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| That which was declared as everlasting and forever by God Himself was brought to an end by God Himself too. |
A searching soul inquired:
Thank
you, pastor, for the explanation. The word everlasting, does it really mean
last only until a time frame? And if the goats are the elect who are
disobedient, does that mean God died for the goats too? Can I make that
conclusion?
===========
An answer:
Let
me commend your humble spirit of inquiring to understand the subject matter.
May our gracious Lord bless you with understanding. Amen
"The word everlasting, does it really means last only until the appointed time by God" - phrased this way would be clearer; it has a time frame indeed, i.e. it began and will end at specific times appointed by God.
Everlasting ≠ eternal
Both "everlasting" and "for ever" are in the realm of time; there are beginning/ending points appointed by God.
Here are simple examples:
Genesis
17:8 KJT
And
I will give unto thee, and to thy seed after thee, the land wherein thou art a
stranger, all the land of Canaan, for an everlasting possession; and I will be
their God.
Genesis
48:4 KJT
And
said unto me, Behold, I will make thee fruitful, and multiply thee, and I will
make of thee a multitude of people; and will give this land to thy seed after
thee for an everlasting possession.
The "everlasting possession" began at a specific point in time, and lasted as long as the LORD had ordained and willed it; until then, the gates of hell (e.g. the Assyrians, the Babylonians, the Medeo-Persians, etc) shall not prevail against it; and then, at the appointed time, the end came; theocratic Israel was long gone, formally ended in 70AD.
"For ever" ≠ eternal
Gen
13:15 KJT
For
all the land which thou seest, to thee will I give it, and to thy seed for
ever.
Exo
12:24 KJT
And
ye shall observe this thing for an ordinance to thee and to thy sons for ever.
Even so, the "forever" ordinance was made obsolete and ended by the same LORD at the appointed time. Christ came and the old covenant ordinance was abolished.
That which was declared as everlasting and forever by God Himself was brought to an end by God Himself too.
May the Lord grant you, my dear ..., understanding.
Keep
asking questions. All I wish is that you UNDERSTAND what I'm saying - that's my
role. Only the Spirit of God will show you the truth and enable you to embrace
it for the good of your own soul.
Hell is real; God's children can avoid it during the intermediate state. Our blessed Redeemer declared so. I don't want to end up there by my failure of not warning Christ's little ones.
AMEN.
======
Thank
you... And if the goats are the elect who are
disobedient, does that mean God died for the goats too? Can I make that
conclusion?
======
Christ Jesus, the blessed Redeemer, died to save all the elect from the eternal lake of fire. So, if the goats are the elect who are disobedient, then obviously they are also among those redeemed by the Saviour.
It
is strange that many cannot and refuse to believe the obvious truth that there
are disobedient ones among God's children. It's just so convenient to say the
goats represent the non-elect! To do that, the necessary implications are:
- (i) that all the redeemed are obedient, and there are no disobedient among the redeemed
by Christ;
- (ii) that the Lord REQUIRED the non-elect, dead in trespasses and sins (i.e. the goats), to do works of kindness
to the His redeemed people (i.e. the sheep).
Each view has its necessary implications; take care of them.
The Scriptures speak of the disobedient people of God frequently. They are warned against the intermediate hell - they can end up there if they are disobedient. BUT they are never warned against the eternal lake of fire, why? Christ has immutably saved them with eternal salvation from the lake of fire. Rev 20.15
All the elect whom Christ HAS SAVED with eternal salvation, they are effectually called by God, one by one at God's own appointed time, out of their native state of condemnation, death, and alienation INTO the state of grace and salvation in Jesus Christ. This alone makes them perfectly fit to be transformed/resurrected unto eternal glory.
Of all the effectually called, some are converted through the ministry of the word to various extents, while others are not.
Of
those that are converted through the gospel ministry, some become good and
obedient disciples - fruitful disciples represented by the sheep in the
parable; others are not obedient, represented by the goats.
See Mt 13 on the parable of the 4 types of grounds.
Christ solemnly warned His own disciples of the danger of ending up in hell, exhorting them to take drastic actions to guard against sins, Mk 9.
The
paragraph on the solemn warnings to His own disciples ( Mark 9:42-48) opens
with these words -
42
¶And whosoever shall offend one of these little ones that believe in me, it is
better for him that a millstone were hanged about his neck, and he were cast
into the sea.
Mt
25:45 reads
Then
shall he answer them, saying, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye did it not
to one of the least of these, ye did it not to me.
Read the two verses slowly and you will notice they are closely related, and in the same context.
May
the Spirit of Christ give you understanding. Amen.
========
Preston
Matthew
7 seems to negate the goats being elect also. What say ye?
V23.
I never knew you……
Sing
F Lau
Preston, The
3-verse paragraph read thus:
Matthew
7
21
¶Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of
heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven.
22 Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works?
23 And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity.
Some
observations:
It's
about entering the kingdom of heaven, not heaven. God's children among the Jews
were still in the earthly theocratic kingdom of Israel. Christ came to usher in
the kingdom of heaven, and calling them to enter the kingdom of heaven.
Doing
the will of the Father is the requirement... believing the One whom He has
sent, even the Lord Jesus Christ, the promised Messiah.
God's
children who are unbelieving in Christ turn their wonderful works into work of
iniquity.
Matthew
17:5 KJT
While
he yet spake, behold, a bright cloud overshadowed them: and behold a voice out
of the cloud, which said, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased;
hear ye him.
God's
will is, "Hear ye Him." But many of God's children among the Jews
were unbelieving in Jesus Christ; He didn't fit their expectations of the
promised Messiah.
Even
so, today, many of God's children believe a christ not according to the
Scriptures but various christs of man's imaginations and hallucinations.
In
that sense Jesus never knew them: since they didn't believe Him as the Sent
One; He acknowledged them not... though He knew them inside out.
Preston
Interesting
thoughts, but I’m not making that theological jump.
Thanks
for your thoughts.
Sing
F Lau
Preston
- Don't jump; avoid fractures!!
Bill
Taylor
Sing
- AMEN!
