Leaves of Gold

A Call To Return To Biblical Teaching

"...to contend earnestly for the faith..."

Year two, Number 6, June  2007

 

Master Outline Number Seventeen, taken from the Christian Life Bible, Thomas Nelson Publishers, notes by Porter L. Barrington

 

MASTER OUTLINE NUMBER SEVENTEEN

Heaven and Hell

According to the Scriptures there are three heavens. The apostle Paul said, "I know a man in Christ who fourteen years ago ... such a one was caught up to the third heaven ... he was caught up into Par­adise and heard inexpressible words, which it is not lawful for a man to utter" (2 Cor. 12:2-4). Since there is a third heaven, it stands to reason that there is also a first and second heaven. The plural for heaven is used more than one hundred times in the Bible.

(1) It is very clear in the Scriptures that the first heaven is the atmospheric heaven. "Thus the heav­ens and the earth, and all the host of them, were finished" (Gen. 2:1).

(2) Since heaven is "up;' or out beyond the atmosphere, the second heaven would be the stellar heaven, or outer space-reaching up to the heaven of heavens-the very throne of God.

(3) Paradise is the same as the third heaven or the heaven of heavens, and is mentioned three times in the Bible:

(a) By Paul when he was caught up to the third heaven (2 Cor. 12:2-4).

(b) Jesus said to the thief on the cross, "Today you will be with Me in Paradise" (Luke 23:43). This meant that the thief would go immediately to heaven because he had repented and                 believed.                ,

(c) In our Lord's letter to the church at Ephesus, He said, "He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To him who overcomes I will give to eat from the tree of life, which is in the midst of the Paradise of God" (Rev. 2: 7). Paradise is also called the heaven of heavens. "But will God indeed dwell on the earth? Behold, heaven and the heaven of heavens can­not contain You. How much less this temple which I have built!" (1 Kin. 8:27).

The Bible has more to say about hell than it does about heaven. To deny the fact of hell is to deny that the Bible is the infallible Word of God. That there is an eternal hell where the wicked will be tormented forever and ever is not a religious fable used to scare the wicked into becoming good reli­gious citizens. Hell is a biblical fact. There are three words in the Hebrew and Greek that are trans­lated "hell:"

(1) Sheo! (Hebrew)-generally the temporary abode of the wicked, sometimes grave (O.T.);

(2) Hades (Greek)-generally the temporary abode of the wicked (N.T.); agrees with O.T. Shea!;

 (3) Gehenna (Greek, based on a Hebrew name)-the eternal abode of the wicked (N.I.).

Sheo! and Hades are the two names for the intermediate state of the wicked dead. Gehenna is the future abode of the lost. Gehenna will be occupied by the unsaved after the last resurrection and the Great White Throne judgment; "The sea gave up the dead who were in it, and Death [the last en­emy-1 Cor. 15:26] and Hades delivered up the dead who were in them. And they were judged, each one according to his works. Then Death [the last enemy] and Hades were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death" (Rev. 20:13, 14).

Gehenna, the eternal abode of the wicked, is found twelve times in the New Testament and is translated "hell" in each case-denoting the eternal torments of the wicked after the last resurrec­tion.

The Lord Jesus used the word Gehenna to warn the wicked of their wicked ways. He said:

(1) "And do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. But rather fear Him who is able to destroy both soul and body in hell Gehenna]" (Matt. 10:28).

(2) "But I will show you whom you should fear: Fear Him who, after He has killed, has power to cast into hell Gehenna]; yes, I say to you, fear Him!" (Luke 12:5).

To deny that there is an eternal hell is to deny the deity of Christ. If we cannot believe what He said about hell, then how can we believe anything He taught?  If there is no hell, then Jesus is not the "....way, the truth and the life...", John 14:6

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17-A. Heaven Is a Place (John 14:1-6)-lt is a fact that heaven is an actual place. It is as real as the home in which you were born, as real as any place on earth. It is called a "city ... whose builder and maker is God" (Heb. 11:10), "a better, that is, a heavenly country" (Heb. 11:16). It is above the earth (1 Kin. 8:23), and it is where God the Father dwells (Matt. 5:16). Heaven is called God the Father's throne (Matt. 5:34); the Lord Jesus Christ is there now, seated with God the Father upon the Father's eternal, heavenly throne (1 Pet. 3:22; Rev. 3:21).

(1) Heaven is a place, according to the Lord Jesus Christ. The words of the present text were spoken by our Lord to His troubled disciples the night before He was to die on the cross. They were, and are, word of comfort and hope to all true disciples. He said, "Let not your heart be troubled" (v. 1). He knew their hearts, their sorrows, and He also knew of the faith they had in God the Father. He called upon them to have till' exact same faith in Him, God the Son, that they had in God the Father. "You believe in God [the Father] believe also in Me [God the Son]" (v. 1).

After His death, burial, and resurrection, the disciples gained this faith and lost their fearing, troubled hearts. The Scripture says, "Then the disciples were glad when they saw the [risen] Lord ... [for now they believed] that Jesus is the Christ [the Messiah], the Son of God" (John 20:19-31). To believe that heaven is a place requires faith in the deity of the Lord Jesus Christ. Asserting His deity, Jesus continued to encourage His disciples by saying, "Believe also in Me" (v. 1), and telling them about heaven. Paraphrased, He was saying, "Before you can believe what I am telling you about heaven, you must first believe in Me" you believe in God the Father." He went on to say:

(a) "In My Father's house are many mansions [habitable places]" (v. 2). Heaven is a place where w, can live and make our eternal home.

(b) "I go to prepare a place for you" (v. 2). After His resurrection, the disciples saw Him ascend bill I, into heaven whence He came (Acts 1:9-11; cf. John 8:23). Heaven is a prepared place for every born-again believer (John 3:36).

(c) "I will come again and receive you to Myself; that where I am, there you may be, also" (v. 3, cf. 1 Thess. 4:16-18).

(d) "I am the way" to heaven, "the truth" about heaven, "and the life" of ,heaven for all believers,  (v. 6).

(e) "No one comes to the Father [in heaven] except through Me" (v. 6; cf. Acts 4:12)

(2) Heaven is a place, according to the prophet Isaiah (Is. 6:1-8).

(3) Heaven is a place, according to the apostle Paul (2 Cor. 12:1-4).

(4) Heaven is a place, according to the apostle John (Rev. 4:1-11).

Our Lord called heaven a place twice in the present text, emphasizing that it is a real, eternal dwelling place with the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit (1 John 5:7). 

17-B. Heaven Is the Saint's Place (Colossians 3:1-4)-We have already seen that heaven is a place prepared for the saints of God. A saint is one who, by faith in the lord Jesus Christ, has been spiritually born into the family of God. "For you are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus" (Gal. 3:26). We become saints when "the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanses us from all sin" (1 John 1:7); at the same time the blood of Jesus Christ sanctifies-sets the believer apart for His purpose (Heb. 13:12).

(1) The Corinthian church had many doctrinal and moral imperfections. Both of Paul's letters to this church were written to correct their transgressions. He began both epistles reminding them that in spite of their spiritual inadequacies they were

(a)  in "the church of God";

(b) "sanctified in Christ Jesus";

(c) "called to be saints" (1 Cor. 1:2; cf. 2 Cor. 1:1).

The Corinthian believers were saints by virtue of the fact that by faith they were, in Christ, sanctified­-set apart for heaven.

(2) Writing to the Colossians, Paul said, "If then you were raised with Christ,

(a) "Seek those [heavenly] things which are above, where Christ is, sitting at the right hand of God" (v. 1). Christ, after His resurrection, entered into heaven itself, "now to appear in the presence of God for us" (Heb. 9:24). Therefore, as saints, we have "boldness to enter into the holiest [heaven] by the blood of Jesus" (Heb. 10:19), to seek heavenly things.

"For through Him [Christ] we both [Jew and Gentile] have access by one Spirit [the Holy Spirit] to the Father" (Eph. 2:18). The least saint has access into the very presence of God in heaven, to seek every heavenly blessing that God offers to the greatest saint. We do not have to wait until after death to enjoy some of the heavenly benefits-they can be ours now.

(b) "Set your mind on things above, not on things on the earth" (v. 2). Earthly things are temporal, but heavenly things are eternal (2 Cor. 4:18). James warns saints not to be double-minded. He said that a doubter is a "double-minded man, unstable in all his ways" (lames 1:8). Jesus declared, "No one can serve two masters ......              You cannot serve God and mammon [money]" (Matt. 6:24).

.     Before you were saved, your mind was set on earthly things. You had earthly goals and were in love with the things of this world. But now, as a saint, you are "not [to] love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world-the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life-is not of the Father but is of the world. And the world is passing away, and the lust of it; but he who does the will of God abides forever" (1 John 2:15-17). Set your mind on heavenly things.

In this, the Lord Jesus Christ is our perfect example. In Philippians 2:5-8 we have the doctrine of the kenosis, which means that when God the Son left heaven to be veiled "in the likeness of sinful flesh" (Rom. 8:3, page 1136), He did not empty Himself of His deity or attributes, "but made Himself of no reputation [He divested Himself of all outward appearance of deity and independent use of His divine attributes], taking the form of a bondservant, and coming in the likeness of men" (Phil. 2:7).

In His mind, He was heavenly, holy, humble, and obedient to His undeserved, ignominious death on the cross (Heb. 12:2). He took the form of a servant, to do the will of the Father that led Him to Calvary (Is. 53:4-6). He came down to this earth to please the Father, not Himself (Rom. 15:3). His mind was a lowly mind. In Gethsemane He prayed, "0 My Father, if this cup cannot pass away from Me unless I drink it, Your will be done" (Matt. 26:42)

Every saint can have the lowly, heavenly mind of Christ. Paul said, "let this [lowly] mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus" (Phil. 2:5).

(c) "For you died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God" (v. 3). Before you became a saint, you were dead to God in sin (Is. 59:1, 2; Eph. 2:1-6). Now you are a saint, dead to sin in God. As saints in God we are to regard ourselves as "dead indeed to sin, but alive to God in Christ Jesus our lord" (Rom. 6:11). Count it so, because it is so according to the Scriptures (Rom. 6:6, 7; Gal. 2:20).

                Now we come to the saint's heavenly safety. First, the saint's life is "hidden with Christ"-this is safety. Second, the saint's life is "hidden with Christ in God" (v. 3)-this is double safety. Third, the saint is "sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise" (Eph. 1 :13,14)-this is triple safety. The believer is sealed by the Holy Spirit, hidden with Christ in God. This is heavenly safety in the Holy Trinity. To strengthen your faith in this heavenly fact see John 10:27-29  and Romans 8:35-39.

(d) "When Christ who is our life appears, then you also will appear with Him in glory" (v. 4). The saints will bask in the glory of God forever and ever. The following great prophetic events will occur after Christ's, second coming, but before the new heaven, new earth, and New Jerusalem:

    (i) The rapture of the redeemed, 1 Thes. 4: 13-17.

(ii) The seven years of Tribulation (Jer. 30:7; Dan. 9:27; Matt 24:8-31

(iii) The conversion of Israel (Ezek. 20:34-38; 37:1-28). This is the spiritual resurrection of those from the twelve tribes who are alive and receive the gospel during the Great Tribulation (Zech. 12:10-13:1; Rom. 11:26; Rev. 7:1-17).

(iv) The judgment seat of Christ (2 Cor. 5:10.

(v) The marriage supper of the Lamb (Rev. 19:6-9).

    (vi) The second coming of Christ At the end of the seven years of Tribulation, Christ will return to this earth with His bride to end the Battle of Armageddon (Rev. 16:13-16; 19:17-19; cf. Zech. 11:3; Matt 24:21,22,29,30).

 

(vii) The doom of the Beast and the False Prophet (Rev. 19:20).

(viii) Satan bound and cast into the bottomless pit for a thousand years (Rev. 20:2, 3).

(ix) The judgment of the nations. At the beginning of the Millennium, the Lord Jesus Christ will judge the living nations (Matt. 25:31-46,

(x) The kingdom reign of the Lord Jesus Christ (Rev. 20:6; cf. Is. 9:6, 7).

              (xi) Satan released from the bottomless pit At the end of the thousand years, Satan will be released from the bottomless pit to go out and deceive the unsaved of the kingdom, after which God will destroy them with fire from heaven (Rev. 20:7-9).

(xii) Satan cast into the lake of fire. He, along with the Beast and the False Prophet, "will be tormented day and night forever and ever" (Rev. 20:10).

(xiii) The Great White Throne judgment (Rev. 20:11-15.

(xiv) The destruction of the present heaven and earth by fire (2 Pet 3:10-12).

(xv) The new heaven, new earth, and New Jerusalem (2 Pet 3:13; Rev. 21:1, 2). This is the end of the old world system and the beginning of the new-"Behold, I make all things new" (Rev. 21 :5).

 

17-C. Heaven Is an Eternal Place (Isaiah 65:17)  lsaiah is the only Old Testament prophet who permits us a glimpse of the new heavens and the new earth that the Lord will create after the Millennium. God spoke to Isaiah saying, "For behold, I create new heavens and a new earth" (v. 17). In Isaiah 65:18-25 God allowed Isaiah to foresee some of the characteristics of the Millennium which would precede the "new heaven and a new earth." About 790 years after Isaiah's prophecy, the Lord revealed even more of this heavenly vision to the apostle John and enlarged the scope of this heavenly revelation (Rev. 21:1-22:9.  John wrote, "Now I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away.  Also there was no more sea. Then I, john, saw the holy city, New Jerusalem, coming down out of  heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband" (Rev. 21:1, 2).

The new heaven, the new earth, and the New Jerusalem are the beginning of God's eternal kingdom including heaven on earth. It is not the Millennium viewed in retrospect. This future kingdom will come to an end after one thousand years (Rev. 20:7). But the inhabitants of the new heaven, the new earth, and the New Jerusalem, along with the new things God will create, will never end, but "shall reign forever and ever" (Rev. 22:5). Revelation chapters 21 and 22  are not a recapitulation of the millennial reign of Christ (Rev. 20:1-15); they describe a new eternal order.

(1) The New Heaven. God will create a new, pure atmosphere for His new earth and New Jerusalem. No longer will Satan be the "prince of the power of the air" (Eph. 2:2); the air will be clean and there will be no more storms. Satan and all his demons will be in the lake of fire (Rev. 20:10)

(2) The New Earth. Under the curse of sin (Gen. 3;17-19) the old earth will be destroyed by fire (2 Pet. 3:10). The Lord will create a new earth and there will be no more sea (Rev. 21:1) With the curse lifted, every foot of the earth will become suitable for habitation. The new heaven and the new earth will then be ready for the Holy City.

    (3) The New Jerusalem. The old Jerusalem, which was built by man, will be destroyed by fire with the rest of the earth. The New Jerusalem will be the work of the Lord Jesus Christ, our God and Savior. He said, "In My Father's house are many mansions; if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself; that where I am, there you maybe also" (John 14:2, 3). The New Jerusalem is the bride's eternal dwelling place, created for her by the Lord Jesus Christ. "One of the seven angels" spoke to John, saying, " 'Come, I will show you the bride, the lamb's wife.' And he [the angel] carried me away in the Spirit to a great and high mountain, and showed me the great city, the holy Jerusalem, descending out of heaven from God" (Rev. 21:9, 10). The bride, the lamb's wife, will be in the New Jerusalem when it descends from heaven, to become the capital of heaven on earth. John describes the New Jerusalem magnificently (Rev. 21 :9-27) .

(a) The dimensions. The exact specifications defy comprehension: 12,000 furlongs (or 1,500 miles) square. "Its length, breadth, and height are equal." Try to visualize a city of "pure gold, like clear [flawless] glass," 6,000 miles around and 1,500 miles high-in square miles covering more than half of the United States (Rev. 21 :15-18): Many believe the city will be in the shape of a pyramid, others, in the form of a cube.

(b) The wall. It "had a great and high wall" (216 feet tall) made of jasper, a pure stone believed to be diamond. Each of the four walls will have three gates with the names of the twelve tribes of Israel written thereon. Each of the twelve gates, which shall never be closed, will be made of pearl, with an angel at each gate (Rev. 21:12, 17, 21, 25) .

(c) The foundations. The wall will have twelve foundations, adorned with many assorted precious stones; on the foundations will be the names of the twelve apostles of the lamb (Rev. 21:14, 19, 20).

(d) The street. "The street of the city was pure gold, like transparent glass" (Rev. 21:21) .

. (e) The temple. There will be no structural temple in the new heaven, new earth, or the New Jerusalem; john said, "1 saw no temple in it, for the lord God Almighty and the lamb are its temple" (Rev. 21:22). Therefore, this new heaven and new earth are not a kingdom viewed in retrospect, for there will be a newly structured temple in the Great Tribulation (Matt. 24:15; Dan. 9:27), and in the Millennium (Rev. 15:8).

(f) The river of life. "And he [the angel] showed me a pure river of water of life, clear as crystal, proceeding from the throne of God and of the lamb" (Rev. 22:1). This crystal river of life will flow out from the New Jerusalem to the nations of the new earth.

(g) The tree of life. "On either side of the river, was the tree of life, which bore twelve fruits, each tree yielding its fruit every month" (Rev. 22:1, 2; Gen. 3:24). Yes, we will eat and drink in heaven.

           (h) The new eternal light. This new heaven on earth will have a new light. It will be "like a jasper stone, clear ~s crystal" (Rev. 21:11, 23, 24). The glory of God will light the city, and the nations. "There shall be no night there: They need no lamp nor light of the sun, for the Lord God gives them .light. And they shall reign forever and ever" (Rev. 22:5). The glory of God's essence will light the heaven, the earth, and the Holy City. The lord Jesus Christ gave Peter, James, and John a glimpse of His glory on the mountain when He talked with Moses and. Elijah, where He "was transfigured before them. His face shone like the sun, and His clothes became as white as the light" (Matt. 17:1-3). In God's new order, the bride and the nations of the world will bask in the effulgence of His glory, which will be the eternal light of the world. "This is the message which we have heard from Him and declare to you, that God is light and in Him is no darkness at all" (1 John 1:5). "There shall be no night there" (Rev. 22:5-we will never need to sleep in heaven because God will be with His people forever and ever. That eternal light will radiate from the throne of God, in the New Jerusalem (Rev. 21:3, 23; 22:3).

(4) The inhabitants of the new heaven, the new earth, and the New Jerusalem are to be

      (a) God the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit (1 John 5:7);

 (b) The bride of Christ, the church, who will dwell in the New Jerusalem (Rev. 21:9, 10);

 (c) The Old Testament saints who will occupy the new earth (Is. 65:22; Heb. 11:10, 13-16; Rev. 21:3);    .

(d) The Tribulation and millennial saints who will also occupy the heaven on earth outside the New Jerusalem-the eternal home of the bride of Christ (Matt. 25:31-46). All the inhabitants of the new earth will have eternal access to the Holy City, where the twelve gates of pearl will never be closed (Rev. 21 :24-26);

(e) Angels who will worship and serve God (Heb. 12:22, 231). They will also serve the bride and the nations.

The lamb's wife and the nations will be busy worshiping and serving the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. We will have perfect bodies, and therefore perfect brains. Throughout eternity we will be learning about all the wonders of our God. Paul said, "That in the ages to come [heaven] He might show the exceeding riches of His grace in His kindness toward us in Christ Jesus" (Eph. 2:7). "But as it is written:. 'Eye has not seen, nor ear heard, nor have entered .into the heart of man the things which God has prepared for those who love Him'" (1 Cor. 2:9; Is. 64:43). It will take ages upon ages for God to show us the greatness of His grace.

(5) In the new heaven "there shall be no more curse" on  man, beast, or the earth (Rev. 22:3-5; Gen. 3:14-19).

(a) There will be no tears or crying (Rev. 21:4). There will never be a reason to cry.

(b) There will be no more death or separation (Rev. 21:4; Rom. 8:38, 39).  Death is man's last enemy to be destroyed (1 Cor. 15:26).

(c) There will be no sorrow, pain, or suffering, "for the former things have passed away" forever and ever (Rev. 21:4).

(d) There will be no sin or sinners (Rev. 21:7, 8; 22:14,15); only those who by faith have "washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the lamb" (Rev. 7:9-17; 1 Pet. 1:18,19), "who are written in the lamb's Book of life" (Rev. 21:27).

When John saw and heard all this, he said, "Amen. Even so [he prayed], come, lord Jesus!" (Rev. 22:20). We shall see our God face to face, and reign with Him forever and ever (Rev. 22:4, 5).

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17-D. Hell Is a Place {Psalm 9:17)-When we say that the Bible teaches that hell is an actual place, we are not using a figure of speech, a religious simile, or a metaphor; we are speaking of hell as a reality, in a real place, for real people who reject the only true God and Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ (John 3:36).

Let us look at some of the biblical concepts that speak of the ultimate fate of the wicked dead in the place called hell:

(1) Sheol-the Old Testament Hebrew word for hell. "The wicked shall be turned into,hell" (v. 17). In some Scriptures, Sheol means the grave. For example, Jacob said, "For I shall go down into the grave [Sheol] to my son in mourning" (Gen. 37:35). It is obvious in this text that Sheol refers to the grave, and it is just as clear in other texts that Sheol refers to the place for the spirits of wicked mankind, e. g., "The wicked shall be turned into hell [Sheol]" (v. 17). This Sheol is the temporary abode of the wicked dead.

(2) Hades-the New Testament Greek word for hell. "And being in torments in Hades, he lifted up his eyes" (Luke 16:23). Hades in the New Testament is the same as Sheol in the Old Testament. Sheol, or Hades, is the place where the spirits of the wicked dead are tormented until the last resurrection (Rev. 20:13). The sea and the graves will give up the dead bodies of the wicked, Sheol-Hades will give up the spirits, and every body, soul, and spirit of the wicked dead will stand before Jesus Christ at the Great White Throne to be judged (Rev. 20:11-15; John 5:22).

(3)Gehenna-Greek for the ever-burning fires in the Valley of Hinnom, a deep narrow valley just south of Jerusalem where the people of Judah sacrificed their children to the god Moloch (Jer. 32:35; cf. 19:2-6). The Valley of Hinnom later became a dumping place for trash and putrefying rnatter which was offensive to sight and smell. In the Valley of Hinnom the fires burned day and night. It became a prototype of eternal hell fire. Jesus, in His teachings, often warned the sinner of the results of sin, illustrating hell as an eternal place of fire and brimstone-a perpetual burning (Matt. 5:22). Jesus said, "I will show you whom you should fear: Fear Him [God, not Satan], who, after He has killed, has power to cast into hell [Gehenna]; yes, I say to you, fear Him!" (Luke 12:5).

 

17-E. Hell Is the Sinner's Place (Acts 1:25)-After Judas betrayed Jesus and saw that He was condemned to die on the cross, he "was remorseful." He returned to the chief priest and elders and tried to make restitution. Confessing his guilt, he said, "I have sinned by betraying innocent blood." Then he cast down the thirty pieces of silver in the temple, at the feet of the chief priest, "and went and hanged himself" (Matt. 27:3-8), "that he might go to his own place" (v. 25). Hell is the sinner's own place of torment (Luke 16:23).

While the Upper Room congregation waited for Pentecost, they prayed that God would choose one to take the place of Judas. They prayed, "Show which of these two You have chosen to take part in this ministry and apostleship from which Judas by transgression fell, that he might go to his own place" (vv. 24, 25). The question is often asked, "Was Judas ever saved?" Keep in mind that Judas was one of the Twelve. He was an apostle. He sat at the feet of Jesus and was taught the Good News of salvation for three-and-a-half years. He saw Jesus heal the sick, raise the dead, open blind eyes, walk on the water, and feed five thousand with five barley loaves and two small fish. He was among the twelve disciples who were given power to cast out demons, heal all manner of sickness, cleanse the lepers, raise the dead, and preach the gospel of the kingdom (Matt. 10:1-8). Judas did all of this, but he was never saved (Matt. 7:21-23). Judas fell, but not from salvation. He fell from the ministry and from apostleship. Salvation is not in question in verse 25.

Jesus taught in Capernaum, saying, "'Unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink His blood [symbolically], you have no life in you ... ' From that time many of His disciples went back and walked with Him no more. Then Jesus said to the twelve, 'Do you also want to go away?' But Simon Peter answered Him, 'Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of etemal life. Also we have come to believe and know that You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.' Jesus answered them, 'Did I not choose you, the twelve, and one of you is a devil?"  He spoke of Judas Iscariot, the son of Simon, for it was he who would betray Him, John 6:53-71.

Jesus chose Judas even though He knew that this man would sell Him for the price of a slave and thus fulfill prophecy, Zech. 11:12, 13.  Judas is mentioned again in the Lord's prayer, John 17:12.  He is called "...the son of perdition.  He was never saved.   After fulfilling prophecy, he went out and hanged himself, that he might go to his own place of torment.

 

17-F. Hell is an Eternal Place, Matthew 25:41.  This is the final hell (the Lake of Fire).  It was not prepared for mankind.  God prepared it for Satan and the fallen angels (demons).  They have no choice, but you must make a choice....either Satan's prepare Lake of Fire or the believer's Heaven, John 14:1-6.  Christ the Judge will say to the living  wicked at the judgment, "Depart from Me, you cursed, into the everlasting fire prepared for the devil and his angels" (v. 41). The wicked will know that they are in hell by choice; this will make their hell more hellish.

At the beginning of the thousand-year reign of Christ, the Antichrist and the False Prophet will be "cast alive into the lake of fire burning with brimstone" (Rev. 19:20). Satan will be bound by chains and imprisoned during this Millennium in the bottomless pit. "Now when the thousand years have expired, Satan will be released from his prison and will go out to deceive the nations" (Rev. 20:7-9), and lead them to fight against God. Just as God rained fire and brimstone on Sodom and Gomorrah (Gen. 19:24-29), once again He will send fire from heaven on those wicked nations who think that, with the help of Satan, they can overthrow God and His kingdom.

Then Satan will be cast into hell, the lake of fire, where the Antichrist and the False Prophet will still be alive after one thousand years. The evil triad will at last be together in their eternal abode, where "they will be tormented day and night forever and ever" (Rev. 20:10). This is proof that the eternal fires of hell do not annihilate the body, soul, or spirit of man or angels. Hell is a place of eternal torment.

At the Last Judgment, all of the wicked dead will be resurrected and will stand in body, soul, and spirit before God .at the Great White Throne. White represents holiness, righteousness, and purity. Christ will be the Judge (John 5:22). When the wicked see Him in His resurrected, glorified human body, they will know that He has every right to judge them and cast them into the lake of fire along with their gods, the evil triad.

The lake of fire is called the second death. The first death began in the Garden of Eden, when Adam and Eve ate the forbidden fruit and were separated from God by sin. Christ, the last Adam, was born of a virgin and was given a complete human nature without sin, so that on Calvary He could be our substitute, and that those who trust in Him may be made righteous with the righteousness of Christ, make heaven their home (2 Cor. 5:21) and escape the lake of fire, the second death (Rev. 20:11-15).

 

 '17-G.  You must choose:  Heaven or Hell, Luke 16:19-31.  We have already seen that the Lake of Fire is a prepared place for Satan and his many demons, and is the destiny of all who follow him, their father, John 8:44.  Satan is the spiritual father of all who reject the God-Man Jesus.

                Just one day before His death, Jesus said to the eleven depressed disciples, "Let not your heart be troubled; you believe in God (the Father), believe also in Me (God the Son), John 14>1.  Earlier, in the temple at the Feast of Dedication, some of the Jews had come to Him and said to Him, "How long  do You keep us in doubt?  If You are the Christ (the Promised One) tell us plainly".  Jesus had answered, "I and my Father are one".  At this they prepared to stone Him, John 10:22/31.  Why?  Because He said "I and My Father are one", claiming equality with God t he Fat her.  "I and my Father are one" in unity, essence, substance, authority, power, and eternity, but not one Person.  This is what He meant when He later said, "You believe in God, believe also in Me".

                After thus reminding His disciples of who He was, He assured them, "I go t o prepare a place for you", John 14:2.  Heaven is a place in God's universe; t hat is prepared for those who receive His Son to be t heir Savior from sin, from the Lake of Fire.

                You have a choice:  Either you must choose eternal life with Jesus Christ in the place that He is preparing for all who will by faith accept Him as their personal Savior, or you must choose eternal death with Satan in the Lake of Fire.  Death is not annihilation....it is separation.  The Lake of Fire is called t he "Second Death", Revelation 21:8.  To experience this "second death" is to be eternally separated from mercy, grace and love of God forever, Revelation 20:10.  The love of God does not extend beyond the gates of hell.

                You have a choice to make:  the broad way that leads to hell, a way that seems right, Proverbs 14:12, or the narrow way, a personal receiving of Jesus as your Savior, Acts 4:12.  (These studies will continue next month)

 

The Two Adams

                These studies are taken from the book "Rightly Dividing The Word" by Clarence Larkin

 

                The Scriptures speak of two "Representative Men." The first is called "ADAM," the second is called the "LAST ADAM" (1 Cor. 15: 45), or the "Second MAN," the "Lord from Heaven." 1 Cor. 15: 47. This identifies Him with the Lord Jesus Christ. The "First Adam" is charged with bringing sin into the world. "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. The "Last Adam" came to reverse what the Ji'irst Adam did, and to "put away sin." Heb. 9: 26.

"For if by qne man's offence death reigned by one: much more they which receive abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness shall reign in life by one, Jef3us Christ." Rom. 5: 17. To understand the work of these two "Representative Men" we must study their history.

I. THE FIRST ADAM.

                After the earth had been restored from its "formless and void" condition, and the air, sea, and earth been re­populated with bird, fish, and animal life, we read-

"And God said, Let US make man in OUR IMAGE, after OUR LIKENESS: and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth. So God created man in His OWN IMAGE, in the IMAGE OF GOD created He him; male and female created He them." Gen. 1: 26-27.

                From this we see that man is a CREATED being.  That he was made in the "IMAGE OF GOD," not in the image of an "Ape," and was formed not from a brute, but of the "dust of the earth." There is an "Impassable Gulf" between the lowest order of man and the highest type of beast that science has failed to bridge. The "Missing Link" has never been found. That the whole human race is of "One Species" and had a common origin (Acts 17: 26) is clear from the fact that, when the differ­ent races of the earth's inhabitants intermarry, their offspring are not sterile but fertile. There is no contra­diction between the first and second chapters of Genesis as to the creation of man. The first chapter (Gen. 1: 26-­28) gives the FACT of his creation, the second, the MANNER OF IT." Gen. 2: 7. One is supplementary to the other.  In Gen. 2: 7, we are told that-"the LORD GOD formed (fashioned) man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the 'Breath of Life;' and man became a "Living Soul.'" From this we see that the creation of man was "Threefold." (1) The forma­tion of the BODY. (2) The impartation of the SPIRIT. (3) The unification of the two through, the SOULISH part of man. The two principal parts of man are the BODY and the SPIRIT, but as the functions of these are separate, one being physical and the other spiritual, a third part had ,to be supplied called the SOUL, inter­mediate between them, and through which they may com­municate. This makes' man a "Threefold Being." 1 Thess. 5: 23, Heb. 4: 12.

                In Adam as originally created the "Soul" was such a perfect medium of communication between the "Body", and the "Spirit" that there was no conflict between them. The three blended together in one harmonious whole. When man fell the "Soul" became the "Battlefield" of the "Body" and the "Spirit," and the conflict began that Paul so graphically describes in Rom. 7: 7-24.

                Eve was not fashioned in the same way as Adam. She was "made" later. "The Lord God caused a 'deep sleep to fall upon Adam and he slept; and He took one of his 'RIBS,' and closed up the flesh thereof: and the 'RIB,' which the Lord God had taken from man, made (builded) He a WOMAN, and brought her unto the man .• And Adam said, this now 'bone of my bones,' and 'flesh of my flesh;' she shall be called WOMAN, because she was taken OUT OF MAN." Gen. 2: 21-23. The reason why Eve was not fashioned separately from Adam, but was taken out of Adam's side, was to show that in their relation to each other as man and wife they were to be ONE FLESH. That is in their interests, sympathies, etc., they were to be one, and physically they were to be coun­terparts of each other. In this respect Adam and Eve, are a type of the Last Adam and His Eve-THE CHURCH. Eoh. 5: 25-32.

                Adam was not created a baby or a primitive savage, but a full grown man perfect in intellect and knowl­edge, else he could not have named the beasts of the field and the fowls of the air. And the fact that his descendants had such skill in the invention of musical instruments and mechanical devices and could build cities and towers and such a vessel as the Ark, proves that the men of Antediluvian times were men of gigantic intellect and attainments, and that instead of man having "evolved upwards" he has "DEGENERATED DOWNWARDS."

The first pair were happy in their sweet companion­ship, and doubtless believed that it would last forever. They knew nothing of the ruins of the Primeval Earth beneath their feet, now covered with the Edenic verdure of a renewed earth. Neither did they know that the heavens above them swarmed with fallen beings under the leadership of Satan, and that their happiness was to end in a "Fall" that would necessitate their expulsion from that "Garden of Delights," and that sooner or later they should taste of physical death.

If it be charged that God should have forewarned Adam of his danger of an attack by Satan, let it not be forgotten that the commandment not to eat of the "Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil" should have caused him to beware of any being who should tempt him to disobey the command of God and eat of it. To have plainly told him of the plan of Satan would have frustrated God's purpose in the testing of Adam. True obedience is to obey without knowing why.

How long after Adam was created Eve was given to him we do not know. It must have been some time, for Adam required time to name all the living creatures that were brought to him, of cattle, of fowl, and of the beasts of the field. Neither are we told how long after Eve was given to Adam before the Temptation. It is hardly likely that it was immediately, for while they were mature physically they were but as children in experience, at least Eve was, and she was unfit to cope with the seductive wiles of the Serpent, the most powerful enemy of God and man.

Satan's purpose in the "Temptation" was to thwart God's purpose in the creation of man (the peopling of the earth with a holy race of beings), and to regain the earth, which he had lost by his rebellion. His hope was to excite God to destroy the first pair for their sin before they could populate the earth. He played his game with consummate skill. Fearing that if they were approached together they might withstand him, he awaited the time when Eve should be alone.

                It is not improbable that Eve, curious to know the cause of the prohibition, had stolen away from Adam and gone off by herself to examine the Tree, and that Satan, discovering her there, was not slow to take advantage of his opportunity.

              If Eve had avoided the vicinity of the Tree, she would not have been able to cast that look at it which made her; desire to eat of its fruit. Satan saw that Eve was disgruntled about something. He wisely surmised that it was because God had forbidden Adam and Eve to eat of the Tree, so he approached her and spoke to her. The Fact that Eve was not afraid to talk with the Serpent is an indication that it was not a loathsome creature, and that it was no stranger to her. She had seen it often, and, probably talked with it before, for Satan does not make his supreme effort until he has first prepared the way., What the Serpent was like before it was cursed and caused to crawl instead of stand upright, we do not know, ,but it must have been a beautiful creature. Whether it had the power to talk, or simply became the mouthpiece of Satan we are not told. What we do know is, that Satan incarnated himself in it.

                Observing that Eve was casting longing glances at the "Fruit" of the Tree, the Serpent (Satan) opened the conversation by craftily asking-"Yea, hath God said, Ye shall not eat of every tree of the Garden?" The subtlety of this question is seen in its insinuating suggestion that God did not love them, and was unfair and unkind to forbid them anything. In her answer Eve betrays her feeling toward God by adding to the prohibition, saying -"Neither shall ye TOUCH it," as if God was afraid to trust her. She also altered the penalty from---,"thou shalt surely die," to "lest ye die," thus expressing doubt as to the certainty of death. It is a dangerous thing to add to or subtract from God's word. Rev. 22: 18-19.' The commencement of the Fall was the "deceitful handling" of the Word of God. 2 Cor. 4: 2.

Satan was the first "Higher Critic." He was the cre­ator of the "SEED OF DOUBT." It was deposited in the heart or mind of Eve by Satan's question-"Yea, hath GOD said?" This led Eve to question the love of God. This "MICROBE OF UNBELIEF" the human race has inherited from Eve. Men do not openly deny the good­ness of God so much as they question the statements i)f the Word of God. They say-"Has God really said we must not do thus and so? Have we not misunderstood what He has said, or misinterpreted His meaning? Surely God is too loving and merciful to eternally punish' the wicked."            ,               ,

                Satan having sown the "Seed of Doubt" and perceiv­ing that the poison was working, next declared that God was, a liar by saying-"Ye shall not surely die." This is the "DEVIL'S LIE," and it has been incorporated into the religious systems of today that teach that man shall not be eternally punished. Satan then impugned God's motive by declaring that God did not want them to have knowledge of "Good" and "Evil" lest they become "gods" like himself. This appealed to Eve's curiosity and ambition, and stirred up a "torrent of desire" in her heart, and when she saw that the "Tree" was "good for food" (the Lust of the Flesh), and "pleasant to the eyes" (the Lust of the Eye), and "desirable to make one wise" (the Pride of Life), she did not wait to consult her husband, but put forth her hand and plucked and ate the fruit, and the days of her innocence were ended; and when Adam appeared, without contrition of heart, she in turn tempted him, and he not willing to be sep­arated from her also ate, the result the ruin of the race. The Woman was deceived, but Adam was not deceived, nevertheless, the Apostle tells us, it was the "woman's" fault. I Tim. 2: 13-14.

The inducement that Satan held out to Eve, that the acquisition of knowledge would put her and Adam on the same plane with God, and make them GOD-LIKE, is the same inducement that Satan offers to ambitious men today, and he is seeking through his dupes to build up a magnificent civilization on the discoveries and in­ventions of men, and exalt man without God, and his aim is the final

"DEIFICATION OF MAN,"

 that will find its culmination in his

"SUPERMAN:'

"THE ANTICHRIST:'

who will sit in the Temple at Jerusalem and proclaim himself GOD. 2 Thess. 2: 3-4. This accounts for all the "World Systems" of today for the social, religious, politi­cal and commercial betterment and advancement of the race.

Adam and Eve were created "INNOCENT." "Inno­cence" is not "RIGHTEOUSNESS." "Innocence" can­not become "Righteousness" until TESTED. If Adam and Eve had stood the "Test" they would have become "Righteous" or "Holy," they failed and became SIN­NERS. There is but one step from "Innocence" to "HOLINESS," or from "Innocence" to "SIN." Adam and Eve took the step from "Innocence" to SIN and became SINNERS. If they had taken the opposite step they would have become "Holy" and been beyond the possibility of "Sin." Now man cannot become "Holy" without the New Birth.

In the Fall of man the triumph of Satan was com­plete. The first effect of the disobedience of Adam and Eve was "SELF-CONSCIOUSNESS." "They saw that they were NAKED." The result of this knowledge led them to invent clothing made of "FIG LEAVES." All living creatures are clothed by nature. Fish have scales, birds have feathers, beasts have hair, or fur, or wool; even serpents have a beautifully colored skin. Many are naked when ushered into existence, but it is not long until nature provides clothing. Man alone of all God's creatures is left without clothing, and is compelled to have recourse to artificial covering. Why is this? It is the result of SIN.

Adam and Eve at first wore no clothing, nor did they need to. Their state of innocence made them not ashamed. Some claim that their unfallen nature was clothed in a veil of radiant glory that hid their nakedness. This they lost in the Fall. At once, conscious of their shame, they resorted to artificial clothing. Clothes are the trappings of guilt. The style and character of clothing may change, but the guilt remains. Clothing may hide our shame from the eyes of man, but not from the eyes of God. A black heart may hide behind a white vest.

The sun set that day upon a scene that witnessed the downfall of the human race. It was a dark and fearful night. They both dreaded to meet God and so hid them­selves in the forest when the Lord God came down to take His usual walk in the Garden in the cool of the day. Heretofore they had looked forward to the daily visit of the Lord God, but now they feared to face Him. Thus sin makes cowards of us all.

By questioning them the Lord God got them to sit in judgment on their own conduct. Adam blamed his fall on Eve, she blamed her fall on the Serpent. God patiently listened to them and gave them an opportunity to justify their conduct, then He passed judgment on them. But to the Serpent He gave no opportunity for justification, but said-

"Because thou hast done this, thou are cursed above all cattle, and above every beast of the field; upon thy belly shalt thou go, and dust thou shall eat all the days of thy life; and I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed.  It  (her seed- Jesus the Christ) shall bruise they HEAD and THOU shalt bruise His heel.

      In the expression THY SEED (Satan's seed) we have a prophetic reference to THE ANTICHRIST who as Satan's seed is called in 2 Thess. 2: 3 the "SON OF PERDITION."

        These are the words of a Judge to a condemned criminal who is awaiting sentence, and is a confirmation of Satan's previous rebellion, who here hears his doom. At once the Serpent, the tool of Satan, is changed into a crawling, loathsome, venomous reptile. The Woman's sentence was that she should lose her position as man's equal and become subject to him, and that untold sorrow and misery in motherhood should be her lot. Unto Adam God said, "Cursed is the ground for thy sake, thorns also and thistles shall it bring forth to thee, ... in the sweat of thy face shalt thou eat bread, till thou return unto the ground." So what had been a pleasure to Adam, the care of the Garden, was henceforth to be a task, for driven out from the Garden he must make a living by tilling a soil that brought forth naturally noth­ing but thorns, thistles and weeds.

The Edenic Dispensation was perfectly unique. It was characterized by the "absence of sin," and the "pres­ence of God." There will be nothing like it again until "The Tabernacle of God is with men," and He will dwell with them on the New Earth. Rev. 21: 3. In the Edenic Dispensation God dealt with Adam on the basis of "IN­NOCENCE," and He can never treat with man again on the same basis until the curse of sin shall be removed from the earth. Man is no longer under probation, but under condemnation. John 3: 18. Ever since the Fall God has had to deal with man as a guilty, lost, helpless and ruined sinner. And not only a ruined sinner, a ruined CREATURE. There is no good thing in him, he is at "enmity with God," and is not "subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be." Rom. 8: 6-7.

In mercy God drove the guilty, but forgiven pair from the Garden lest they eat of the "Tree of Life" and be doomed to live "forever" in their sinful mortal bodies. Men claim that innocence and a perfect environment are safeguards against wrong-doing, but the catastrophe of Eden proves that this is not true.

II. THE LAST ADAM

The Fall of the "First Adam" demanded the coming of the "Last Adam." It is self-evident that a fallen creature cannot redeem itself. It must be redeemed by a power outside itself. Therefore no human being of the Adamic race could redeem the race. Such redemption de­manded a Divine interposition. But the Redeemer must have the same nature as the Adamic race. He must be a MAN. To this end he must be born into the human race and yet be free from the "taint of Sin." This was accomplished by the "Virgin Birth."

The "Last Adam" having taken upon Himself human nature it was necessary that He be put to the same test as the "First Adam." To this end we read that imme­diately after His Baptism, before He had preached a ser­mon or called a disciple, He was led of the Holy Spirit into the "Wilderness" to be tempted (tested) of the Devil. Matt. 4: 1. It was not then a case of it "hap­pened so." It was -a part of God's plan as to the "Last Adam." The Temptation was not planned by the Devil. He doubtless would have avoided it, for he knew who Jesus was, but Jesus having been led into the rendezvous of the Devil, the Devil could not well avoid the meeting. That he was not over-anxious to make the test is evident from the fact that he waited until Jesus was physically worn out from fasting.

Notice the "Place of Temptation." It was not in a "Garden" like that in which the "First Adam" was tested. It was in the "Wilderness," a place uninhabited except by wild beasts, and with no means of satisfying hunger. It is profitable to compare the "Forty Days" of fasting with those of Moses and Elijah. Moses and Elijah both had GOD with them. Jesus had the DEVIL.


 

THE FIRST TEMPATION

               Mark say He "was in the Wilderness 40 days tempted (tested) of Satan".  Luke says "being 40 days tempted (tested) of the devil".  Mathew say " and when He had fasted 40 day and 40 nights, He was afterward an hungered, and when the: tempter came to. Him, he said," etc. The probability is that the Devil skirmished from ambush with Jesus during the 40 days, and then when he saw Jesus weakened by fasting, and believing the "Psychological Moment" had come he attacked him in the open. The matter of hunger was neither incidental nor accidental. It was ordained. If it had not been a feature of the Temptation Jesus might just as well have been tempted in Capernaum or at Jerusalem after a feast. While the Temptation of Jesus was to show that He was qualified to be the Head of a New Race, the time of the Temptation, between the declaration of His Sonship and the proclamation of the Kingdom, is not without significance, far it explains the character of the Temptations as having a bearing on the setting up and feeding the subjects af the Kingdom.

The "First Temptation" is similar to the one in Eden. It raised the question of doubt. "IF Thou be the SON OF GOD." It had been but six weeks since God the Father had said at Christ's Baptism-"This is my beloved SON in whom I am well pleased," and the force of the Devil's argument lay in the fact that Jesus, being hungry, and with no visible means of supplying His need, could test the fact of His Sonship by performing a miracle, for that was the Old Testament sign of Messiah­ship. The Devil may have gone farther and said-"You will die if you do not eat, how then can you carry out your Kingdom plans? Do you not know that the way to get the ascendancy over men is to feed them? How can you set up a Kingdom without a 'Commissary De­partment?' If you knew that you have power to turn stones into bread, all you will have to do is to say,-'Come unto me all ye that are hungry and I will give you food and supply your needs,' and you will have a multitude of followers" Was not this true when Jesus fed the 5000 and they wanted to take Him and make Him King and he had to flee to. prevent the premature setting up of the Kingdom?

             For Jesus to have turned a stone into bread to satisfy His own need would have been illegitimate, for the power to work miracles was given Him not to supply His own needs, but the needs of others.  For Jesus to have turned a stone into bread to satisfy His own hunger would have been disobedience.  God's purpose in having the Holy Spirit drive Jesus into the Wilderness was that He might be made to hunger, and He had no right to satisfy His hunger until God saw fit to satisfy it Himself, so to have turned stones into bread would have been an act of disobedience.  This is clear, for when the purpose of the Temptations (testing) was fulfilled angels came and minist ered unto Him and supplied all His physical needs.

             In Jesus' reply  to the Devil "It is written man shall not live by bread alone, but by every work that proceedeth out of the mouth of God", Jesus, by the use of  the word "man" classes Himself with humanity and takes the position of trust and dependence upon His Heavenly Father, declaring that man needs something more than physical food, he needs the kind of food of which Jesus spake at the well of
Samaria, "I have meat to eat that ye know not....my meat is to do the will of Him that sent me"  Jesus in His reply took the "impregnable position" that what God the Father had said as to His Sonship needed not t he corroborative proof of a miracle.

 

The Second Temptation

             No length of time is given between the Temptations, and the inference is that they followed one another in quick succession as suggested by the word "then".  It would be interesting to know what the second and third Temptations of Adam and Eve would have been if they had not fallen to the first.  Probably they would have been different.  Having failed in his effort to get Jesus to disobey the "will of
God" the devil changes his tactics.  He takes Jesus from the Wilderness to Jerusalem and sets Him on a Pinnacle of the Temple and says, "If Thou be t he Son of God, cast Thyself down; for it is written, He shall give His angels charge concerning Thee; and in their hands they shall bear Thee up, lest at any time Thou dash Thy foot against a stone" Psalm 912:11, 12.

 

 

This 'temptation is a challenge to Jesus to make His faith 'in God's protecting care visible. If He trusted God in all things let Him cast Himself down from the Pinnacle of the Temple and test the promise of God to give His angels charge over Him and bear Him slowly down to the ground. The Kingdom idea is also seen in this 'Temptation. The Prophet Malachi (Malachi 3: 1) had foretold that the Messiah would suddenly come to His 'Temple. What could then be more spectacular than for Jesus to float down, apparently out of the heavens, into the Court of the Temple filled with the representatives of the people? Surely such an apocalypse would dazzle the multitude and they would at once accept Him as their :Messiah. This was a temptation for Jesus to test His Deity and Sonship by presuming on the protective care (of God. The Devil's hope was that if Jesus yielded and threw Himself down from the Pinnacle of the Temple, that His presumption would have put Him outside the pale of angelic assistance and that He would have been dashed to death on the marble pavement of the Temple.

Jesus' reply was-"It is written again, Thou shalt not tempt the Lord thy God." This was a rebuke and for the second time the Devil found himself foiled.

THE THIRD TEMPTATION

'''Again, the Devil taketh Him up into an exceeding high mountain, and sheweth Him all the Kingdoms of this world, and the glory of them; and saith unto Him, All these things will I give Thee, if Thou wilt fall down and worship me." Matt. 4: 8-9.

This was the Devil's "TRUMP CARD," his Master­piece of Temptation. Having failed to get Jesus to satisfy His hunger in an illegitimate way, or to test His Father's protecting care, the Devil bluntly offers Him the Kingdoms of This World if He will transfer His allegiance from His Father and fall down and worship him. It is clear that this was a compromise offer. The Devil knew that he was doomed to defeat and he wanted to make the best bargain he could. It is worthy of note that Jesus did not dispute his claim of Lordship over .the "Kingdoms of this WorId." In fact, Jesus called him, the "Prince of this World." And it is further worthy of note that when Jesus refused the offer it was to still leave the "Kingdoms of this World" under the Devil's dominion, and they will remain there until He comes whose right it is to rule and reign over them in Millen­nial Glory.

The Devil knew that Jesus had come into the world to get control of the "Kingdoms of the 'World," and what he practically said to Jesus was-"You came into the world to die on the Cross that you might win back these Kingdoms to God. Now if you will bow down and by worshipping me acknowledge my supremacy over these Kingdoms, I will give, them to you without the suffer­ings of the Cross."

To dazzle Jesus with the grandeur of his proposition the Devil took Jesus up on to an exceedingly high moun­tain, and in a "moment of time" (Luke 4: 5), as if he feared a prolonged view would dispel the illusion and disclose the worthlessness of those Kingdoms, the Devil showed Jesus the "Kingdoms of the World" and the "Glory of them." But Jesus saw farther than the Devil. He saw the Kingdom that He Himself was destined to set up and that in· comparison with those Kingdoms would far excel them, and He knew the offer was not worth the price. Furthermore He knew the promise ­"Ask of ME (the Father), and I shall give Thee the Heathen for Thine inheritance, and the uttermost parts of the earth for Thy possession" (Psa. 2: 7-9), so it was not necessary that He accept the Devil's offer.

The Devil's proposition was his undoing. Immedi­ately Jesus said-"Get thee hence, Satan." This was a command, and at once Satan, now unmasked and called by his right name, like a whipped cur, foiled and de­feated, slunk away, and the angels came and ministered to Jesus. By His victory over 'Temptation Jesus passed from the "FULNESS of the Spirit" to the "POWER of the Spirit." Luke 4: 1, 14.

                We are told that Jesus was "tempted (tested) in 'all points' like as we are, yet without sin." Heb. 4: 15. These "all points" may be summed up under three heads, repre­sented by the "Three Temptations" of Jesus, and were included in the "One Temptation" of Eve-(l) "The Lust of the FLESH," (2) ''The Pride of Life," and (3) "The Lust of the EYES." 1 John 2: 16. All the temp­tations of mankind may be summed up under three heads, represented by the Wilderness Temptations.

1. The Temptation to Secure the Supply of Our Natural needs by ILLEGITIMATE MEANS.

2. The Temptation to. Presume on God's Protection When We WILFULLY RUN INTO DANGER.

3. The Temptation to. Secure This World's Goods and Honors, Without Toil or Suffering, by Entering Into a League With the FORCES OF EVIL.

The lessons for the Christian Church are--(l) Do not turn your church into a "Soup Kitchen" or a place of "Suppers" to get the funds to supply the needs of the Church. (2) Do not use spectacular and sensa­tional methods to get an audience. (3) Do not enter into an alliance with the powers of state, wealth and society, or into Federations of Antichristian Forces for world supremacy. Eve, the bride of Adam, was tempted first, fell, and pulled her husband down with her. Christ the Last Adam was tested first and because of His vic­tory over temptation He is able to keep His Bride the Church from falling. The Last Adam will recover the Kingly Sceptre the First Adam lost. The Devil tempts us to make us UNUSABLE. God tests us to show that we are USABLE. The instrument of victory is the "WORD OF GOD." We must be able to answer the

Devil with-"IT IS WRITTEN."                                                                

COULD JESUS HAVE SINNED?

                There are those who claim that Jesus could not have been tempted in all points like as we are if it were not possible for Him to sin. Others claim that while it was possible for Jesus to sin there: was no probability that He would, and therefore there was no risk incurred in His Temptation. Those who claim that it was possible for Jesus to sin compare Him with Satan and Adam, who, though created pure and sinless, had in them the possibility of sinning as is evidenced by their fall. But Satan and Adam were created beings, while Jesus was the Only Begotten SON OF GOD, born of the "Virgin Mary," and it was said of the body of Jesus that it was "THAT HOLY THING." Therefore the humanity of Jesus was SINLESS, and when joined to the Eternally Holy Personality of the SON, there could have been no possibility of Jesus sinning.

If Jesus could have sinned then the whole scheme of Salvation hung in the balance until after the Wilder­ness Temptation. Such a thought is not only unthink­able but unscriptural. Jesus was the Lamb-"foreor­dained before the foundation of the world (1 Pet. 1: 18­20), and a lamb accepted for sacrifice must be "without spot or blemish." The Scriptures declare that "Whosoever is born of God CANNOT SIN." 1 John 3: 9. There­fore Jesus could not sin. If He could have sinned at the Temptation, since there has been no change in His nature since then, for He took His humanity back with Him to Heaven, what is there to prevent His yielding to Temptation in the future? What guarantee have we that the whole plan of Salvation shall not yet be upset? The thought is contrary to the whole trend of the Scripture.

                What then was the purpose of the Temptation if it were not possible for Jesus to have fallen? The purpose was simply to show that Jesus was a PERFECT SAVIOUR, and that there was NO SIN IN HIM, nor possibility of failure. He was thus set before us, not as an example to be followed when we are tempted, but as an object of Faith to whom to look as our DELIVERER when we are tempted. A simple illus­tration will make this plain. We will suppose that a double track ."Suspension Bridge" has been built over a deep canyon connecting two mountain ranges. To the people in the valley the Bridge seems to be but an "airy nothing" hardly capable of carrying its own weight and they are afraid to trust themselves to it, but one day to their amazement two long trains of freight cars loaded with pig-iron approach from opposite directions, and when both have reached the centre of the Bridge they stop. At once they expect the Bridge to collapse. But no, it remains intact. And when, after remaining 24 hours on the Bridge, the trains continue on their way, they no longer lack faith in the safety of the Bridge. So with the Temptation of Jesus. It was the test of His Sonship and of His power to overcome and destroy the works of the Devil, and we need no longer fear but that He is a Perfect and All-Powerful Saviour.

As we have seen, the First Adam brought upon the human race guilt, condemnation, separation, so the Last Adam reverses all these and the standing of the Believer is that of "not guilty," no longer under condemnation, and for him there shall be "no separation" from God. Rom. 8: 33, 34, 38-39. The "wages of sin" is Death, but we read in Paul's immortal chapter on the Resurrection of the body (1 Cor. 15: 22), and he is speaking only of the body and not of the soul, so the Universalist cannot find an argument here for universal salvation, "As in Adam all die (physically), so in Christ shall all be made alive (physically)." So as the First Adam brought death into the world, the Last Adam brought "Resurrection:", "Life," and "Immortality" to light through the Gospel.

(These lesson will continue next month)

 

The "Leaves of Gold" is published each month by James A. Nelson, long time missionary and pastor,   jan@twinvalley.net.  He and his wife Janet are members of the Village Bible Assembly, Salina, Kansas EE. UU. whose pastor is Robert F. Manning,    manningadventure@yahoo.com

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