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Eternal Punishment: The Destiny of Sinners

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(Earlier I wrote an article about Abraham’s Bosom, (Luke 16:19-31). I gave a number of reasons why I believe this is an account of actual events, rather than simply a parable (a made-up story). One reader took issue with me. Here are his comments, and my responses.)

Question: Doesn’t the story of the rich man and Lazarus make more sense as a story about Israel’s rejection of Christ than it does as a story about eternal reward and punishment?

The story doesn’t say anything about either the rich man’s or Lazarus’ faith. According to the story the rich man is tormented simply because he is rich, while Lazarus is blessed simply because he was a beggar his whole life. If this story is about eternal reward and punishment, doesn’t it nullify salvation by faith alone?

And why would God bother to put sinners in fiery torment immediately when they die only to resurrect them later, judge them and then send them to the lake of fire? Why take someone out of one fire pit just to put them into another?

And why are sinners punished unequally – Cain suffers more than someone who dies today, simply because Cain died at an earlier date, and thus has to spend more time in torment while waiting his resurrection?

I will not recognize or worship any God that is not just. Subjecting someone to an eternity of hellfire for a mere lifetime of sin is unjust.

Nobody is going to serve God simply because they are afraid of eternal torment in a lake of fire….Preachers that use eternal hellfire to threaten people into repentance are false preachers.

Answer: Thanks for your thoughtful response. You raise some interesting questions. I realize there are some who see this passage simply as another of the Lord’s parables. But I think there’s sufficient reason to believe it is describing actual happenings. Let me see if I can offer a few comments on what you’ve said.

1) You ask, “Doesn’t the story of the rich man and Lazarus make more sense as a story about Israel’s rejection of Christ?”

No, I don’t think it does. Nothing is said, in the text about rejecting Christ, though the nation will certainly be called to account for that (Zech. 12:10). Nor is Israel as a nation the focus in the passage.

We are only told about the eternal destinies of two people. And the Lord’s concern in the context is quite different. Riches and poverty take centre stage in the account for a significant reason. The Pharisees were “lovers of money,” and they are the ones to whom Christ’s words are addressed (vs. 14-15a).

The Pharisees became very rich by bending the Law to suit themselves (Matt. 23:14a; Mk. 7:9-13). They were also confident of their own righteousness, as they fanatically kept the minuscule man-made rules with which the Mosaic Covenant had become encrusted. (E.g. Was spitting to be considered work, and therefore forbidden on the Sabbath? Answer: To spit on rock was permitted, but spitting on the earth was like plowing, and therefore off limits!)

In the Old Testament, God promised that if Israel would keep His Law they would be materially blessed (Deut. 28:1-4, 11). But this promise was taken by some to mean that you could reason the other way round. That if an individual were rich, it meant God was pleased with him, that he was righteous. And if he were poor, it meant that he was wicked.

This issue is discussed at length in the book of Job. When all the material blessings were removed from righteous Job, his friends immediately concluded that he must have done something terribly wicked. The account of what happened to the rich man and Lazarus shows that such reasoning is a fallacy. At their deaths, the rich man is in torment in Hades, and Lazarus is resting in the bosom of Abraham.

2) You say, “The story doesn’t say anything about either the rich man’s or Lazarus’ faith.”

Though no direct comment is made on that score, the implication is so strong that nothing more specific need be said. The rich man ended up in torment. Therefore, he was not a righteous man, not a man of faith. Conversely, Lazarus ended up in the place of divine blessing. Therefore, he was a man of faith. A just God would not allow any other outcome for the two.

Also, I don’t think it’s reading too much into the account to say that vs. 19-21 imply a total lack of compassion on the part of the rich man for the suffering beggar at his gate. Caring for the poor was a commandment of the Law (Deut. 15:7). And while we are not saved by good works, it is clear from God’s Word that our faith (or lack of it) is demonstrated and confirmed by how we live (Matt. 7:20; Jas. 2:20).

We can make a further inference from vs. 29-31. The problem with the rich man’s brothers was that they had not heeded the Word of God. Again, it is not too big a leap to believe that the rich man likewise had ignored spiritual things. And if his brothers were hardened in their unwillingness to believe and obey the Scriptures, a ghostly visitor was not going to change their hearts.

3) You ask, “Doesn’t [my interpretation] nullify salvation by faith alone?”

No, not at all. Sinners were saved by grace through faith in the Old Testament too (and these Jews were still living under the Old Covenant).

Before Christ died, His provision for dealing with sin was foreshadowed in the sacrificial system of the Law (cf. Lev. 1:3-4). When the offerings were presented in faith, they obtained real forgiveness for the offerer. But if the sacrifices were simply empty rituals, they were worse than meaningless. They were an abomination to God (I Sam. 15:22; Prov. 15:8; Isa. 1:10-11).

If these men refused to heed the Law, then they apparently did not avail themselves of the means God had provided for their cleansing. Even if they presented the sacrifices called for, but did so as empty rituals their sins remained unforgiven. That’s an issue of faith, first and foremost.

4) You ask, “Why take someone out of one fire pit just to put them into another?”

As to this concern it is simply a matter of a sovereign God choosing to deal with all the unsaved of all the ages at one time, which He will at the Great White Throne (Rev. 20:11-15). At that time Hades, where the rich man was, will deliver up the dead that is in it (vs. 13), then Hades itself will be destroyed (vs. 14).

For some reason, it is important that the curtain come down on this present world’s history, before final judgment is pronounced on lost sinners, and a new heaven and earth come into being (Rev. 21:1). We are not always able to explain why God does things as He does, but we can be assured that it is always the wisest and best way. It is, in fact, a sobering thing that the instant a sinner dies he enters a time of endless punishment, and that there is no room for repentance or change (Heb. 9:27; Rev. 22:11).

Your comment about Cain suffering eternal judgment longer than an unsaved person who dies today is interesting. The answer there is that eternity is so long that a few thousand years will seem less than an eye blink in comparison. A trillion trillion years from now, it will make no difference to those in the lake of fire that some have suffered a few years longer than others.

And perhaps, so far from Cain’s time, we are unable to judge the true enormity of his sin. His father walked and talked with God, and no doubt communicated what he’d learned to his sons. Yet Cain was an unbeliever and history’s first murderer.

Not only that, but it does seem that there may be some difference in the severity of God’s eternal punishment of the lost. All not found in the Book of Life will be condemned (Rev. 20:15). However, the works of these individuals will be judged for some reason too (vs. 13).

5) Your phrase “a mere lifetime of sin,” fails to grapple with the terrible state we are in.

“Whoever shall keep the whole law, and yet stumble in one point, he is guilty of all” (Jas. 2:10). The sinner stands utterly guilty and “condemned already” before a holy God (Jn. 3:18, 36), with no hope outside of Christ (Eph. 2:12).

More than “a mere lifetime of sin” is in view, in any case. The whole human race (Christ apart) has been polluted by sin (Rom. 3:10-12). “The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately [incurably] wicked” (Jer. 17:9). We sin because we’re sinners, with a fallen sin nature. The wonder is not that God will save only a few of us, but that His grace extends to any.

I read some lines from the hymn Rock of Ages, recently, that struck me. The author says: “Foul I too the fountain fly, / Wash me, Saviour, or I die!” I was interested in that word “foul,” so I looked it up in a dictionary, where I learned that it means: offensive, loathsome, stinking, dirty, soiled, morally polluted, and obscene.” What a graphic description of the condition of the sinner! How we need the grace of God!

The Lord Jesus, in His years of earthly ministry, said more about hell than He did about heaven. He issued a sober warning. Was He therefore what you call a “false preacher”? Suppose a doctor says to his patient, “If you don’t give up smoking, it’s going to kill you.” Is the physician “false,” and lacking in compassion for that?

The inescapable truth is that sinners are destined for “everlasting fire prepared for the devil and his angels” (Matt. 25:41). To preach about hell is not a matter of “threatening people into repentance.” We must warn of eternal judgment with a broken heart, “as though God were pleading through us: we implore [beg others] on Christ’s behalf, be reconciled to God (II Cor. 5:20).

Abraham’s Bosom: Where did Old Testament believers go, after death?

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Question: Were the people in the Old Testament, and the under the Law, saved by offering sacrifices as mandated by God? Did they go to heaven, or did they go to Abraham’s bosom?

Answer: Thanks for the two questions. As to the first, I wrote an article on that some time ago, and posted it on my web site. In one sense, sinners in every age are all saved the same way, by the grace of God, and through faith in Him. But there are some differences, before and after the cross. You can find the article on that subject here: Old Testament Salvation.

As to the second question, you are referring to the teaching of the Lord Jesus in Luke 16:19-31.

Some treat this passage as a parable, but I don’t believe it is. The parables of the Lord Jesus were made-up, fictional stories, used to teach important truths. (They also served to conceal truths from those who refused to believe on Him, Matt. 13:10-16.)

Generally speaking, the parables each taught one central lesson. The details were added to make a good story, but it’s not necessary to find some hidden meaning in every detail, unless the Word of God specifically assigns a meaning to some detail(s).

The Luke passage distinguishes itself from the parables of Jesus in a number of ways.

  • For one thing, we are not told it was a parable, which the Gospel writers often indicate (cf. Matt. 13:24, 31; Lk. 20:9; 21:29).
  • The words “there was a certain rich man,” and “there was a certain beggar” (Lk. 16:19, 20) seem to indicate that the Lord had specific real-life individuals in view.
  • No parable names the people in it, but the Lord names several characters in this account. There is a beggar named Lazarus, with Abraham and Moses mentioned too. The rich man is sometimes called Dives (DIE-veez). But dives is simply Latin for “rich man,” and we don’t actually know his name.
  • Most significantly, Abraham, the father of the nation of Israel, is not only named, but his comments are recorded (vs. 25-16, 29, 31). It seems to me this is a big problem for those who claim that Christ is telling a made-up story. They make the Lord guilty of attributing statements to a real person that he never made. In effect He would be creating a mythological Abraham.

It’s better to see this as actual history, describing what happened to a believer and to an unbeliever, before the time of Christ’s ascension. From it, we learn a number of things.

  1. We learn that individuals back then had a conscious existence after death. They could think, and feel, and speak.
  2. In Old Testament times (and until Christ went back to heaven), there was a special, temporary accommodation for believers, a place of peace and comfort called “Abraham’s bosom” (in Luke 16:22).
  3. There was a temporary place of fiery judgment to which the unsaved dead were sent, while awaiting the final judgment, and consignment to eternal hell (“the lake of fire,” Rev. 20:15).
  4. For the unbelieving rich man, there was no second chance to be saved after death, no possibility of crossing over to Abraham’s bosom (Lk. 16:26). It is the same today (cf. Heb. 9:27; Rev. 22:11).
  5. Dead Lazarus was not able (or not permitted) to return and communicate with the living (vs. 27-31). This, and other Scriptures such as Hebrews 9:27, indicate that there’s no such thing as ghosts. (When spirits reputedly appear, or are heard from, they are more likely evil spirits in the guise of the departed.)

So, what happened to these two places accommodating the departed dead, after Christ’s ascension? I believe the unsaved of ancient times are still there, and that the unsaved who die today go there as well, awaiting the last judgment at the great white throne (Rev. 20:11-15).

But today, those who are saved go immediately into the presence of the Lord, in the heavenly city where God’s throne is (Phil. 1:21, 23). The saved who were sent to Abraham’s bosom are now in heaven with the Lord as well. Included with them would be the believing thief who died on the cross next to the Lord Jesus. We know that because the Lord said to him, “Today you will be with me in paradise” (Lk. 23:43).

Though Ephesians 4:8-10 is interpreted differently by some, it is often taken to mean that when Christ died He visited Abraham’s bosom, and “led captivity captive.” That is, He showed those Old Testament saints that the final sacrifice for sin had been made, and that they could now enter God’s heaven.

At death, Christians (Church Age saints) are ushered immediately into the heavenly kingdom to be with Christ. “To be absent from the body [is] to be present with the Lord” (II Cor. 5:8). And Paul had “a desire to depart and be with Christ, which [he said] is far better” (Phil. 1:23).

Old Testament Salvation: Salvation Before The Cross

We praise the Lord for His wonderful salvation. God the Son became Man and died upon a cross, taking upon Himself the punishment for our sins. When an individual puts his faith in Christ as Saviour, God cleanses and forgives him, and gives him the gift of eternal life (Jn. 3:16; Eph. 1:7).

“The wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Rom. 6:23). No good works of ours can earn that, or it would not be a gift (Rom. 4:4-5). Salvation is not a “do” but a “done.” In simple trust, we commit ourselves to what God has already done for us, in Christ. “The Father has sent the Son as Saviour of the world” (I Jn. 4:14).

But what happened before Christ came? Could people be saved back then, as well? And if so, how? In answer to these questions, there are a number of key factors to be considered.

1. They Believed in Eternal Salvation
The Old Testament saints looked forward to eternal blessing in the presence of God, just as we do. As David says, “In Your presence is fullness of joy; at your right hand are pleasures forevermore” (Ps. 16:11). And, “Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life; and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever” (Ps. 23:6). “God will redeem my soul from the power of the grave, for He shall receive me” (Ps. 49:15). Yes, the saints before the cross were saved eternally. We will meet them in the presence of God one day.

2. God’s Revelation Is Progressive
But though the first point is true, there is relatively little teaching in the Old Testament about life beyond the grave. God’s revelation is progressive. That is, He revealed more and more about various subjects, as time went by. It is in the New Testament that we find most of the information about our eternal future. The focus in the Old Testament was mainly on this life and this material world.

In keeping with that, the “salvation” spoken of is usually a physical deliverance of some kind, rather than being spiritual and eternal. When Moses tells the Israelites to “Stand still, and see the salvation of the Lord” (Exod. 14:13) it is a deliverance from the Egyptians at the Red Sea to which he is referring.

3. No “Christians” in the Old Testament
In terms of eternal salvation, it was simply not possible for those in the Old Testament to trust in the shed blood of Christ. For one thing, Jesus had not yet died. And in any event, they knew little of what was to come. No one back then is told, “Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and you will be saved” (Acts 16:31).

For this reason, it is not really accurate to refer to the saints before the cross as “Christians” (Christ-ones). By faith, today, we are “accepted in the Beloved” (Eph. 1:6). “If anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation” (vs. 17). But it has only been possible to be placed into Christ by the Holy Spirit since His death and resurrection (cf. Gal. 3:26-27). Only Church Age saints can rightly be called Christians. It is better to refer to those before the cross simply as believers, or as saints (God’s set-apart ones).

4. Only One Way of Salvation
So does this mean there was a different means of salvation before the cross. No. Salvation in any age is always and only “by grace, through faith” (Eph. 2:8). Grace is God’s unearned, unmerited favour. And salvation is always by grace, since we are totally undeserving of it. When Adam and Eve sinned, it was grace that promised One who would crush the serpent’s head (Gen. 3:15). And it was in grace that God called Abraham, and promised to make of him a great nation (Gen. 12:1-3).

When the Bible makes a distinction between Law and Grace (Rom. 6:14) it does not mean that there was no grace at all shown in the Old Testament. There was. But since the coming of Christ, we have experienced an explosion of grace. The Amplified Bible renders John 1:16 this way: “Out of His [Christ’s] fullness (abundance) we all received–all had a share and we were all supplied with–one grace after another, and spiritual blessing upon spiritual blessing, and even favour upon favour, and gift heaped upon gift.”

5. Faith Receives God’s Gift
Likewise, salvation is always “through faith.” And it is always faith in God, and faith in God’s promise. But that promise, before the cross, could not be a “John 3:16” promise. Not a call to, “believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and you will be saved.” That was something in the future. Faith had to rest on other promises, instead.

For example, the Lord promised Abraham “in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed” (Gen. 12:3). Today, we understand that to mean that all nations would be blessed by the salvation provided in Christ. But Abraham did not have that awareness. Even so, he believed God; he put his faith in God. “Abraham believed God, and it was accounted to him for righteousness” (Gal. 3:6).

Righteousness was credited to his heavenly account, when he believed God’s Word. That is justification by faith, and it is the way all are saved (Rom. 3:24, 28). “And the Scripture, foreseeing that God would justify the Gentiles by faith, preached the gospel to Abraham beforehand, saying, ‘In you all the nations shall be blessed.’ So then those who are of faith are blessed with believing Abraham” (Gal. 3:9-10).

6. Old Testament Sacrifices Were Symbolic
The sacrifices offered before the cross figure prominently in this whole matter. Each sacrifice represented the death of an innocent substitute, the innocent dying in place of the guilty. Leviticus 1:4 gives this significant instruction: “Then he [the offerer] shall put his hand on the head of the burnt offering, and it will be accepted on his behalf to make atonement for him.”

The word atonement there simply means to cover. The sacrifices “covered” sin until the day when the Lamb of God would give His life for the sins of the world (Jn. 1:29). Then the debt could be canceled completely and forever.

7. The Sacrifices Were Offered in Faith
The one offering the sacrifice acted in faith. He believed that “the wages of sin is death” (Rom. 6:23). (That is not an exclusively New Testament concept. Cf. Gen. 2:17.) And he believed the sacrifice was dying in his place. He identified himself with it. (Putting a hand on the sacrifice indicated that.)

But it is important to add that offering a sacrifice was not a work that earned salvation. As noted above, the Old Testament believers were saved by grace (God’s unearned favour) through faith, just as we are. Offering the sacrifice was an outward demonstration of inward faith in God’s promise. Without faith, the sacrifice was just an empty ritual–in fact, it was an abomination to God (cf. Isa. 1:10-17).

8. Christ Fulfilled Old Testament Symbolism
Saints before the cross experienced real forgiveness, through faith. Yet we know that “it is not possible that the blood of bulls and goats could take away sins” (Heb. 10:4). It needed a man to die for sinful man–and only a perfect Man could do it, or he would need to die for his own sins. That is why Christ had to come.

“God set forth [Christ Jesus] as a propitiation [to fully satisfy His justice] by His blood, through faith, to demonstrate His righteousness [by punishing sin, in Christ], because in His forbearance God had passed over the sins that were previously committed” (Rom. 3:25). Before Calvary, God “passed over” sin, accepting the temporary means of “covering” it, through the shed blood of the sacrifice. The sacrifices pointed forward to the cross.

In Summary
Those on the far side of the cross were saved by grace through faith, just as sinners are today. The death of an innocent substitute (a sacrificial animal) was accepted by the Lord, when offered in faith, in anticipation of the later fulfillment of the symbol at Calvary. There our Substitute, the Lamb of God, died for the sins of all.

Revelation Prophecy

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Revelation prophecy. Is it about the past, or about things yet to come? There are various views regarding this wonderful Bible book. Some see it as depicting historical events that have already occurred, or are occurring now. Others see it as merely a symbolic description of the battle between good and evil, with no precise historical connection. But I’m convinced we should take the “futurist” view that sees everything from chapter 4 on as portraying actual events that have yet to occur, and real personages who are yet to appear.

Revelation is certainly an important book. It provides a fitting conclusion to the Word of God, as it gives us a glimpse of the consummation of all things. Yes, there are a few difficult interpretive issues in the book. But I’ve found, in teaching it, that most of them yield to patient study, and the book is not as hard to understand as many seem to think.

I suspect that one reason some have denied the prophetic nature of Revelation is that they do not believe in the divine inspiration of the Scriptures overall. They see it as an ancient book, created out of the imaginations of people who lived long ago. They may accept that it contains much wisdom but, they say, “Human beings can’t accurately predict the future. Therefore, the book of Revelation cannot be prophetic.”

But since “all Scripture is given by inspiration of God” (II Tim. 3:16), and since “holy men of God spoke as they were moved by the Holy Spirit” (II Pet. 1:21), that is another matter. While God employed many different people in writing the books of the Bible, they were superintended in their work by the Holy Spirit, so that it was preserved free from error. Not only is accurate prophecy possible, the Lord told Israel to reject any supposed foreteller of future things whose predictions were not accurate (Deut. 18:22).

God experiences time differently from what we do. He “inhabits eternity” (Isa. 57:15), and dwells in the eternal now. Therefore, God, in His omniscience, is able to see the end from the beginning. He says, “I am God, and there is none like Me, declaring the end from the beginning, and from ancient times things that are not yet done” (Isa. 46:9-10).

God Himself defines a biblical prophet in His promise to Jeremiah. He declares: “Behold, I have put My words in your mouth” (Jer. 1:9). That is the essence of what happened to Bible prophets. And the book in question is “the Revelation of Jesus Christ which God gave Him to show His servant [the Apostle John] (Rev. 1:1).

I’ve taken a bit of time with that to establish that God can, and does, tell His people what is coming in the future. Many of the Bible’s prophecies have already been fulfilled literally and precisely. In fact, about half of the ones recorded there have. But many others yet remain to be fulfilled. For instance, the Scriptures predicted that Christ would be born in Bethlehem (Mic. 5:2), and He was. And the Bible also tells us that Christ is coming to earth a second time (Jn. 14:2-3; Acts 1:9-11; I Thess. 4:16-17, etc.), and He will.

Now, as to the book of Revelation, the first thing to note is that it is called a “prophecy” (1:3; 22:7). And the word “revelation” itself, in the opening verse (apokalupsis in Greek), means: an unveiling, i.e. an uncovering or disclosure of what was previously hidden. But clearly not all of the book is prophetic. Some of it relates to the Apostle John’s own time. And to help us mark the difference, the time frame is carefully described at the end of chapter one (1:19).

  1. John was to write of, “the things which you have [already] seen.” That refers to his vision of the risen and glorified Christ in 1:9-18. Other than a few brief moments on the Mount of Transfiguration (Matt. 17:1-2), John had only seen and known Christ in His humble state. But now, His full heavenly glory was revealed to the apostle. And it was such a stunning sight that John says, “I fell at His feet as dead” (vs. 17).
  2. John was to write of “the things which are”–that is, the present state of things in his own day (around AD 95 or 96). That relates to chapters 2 and 3, where the Lord gives the apostle seven mini-letters to be sent to seven different churches. They describe the strengths and weaknesses of each congregation, calling for corrective measures where those are needed
  3. John was to write of “the things which are to take place after this [meta tauta in Greek].” That aptly describes the prophetic portion of the book, chapters 4 through 22. And lest we are in doubt as to when the prophetic section starts, the same phrase begins Chapter 4–“after these things [meta tauta].”

That means that most of the book of Revelation is prophetic. And it is prophecy that can be understood. Twice in the book a special blessing is pronounced on those who will read it and obey it (1:3; 22:7)–which would be pointless if the book is truly an obscure puzzle. John is told not to “seal” the book, keeping it from the people of God (22:10). (Compare 10:4, concerning certain details John was to “seal” and not reveal.)

That Revelation is a book about events surrounding the second coming of Christ is not left in doubt. His return is mentioned over and over (1:7; 2:25; 3:11; 22:7, 12, 20). This is an area of truth we were meant to understand and find comfort in (I Thess. 4:18; cf. Jn. 14:1-3).

There are many visionary images and symbols used in Revelation, but they each stand for something concrete and definite. Sometimes this is explained in the context. For example, the seven golden lampstands surrounding Christ in John’s vision (1:12-13) represented the seven churches to which John was to write (vs. 20). Other times, the symbols can be interpreted with reference to other passages of Scripture.

If one takes what is known in theology as a premillennial position (as I do), the time line of the latter section of the book is relatively easy to follow. Though there are some parenthetical sections along the way, dealing with side issues, the book, from chapter 4 on, follows the prophetic calendar of coming events precisely.

I can’t, at this point, give a detailed explanation of Revelation prophecy, but below are some highlights.

For Christians the next event on God’s calendar is the rapture–the sudden snatching away–of the church (I Thess. 4:13-18). Many commentators see John’s catching up into heaven (Rev. 4:1-2) as a foreshadowing of this.

In chapters 4 and 5 we see the saints worshipping around the throne of God, as we will, following the rapture. And from this point on, in the book of Revelation, John views events that unfold on earth from a heavenly perspective (as the church will see them). For the church, the heavenly bride of Christ, one event that follows the rapture is a time of rewards at “the judgment seat of Christ” (Rom. 14:10; I Cor. 3:11-15; Rev. 19:7-10).

Meanwhile, on earth, a seven year period called the Tribulation is unfolding. It is a time of earthly judgment on the unbelieving, and also a time when Israel, as a nation, will repent and turn to Christ. This period is described by the Lord Jesus in Matthew 24:4-31 (cf. I Thess. 5:1-11; II Thess. 2:1-12).

Much more detail is given regarding the Tribulation in Revelation chapters 6 through 18. The terrible earthly judgments unfold with the breaking of seven seals on a scroll in heaven (Rev. 5:1-2). The scroll seems to be a kind of title deed to the earth. And only Christ is worthy of receiving the scroll, thus claiming rulership of the earth (5:5-7).

With the breaking of each of the seven seals (6:1–8:5), divine judgments are poured out on the earth. And when the seventh seal is broken, seven trumpets sound in heaven (8:7–11:19), signalling even more intense earthly judgments. Finally, with the sounding of the seventh trumpet, seven bowls are poured out (15:1–16:21), representing the worst and culminating judgments. Swiftly, “Babylon,” the centre of false religion and earthly commerce will be destroyed (Rev. 17:1–18:24).

With that, Christ will return in power and glory, with His saints, destroying the remnant of His enemies, and setting up His earthly kingdom (Rev. 19:1–20:6; cf. Jude 1:14-15). Christ will reign for a thousand years (Rev. 20:1-6) from the throne of David, and a revived and restored Israel will be at the centre of earthly affairs (Isa. 9:6-7; Lk. 1:31-33; cf. Isa. 2:2-4; Jer. 31:35-40; Amos 9:11-15).

At the end of that time comes what is known as the great white throne judgment, in which all the unbelieving of all the ages are consigned to the lake of fire (20:11-15). Then, the Lord creates a new heaven and new earth, and His throne descends to the earth, where He will dwell in the midst of His people forever (Rev. 21:1–22:21; cf. II Pet. 3:10-13).

Revelation prophecy. I hope that is some help in answering a few questions–even if it raises more! God bless you. I trust you are among those who “love His appearing” (II Tim. 4:8).

Things Not To Do With The Bible

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Things not to do with the Bible can be drawn from Satan’s attack on Adam and Eve in the garden of Eden.

the serpent

1) Question (or slander) it. “Has God indeed said…?” the devil asked (3:1), when both he and Eve know full well God had! In effect, Satan seeks to ridicule God’s Word, in the process casting doubt on His goodness.

2) Add to it. “Nor shall you touch it…” (3:3a)–which God had not said (cf. 2:17). Eve has begun to take Satan’s side, representing the Lord as unfairly harsh.

3) Subtract from (or weaken) it. “Lest you die (3:3b, lest perhaps, in case you might). But God had said “You shall surely die” (2:17). Eve weakens the impact of God’s holy Word, implying a possible inconsistency on His part.

4) Reject (deny) it. “You will not surely die” (3:4). Satan builds on Eve’s growing uncertainty, now impugning God as a liar.

5) Disobey it. “She took of its fruit and ate (3:6a). Eve replaced God’s standard with her own, in essence becoming her own god.

6) Tempt others to disobey it. “She also gave to her husband with her, and he ate” (3:6b). The tempted becomes the tempter, urging the devil’s ways upon another. Eve, the first missionary!

7) Evade responsibility for it. “The woman whom You gave me…she gave me of the fruit….The serpent deceived me…” (3:12-13). Denying responsibility for sin stands in the way of true repentance and reconciliation. It is one more of the things not to do with the Bible.

God’s Covenants

Eight Major Bible Covenants

A covenant is a formal agreement between two parties that spells out certain obligations and often contains certain promises as well. For example, the traditional marriage ceremony involves a covenant between the bride and groom in which they pledge their love and faithfulness to one another. The Bible contains a number of important covenants made by God with man.

In the case of the covenants of Scripture, God is the one sovereignly initiating the covenant. Man in general (or some particular group of human beings) is the other partner in it. It’s possible to discern eight major covenants in the Bible. Though the word “covenant” isn’t always used, we can see that each involves specific promises and responsibilities.

Some of these are limited to a set time (for example, Adam’s responsibility to “tend and keep” the garden of Eden, Gen. 2:15). Other things carry over to a later time, as does the provision to eat meat in the Lord’s covenant with Noah (Gen. 9:3; compare Lev. 7:15-16; Lk. 24:42-43).

The eight major covenants are:

1. The Edenic Covenant (Gen. 1:26-31; 2:15-17), an arrangement or household rule suited to man’s period of innocency, and concerning the responsibilities of Adam and Eve in the garden of Eden.

2. The Adamic Covenant (Gen. 3:14-24), the divine arrangement dealing with the human family after the fall, expressing God’s curse on creation, and providing the first promise of a coming Redeemer (Gen. 3:15).

3. The Noahic Covenant (Gen. 6:18; 8:20–9:17), covering life after the flood of Noah’s day, establishing the principle of human government–as epitomized in capital punishment (Gen. 9:6), and including God’s promise never again to destroy the earth with a flood.

4. The Abrahamic Covenant (Gen. 12:1-4, 7; 13:14-17; 15:1-21; 17:1-21; 26:2-5; 28:10-17). A major portion of Scripture is given to this covenant, indicating its importance. In addition to some personal promises to Abraham, there are three key pledges of God to be noted: 1) the promise of a great nation to come from Abraham’s “seed” (or descendants); 2) the promise that they would have a land of their own; 3) the promise that all the families (or peoples) of the earth would be blessed through Abraham. This covenant lasts forever. (Gen. 17:19; I Chron. 16:16-17).

5. The Mosaic Covenant (Exod. 20:1–31:18, plus more detail given through to the end of Deuteronomy). This covenant was made with the nation of Israel (Exod. 19:3-6; Ps. 147:19-20). There were some 613 laws covering their moral conduct, religious observance, and community life. It was in force from Mount Sinai to Mount Calvary.

Though the study of “all Scripture” is profitable to us (II Tim. 3:16-17), the Law’s rule ended at the cross (Matt. 5:17; Rom. 6:14; 10:4; II Cor. 3:6-14; Gal. 3:24-25). Not that God’s moral standard has changed. It is eternal, because it reflects His changeless character. This is demonstrated by the fact that all of the Ten Commandments that introduce the Law are repeated in the New Testament, with the exception of Sabbath keeping (a ceremonial law). But now God’s moral standard is fulfilled in us by the power of the indwelling Holy Spirit, as we walk in the Spirit (Gal. 5:16, 22-23, 25), claiming the promises of the New Covenant (see below).

Four Covenants Linked. There is an important relationship between four of the covenants. God’s covenant with Abraham laid the foundation of what was to happen to and through the nation of Israel, and each of the other three deals with specific aspects of that.

6. The Palestinian Covenant (Deut. 29:1–30:10). Because of the current implications of the word “Palestinian,” this covenant is sometimes referred to as the Land Covenant. The land of Canaan is Israel’s “forever” (Gen. 13:14-15), it is their “everlasting possession” (Gen. 17:8). But while the covenant with Abraham guarantees Israel’s possession of the land forever, the Palestinian Covenant warns that they will only enjoy God’s blessing in the land if they obey Him. This covenant warns of chastening for disobedience (Deut. 28:63-68; 29:22-28), but pledges the final revival and restoration of Israel in their land (Deut. 30:1-3; compare Isa. 35:1-10; Amos 9:13-15).

7. The Davidic Covenant (II Sam. 7:14-17; I Chron. 17:3-15; Ps. 89:3, 19-29). The covenant with David deals with one particular aspect of the “seed” (or descendants) of Abraham. God pledges that One of David’s line (Christ) would ultimately sit on David’s throne and rule forever (Isa. 9:6-7; Matt. 1:1; Lk. 1:31-33; Rev. 11:15).

8. The New Covenant (Jer. 31:31-40). The New Covenant relates to that aspect of the Lord’s covenant with Abraham that promises all nations will receive a blessing. Though the New Covenant was made with Israel (Jer. 31:31-33), and has some national blessings that will be fulfilled in the earthly reign of Christ (Jer. 31:38-40), it’s spiritual blessings are available now.

The New Covenant replaces the Old–that is, the Law (Gal. 2:16; 3:10; Heb. 8:6-13; 10:12-18; 13:20-21). Christ established the New Covenant by His shed blood, and we remember this at the Lord’s Supper (Lk. 22:20; I Cor. 11:25). As servants of Christ, we are “ministers of the new covenant” (II Cor. 3:16).

As indicated when it was presented to Israel, it provides for forgiveness of sins (Jer. 31:34; Ezek. 36:25), the indwelling of the Holy Spirit (Ezek. 36:26-27), and the teaching and enabling of the Spirit to fulfil the will of God (Jer. 31:33-34; 32:39). All of these spiritual blessings will be experienced by the nation of Israel in the Millennial Kingdom, but they are enjoyed by individuals today, all who put their faith in Christ for salvation.

Tree of Life: What does it mean for us?

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Question: Why did God guard to the way of the tree of life [Gen. 3:22-24]? If Adam eats the fruit of the life, will he live forever? God had told them before this: you will return to dust (will die). So how can he live forever after the curse? What does it mean?

The Tree of Life

Answer: The first ten or eleven chapters of the Bible cover a great deal of time, often with little detail. There may be things we wish God had told us, but He has not. Likely because the Lord knew the information would not be helpful to us.

We know that God made the first man and woman in a state of innocence. That is, they had never sinned, never having had an opportunity to do so. And the Lord put before them a simple test of whether they would be willing to believe and obey Him. They were given free access to the fruit of every tree in the garden of Eden (Gen. 2:16)–which possibly included the Tree of Life, at first. There was only one exception.

Only the Tree of Knowledge (of good and evil) was kept from them. They were warned that if they ate of the fruit of that tree, they would die (Gen. 2:17). Sadly, they disobeyed. We know that the whole human race now experiences physical aging, dying and death. But since the first pair didn’t die physically for many years (Gen. 5:5), this may refer in particular to spiritual death (separation from God).

The Bible describes lost sinners as being “dead in trespasses and sins” (Eph. 2:1). Though physically alive, they lack the spiritual sensitivity to comprehend God’s will and ways (I Cor. 2:14). Neither do they possess the spiritual desire and power to do the will of God (Rom. 3:11; 8:7). In that fallen state, they need a new spiritual birth (Jn. 1:12-13; 3:3; Gal. 5:25).

If Adam and Eve had been uncertain about whether something they proposed to do was good or bad for them, they could have asked the Lord about it. They didn’t require the fruit of the Tree of Knowledge to live right. But the devil (the serpent) tempted them with the prospect that they didn’t really need God’s help at all. They could, in fact, go their own independent way, and be their own gods (Gen. 3:4-5).

As we know from Scripture, our first parents believed the devil’s lies, and ate the forbidden fruit (Gen. 3:6). When the Lord confronted them, Adam blamed Eve (and God too–“the woman whom You gave to me,” Gen. 3:12), and Eve tried to blame the serpent (Satan, vs. 13). Actually, they were all guilty before God.

As an ongoing object lesson of the destructive results of disobeying Him, God put a curse upon creation (Gen. 3:17-19). Work that had no doubt been pleasant before (Gen. 2:15), became toilsome labour, in a natural world gone destructively awry. There were also painful results for the woman in child-bearing (vs. 16). But even in that there was grace. In the first hint of a coming Saviour, God promised One who would be born of the woman who would crush the serpent’s head (Gen. 3:15).

As to the Tree of Life (Gen. 2:9), we aren’t told anything at all about the fruit, except that, in some way, it had the power to sustain physical life. That was no problem before Adam and Eve sinned. But for them to go on living forever in their corrupt and sinful state would have been a terrible thing.

That is why the Lord kept Adam and Eve from further contact with the Tree of Life (Gen. 3:22-24). However, we’re not done with it. The Tree of Life will be blooming and bearing fruit in Paradise (the heavenly city, Rev. 2:7). In our perfected state, the saved will have the right to partake of its life sustaining fruit (Rev. 22:1-2; 14).

Some have wondered why the leaves of the tree provide for “the healing of the nations” in heaven (Rev. 22:2), where there will be no sorrow, pain or death (Rev. 21:5). The Greek word translated “healing” gives us our English word therapeutic. So, it could simply mean that the leaves will somehow enhance and increase our physical powers in some way. William MacDonald suggests it’s a figurative way of saying that they’ll “enjoy perpetual health” (Believer’s Bible Commentary, p. 2,381).

As with many details, both about Eden and about the heavenly Paradise, we simply don’t know. Those and other mysteries will be explained when we get to Glory.

God’s Chosen People: Are the Jews still God’s chosen people?

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Question: Are the Jews still the chosen people of God, in light of Galatians 3:28?

Answer: The Bible tells us that the Lord has chosen the nation of Israel to belong to Him, and be blessed by Him in a special way. As Moses says to them, “You are a holy people to the LORD your God; the LORD your God has chosen you to be a people for Himself, a special treasure above all the peoples on the face of the earth” (Deut. 7:6).

This is restated in various ways, many times. For example, in: Deut. 32:9; I Sam. 12:22; I Chron. 16:13; Ps. 33:12; 135:4; Isa. 41:8-9; and 44:1-3. And it is a permanent relationship. Jehovah God’s love for Israel is “everlasting” (Jer. 31:3). I do not agree with those who teach “replacement theology”–that somehow the church has taken over, in some spiritualized form, all God’s promises to Israel.

However, the nation is currently under God’s chastening for her disobedience. For centuries, the Jews have been scattered across the world. Only recently have they begun to return to the Promised Land–but there they continue to be opposed and harassed by other nations. We are in what the Lord Jesus called “the times of the Gentiles” (Lk. 21:24), which began with the Babylonian Captivity and will end at Armageddon, with the return of Christ.

The Jews are hated by many today, but they are God’s chosen still. (A disobedient child who is sent to his room as a punishment is still his father’s son.) And one day, when her Messiah-King comes to reign, Israel will once more be restored to her land in glory and blessing. The Old Testament prophets spoke of this.

Amos quotes the Lord saying, “I will plant them in their land, and no longer shall they be pulled up from the land I have given them” (Amos 9:13-15). Jeremiah prophesies the future rebuilding of Jerusalem, and says, “It shall not be plucked up or thrown down anymore forever” (Jer. 31:38-40). And the Lord Jesus promises that when He comes to reign the apostles will “sit on twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel” (Matt. 19:28).

What is happening today is something different. In a sense, the Church Age is a kind of parenthesis in God’s program for Israel. With Israel’s rejection of her King at His first coming, the Lord opened the door to the Gentiles. We even get a hint of it on the Day of Pentecost, when the church was born. Many from various nations had gathered in Jerusalem for the feast. I think there are fourteen or fifteen people groups mentioned in Acts 2:9-11. And by a miracle, each heard the Word of God in their own language (vs. 7-8).

It was not new that Gentiles could be saved. They could, of course, trust in Jehovah God and become Jewish proselytes. But what was new after Pentecost is that now, through faith in Christ, Jews and Gentiles alike are bound together in one spiritual body in Christ, “that the Gentiles should be fellow heirs, of the same body, and partakers of His promise in Christ through the gospel” (Eph. 3:6). That is what you are seeing in the Galatians text you refer to.

In Christ, things such as a difference in ethnicity (Jew or Greek–i.e. Gentile), in social standing (slave or free), or even in gender (male or female) do not make us any more or less acceptable to God. All are saved alike and become one body in Christ. But that does not cancel God’s future plans for Israel as a nation. “Blindness in part has happened to Israel until the fullness of the Gentiles has come in” (Rom. 11:25). Today, individual Jews are being saved, but the nation as a whole, in blindness, has not turned to Christ in faith as it one day will.

The passage in Romans goes on: “So all Israel will be saved, as it is written: ‘The Deliverer will come out of Zion, And He will turn away ungodliness from Jacob; for this is My covenant with them, when I take away their sins.’ Concerning the gospel they are enemies for your [i.e. you Gentiles’] sake, but concerning the election they are beloved for the sake of the fathers [i.e. God’s covenant with Abraham, repeated with Isaac and Jacob]. For the gifts and the calling of God are irrevocable [God will not change His mind]” (Rom. 11:26-29).

Bible Covenants: What are the major covenants of Scripture?

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Question: How many covenants are in the Bible? A leader in my church said it’s two, but I think it’s more than that. Would you please help me. Thank you.

Answer: Thank you for your question about the covenants of Scripture.  The word “covenant” is found in the Bible over 300 times. It’s an interesting subject. If you check various resources, you’ll see there is some disagreement on the subject. But I think the outline below is helpful, and can be supported by Scripture.

First, we need to consider a definition. A covenant is a kind of contract or pledge involving two parties. Scofield describes a Bible covenant as: “A sovereign pronouncement of God by which He establishes a relationship of responsibility [i.e. with man]” (The New Scofield Reference Bible, p. 5). God’s covenants involve certain promises that He will fulfil, and may also spell out certain conditions under which human beings are responsible to relate to Him.

The Lord can make a covenant with an individual (e.g. Adam), or a particular family (e.g. the family of David), or with a particular nation (e.g. Israel). Or He can make a covenant with mankind in general. The covenants explain and define God’s purposes with the human family. One author states, “God’s relationship with man has always been mediated through one or more of the biblical covenants” (Charting the End Times, by LaHaye and Ice, p. 78).

The covenants are most often unconditional. That is, God graciously obligates Himself, by His sovereign “I will,” to accomplish certain purposes. In this case, the human response may affect the individual’s, or the group’s, enjoyment of the covenant’s blessings, but it can’t cancel the covenant or prevent its ultimate fulfillment, because that rests with God alone.

Many Bible commentators identify eight covenants that are quite significant. Some of the circumstances involved relate to a particular time in human history. But often there are aspects of a covenant that continue to affect humanity down through the ages. The eight covenants are as follows. (The Scriptures given are not necessarily the only ones referring to a particular covenant, but provide an example.)

1) The Edenic Covenant (Gen. 1:28-30; 2:15-17) describes God’s promised provision for unfallen man in Eden, and defines his responsibilities in the beginning.

2) The Adamic Covenant (Gen. 3:14-19) defines life conditions after the fall, including God’s curse placed upon fallen creation, and His early promise of a Saviour (vs. 15).

3) The Noahic Covenant (Gen. 8:20–9:17) describes the conditions after the flood, establishing the principle of human government (by introducing capital punishment). It also includes God’s pledge to never again bring a worldwide flood on the earth, with the rainbow as a sign of this.

4) The Abrahamic Covenant (Gen. 12:1-3; 13:14-17; 15:1-18; 17:1-8) establishes the nation of Israel, and makes them a specific promise of a land of their own forever. God also pledges the blessing of the whole human family through Abraham. This is to come through Abraham’s Seed (or Descendant), whom we later learn is Christ (Gal. 3:16). Male circumcision was commanded as a sign of the covenant (Gen. 17:9-10).

5) The Mosaic Covenant, or The Law (Exod. 20:1–31:18), was made with Israel, and its 613 individual laws governed their moral, social, and religious life, imposing penalties for disobedience. It also provided a sacrificial system to deal with sin, offerings which foreshadowed the final fulfillment in Christ. The sign epitomizing Israel’s obligation to obey the Law was Sabbath keeping (Exod. 31:13).

6) The Palestinian or Land Covenant (Deut. 30:1-10, see also chapters 28-29) defines the terms under which Israel can enjoy the blessings of their land, and includes a promise of their final restoration to the land, after a time of dispersion and discipline. The Promised Land is theirs forever (Gen. 17:8), but they can only remain in it, and enjoy its fruitfulness, if they walk in faith and obedience toward God.

7) The Davidic Covenant (II Sam. 7:4-17) establishes the permanent right of David’s dynasty to the throne of Israel–a pledge finally to be fulfilled in Christ, Israel’s Messiah-King, when He comes again (Isa. 9:6-7; Lk. 1:31-33; cf. Matt. 1:1).

8) The New Covenant (Jer. 31:31-34; II Cor. 3:6; Heb. 8:7-12) rests on the sacrifice of Christ (Matt. 26:28). It was made specifically with the nation of Israel (Jer. 31:31) and includes their permanent restoration to the Promised Land (Jer. 31:38-40; cf. Ezek. 36:26-38). However, there are aspects of it that bless us all.

Some final notes:

The Abrahamic Covenant includes three major elements that are expanded on in three later covenants. 1) The promise regarding Abraham’s Seed is further developed in the Davidic Covenant. 2) The promise regarding the land of Israel is covered by the Land Covenant. (This term is now preferred as a name, since the word “Palestinian” is strongly associated with the conflict in the Middle East.) 3) The promise to Abraham of universal blessing to the whole human family relates to the New Covenant.

The Mosaic Covenant (the Law) is the only one of the eight covenants that was clearly and consistently conditional. Its blessings were conditioned on works, a rewarding of Israel’s faithfulness to its many precepts. Law, as a principle, is that works lead to blessings (cf. Lev. 18:5; Rom. 10:5; Gal. 3:12). The Grace principle, under which believers now live, is just the opposite: blessings freely given lead to works–not to earn the blessings, but as our loving response to God for them (Rom. 4:4-5; Eph. 2:8-9).

The Law was a covenant made with the nation of Israel. It was in force from Mount Sinai to Mount Calvary, but we are no longer under law but under grace (Rom. 6:14-15; 7:6; 10:4; Gal. 3:10-13, 24-25; Heb. 7:18-19). God’s righteous standard is eternal and is clearly restated in the New Testament, but the Law as an indivisible ruling system (cf. Jas. 2:10; Gal. 3:10) was not permanent. It was replaced by the New Covenant (Heb. 8:13).

As to the New Covenant, a few commentators suggest that there are actually two “new covenants”–one for Israel and one for the church. However, this is neither logical, nor is it necessary. The covenant God made with Israel was “new” in the sense that it replaced the old covenant, the Law (Heb. 8:13). But the church had no old covenant to be replaced.

Christians share in the spiritual blessings of the New Covenant with Israel–specifically salvation and the new birth (cf. Jer. 31:33-34; Ezek. 36:26-27), through faith in the shed blood of Christ (Heb. 9:12-15). Though it has blessings yet to be fulfilled with Israel, its redemptive blessings spill over and flow out to the whole human family–much as “all the families of the earth” are blessed through God’s covenant with Abraham (Gen. 12:3).

Salvation: Who Can Be Saved?

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Question: Does John 3:16 actually mean that anyone can be saved if they believe in/call upon Him?

Answer: I’m not sure why you would question the word “whoever” in John 3:16. As the old Bible expositors used to say, “If the plain sense makes good sense, seek no other sense.” In passage after passage, the gospel invitation is extended to all–though the Bible is equally clear that not all will be saved.

Christ paid the debt for all the sin of all men for all time. But the payment has to be accepted, by faith. We understand that in daily life. Someone rich and generous person can say, “Here’s a cheque to cover the cost of your new car.” And we can either accept the gift or reject it.

But let’s check out a few passages that indicate all are potentially included in the work of salvation, and the payment of our debt (italics mine, for emphasis).

“The Lord has laid on Him [Christ] the iniquity of us all” (Isa. 53:6). He is “the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world” (Jn. 1:29). Eternal life is granted to “whoever believes in Him” (Jn. 3:16). The Father’s desire is “that the world through Him might be saved” (vs. 17).

With the Samaritan woman at the well, “living water” is used as a picture of the life-giving work of the Holy Spirit. And “whoever drinks of the water” will have everlasting life (Jn. 4:14). And “If anyone thirsts, let him come to Me and drink” (Jn. 7:37-39). “Whoever desires, let him take the water of life freely” (Rev. 22:17).

“Whoever calls on the name of the Lord [i.e. in faith] shall be saved” (Acts 2:21, and Rom. 10:13). “Whoever believes in Him will receive remission [forgiveness] of sins” (Acts 10:13). “All that believe are justified from all things, from which ye could not be justified by the law of Moses” (Acts 13:39).

Christ Jesus…gave Himself a ransom for all” (I Tim. 2:5-6). “That He, by the grace of God, might taste death for everyone” (Heb. 2:9). “The Lord…is not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance” (II Pet. 3:9). “He Himself [Christ] is the propitiation for our sins [the full satisfaction of God’s justice], and not for ours only but also for the whole world” (I Jn. 2:2). “The Father has sent the Son as Saviour of the world” (I Jn. 4:14).

Seems pretty clear to me! It is an open invitation to all who are willing to receive it.

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