cherub, from the midst of the stones of fire.”

“Thou hast defiled thy sanctuaries by the multitude of thine iniquities, by the iniquity of thy traffick; therefore will I bring forth a fire from the midst of thee, it shall devour thee, and I will bring thee to ashes upon the earth in the sight of all them that behold thee” (Ezek. 28:16, 18).

“Ye shall conceive chaff, ye shall bring forth stubble: your breath, as fire, shall devour you. And the people shall be as the burnings of lime: as thorns cut up shall they be burned in the fire” (Is. 33:11, 12).

“For the moth shall eat them up like a garment, and the worm shall eat them like wool: but my righteousness shall be for ever, and my salvation from generation to generation” (Is. 51:8).

“O house of David, thus saith the LORD; Execute judgment in the morning, and deliver him that is spoiled out of the hand of the oppressor, lest my fury go out like fire, and burn that none can quench it, because of the evil of your doings.”

“But I will punish you according to the fruit of your doings, saith the LORD: and I will kindle a fire in the forest thereof, and it shall devour all things round about it” (Jer. 21:12, 14).

“What do ye imagine against the LORD? he will make an utter end: affliction shall not rise up the second time. For while they be folden together as thorns, and while they are drunken as drunkards, they shall be devoured as stubble fully dry” (Nah. 1:9, 10).

“And they went up on the breadth of the earth, and compassed the camp of the saints about, and the beloved city: and fire came down from God out of heaven, and devoured them” (Rev. 20:9). ["Upon the wicked he shall rain snares, fire and brimstone, and an horrible tempest: this shall be the portion of their cup" (Ps. 11:6).]

Examples:

“And there went out fire from the LORD, and devoured them, and they died before the LORD” (Lev. 10:2).

“But if ye will not hearken unto me to hallow the sabbath day, and not to bear a burden, even entering in at the gates of Jerusalem on the sabbath day; then will I kindle a fire in the gates thereof, and it shall devour the palaces of Jerusalem, and it shall not be quenched” (Jer. 17:27).

“He hath cut off in his fierce anger all the horn of Israel: he hath drawn back his right hand from before the enemy, and he burned against Jacob like a flaming fire, which devoureth round about. He hath bent his bow like an enemy: he stood with his right hand as an adversary, and slew all that were pleasant to the eye in the tabernacle of the daughter of Zion: he poured out his fury like fire” (Lam. 2:3, 4).

“Therefore thus saith the Lord GOD; As the vine tree among the trees of the forest, which I have given to the fire for fuel, so will I give the inhabitants of Jerusalem. And I will set my face against them; they shall go out from one fire, and another fire shall devour them; and ye shall know that I am the LORD, when I set my face against them” (Ezek. 15:6, 7).

“Seek the LORD, and ye shall live; lest he break out like fire in the house of Joseph, and devour it, and there be none to quench it in Bethel” (Amos 5:6).

“A fire goeth before him, and burneth up his enemies round about” (Ps. 97:3).

“And the destruction of the transgressors and of the sinners shall be together, and they that forsake the LORD shall be consumed.”

“And the strong shall be as tow, and the maker of it as a spark, and they shall both burn together, and none shall quench them” (Is. 1:28, 31).

“Therefore shall the Lord, the Lord of hosts, send among his fat ones leanness; and under his glory he shall kindle a burning like the burning of a fire. And the light of Israel shall be for a fire, and his Holy One for a flame: and it shall burn and devour his thorns and his briers in one day; And shall consume the glory of his forest, and of his fruitful field, both soul and body: and they shall be as when a standardbearer fainteth” (Is. 10:16-18).

“For wickedness burneth as the fire: it shall devour the briers and thorns, and shall kindle in the thickets of the forest, and they shall mount up like the lifting up of smoke. Through the wrath of the LORD of hosts is the land darkened, and the people shall be as the fuel of the fire: no man shall spare his brother” (Is. 9:18, 19).

“Ye shall conceive chaff, ye shall bring forth stubble: your breath, as fire, shall devour you. And the people shall be as the burnings of lime: as thorns cut up shall they be burned in the fire” (Is. 33:11, 12).

“Behold, they shall be as stubble; the fire shall burn them; they shall not deliver themselves from the power of the flame: there shall not be a coal to warm at, nor fire to sit before it” (Is. 47:14).

“For, behold, the LORD will come with fire, and with his chariots like a whirlwind, to render his anger with fury, and his rebuke with flames of fire. For by fire and by his sword will the LORD plead with all flesh: and the slain of the LORD shall be many.”

“And they shall go forth, and look upon the carcases of the men that have transgressed against me: for their worm shall not die, neither shall their fire be quenched; and they shall be an abhorring unto all flesh” (Is. 66:15, 16, 24).

“The mountains quake at him, and the hills melt, and the earth is burned at his presence, yea, the world, and all that dwell therein” (Nah. 1:5).

“For, behold, the day cometh, that shall burn as an oven; and all the proud, yea, and all that do wickedly, shall be stubble: and the day that cometh shall burn them up, saith the LORD of hosts, that it shall leave them neither root nor branch.”

“And ye shall tread down the wicked; for they shall be ashes under the soles of your feet in the day that I shall do this, saith the LORD of hosts” (Mal. 4:1, 3).

“And now also the axe is laid unto the root of the trees: therefore every tree which bringeth not forth good fruit is hewn down, and cast into the fire.”

“Whose fan is in his hand, and he will throughly purge his floor, and gather his wheat into the garner; but he will burn up the chaff with unquenchable fire” (Mat. 3:10, 12).

“As therefore the tares are gathered and burned in the fire; so shall it be in the end of this world. The Son of man shall send forth his angels, and they shall gather out of his kingdom all things that offend, and them which do iniquity; and shall cast them into a furnace of fire: there shall be wailing and gnashing of teeth” (Mat. 13:40-42).

“Whereby the world that then was, being overflowed with water, perished: but the heavens and the earth, which are now, by the same word are kept in store, reserved unto fire against the day of judgment and perdition of ungodly men” (2 Pet. 3:6).

Examples:

“Circumcise yourselves to the LORD, and take away the foreskins of your heart, ye men of Judah and inhabitants of Jerusalem: lest my fury come forth like fire, and burn that none can quench it, because of the evil of your doings.”

“Set up the standard toward Zion: retire, stay not: for I will bring evil from the north, and a great destruction” (Jer. 4:4, 6).

“But if ye will not hearken unto me to hallow the sabbath day, and not to bear a burden, even entering in at the gates of Jerusalem on the sabbath day; then will I kindle a fire in the gates thereof, and it shall devour the palaces of Jerusalem, and it shall not be quenched” (Jer. 17:27).

“O house of David, thus saith the LORD; Execute judgment in the morning, and deliver him that is spoiled out of the hand of the oppressor, lest my fury go out like fire, and burn that none can quench it, because of the evil of your doings.”

“But I will punish you according to the fruit of your doings, saith the LORD: and I will kindle a fire in the forest thereof, and it shall devour all things round about it” (Jer. 21:12, 14).

“He hath cut off in his fierce anger all the horn of Israel: he hath drawn back his right hand from before the enemy, and he burned against Jacob like a flaming fire, which devoureth round about. He hath bent his bow like an enemy: he stood with his right hand as an adversary, and slew all that were pleasant to the eye in the tabernacle of the daughter of Zion: he poured out his fury like fire” (Lam. 2:3, 4).

“Therefore thus saith the Lord GOD; As the vine tree among the trees of the forest, which I have given to the fire for fuel, so will I give the inhabitants of Jerusalem. And I will set my face against them; they shall go out from one fire, and another fire shall devour them; and ye shall know that I am the LORD, when I set my face against them” (Ezek. 15:6, 7).

“And I will pour out mine indignation upon thee, I will blow against thee in the fire of my wrath, and deliver thee into the hand of brutish men, and skilful to destroy. Thou shalt be for fuel to the fire; thy blood shall be in the midst of the land; thou shalt be no more remembered: for I the LORD have spoken it” (Ezek. 21:31, 32).

“Seek the LORD, and ye shall live; lest he break out like fire in the house of Joseph, and devour it, and there be none to quench it in Bethel” (Amos 5:6).

“The LORD will not spare him, but then the anger of the LORD and his jealousy shall smoke against that man, and all the curses that are written in this book shall lie upon him, and the LORD shall blot out his name from under heaven” (Deut. 29:20).

“Thou hast rebuked the heathen, thou hast destroyed the wicked, thou hast put out their name for ever and ever” (Ps. 9:5).

“Let them be blotted out of the book of the living, and not be written with the righteous” (Ps. 69:28).

“Therefore shall the Lord, the Lord of hosts, send among his fat ones leanness; and under his glory he shall kindle a burning like the burning of a fire. And the light of Israel shall be for a fire, and his Holy One for a flame: and it shall burn and devour his thorns and his briers in one day; And shall consume the glory of his forest, and of his fruitful field, both soul and body: and they shall be as when a standardbearer fainteth” (Is. 10:16-18).

“And fear not them which kill the body, but are not able to kill the soul: but rather fear him which is able to destroy both soul and body in hell” (Mat. 10:28).

“Thou puttest away all the wicked of the earth like dross: therefore I love thy testimonies” (Ps. 119:119).

“The light of the righteous rejoiceth: but the lamp of the wicked shall be put out” (Prov. 13:9).

“For there shall be no reward to the evil man; the candle of the wicked shall be put out” (Prov. 24:20).

“Yea, they shall not be planted; yea, they shall not be sown: yea, their stock shall not take root in the earth: and he shall also blow upon them, and they shall wither, and the whirlwind shall take them away as stubble” (Is. 40:24).

Examples:

“How oft is the candle of the wicked put out! and how oft cometh their destruction upon them!” (Job 21:17).

“The ungodly are not so: but are like the chaff which the wind driveth away. Therefore the ungodly shall not stand in the judgment, nor sinners in the congregation of the righteous. For the LORD knoweth the way of the righteous: but the way of the ungodly shall perish” (Ps. 1:4-6).

“Kiss the Son, lest he be angry, and ye perish from the way, when his wrath is kindled but a little” (Ps. 2:12).

“When mine enemies are turned back, they shall fall and perish at thy presence” (Ps. 9:3).

“The LORD is King for ever and ever: the heathen are perished out of his land” (Ps. 10:16).

“But the wicked shall perish, and the enemies of the LORD shall be as the fat of lambs: they shall consume; into smoke shall they consume away” (Ps. 37:20).

“As smoke is driven away, so drive them away: as wax melteth before the fire, so let the wicked perish at the presence of God” (Ps. 68:2).

“For, lo, they that are far from thee shall perish: thou hast destroyed all them that go a whoring from thee” (Ps. 73:27).

“For, lo, thine enemies, O LORD, for, lo, thine enemies shall perish; all the workers of iniquity shall be scattered” (Ps. 92:9).

“His breath goeth forth, he returneth to his earth; in that very day his thoughts perish” (Ps. 146:4).

“A false witness shall not be unpunished, and he that speaketh lies shall perish” (Prov. 19:9).

“A false witness shall perish: but the man that heareth speaketh constantly” (Prov. 21:28).

“They are dead, they shall not live; they are deceased, they shall not rise: therefore hast thou visited and destroyed them, and made all their memory to perish” (Is. 26:14).

“Behold, all they that were incensed against thee shall be ashamed and confounded: they shall be as nothing; and they that strive with thee shall perish. Thou shalt seek them, and shalt not find them, even them that contended with thee: they that war against thee shall be as nothing, and as a thing of nought” (Is. 41:11, 12). [Verses 18 and 19 indicate to me that what is described above takes place just before the creation of the new heavens and new earth of Rev. 21.]

“Even so it is not the will of your Father which is in heaven, that one of these little ones should perish” (Mat. 18:14).

“I tell you, Nay: but, except ye repent, ye shall all likewise perish.”

“I tell you, Nay: but, except ye repent, ye shall all likewise perish” (Luke 13:3, 5).

“And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of man be lifted up: that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have eternal life. For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life” (John 3:14-16). [In the wilderness, those who did not look at the serpent on the pole died. In the same manner, those who do not look to Christ shall perish or die.]

“And I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand” (John 10:28).

“But Peter said unto him, Thy money perish with thee, because thou hast thought that the gift of God may be purchased with money” (Acts 8:20).

“For as many as have sinned without law shall also perish without law: and as many as have sinned in the law shall be judged by the law” (Rom. 2:12).

“For the preaching of the cross is to them that perish foolishness; but unto us which are saved it is the power of God” (1 Cor. 1:18).

“And through thy knowledge shall the weak brother perish, for whom Christ died” (1 Cor. 8:11).

“For we are unto God a sweet savour of Christ, in them that are saved, and in them that perish” (2 Cor. 2:15).

“And with all deceivableness of unrighteousness in them that perish; because they received not the love of the truth, that they might be saved” (2 Thess. 2:10).

“For the sun is no sooner risen with a burning heat, but it withereth the grass, and the flower thereof falleth, and the grace of the fashion of it perisheth: so also shall the rich man fade away in his ways” (Jam. 1:11). [Is. 40:6-8 uses similar language to compare the mortal nature of man with the immortal nature of God’s Word.]

“But these, as natural brute beasts, made to be taken and destroyed, speak evil of the things that they understand not; and shall utterly perish in their own corruption” (2 Pet. 2:12).

“The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance” (2 Pet. 3:9).

Examples:

“And when he looked on Amalek, he took up his parable, and said, Amalek was the first of the nations; but his latter end shall be that he perish for ever.”

“And ships shall come from the coast of Chittim, and shall afflict Asshur, and shall afflict Eber, and he also shall perish for ever” (Num. 24:20, 24).

“I denounce unto you this day, that ye shall surely perish, and that ye shall not prolong your days upon the land, whither thou passest over Jordan to go to possess it” (Deut. 30:18).

“Know for a certainty that the LORD your God will no more drive out any of these nations from before you; but they shall be snares and traps unto you, and scourges in your sides, and thorns in your eyes, until ye perish from off this good land which the LORD your God hath given you” (Josh. 23:13).

“For the whole house of Ahab shall perish: and I will cut off from Ahab him that pisseth against the wall, and him that is shut up and left in Israel” (2 Kings 9:8).

“And the letters were sent by posts into all the king’s provinces, to destroy, to kill, and to cause to perish, all Jews, both young and old, little children and women, in one day, even upon the thirteenth day of the twelfth month, which is the month Adar, and to take the spoil of them for a prey” (Est. 3:13).

“For we are sold, I and my people, to be destroyed, to be slain, and to perish. But if we had been sold for bondmen and bondwomen, I had held my tongue, although the enemy could not countervail the king’s damage” (Est. 7:4).

“Wherein the king granted the Jews which were in every city to gather themselves together, and to stand for their life, to destroy, to slay, and to cause to perish, all the power of the people and province that would assault them, both little ones and women, and to take the spoil of them for a prey” (Est. 8:11).

“Man that is in honour, and understandeth not, is like the beasts that perish” (Ps. 49:20).

“And if thy right eye offend thee, pluck it out, and cast it from thee: for it is profitable for thee that one of thy members should perish, and not that thy whole body should be cast into hell. And if thy right hand offend thee, cut if off, and cast it from thee: for it is profitable for thee that one of thy members should perish, and not that thy whole body should be cast into hell” (Mat. 5:29, 30).

“Then said Jesus unto him, Put up again thy sword into his place: for all they that take the sword shall perish with the sword” (Mat. 26:52).

“And he was in the hinder part of the ship, asleep on a pillow: and they awake him, and say unto him, Master, carest thou not that we perish” (Mark 4:38).

“From the blood of Abel unto the blood of Zacharias, which perished between the altar and the temple: verily I say unto you, It shall be required of this generation” (Luke 11:51).

“Nevertheless I must walk to day, and to morrow, and the day following: for it cannot be that a prophet perish out of Jerusalem” (Luke 13:33).

“And if Christ be not raised, your faith is vain; ye are yet in your sins. Then they also which are fallen asleep in Christ are perished” (1 Cor. 15:17, 18).

“By faith the harlot Rahab perished not with them that believed not, when she had received the spies with peace” (Heb. 11:31).

“Whereby the world that then was, being overflowed with water, perished: but the heavens and the earth, which are now, by the same word are kept in store, reserved unto fire against the day of judgment and perdition of ungodly men” (2 Pet. 3:6, 7).

“Thou shalt break them with a rod of iron; thou shalt dash them in pieces like a potter’s vessel” (Ps. 2:9).

“Now consider this, ye that forget God, lest I tear you in pieces, and there be none to deliver” (Ps. 50:22).

“Let them melt away as waters which run continually: when he bendeth his bow to shoot his arrows, let them be as cut in pieces” (Ps. 58:7).

“As smoke is driven away, so drive them away: as wax melteth before the fire, so let the wicked perish at the presence of God” (Ps. 68:2).

Examples:

“Yea, I will gather you, and blow upon you in the fire of my wrath, and ye shall be melted in the midst thereof. As silver is melted in the midst of the furnace, so shall ye be melted in the midst thereof; and ye shall know that I the LORD have poured out my fury upon you.”

“Therefore have I poured out mine indignation upon them; I have consumed them with the fire of my wrath: their own way have I recompensed upon their heads, saith the Lord GOD” (Ezek. 22:21, 22, 31).

“For yet a little while, and the wicked shall not be: yea, thou shalt diligently consider his place, and it shall not be.”

“Yet he passed away, and, lo, he was not: yea, I sought him, but he could not be found” (Ps. 37:10, 36)

“Consume them in wrath, consume them, that they may not be: and let them know that God ruleth in Jacob unto the ends of the earth. Selah” (Ps. 59:13).

“Let the sinners be consumed out of the earth, and let the wicked be no more” (Ps. 104:35).

“As the whirlwind passeth, so is the wicked no more: but the righteous is an everlasting foundation” (Prov. 10:25).

“The wicked are overthrown, and are not: but the house of the righteous shall stand” (Prov. 12:7).

“For as ye have drunk upon my holy mountain, so shall all the heathen drink continually, yea, they shall drink, and they shall swallow down, and they shall be as though they had not been” (Obad. 16).

“The wicked are overthrown, and are not: but the house of the righteous shall stand” (Prov. 12:7)[/slider [slider group=A title="25. The Wicked to Be As Smoke or to Be Dissolved" bstyle="display:block" type=left-image]

“But the wicked shall perish, and the enemies of the LORD shall be as the fat of lambs: they shall consume; into smoke shall they consume away” (Ps. 37:20).

“As smoke is driven away, so drive them away: as wax melteth before the fire, so let the wicked perish at the presence of God” (Ps. 68:2).

“The earth and all the inhabitants thereof are dissolved: I bear up the pillars of it. Selah” (Ps. 75:3).

“Fret not thyself because of evildoers, neither be thou envious against the workers of iniquity. For they shall soon be cut down like the grass, and wither as the green herb.”

“For evildoers shall be cut off: but those that wait upon the LORD, they shall inherit the earth.”

“For such as be blessed of him shall inherit the earth; and they that be cursed of him shall be cut off.”

“For the LORD loveth judgment, and forsaketh not his saints; they are preserved for ever: but the seed of the wicked shall be cut off.”

“Wait on the LORD, and keep his way, and he shall exalt thee to inherit the land: when the wicked are cut off, thou shalt see it.”

“But the transgressors shall be destroyed together: the end of the wicked shall be cut off” (Ps. 37:1, 2, 9, 22, 28, 34, 38)

“And he shall bring upon them their own iniquity, and shall cut them off in their own wickedness; yea, the LORD our God shall cut them off” (Ps. 94:23).

“But the wicked shall be cut off from the earth, and the transgressors shall be rooted out of it” (Prov. 2:22).

“For the terrible one is brought to nought, and the scorner is consumed, and all that watch for iniquity are cut off” (Is. 29:20).

“Behold upon the mountains the feet of him that bringeth good tidings, that publisheth peace! O Judah, keep thy solemn feasts, perform thy vows: for the wicked shall no more pass through thee; he is utterly cut off” (Nah. 1:15). [Cf. vs. 10.]

“Evil shall slay the wicked: and they that hate the righteous shall be desolate” (Ps. 34:21).

“How long will ye imagine mischief against a man? ye shall be slain all of you: as a bowing wall shall ye be, and as a tottering fence” (Ps. 62:3).

“Surely thou wilt slay the wicked, O God: depart from me therefore, ye bloody men” (Ps. 139:19).

“They are dead, they shall not live; they are deceased, they shall not rise: therefore hast thou visited and destroyed them, and made all their memory to perish” (Is. 26:14).

“But with righteousness shall he judge the poor, and reprove with equity for the meek of the earth: and he shall smite the earth with the rod of his mouth, and with the breath of his lips shall he slay the wicked” (Is. 11:4). ["For Tophet is ordained of old; yea, for the king it is prepared; he hath made it deep and large: the pile thereof is fire and much wood; the breath of the LORD, like a stream of brimstone, doth kindle it" (Is. 30:33).]

“For the indignation of the LORD is upon all nations, and his fury upon all their armies: he hath utterly destroyed them, he hath delivered them to the slaughter. Their slain also shall be cast out, and their stink shall come up out of their carcases, and the mountains shall be melted with their blood. And all the host of heaven shall be dissolved, and the heavens shall be rolled together as a scroll: and all their host shall fall down, as the leaf falleth off from the vine, and as a falling fig from the fig tree” (Is. 34:2-4).

“For, behold, the LORD will come with fire, and with his chariots like a whirlwind, to render his anger with fury, and his rebuke with flames of fire. For by fire and by his sword will the LORD plead with all flesh: and the slain of the LORD shall be many.”

“And they shall go forth, and look upon the carcases of the men that have transgressed against me: for their worm shall not die, neither shall their fire be quenched; and they shall be an abhorring unto all flesh” (Is. 66:15, 16, 24).

“Behold, all souls are mine; as the soul of the father, so also the soul of the son is mine: the soul that sinneth, it shall die.”

“The soul that sinneth, it shall die.”

“And death and hell were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death” (Rev. 20:14).

“But the fearful, and unbelieving, and the abominable, and murderers, and whoremongers, and sorcerers, and idolaters, and all liars, shall have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone: which is the second death” (Rev. 21:8).

Examples:

“And the second angel poured out his vial upon the sea; and it became as the blood of a dead man: and every living soul died in the sea” (Rev. 16:3).

“God shall likewise destroy thee for ever, he shall take thee away, and pluck thee out of thy dwelling place, and root thee out of the land of the living. Selah” (Ps. 52:5).

“But the wicked shall be cut off from the earth, and the transgressors shall be rooted out of it” (Prov. 2:22).

“Behold, they shall be as stubble; the fire shall burn them; they shall not deliver themselves from the power of the flame: there shall not be a coal to warm at, nor fire to sit before it” (Is. 47:14).

“For while they be folden together as thorns, and while they are drunken as drunkards, they shall be devoured as stubble fully dry” (Nah. 1:10).

“For, behold, the day cometh, that shall burn as an oven; and all the proud, yea, and all that do wickedly, shall be stubble: and the day that cometh shall burn them up, saith the LORD of hosts, that it shall leave them neither root nor branch” (Mal. 4:1). [Satan is the root and his followers are the branches.]

“And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away” (Rev. 21:4). [If hell was still burning, this statement could not be true.]

“Have ye not asked them that go by the way? and do ye not know their tokens, that the wicked is reserved to the day of destruction? they shall be brought forth to the day of wrath” (Job 21:29, 30).

“For if God spared not the angels that sinned, but cast them down to hell, and delivered them into chains of darkness, to be reserved unto judgment.”

“The Lord knoweth how to deliver the godly out of temptations, and to reserve the unjust unto the day of judgment to be punished” (2 Pet. 2:4, 9).

“But the heavens and the earth, which are now, by the same word are kept in store, reserved unto fire against the day of judgment and perdition of ungodly men” (2 Pet. 3:7).

“And the angels which kept not their first estate, but left their own habitation, he hath reserved in everlasting chains under darkness unto the judgment of the great day” (Jude 6).

By Bob Pickle – pickle-publishing.com

Abraham, Adam, Alas, Barnes, bible reading plan, Chr, Christ, Christian, Dan, Daniel, David, death, Don, Dr. Adam Clarke, Egypt, Esther, Eve, exhaustive concordance of the bible, Ezekiel, fire, God, I, Isaiah, Israel, Jacob, James Version, Jer, Jesus, Jesus Christ, JOHN, Jordan, Josh, Joshua, Jotham, Judah, Lord, Lord GOD, Lord Himself, Luke, Mark, Mat, Michael, Moses, Noe, O LORD, Paul, Peter, Plato, psalm 146, Red sea, Rich Man, Solomon, soul, thou, William Tyndale

No Comments

Posts Tagged Judah

The Abomination of Desolation

The Big Ten

Death and the Immortal Soul

Categories

Latest Tweets

Internet Radio

Downloads

Blogroll

Links

Christian

Cajun

Misc

Recent Comments

RSS

Posts Tagged Judah

The Abomination of Desolation

The Big Ten

Death and the Immortal Soul

Categories

Latest Tweets

Internet Radio

Downloads

Blogroll

Links

Christian

Cajun

Misc

Recent Comments

Tags

RSS