Death and hell delivered up the dead which were in them...

Death and hell delivered up the dead which were in them...
Death and hell (already emptied) were cast into the lake of fire...
Whosoever was not found written in the book of life

Rev 20
11 And I saw a great white throne, and him that sat on it, from whose face the earth and the heaven fled away; and there was found no place for them.
12 And I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God; and the books were opened: and another book was opened, which is the book of life: and the dead were judged out of those things which were written in the books, according to their works.
13 And the sea gave up the dead which were in it; and death and hell delivered up the dead which were in them: and they were judged every man according to their works.
14 And death and hell were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death.
15 And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire.

Please help me understand this passage better.

Q1. If the casting of death and hell into the lake of fire is the second death, what then is the first death?

Q2. In what way are those whose names are written in the book of life affected by that first death?

Q3. Is death and hell delivering up the dead who were in them good news to any one?
   Is the casting of both death and hell into the lake of fire good news to anyone?

Q4 The pronoun "whosoever" in verse 15 - what's the context, i.e. the "whosoever" of which group of people in the paragraph from verse Rev 20:11-15?

Q5. Does Rev 20:15 necessary imply others whose names were found written in the book of life - among those mentioned in the paragraph of Rev 20:11-15?

Q6. Why is the book of life opened (v12)?

Q7 What is the ONE cause that saves a man from the lake of fire? 

I would be grateful for some considered thoughts.
Thank you. Good night.

Leave your thoughts here:
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Vast and Subtle Perversion Decoded

The Vast and Subtle Perversion Plainly Stated.

Gal 2:
15 We who are Jews by nature, and not sinners of the Gentiles,
16 Knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the law, but by the faith of Jesus Christ, even we have believed in Jesus Christ, that we might be justified by the faith of Christ, and not by the works of the law: for by the works of the law shall no flesh be justified.

If the subtle perversion by the Gentiles that has taken place is spelt out plainly, the translation would have to be like this:

Gal 2
15 We who are Gentiles by nature, and not the justified of the Jews, 
16 Believing that a man is justified by the works of the law, and not by the faith of Jesus Christ, even we have believed in Jesus Christ, that we might be justified by our own faith in Christ, and not by the faith of Jesus Christ: for by the works of the law shall the condemned be justified.

This would be closer to who they are saying, their justification before God by their faith in Christ Jesus, and not by the faith of Jesus Christ.

"Are ye so foolish?" asked Apostle Paul.

Are you so foolish, acting in self-injurious manner?
Apostle Paul was no doctrine monger, wasn't he? 

"Are ye so foolish?" asked Apostle Paul.

That was asked so long ago... because some children of God did really foolish thing... they obey not the truth of the gospel. Having heard, and embraced the truth of the gospel, they later turned away from it.

Please note that one does not need to know the truth to become God's children; but because he is a child of God, he is under obligation to know and believe the truth of his eternal salvation by God's free grace.

Many children of God have only heard of fables and embraced them as the truth of the gospel. When the truth of the gospel delivered to us be the Apostles of Christ is presented to them, they believe not! Worse still, they hate it because their mind have been poisoned by the fables masquerading as truth.

This makes the question, "are ye so foolish" ever relevant in every generation, especially the present one. How would you feel if you were queried, "O foolish ones, who has bewitched you, that you should not obey the truth...?" Fools do despise being told of their folly.

Surely the momentous issue raised and dealt with is not restricted to the foolish Galatians.

Gal 3

1 O foolish Galatians, who hath bewitched you, that ye should not obey the truth, before whose eyes Jesus Christ hath been evidently set forth, crucified among you?

2 This only would I learn of you, Received ye the Spirit by the works of the law, or by the hearing of faith?

3 Are ye so foolish? Having begun in the Spirit, are ye now made perfect by the flesh?

Apostle Paul has demonstrated in Galatians 2 that those believing their justification is by their faith IN Jesus Christ have departed from the truth of the gospel. They are foolish... as demonstrated by those few rhetorical questions posed to them in Gal 3:1-5.

Take a look at this link: 
http://things-new-and-old.blogspot.my/2012/10/the-doctrine-of-justification-as.html                

Now the serpent was more subtil...

"Now the serpent was more subtil
than any beast of the field
which the LORD God had made..."

Gen 3:1a

"Now the serpent was more subtil than any beast of the field which the LORD God had made..."

2Co 11:3

But I fear, lest by any means, as the serpent beguiled Eve through his subtilty, so your minds should be corrupted from the simplicity that is in Christ.

Can you imagine, the devil having perverted and twisted a fundamental gospel truth and turned it into a lie in such a subtle manner that few among the multitudes of God's children are aware of the horrid thing that has happened. Worse still, the great scholars among the children of God actually exert their great minds to vigorously defend the lie of the devil, but reject the plain truth of God.

You ask, “what is it?” It is what Apostle Paul deals with in Galatians 2.

It is THE truth of THE gospel. It has been substituted with a subtle lie, and that lie has been received, and defended, and is propagated as the truth of the gospel. Is there a greater tragedy than this?

The truth of the gospel: a man is justified by the faith OF Jesus Christ.

The lie of the devil: a man is justified by his faith IN Jesus Christ.

The Mother Harlot teaches:

- a man is justified by BOTH his faith and his works.

She anathematizes those who believe otherwise.

The Harlot’s daughters and their followers rebelled, and have been teaching, and defending:

- a man is justified by his faith ALONE.

The Spirit of Christ revealed to Apostle Paul:

- a man is justified by the faith OF Jesus Christ.

Galatians 2

5 To whom we gave place by subjection, no, not for an hour; that the truth of the gospel might continue with you.

15 We who are Jews by nature, and not sinners of the Gentiles,

16 Knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the law, but BY THE FAITH OF JESUS CHRIST, even we have believed in Jesus Christ, that we might be JUSTIFIED BY THE FAITH OF CHRIST, and not by the works of the law: for by the works of the law shall no flesh be justified.

17 But if, while we seek to be justified by Christ, we ourselves also are found sinners, is therefore Christ the minister of sin? God forbid.

20 I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live , BY THE FAITH OF THE SON OF GOD, who loved me, and gave himself for me.

21 I do not frustrate the grace of God: for if righteousness come by the law, then Christ is dead in vain.

Righteousness comes by the faith of Christ, i.e. Christ’s faithfulness in His work of redemption for His people.

The justification of a condemned sinner before God is by the faith of Jesus Christ; it is NOT by his faith in Christ. A man's faith in Christ is a work of righteousness; the act of believing in Christ is an act of obedience rendered to a command of God by one ALREADY justified. An unjustified man, in his native state of condemnation and death cannot possibly believe!

Rom 3:23 "Being justified FREELY by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus."
Isn't this a clear as the noon day sun! Man's faith, i.e. his act of believing, is not in the equation of his justification before God. His justification is FREELY by God's grace (i.e nothing is required of the unjustified, i.e. condemned, man), and it is SQUARELY and SOLELY and WHOLLY through the redemption that is in Jesus Christ.

"Then said they unto him, What shall we do, that we might work the works of God? Jesus answered and said unto them, This is the work of God, that ye believe on him whom he hath sent." John 6:28-29. Believing in Jesus Christ is a work commanded and required by God of His children. It is true of them, and the law requires them to believe it.

Your justification before God is by the faithfulness of Christ in His work of redemption, the faithfulness that secured the righteousness needed for the justification of His people. "I have finished the work which thou gavest me to do" John 17:4. "And behold a white horse; and he that sat upon him was called Faithful and True," Rev 19:11

You frustrate the grace of God if you believe that the righteousness necessary for your justification comes by the law, i.e. by your obedience to God's law/command to believe in Jesus Christ. Apostle Paul spells out the necessary implication of such idea, aptly, "then Christ is dead in vain."

You are saying that Christ's righteousness and blood are redundant, unnecessary!

The truth of the gospel... the faith OF Jesus Christ

"That we henceforth be no more children,
tossed to and fro, and carried about with every wind of doctrine,
by the sleight of men, and cunning craftiness,
whereby they lie in wait to deceive."

Gal 2:5
To whom we gave place by subjection, no, not for an hour; that the truth of the gospel might continue with you.

The truth of the gospel... the faith OF Jesus Christ.

Does this truth continue with you? 
Or has it been  hijacked without you even knowing it?
Is the truth of "the faith OF Jesus Christ" found in the Bible translation you are using?

Let's see what it is to Apostle Paul.

Galatians 2
5 To whom we gave place by subjection, no, not for an hour; that the truth of the gospel might continue with you.
15 We who are Jews by nature, and not sinners of the Gentiles,
16 Knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the law, but by the faith of Jesus Christ, even we have believed in Jesus Christ, that we might be justified by the faith of Christ, and not by the works of the law: for by the works of the law shall no flesh be justified.
17 But if, while we seek to be justified by Christ, we ourselves also are found sinners, is therefore Christ the minister of sin? God forbid.
20 I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me.

Apostle Paul fought like a mother bear to preserve the truth of the gospel that it may continue with the Gentile believers.

Apostle Paul declared that the gospel is this: "a man is justified by the faith OF Jesus Christ," and therefore KNOWING that truth, he believes IN Jesus Christ, by whose faith he has been justified before God. Apostle Paul DID NOT say, "knowing that a man is justified by faith IN Jesus Christ, even I have believed in Jesus Christ."

Apostle Paul repeated that glorious gospel truth, "that we might be justified by the faith OF Christ." Note carefully, Apostle Paul did not say, "that we might be justified by faith the faith IN Christ."

He said it again, "the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me."

He did not say, "I live by the faith IN the Son of God," but "the faith OF of the Son of God.

A glorious and precious gospel truth has been hijacked by a slight twist and perversion of "the faith OF Jesus Christ" into "my faith in Jesus Christ."

Very few are even aware of this great deception and robbery, and embrace the LIE as the truth! By the sleight of men, and cunning craftiness, many have been deceived, robbed of the truth of the gospel. 

"That we henceforth be no more children, tossed to and fro, and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the sleight of men, and cunning craftiness, whereby they lie in wait to deceive." Eph 4:14.