The "Never" Promises to Sinners

There are many promises in the Bible, but today I want to highlight just a few of them that pertain specifically to sinners. When the Bible refers to sinners or the wicked, it is referring to those who have never known the Lord Jesus Christ as well as those who have known Him but went back to their sin.

He Will Say to Them, "I never knew you."

The first promise I should mention is that Jesus promised He would say something very terrifying to all evildoers one day. It is something that nobody would ever want to hear Him say to them. Jesus said, "Then I will tell them plainly, 'I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!'" (Mat 7:23). There are two very terrifying things about this. First, that He will say, "I never knew you" to such people, even those who thought they were doing so much for Him in His name, including operating n the supernatural. Secondly, He will say, "Away from Me" or "Depart from Me!" When He says that, the wicked will immediately be thrown into hell for eternity, which is the most terrifying thing that could ever happen to you.

Their Fire Never Goes Out in Hell

The reason why being thrown into hell is the most terrifying experience is that it is a very scary place, even scarier than the scariest horror movie you have ever seen. There is no escape from hell either. Hell is forever, and there is no way to get out. Here are some of the descriptions of it that Jesus gave, in which He promised what would never happen in hell:

"If your hand causes you to stumble, cut it off. It is better for you to enter life maimed than with two hands to go into hell, where the fire never goes out."(Mar 9:43, NIV)

"[where their worm does not die, and the fire is not quenched.]" (Mar 9:44, NASB)

"If your foot causes you to stumble, cut it off; it is better for you to enter life lame, than, having your two feet, to be cast into hell, [where their worm does not die, and the fire is not quenched.]" (Mar 9:46, NASB)

"If your eye causes you to stumble, throw it out; it is better for you to enter the kingdom of God with one eye, than, having two eyes, to be cast into hell, where their worm does not die, and the fire is not quenched." (Mar 9:48, NASB)

Please do not go to that terrible place! Don't go to hell! There is a way out, so that you don't have to go there. The Way is Jesus Christ. Repent of your sins and believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and you shall be saved.

He Will Never Drive Away Sincere Seekers

We have a sure promise from Jesus that He will never turn away anyone who sincerely comes to Him, seeking Him. 

"All that the Father gives Me will come to Me, and the one who comes to Me I will certainly not cast out." (Joh 6:37)

If you come to the Lord humbly and sincerely, seeking mercy from Him, He will never drive you away.

They Will Never Enter His Kingdom Unless They Change and Become Like Little Children

When I say the Lord will never turn you away, if you sincerely seek Him, I mean that you have to change and become like a little child when you do so. And that is how you have to remain throughout your entire life, remaining humble and childlike until you die and go to heaven. 

Jesus said, "What I'm about to tell you is true. You need to change and become like little children. If you don't, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven."(Mat 18:3).

This is the only way to enter the kingdom of heaven. If you don't enter this way, then you will never enter heaven. This promise is so important that it was repeated in the three synoptic gospels, Matthew Mark, and Luke (Mt 18:3; Mk 10:15; Lk 18:17).

Closing Words
Everyone will stand one day before the judgment seat of Christ. And the wicked are promised that He will say, "I never knew you. Depart from Me!" They will be cast into hell where the fire never goes out.

But aren't you glad that Jesus came to seek and save the lost? He said that He will never drive away those who come to Him. But you will never enter the kingdom unless you change and become like little children. Do you want to know Him? Please see my article below on how you can know Him personally as your Lord and Savior.

Attribution notice: Scripture quotations taken from the Holy Bible NIV, copyright Zondervan, used by permission. 

Author's note: If you enjoyed this post, please also see the following: The Top Ten Things Jesus Taught, Living a Life Worthy of the Lord, The Wardrobe of the Saints, Following in His Steps, and Living on Earth as They Do in Heaven. You may find the Main Directory for this blog at Home, and you may also access my complete blog directory at "Writing for the Master." 

Do You Want to Know Him?
If you want to know Jesus personally, you can. It all begins when you repent and believe in Jesus.  Do you know what God's Word, the Bible says?

“Jesus came into Galilee, preaching the gospel of God, and saying, ‘The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel.’” (Mar 1:14b-15).  He preached that we must repent and believe. 

Please see my explanation of this in my post called "Do You Want to Know Jesus?"

_________________________________________________

Len Lacroix is the founder of Doulos Missions International.  He was based in Eastern Europe for four years, making disciples, as well as helping leaders to be more effective at making disciples who multiply, developing leaders who multiply, with the ultimate goal of planting churches that multiply. His ministry is now based in the United States with the same goal of helping fulfill the Great Commission. www.dmiworld.org. 

The Sin of Sodom

Destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah, John Martin, 1852

Do you know what the sin of Sodom was? There was more to it than what you think. I'm going to show you from Scripture what the Lord said their sin was. The context of this was the Lord's words through the prophet Ezekiel to unfaithful Jerusalem in Ezekiel 16. He said:

"Behold, this was the guilt of your sister Sodom: she and her daughters had arrogance, abundant food and careless ease, but she did not help the poor and needy. Thus they were haughty and committed abominations before Me. Therefore I removed them when I saw it." (Eze 16:49-50)

Based on this passage of Scripture, here are the sins of Sodom:

Pride and Arrogance 
The first sin that the Lord mentioned was arrogance, which is also translated as "pride" in the King James Version (KJV). It means "making or having the disposition to make exorbitant claims of rank or estimation; giving one's self an undue degree of importance; haughty; conceited." Not only was Sodom guilty of this sin, but also Jerusalem at the time of her exile in the days of Ezekiel. Later on, even the Church of Laodicea was guilty of this sin. The Lord told them: "You say, 'I am rich; I have acquired wealth and do not need a thing.' But you do not realize that you are wretched, pitiful, poor, blind and naked.'" (Rev 3:17, NIV). I believe as many others do that we live in the Laodicean age of the Church, when the Church is lukewarm like that first-century church in Asia was. The Lord's message is still the same.

"I know your deeds, that you are neither cold nor hot. I wish you were either one or the other! So, because you are lukewarm—neither hot nor cold—I am about to spit you out of my mouth. You say, 'I am rich; I have acquired wealth and do not need a thing.' But you do not realize that you are wretched, pitiful, poor, blind and naked. I counsel you to buy from me gold refined in the fire, so you can become rich; and white clothes to wear, so you can cover your shameful nakedness; and salve to put on your eyes, so you can see. Those whom I love I rebuke and discipline. So be earnest and repent. Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with that person, and they with me. To the one who is victorious, I will give the right to sit with me on my throne, just as I was victorious and sat down with my Father on his throne. Whoever has ears, let them hear what the Spirit says to the churches." (Rev 3:15-22, NIV)

The key words are "be earnest and repent."

Gluttony
The second sin of Sodom, according to the Lord was abundant food ("fullness of bread", KJV). This word means "gluttony, which is excess in eating; extravagant indulgence of the appetite for food." Jesus warned us sternly about this sin, when He said, "Woe to you who are well fed now, for you will go hungry." (Lk 6:25a, NIV).

The key words are "woe to you." The majority of Americans and other people living in the West are well fed, so let's take heed to the Lord's words.

Idleness
The third sin of Sodom, according to the Lord was careless ease ("idleness", KJV). The English expression "careless ease" comes from two Hebrew words, shâqaṭ and shalvâh. Here are the Strong's definitions of these words:

shâqaṭ - shaw-kat' - to repose (usually figuratively): - appease, idleness, (at, be at, be in, give) quiet (-ness), (be at, be in, give, have, take) rest, settle, be still.

shalvâh - shal-vaw' - security (genuine or false): - abundance, peace (-ably), prosperity, quietness.

When these two words are used together, they refer to idleness, in other words they mean taking it easy in a place of plenty. It refers to relaxing and reposing, because of the sense of peace we feel, whether genuine or false, on account of our prosperity. The test of poverty is difficult, but the test of prosperity is much worse, because we can be lulled into a false sense of security. We can become complacent and feel we have no need of God. We can also become ensnared by the material things of this world, too. The proverb says:

"...give me neither poverty nor riches, but give me only my daily bread. Otherwise, I may have too much and disown you and say, ‘Who is the Lord?’ Or I may become poor and steal, and so dishonor the name of my God." (Pr 30:9, NIV).

Let's beware of careless ease, because idleness is the devil's workshop. Also see House of Idleness.

Ignoring the Poor and Needy
The fourth sin of Sodom, according to the Lord was that she did not help the poor and needy. Jesus warned about this sin, too, when He spoke about how He will judge the goats when He sits on His glorious throne:

"Then he will say to those on his left, 'Depart from me, you who are cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels. For I was hungry and you gave me nothing to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me nothing to drink, I was a stranger and you did not invite me in, I needed clothes and you did not clothe me, I was sick and in prison and you did not look after me.' "They also will answer, 'Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or needing clothes or sick or in prison, and did not help you?' "He will reply, 'Truly I tell you, whatever you did not do for one of the least of these, you did not do for me.' "Then they will go away to eternal punishment, but the righteous to eternal life." (Mat 25:41-46).

Jesus will tell these people to depart from him into eternal fire. He said they are cursed and will go away to eternal punishment, because of what they didn't do for the least of these. Among the things they didn't do for Him was their failure to satisfy His hunger and thirst, their failure to clothe His nakedness, and their failure to help Him when He was sick or in prison. The key words are whatever you did not do for one of the least of these, you did not do it for Jesus.

As the proverb says, "Whoever shuts their ears to the cry of the poor will also cry out and not be answered." (Pr 21:13, NIV). Ignoring those in need is essentially a lack of love for one's neighbor, just as the priest and Levite in the parable of the good Samaritan (Lk 10:25-37), who passed by the wounded man on the street and did not help him. They did not love their neighbor as themselves, but the Samaritan who stopped and helped the hurt man did have mercy on his neighbor, and that is what pleases the Lord.

Haughtiness
The fifth sin of Sodom, according to the Lord was that they were haughty. That word comes from the Hebrew word gâbahh (gaw-bah').  It means to soar, that is, be lofty; figuratively to be haughty: exalt, be haughty, be high or higher, lift up, mount up, be proud, raise up great height. Haughty means proud and disdainful; having a high opinion of one's self, with some contempt for others; lofty and arrogant. Haughty comes from haught (Fr., haut), which means high, elevated. As the proverb says, "Pride goes before destruction, a haughty spirit before a fall." (Pr 16:18, NIV). Beware of a proud and haughty spirit. God opposes or resists the proud, but gives grace to the humble (Proverbs 3:34; James 4:6; 1 Peter 5:5).

Detestable things
The sixth sin of Sodom, according to the Lord was that they did detestable or abominable things before Him. Most of us are aware of the story of how the Lord sent two angels to see if what they had done was as bad as the outcry against them. We know how the two angels stayed at Lot's house, and what the wicked men of Sodom said to Lot when they came looking for the angels. They called to Lot, "Where are the men who came to you tonight? Bring them out to us so that we can have sex with them." (Gen 19:5). The Lord calls this an abomination or a detestable thing.

"'Do not have sexual relations with a man as one does with a woman; that is detestable." (Lev 18:22)

"'Do not defile yourselves in any of these ways, because this is how the nations that I am going to drive out before you became defiled. Even the land was defiled; so I punished it for its sin, and the land vomited out its inhabitants." (Lev 18:24-25)

"And if you defile the land, it will vomit you out as it vomited out the nations that were before you. 'Everyone who does any of these detestable things—such persons must be cut off from their people." (Lev 18:28-29)

"'If a man has sexual relations with a man as one does with a woman, both of them have done what is detestable..." (Lev 20:13a)

The apostle Paul wrote about these things in his epistle to the Romans:

"The wrath of God is being revealed from heaven against all the godlessness and wickedness of people, who suppress the truth by their wickedness, since what may be known about God is plain to them, because God has made it plain to them...Therefore God gave them over in the sinful desires of their hearts to sexual impurity for the degrading of their bodies with one another...God gave them over to shameful lusts. Even their women exchanged natural sexual relations for unnatural ones. In the same way the men also abandoned natural relations with women and were inflamed with lust for one another. Men committed shameful acts with other men, and received in themselves the due penalty for their error. Furthermore, just as they did not think it worthwhile to retain the knowledge of God, so God gave them over to a depraved mind, so that they do what ought not to be done....Although they know God's righteous decree that those who do such things deserve death, they not only continue to do these very things but also approve of those who practice them." (Rom 1:18-19, 24, 26b-28, 32, NIV).

This is not a phobia toward any one particular type of person, nor is it a bias against any one group of people. The apostle said the wrath of God is being revealed from heaven against all the godlessness and wickedness of people, who suppress the truth by their wickedness. That applies to any and all people who do so, not just certain people.

Consequences of Suppressing the Truth
I want to warn you that there are many serious and unpleasant consequences for those who suppress the truth (Rom 1:18) and do not think it worthwhile to retain the knowledge of God (Rom 1:28), especially the fact that God gives them over to a depraved mind, so that they do what ought not to be done. Paul wrote:

"Furthermore, just as they did not think it worthwhile to retain the knowledge of God, so God gave them over to a depraved mind, so that they do what ought not to be done. They have become filled with every kind of wickedness, evil, greed and depravity. They are full of envy, murder, strife, deceit and malice. They are gossips, slanderers, God-haters, insolent, arrogant and boastful; they invent ways of doing evil; they disobey their parents; they have no understanding, no fidelity, no love, no mercy." (Rom 1:28-31)

It affects every area of their lives, just as the Lord said through the prophet Ezekiel about Sodom and Jerusalem. Paul said that they have become filled with every kind of wickedness, evil, greed and depravity. The list Paul gave here is very similar to the one Ezekiel gave as outlined in this post. There is the same arrogance and boasting, the same absence of love and mercy, and the same detestable things. There is also the same greed, which is an intense and selfish desire for something, especially wealth, power, or food.

A Rich Man in Hell

The Lord told us about a certain rich man who lived in luxury every day. He was dressed in purple and fine linen. At his gate a beggar named Lazarus was laid to beg. But the rich man ignored the beggar and when he died, he ended up in hell, but the beggar was at peace and rest. Here is the true story that Jesus told:

"There was a rich man who was dressed in purple and fine linen and lived in luxury every day. At his gate was laid a beggar named Lazarus, covered with sores and longing to eat what fell from the rich man's table. Even the dogs came and licked his sores. "The time came when the beggar died and the angels carried him to Abraham's side. The rich man also died and was buried. In Hades, where he was in torment, he looked up and saw Abraham far away, with Lazarus by his side. So he called to him, 'Father Abraham, have pity on me and send Lazarus to dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my tongue, because I am in agony in this fire.' "But Abraham replied, 'Son, remember that in your lifetime you received your good things, while Lazarus received bad things, but now he is comforted here and you are in agony. And besides all this, between us and you a great chasm has been set in place, so that those who want to go from here to you cannot, nor can anyone cross over from there to us.' "He answered, 'Then I beg you, father, send Lazarus to my family, for I have five brothers. Let him warn them, so that they will not also come to this place of torment.' "Abraham replied, 'They have Moses and the Prophets; let them listen to them.' "'No, father Abraham,' he said, 'but if someone from the dead goes to them, they will repent.' "He said to him, 'If they do not listen to Moses and the Prophets, they will not be convinced even if someone rises from the dead.'" (Luk 16:19-31).

Hell is real, people! Don't go to that place. Repent now while there is still a chance. Take heed to the warnings in the Scriptures. The rich man was in agony in that place of torment. There is no way out of hell. That rich man is still there in torment to this day and has never had a single drop of water since then. His wish was that someone like Lazarus would be sent from the dead to warn his brothers, who were still alive on earth. However, Abraham refused that request, saying that if his brothers would not listen to Moses and the Prophets, they would not listen even if someone rises from the dead.

In fact, a man named Lazarus was raised from the dead, although not the same Lazarus. This man was the brother of Mary and Martha, and Jesus raised him from the dead after he was in the grave for four days. But the enemies of Christ wanted to kill Lazarus after that, so it obviously didn't make any difference to them, since they would not listen to the Scriptures. Likewise, when Jesus Christ rose from the dead on the third day, after they crucified Him on the cross, that didn't get them to repent either. Instead they paid the Roman soldiers that guarded His tomb to lie and say that Jesus' disciples came during the night and stole His body from the tomb.

There are in fact many people who have died and experienced hell. I have written about many of them on my Eternal Destinations blog. One of those people I wrote about, who died and went to hell, is Michael Sambo. He has been to my home and eaten a Thanksgiving meal with me and my family. So a man who rose from the dead has in fact come to my home, which is an honor and a privilege. But if I don't listen to the Word of God and take heed to its warnings, then even if a man like that visits my home and warns me about what he saw in hell, it will make no difference.

God's Love for the Sinner
Dear friend, no matter what sins you have committed, I want you to know that Jesus Christ loves you and is seeking you. He came to seek and save the lost (Lk 19:10). God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us (Rom 5:8). That goes for all of us, no matter who we are or what we've done. A moment ago in this post, I quoted the passage about the rich man in hell from Luke 16, but you have to read the full context of that passage, which is immediately preceded by Luke 15, where the Lord spoke about the lost sheep, the lost coin, and the lost son. In each case, there was an intense searching or longing to find that which was lost and bring it home. That's the heart of God for the lost sinner. He hates your sin, but He loves you and wants you to come back to Him. He is not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance (2 Pet 3:9).

Putting it All Together

The Lord warned Jerusalem through the prophet Ezekiel that they had become worse than their sister Sodom. If that is possible for Jerusalem, it is certainly possible today for anyone -- even a church --  to become like this. And we know that even this has already happened, so let this be a wake up call to all of us. Let's take heed to this warning and repent of these sins of Sodom, if we have participated in them: pride and arrogance, a haughty spirit, idleness, gluttony, ignoring the poor and needy, and doing detestable things before the Lord.

Attribution notice: Most Scriptures taken from the Holy Bible NIV, copyright Zondervan, used by permission. Scripture quotations taken from the NASB copyright Lockman Foundation, used by permission. The Destruction of Sodom painting is oil on canvas by John Martin 1852, and it is in the public domain.

Author's note: I recommend my article called The Law of Christ, which explains why the teachings of Jesus Christ must be our foundation, and that the teachings of the apostles and prophets must be understood on that basis alone. I also recommend the Sins That Will Keep You from Heaven, The Top Ten Things Jesus Taught, Abominations in the Sight of God, Pope Frances Supports Homosexuality, The Peace and Love I've Come to Know, What's Wrong with the Prosperity Gospel?, and Sin and Consequence.You may find the Main Directory for the Seeking the Lord blog here.  You may also access my complete blog directory at "Writing for the Master."

Michael Thomas Sambo's Revelation of Heaven and Hell	Revelation of Hell to Seven Colombian Youths	Angelica Zambrano Hell and Heaven
Godly Attire and Adornment -- Seven Divine Revelations	Only the Holy -- Three Shocking Testimonies	Angelica Zambrano Second Visit to Hell
Walking in the Perfect Will of God	Ibrahim's Experience in Hell	Holy Living in a Perverted World

Do You Want to Know Him?
If you want to know Jesus personally, you can. It all begins when you repent and believe in Jesus.  Do you know what God's Word, the Bible says?

“Jesus came into Galilee, preaching the gospel of God, and saying, ‘The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel.’” (Mar 1:14b-15).  He preached that we must repent and believe.

Please see my explanation of this in my post called "Do You Want to Know Jesus?"

_________________________________________________

Len Lacroix is the founder of Doulos Missions International.  He was based in Eastern Europe for four years, making disciples, as well as helping leaders to be more effective at making disciples who multiply, developing leaders who multiply, with the ultimate goal of planting churches that multiply. His ministry is now based in the United States with the same goal of helping fulfill the Great Commission. www.dmiworld.org.

The Holy Fire Series

Over the years, I have written several articles about the holy fire of God. In this post, I would like to provide links to this series of articles, so that you have them all in one place. I recommend reading one of them per day over a period of twelve days. The final post has a link to a five-book series called Baptized by Blazing Fire, by a pastor named Yong Doo Kim. Since it will take you more than a day to read through those five books, I have saved it as the best for last; I trust you will be edified by it, and you won't regret having read it.

Where there is no fire there is no light. Therefore, as the apostle Paul said, "Don’t put out the Spirit’s fire!" (1 Thes 5:19). Now here are the links to the posts in my Holy Fire Series:

Holy Fire Baptism
Songs of the Holy Fire

Living Sacrifices in Consuming Fire
The Three Elijahs
The Fiery Sufferings of the Believer
The Refiner's Fire
The Burning Ones
The Happy Hunters on Fire
Keeping Your Lamp Burning
Covenant Prayer

Testimonies of the Baptism with Holy Fire
The Holy Fires of Hell
Baptized by Blazing Fire -- a Korean church's testimony

Holy Fire: Keep Me Burning,

Attribution notice: Scripture taken from the Holy Bible New International Version, copyright Zondervan, used by permission. Image may be subject to copyright, used per Fair Use Act for commentary and educational purposes only.
 
Author's note: If you enjoyed this post, I also recommend reading my article Baptized with the Spirit. You may access the Main Directory for this Seeking the Lord blog for more articles like this, as well as my complete blog directory at "Writing for the Master."

Do You Want to Know Him?
If you want to know Jesus personally, you can. It all begins when you repent and believe in Jesus.  Do you know what God's Word, the Bible says?

“Jesus came into Galilee, preaching the gospel of God, and saying, ‘The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel.’” (Mar 1:14b-15).  He preached that we must repent and believe.

Please see my explanation of this in my post called "Do You Want to Know Jesus?"

_________________________________________________

Len Lacroix is the founder of Doulos Missions International.  He was based in Eastern Europe for four years, making disciples, as well as helping leaders to be more effective at making disciples who multiply, developing leaders who multiply, with the ultimate goal of planting churches that multiply. His ministry is now based in the United States with the same goal of helping fulfill the Great Commission. www.dmiworld.org.

No Turning Back

Dear God seekers,

I'd like to show you something you probably already know, but may not have considered before quite the way I'm going to present it. Let's begin with some basics, followed by the point I'd like to make.

The Fate of the Non Believer
First of all, let's consider the eternal destination of a non believer. Let's say he is an atheist. Or perhaps he calls himself a Christian, and even attends a church, but he doesn't know Jesus Christ personally as his Lord and Savior. He has never been born again, and is not a child of God. He could be any one of these types of people, but regardless of which one he is, my point is that his fate would still be the same. His eternal destination when he dies would ultimately be in hell, which is a terrible place. If you don't agree with that, then you should read the Bible. The bottom line is that all have sinned and fall short of God's glory, and the wages of sin is death (Rom 6:23), which is eternal separation from God. A few of my articles that will help you understand this are Where will you go when you die?, From Religion to Relationship, and You Must Be Born Again.

The Destiny of the Believer
Next, let's consider where the believer goes when he dies. Take for example, Paul the apostle. We know he's up in glory now with the Lord. Or take John Wesley and D.L. Moody, who also made it to heaven. A Korean pastor died and saw that these two famous preachers now have two of The Four Tallest Homes in Heaven. There is no human being who deserves heaven, but because Jesus Christ paid the price for our sins on the cross, those who believe in Him will not perish but have eternal life. Scripture says, "For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life." (Joh 3:16, NIV). The bottom line is that the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord (Rom 6:23). It's only through faith in Christ and His atoning sacrifice on the cross that we can have eternal life. We must be born again and have a personal relationship with Him. For more on this topic, please see my articles, Christ Alone and By Grace Alone.

The Fate of the Apostate Man
Lastly, let's consider the eternal destination of the apostate man who falls away from Christ. Let's say we have a person who has come to know Christ and been born again. He's accepted Jesus as his Lord and Savior, and he begins to follow the Lord. Perhaps he follows the Lord for a day, or a month, or a year, or ten years. During that time he prays, reads the Bible, and attends church. Perhaps he even leads others to Christ. But at some point, for whatever reason, he falls away from the Lord and dies in that state. Perhaps he backslides and goes back into the world into a life of sin. Or perhaps he simply becomes a worldly Christian. Or perhaps he falls into temptation and commits sexual immorality with a woman and then dies immediately afterward in a car accident before he has a chance to repent.

Where would he go when he dies? Our natural inclination would be to assume that he would go to heaven and receive a lesser reward than he otherwise would have received. We assume the Lord would give him credit for trying and that he would at least make it to heaven, even if he ended up in the outer environs far from the throne. We might assume that God would not damn his soul completely, since he at least came to know Christ and began to walk with the Lord. At his funeral we might eulogize him right into the pearly gates of heaven, and overlook the sin in his life that he never repented of.

However, the Scriptures teach us something quite different. The Bible says he will not only go to hell, but we would be wrong to assume that he would receive a lighter sentence because he was a Christian. According to the Bible, he will receive a worse punishment than if he had never given his life to Christ in the first place. The Lord taught that he will be beaten with many blows, because he knew what his Master required and didn't do it.

Jesus said, “The servant who knows the master’s will and does not get ready or does not do what the master wants will be beaten with many blows. But the one who does not know and does things deserving punishment will be beaten with few blows. From everyone who has been given much, much will be demanded; and from the one who has been entrusted with much, much more will be asked." (Lk 12:47-48, NIV).

Likewise, Peter the apostle wrote: "If they have escaped the corruption of the world by knowing our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ and are again entangled in it and are overcome, they are worse off at the end than they were at the beginning. It would have been better for them not to have known the way of righteousness, than to have known it and then to turn their backs on the sacred command that was passed on to them." (2 Pe 2:20-21, NIV).

According to Peter, the man in our story would be worse than if he had never given his life to Jesus. In fact, he would have been better off if he had never known the way of truth than to have known it and then turn his back on the sacred command. That's a frightening prospect, but it is exactly what the Scripture teaches. No wonder Jesus said to fear Him who can destroy both soul and body in hell (Mt 10:28b).

Don't look back! Remember Lot's wife. It's not worth it! The apostle warned us, "If we deliberately keep on sinning after we have received the knowledge of the truth, no sacrifice for sins is left...But we do not belong to those who shrink back and are destroyed, but to those who have faith and are saved." (Heb 10:26,39, NIV). If you don't believe it is possible for a born again believer to shrink back and be destroyed, then you should probably read my articles called The Apostasy Parables, Drifting Away, Sins That Will Keep You From Heaven, and The Forgotten Sin of Worldliness.

Scripture is very clear about this. That's why Jesus warned us to count the cost before deciding to follow Him. It will cost your life. He said: “Suppose one of you wants to build a tower. Won’t you first sit down and estimate the cost to see if you have enough money to complete it? For if you lay the foundation and are not able to finish it, everyone who sees it will ridicule you, saying, ‘This person began to build and wasn’t able to finish.’" (Lk 14:28-30, NIV).

It's true that the one who backslides away from Jesus will be ridiculed in this life. Take it from someone who knows firsthand. I backslid after I had been saved for about three months and continued to do so for nearly six months until I repented and returned to Jesus. During that time, I was ridiculed by one of my unbelieving roommates in the Army barracks. I was living in deep sin and he was mocking me that I was supposed to be a good Christian. It was humiliating. But worse than that would be to die in that state and be mocked and beaten by the demons all throughout eternity. They do that to those who were once true Christians and ended up in hell.

Perhaps they say with an sinister laugh, "Ha, ha, haaa! You were supposed to be a Christian. You had the Bible and you knew better. You have no excuse for being here. You deserve it. Don't you know that wrongdoers will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: Neither the sexually immoral nor idolaters nor adulterers nor homosexuals, nor thieves nor the greedy nor drunkards nor slanderers nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God. You fool!" Then they beat that person severely and probably laugh saying things like, "Ha, ha, ha, ha! Now you will be here with me forever and I will get to keep tormenting you like this. You're all mine! Ha, ha, ha, ha!"

This is why Jesus cautioned us to first count the cost before we decide to follow Him, because once you start to follow Him, then it's too late to count the cost and decide you can't continue on the straight and narrow way.

Once you give your life to Jesus, you cannot turn back. The only way to go is forward toward Jesus and toward heaven. Of course, you have the freedom to choose to turn back after you start following Jesus, but it would be a terrible decision for all the reasons I have stated. Christians who turn back receive a far worse punishment in hell than those who didn't know any better. So once we begin to follow the Lord, we need to understand this and realize that no matter how difficult the journey may become, we must continue to go forward with Jesus and never quit.  Jesus said, "The one who stands firm to the end will be saved." (Mt 24:13, NIV)

No More Satisfaction
The other thing to keep in mind is that the Christian who turns back to a life of sin can no longer find the same satisfaction from it that he once had before knowing Christ. Now his conscience will bother him and he will always know he is not right with God. That's probably why backslidden Christians make some of the worst sinners, because they keep trying to drown out the pangs of their conscience. They keep trying to get the same level of satisfaction they once knew, but they can't unless they drive away the Holy Spirit, which is a dreadful thing to do. So not only is it worse for such a person in hell than for a non believer, but it is worse in this life, too.

Putting it All Together
Hopefully this has served as a warning for you and perhaps a wake up call for those who have already fallen away. It's easy to see how the non believer ends up in hell and how the believer goes to heaven. But I trust this message has proven to you that it is far worse in hell for the believer who shrinks back to destruction. Don't let that happen to you.

If you have fallen away from the Lord, then repent today, because you don't know if you will have another day. This could be your last chance. It's not by accident that you are reading this article. Repent while you are still on earth and while mercy is still available. Jesus loves you and wants you back.

For those who are faithfully following the Lord: Never give up! Never give in! Never give over to the enemy! Keep following Jesus. Endure to the very end. As that song says, "I have decided to follow Jesus. The cross before me, the world behind me. No turning back. No turning back."

Attribution notice: Scriptures taken from The Holy Bible, New International Version® NIV®, copyright Zondervan, used by permission.

Author's note: If you enjoyed this post, you may also like The Apostasy Parables, The Forgotten Sin of Worldliness, Remember Lot's Wife, Avoid Becoming a Corrupted Christian, Eternal Security, Holding Fast the Faithful Word, Holy Living in a Perverted World, Separation from the World, Don't Look Back (poem), The Straight and Narrow Path, and Ask for the Ancient Paths. I highly recommend reading, Only the Holy -- Three Shocking Testimonies, Conditions of the New Covenant, and Holy Fire Baptism. You may find the Main Directory for this blog at Home, and also access my complete blog directory at "Writing for the Master."

Do You Want to Know Him?
If you want to know Jesus personally, you can. It all begins when you repent and believe in Jesus.  Do you know what God's Word, the Bible says?

“Jesus came into Galilee, preaching the gospel of God, and saying, ‘The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel.’” (Mar 1:14b-15).  He preached that we must repent and believe.

Please see my explanation of this in my post called "Do You Want to Know Jesus?"

_________________________________________________

Len Lacroix is the founder of Doulos Missions International.  He was based in Eastern Europe for four years, making disciples, as well as helping leaders to be more effective at making disciples who multiply, developing leaders who multiply, with the ultimate goal of planting churches that multiply. His ministry is now based in the United States with the same goal of helping fulfill the Great Commission. www.dmiworld.org.

The Difference Between a Disciple and a Believer

"Communing with the Lord," C.V. Lacroix

There are those who teach the heresy that some saints are merely saved believers while others are disciples. They make a false distinction between the two.  This separates the church and divides the Body into two different classes.  The following study is a refutation of that destructive heresy.

Easy Believing vs. Saving Faith
This error comes because people think it is easy to believe on Jesus unto salvation. But is it really easy?

In the eighth chapter of John's gospel we read, “Even as He spoke, many put their faith in Him.” (John 8:30). Were these people all going to be saved, who put their faith in Him?  The very next verse says that the Lord had some words for them. “So Jesus was saying to those Jews who had believed Him, 'If you continue in My word, then you are truly disciples of Mine.'" (Joh 8:31). He laid out conditions for being a disciple and it is clear from His words that if they do not continue in His teaching, they are not His disciple and will die in their sins!

Jesus was saying to those Jews who had believed Him, "If you are Abraham's children, do the deeds of Abraham. But as it is, you are seeking to kill Me, a man who has told you the truth, which I heard from God; this Abraham did not do." (Joh 8:39-40). Jesus was saying to those Jews who had believed Him, "You are of your father the devil, and you want to do the desires of your father. He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth because there is no truth in him. Whenever he speaks a lie, he speaks from his own nature, for he is a liar and the father of lies. But because I speak the truth, you do not believe Me. Which one of you convicts Me of sin? If I speak truth, why do you not believe Me? He who is of God hears the words of God; for this reason you do not hear them, because you are not of God." (Joh 8:44-47)

Following Jesus and Becoming a Disciple

"At the Cross" by C.V. Lacroix

Listen to what Jesus said about “coming after Him” in all three synoptic gospels:

"And He summoned the crowd with His disciples, and said to them, 'If anyone wishes to come after Me, he must deny himself, and take up his cross and follow Me.'"  (Mar 8:34).

"Then Jesus said to His disciples, 'If anyone wishes to come after Me, he must deny himself, and take up his cross and follow Me.'" (Mat 16:24)

"And He was saying to them all, 'If anyone wishes to come after Me, he must deny himself, and take up his cross daily and follow Me.'" (Luk 9:23).

Now compare that to what Jesus said about "being a disciple of His."

"If anyone comes to Me, and does not hate his own father and mother and wife and children and brothers and sisters, yes, and even his own life, he cannot be My disciple. Whoever does not carry his own cross and come after Me cannot be My disciple.” (Luk 14:26-27)

"So then, none of you can be My disciple who does not give up all his own possessions."  (Luk 14:33)

“If you continue in My word, then you are truly disciples of Mine; (Joh 8:31).

We must continue in His word in order to truly be His disciples.  This is working out your salvation. The same words used in Jesus’ criteria for “coming after Him” are found in His criteria for “being His disciple.”  The criteria are cross bearing, denying self, following Him, etc. Following Jesus and being a true disciple are the same thing in Jesus’ teachings.  He laid out the same criteria for coming after Him as He did for being a disciple.  Therefore it is not possible to follow Him without carrying a cross and still be saved.  It’s not possible to ultimately be saved in the end without becoming His disciple.  While you may initially be justified, if you fail to become a disciple of Christ, you will ultimately be disqualified for heaven.

Jesus commissioned His disciples to go and make disciples of all the nations, teaching them to do everything He commanded them to do. He did not command them to go and make "believers." He said, "Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age." (Mat 28:19-20).  Do you see how Jesus defined "making disciples"? He said it included baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to observe all that He commanded His first Twelve disciples.

Salvation vs. the Lordship of Christ
We are saved through faith in Jesus Christ as the LORD, not just the Savior.  The Scripture says of the Philippian jailer, "And after he brought them out, he said, 'Sirs, what must I do to be saved?' They said, 'Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved, you and your household.'  (Act 16:30,31).  The jailer was told to believe in the Lord Jesus.  Salvation is through our LORD. "For God has not destined us for wrath, but for obtaining salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ." (1Th 5:9)

We were called into fellowship with the LORD, not just the Savior. "God is faithful, through whom you were called into fellowship with His Son, Jesus Christ our Lord."  (1Co 1:9). Paul the apostle was “solemnly testifying to both Jews and Greeks of repentance toward God and faith in our Lord Jesus Christ.”  (Act 20:21).  Paul preached Jesus as Lord, not simply Savior. He said, "For we do not preach ourselves but Christ Jesus as Lord, and ourselves as your bond-servants for Jesus' sake." (2Co 4:5).

Both Peter and Paul’s epistles are addressed to those who have acknowledged Jesus as our LORD, not just Savior (Eph 1:3; Phil 1:2; 1 Thes 1:1; 2 Thes 1:1,2; 1 Tim 1:2; 2 Tim 1:2; Philemon 1:3; 2 Peter 1:2). The whole church is in the Lord.  There is not one part in the Lord and one part just in the Savior.

We are baptized in the name of the LORD not just the Savior. "When they heard this, they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus." (Act 19:5). We have peace through our LORD, not just our Savior Jesus. "Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ." (Rom 5:1). We have reconciliation through our LORD, not simply our Savior. "And not only this, but we also exult in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received the reconciliation." (Rom 5:11)

We escape the defilements of the world by the knowledge of the LORD. “For if, after they have escaped the defilements of the world by the knowledge of the Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, they are again entangled in them and are overcome, the last state has become worse for them than the first.”  (2Pe 2:20). It is the LORD who by His great mercy caused us to be born again. "Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to His great mercy has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead." (1Pe 1:3)

God’s grace is for those who love the LORD, not for those who simply accept Him as their Savior. "Grace be with all those who love our Lord Jesus Christ with incorruptible love."  (Eph 6:24)  It is the LORD who has given us eternal comfort. "Now may our Lord Jesus Christ Himself and God our Father, who has loved us and given us eternal comfort and good hope by grace." (2Th 2:16)

We are saved by receiving the LORD from the first moment, and we continue in our salvation by walking in Him. "Therefore as you have received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in Him." (Col 2:6). This continuing in His word and walking in the LORD are how we work out our salvation. "So then, my beloved, just as you have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your salvation with fear and trembling."  (Phi 2:12)

We have eternal life through Jesus Christ our LORD, not simply by accepting Him as our Savior. "So that, as sin reigned in death, even so grace would reign through righteousness to eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.”  (Rom 5:21).  For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.  (Rom 6:23).  You were washed, sanctified and justified all in the name of the LORD. “Such were some of you; but you were washed, but you were sanctified, but you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and in the Spirit of our God.” (1Co 6:11)

Salvation is impossible without making Jesus Lord.  The one who seeks to save His own life has not surrendered it to Jesus’ Lordship and therefore cannot be saved.  Paul said "That if you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved." (Rom 10:9). Jesus said, "For whoever wishes to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake and the gospel's will save it.” (Mar 8:35).

Repentance Implies Lordship
The very fact that we must repent to be saved implies that Jesus is now Lord of our lives. If we repent as Jesus commanded us to, we will do what our Lord commands, not live as we please. From that time Jesus began to preach and say, "Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand." (Mat 4:17).  This is the same thing the disciples preached – that men should repent. (Mk 6:12).  Jesus denounced the cities that did not repent after seeing His miracles (Mt 11:20). Jesus taught that unless you repent, you will perish (Lk 13:3). According to brother Yong-Doo Kim, pastor of the Lord's Church in South Korea, it is possible to repent and to know you have repented, yet, have no fruits of repentance. In that case, you have repented with no evidence. There is no broken heart, no sincerity! Believers must realize once again the seriousness of sin. We must realize how serious the consequences are for sin! Even the smallest sins are as just as severe. They are all traps. The gospel is a message of repentance, spiritual freedom, being free from sins, and enjoying freedom from sickness. You need to fervently repent with tears and true contrition.

Those who only listen to His word and do not do what it says are not submitted to His Lordship.  I have news for those who think these people are saved.  He says they are like a house built on sand. They will be destroyed. "Everyone who hears these words of Mine and does not act on them, will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand. The rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and slammed against that house; and it fell--and great was its fall." (Mat 7:26-27). They may call Him Lord, but it still makes no difference. "Many will say to Me on that day, 'Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in Your name, and in Your name cast out demons, and in Your name perform many miracles?' And then I will declare to them, 'I never knew you; DEPART FROM ME, YOU WHO PRACTICE LAWLESSNESS.'" (Mat 7:22-23)

This is why we must continue to grow in the grace and knowledge of the LORD, and not simply “accept” Him as Savior. "But grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To Him be the glory, both now and to the day of eternity. Amen."  (2Pe 3:18)  Those who turn the grace of our LORD into a license for sin actually deny our Master and LORD. “For certain persons have crept in unnoticed, those who were long beforehand marked out for this condemnation, ungodly persons who turn the grace of our God into licentiousness and deny our only Master and Lord, Jesus Christ.” (Jud 1:4). For those carnal believers in the Corinthian church, Paul explained what needed to happen so they could be saved.  It was not that they just needed to say a prayer once. "I have decided to deliver such a one to Satan for the destruction of his flesh, so that his spirit may be saved in the day of the Lord Jesus."  (1Co 5:5)

All Ten Virgins Going to Heaven?

"Communion with the Lord", C.V. Lacroix

Those with a liberal perspective believe that all ten virgins go to heaven. But that is not true. The five foolish virgins who were not ready when the Bridegroom returned were shut out of His presence.  In this parable, these five foolish ones have no part in the wedding. 

Some believe that all ten virgins are saved but only five were part of "the Bride." However, the words of the Bridegroom to the five foolish virgins were that He never knew them, even though they called Him Lord. We can observe a similarity between this parable and other parables in which certain people who called Jesus “Lord, Lord” were told to depart from Him. "And while they were going away to make the purchase, the bridegroom came, and those who were ready went in with him to the wedding feast; and the door was shut. Later the other virgins also came, saying, 'Lord, lord, open up for us.' But he answered, 'Truly I say to you, I do not know you.'"  (Mat 25:10-12).  Also see Matt 7:22-23; 25:44.

Is it possible to have dead and fruitless faith?
Do you think you can get to heaven with a dead and fruitless faith? James tells us about a faith that is dead.  Dead means it produces no life at all.  (James 2:26). It is a faith without works. Jesus said that if we do not abide in Him, we are like a branch that is cut off from the tree that cannot produce fruit.  Such branches are thrown into the fire and burned. (John 15:2,6).  There is no such thing as believers in Christ remaining in the vine throughout their entire lives without bearing fruit and then entering into heaven for eternity.  We must bear fruit for the Father's glory during our lives on earth.

Areas where Christians often Disobey the Lord
I'd like to mention some common areas where we as Christians often disobey the Lord without realizing it. One of them is keeping Sundays holy.  According to brother Yong-Doo Kim's book series, Baptize by Blazing Fire, some are in hell, because they treated the Sabbath or Sunday carelessly. On Sundays they would spend money for their pleasure. These people are in hell for not keeping Sundays Holy. There are some who ran businesses and assumed that the Lord would forgive them. They were deceived. Brother Kim said, "The Lord had commanded us to keep Sundays Holy in every way. He rebuked watching television, dining out with family, and other secular activities."

He continued, "Furthermore, the Lord did not permit Christians to run any business of any kind for profit on Sundays. He also did not approve Saints to do any shopping on Sundays." You should avoid personal activities on Sunday such as fishing, outdoor activities, watching secular television, surfing on the internet, playing games, and etc. This is not legalism.  Even though the gospel was introduced into the world, the Law has not been abolished (Matt 5:17-18; Rom 3:31).

Another common area where Christians disobey the Lord carelessly is tithing. Yet people who do not properly tithe are ending up in hell. Another area is grumbling and complaining. Some saints publicly appear to be devoted and obedient, but they are grumblers and complainers behind closed doors.  If they die in this state, they will go to hell.  Hot tempers is another big pitfall. There are no reasons to fight or argue.  There are many other Sins That Will Keep You From Heaven, as I said in my article by that name, including smoking cigarettes, partying by drinking alcohol, listening to non-Christian music, dirty thoughts, using profane language, being ashamed of the Lord in front of your friends, sexual immorality, etc.

Putting it All Together
There are some who claim that it is possible to be saved without making Jesus LORD of your life, without putting Him on the throne of your heart.  This is false.  We are called into fellowship with our Lord.  We are saved, we are baptized, we are reconciled, and we have eternal life all through our LORD Jesus. Paul preached Jesus as Lord.

There are some who claim to believe in Jesus but whose faith is dead.  There are so-called disciples of Jesus who do not believe and who turn away from following Him. The requirements of coming after Jesus for salvation and being His disciple are the same and are very strict.  There is no easy and comfortable believing in Jesus.  The cost of discipleship is high.

Those who have believed unto salvation evidenced by a living, fruit-producing faith in Christ, they are disciples.  To be saved is to be a faithful and obedient disciple and to be a faithful and obedient disciple is to be saved.  We must all continue to grow in the grace and the knowledge of the LORD. As we go, we must make disciples of all the nations, teaching them to obey everything Jesus commanded us to do.

Attribution notice: Most Scripture quotations taken from the NASB.  "Communing with the Lord," "At the Cross," and "Communion with the Lord" by my sixteen-year-old daughter, C.V. Lacroix.  You can find more of her Christian artwork at A Brush with Life.

Author's note: If you would like to become a disciple, consider enrolling in our Doulos Training School. You are invited to read Michael Shigaba's Encounter with Jesus, Strive to Enter the Kingdom of God, Sins That Will Keep You From Heaven, A Warning for Married Christian Couples, Rachael Mushala Testimony of Hell, Rachael Mushala Second Testimony of Hell,  Zipporah Mushala's testimony of hell, Zipporah Mushala’s Third Testimony of Hell, Godly Attire and Adornment -- Seven Divine Revelations, Carrying Your Cross or Cross Dressing?, Alcohol and Cigarettes -- Ten Divine Revelations, Keeping Sundays Holy - Part I, Keeping Sundays Holy - Part II, Rock, Rap, and Reggae Music -- Three Divine Revelations, The Forgotten Sin of Worldliness, Separation from the World, Life Transformation Groups, Was Jesus Seeker Friendly?, and Ask for the Ancient Paths. You may access the Main Directory for this Seeking the Lord blog for more articles like this, as well as my complete blog directory at "Writing for the Master."

Messages from the Lord for Catholics Worshipping Idols	Only the Holy -- Three Shocking Testimonies	Angelica Zambrano Hell and Heaven
Baptized by Blazing Fire	Taken to Hell	Angelica Zambrano Second Visit to Hell
Australian Pastor Raised from the Dead	Nigerian Pastor Raised from the Dead	Revelation of Hell to Seven Colombian Youths

Do You Want to Know Him?
If you want to know Jesus personally, you can. It all begins when you repent and believe in Jesus.  Do you know what God's Word, the Bible says?

“Jesus came into Galilee, preaching the gospel of God, and saying, ‘The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel.’” (Mar 1:14b-15).  He preached that we must repent and believe.

Please see my explanation of this in my post called "Do You Want to Know Jesus?"

_________________________________________________

Len Lacroix is the founder of Doulos Missions International.  He was based in Eastern Europe for four years, making disciples, as well as helping leaders to be more effective at making disciples who multiply, developing leaders who multiply, with the ultimate goal of planting churches that multiply. His ministry is now based in the United States with the same goal of helping fulfill the Great Commission. www.dmiworld.org.

Listen to Jesus, Who Upholds Moses and the Prophets

These days it is rare to find anyone who is correctly teaching the proper relationship of the Law and the Prophets to the kingdom of God.  Many are confused about the New Covenant of grace through our Lord Jesus Christ, and they fail to preach the whole counsel of God.  So let's take a look at what Jesus said on this topic.

Jesus with Moses and Elijah in the Kingdom of God
In Luke's gospel it is recorded that Jesus said:

"But I say to you truthfully, there are some of those standing here who will not taste death until they see the kingdom of God."  (Luk 9:27)

So He said some of his disciples would see the kingdom of God before they tasted death.  He meant that they would see the kingdom before they left this planet at the end of their lives.  And just as He said, eight days later He took His three closest disciples -- Peter, James, and John -- up onto a mountain to pray.  That is when the three disciples saw the kingdom of God. There the Lord's face and clothes became as white as lightning.

“Two men, Moses and Elijah, appeared in glorious splendor, talking with Jesus.” (Luk 9:30, NIV)

The disciples saw His glory and the two men standing with Him. It is important to notice who was talking with the Lord in the glorious kingdom of God there on the mountain.  Not only was Jesus appearing glorified, but so were Moses and Elijah. These two men represented the Law and the Prophets.

Then a voice came out of the cloud, saying, "This is My Son, My Chosen One; listen to Him!"  (Luk 9:35)

So the Heavenly Father identified Jesus Christ as His Son, His Chosen One, which was an important seal of divine authority and remains so today as recorded in Scripture.  The Father commanded the disciples to listen to Jesus.  So this changed the focus, so that from that point forward all disciples of Christ would listen to Jesus.  There is still Moses and Elijah, the Law and the Prophets, but we listen to Jesus now.  Therefore, we must ask whether that means we listen to Jesus to the exclusion of the Law and Prophets, or in conjunction with them.

The Law and the Prophets Fulfilled in the Gospel of the Kingdom of God
Jesus answered this question later when He said:

"The Law and the Prophets were proclaimed until John; since that time the gospel of the kingdom of God has been preached, and everyone is forcing his way into it. But it is easier for heaven and earth to pass away than for one stroke of a letter of the Law to fail. Everyone who divorces his wife and marries another commits adultery, and he who marries one who is divorced from a husband commits adultery.” (Luk 16:16-18)

Since Jesus came, the gospel of the kingdom of God is preached, and everyone is forcing their way into the kingdom.  It was only until Jesus came that the Law and the Prophets were proclaimed. However, Jesus did not do away with the Law and the Prophets or annul them.  He upheld them!  Although He established a New Covenant with God's people, according to the prophet Jeremiah, He upheld the Law and the Prophets. He said, "it is easier for heaven and earth to pass away than for one stroke of a letter of the Law to fail."  And in Matthews gospel, he said:

"Do not think that I came to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I did not come to abolish but to fulfill. For truly I say to you, until heaven and earth pass away, not the smallest letter or stroke shall pass from the Law until all is accomplished. Whoever then annuls one of the least of these commandments, and teaches others to do the same, shall be called least in the kingdom of heaven; but whoever keeps and teaches them, he shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven." (Mat 5:17-19)

In the kingdom of heaven, whoever keeps and teaches the Law and the Prophets is considered great. Far from abolishing the Law and Prophets, the Lord gave them a place of very high importance. He said that not the smallest letter or stroke shall pass from the Law until all is accomplished. So let nobody annul one of the least of these commandments, or teach others to do the same.  In fact, if you read the rest of the Sermon on the Mount in the gospel of Matthew, chapters 5-7, you will clearly see that Jesus taught the Law and the Prophets.  For example, He said, "In everything, therefore, treat people the same way you want them to treat you, for this is the Law and the Prophets.” (Mat 7:12). Other topics He taught about from the Law and Prophets in that sermon were murder, adultery, reconciliation, righteousness, and more. 

Likewise, in the context of Luke's gospel, where Jesus said it is easier for heaven and earth to pass away than for one stroke of a letter of the Law to fail, He immediately referred to adultery in connection with divorce. That was a connection that the Pharisees and teachers of the Law were not preaching about. He said, "Everyone who divorces his wife and marries another commits adultery, and he who marries one who is divorced from a husband commits adultery." In doing so, He accurately taught the meaning of the Law and the Prophets, tying together and unifying passages from the Law (like Genesis 2:24 and Deuteronomy 24:1-4) with passages from the Prophets (like Jeremiah 3:1 and Malachi 2:13-16).  He carried the same message in the gospel of the kingdom as the Lord said through Malachi and other prophets, "you are not keeping My ways."

Another example of Jesus tying together and unifying the Law and the Prophets with the gospel of the kingdom is in regard to the commandments to love. "One of them, a lawyer, asked Him a question, testing Him, ‘Teacher, which is the great commandment in the Law?’ And He said to him, “'You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind.' This is the great and foremost commandment. The second is like it, 'You shall love your neighbor as yourself.' On these two commandments depend the whole Law and the Prophets."  (Mat 22:35-40).  Therefore, Jesus summarized in two commandments everything that was written by Moses and the prophets. He showed that the whole Law and Prophets are unified or tied together by the one common, central theme of love.

Now back to the Luke passage we were examining a moment ago. In the same context of Jesus' instruction about the lasting nature of the Law and Prophets, He immediately told the account of the rich man in hell and Lazarus in Abraham's bosom.  This was not a parable, because it contains a proper name, which is Lazarus, and a parable never uses proper names.  Most of us are familiar with this account of the two men in the underworld.  But do we fully understand the final impact of the story's lesson?  Listen to Abraham teach us the lesson:

"But Abraham said, 'They have Moses and the Prophets; let them hear them…If they do not listen to Moses and the Prophets, they will not be persuaded even if someone rises from the dead.'" (Luk 16:29,31).

First of all, Abraham in his lifetime came before Moses and the Prophets, as well as before Christ.  Yet Abraham taught that people on earth should listen to Moses and the Prophets.  He upheld their teachings. In fact, he said that if people will not listen to Moses and the Prophets, they will not be persuaded even if someone rises from the dead. And that is a veiled reference to both the Lord Jesus Christ, Who is the first fruits from the dead, as well as the many genuine and proven testimonies we hear in these last days of people rising from the dead with a message from the Lord about heaven and hell.

Secondly, it was the Lord Jesus who told this true account of the rich man and Lazarus, and He used it to further emphasize His point that it is easier for heaven and earth to pass away than for one stroke of a letter of the Law to fail.  In this story that Jesus told, He declared through the mouth of Abraham that people should listen to Moses and the Prophets.  As I said, that was the main point of the story, which most people miss.  In saying this, Jesus upheld the Law and the Prophets. In fact, if the rich man had listened to them, he would have remembered the poor and been kind to Lazarus.

Therefore, we can see that the Law and Prophets have not lost their importance and have not been abolished by the New Covenant.  The way we relate to God now has changed under the New Covenant, because of the great and loving sacrifice of Jesus on the cross for us, shedding His own blood, so that we sinners could be made righteous.  In the gospel of the kingdom, we preach repentance for the forgiveness of sins. But the ways of God have not changed!

And the message of the Lord to the apostate Church today is still "you are not keeping My ways." The message of the gospel is that you must repent of sin and believe on Jesus Christ in order to receive forgiveness of sins.  The Father said to listen to Jesus and Jesus said to listen to the Law and the Prophets, which taught a pro-love message against sin. We need to listen to Jesus, Who will teach us by His Spirit to properly understand the deeper meaning of the Law and Prophets, as He did in His Sermon on the Mount and the rest of the gospels, in order to show us the ways of God.  Then we will see where we have gone astray, so that we can repent, be forgiven, and return to God.

Learning the Ways of God in the Law and Prophets
I recommend you read my other articles about the Law, in order to understand clearly what I am teaching about the ways of God, which is not a return to living under the Law, since we are under grace and not Law. We are not endeavoring to keep up the law of Moses in conjunction with the gospel of Christ. Therefore, I strongly recommend reading the following articles below, beginning with the ones in the left column:

Is Obedience Optional? The Law of Christ  The Law Fulfilled in Us The Law Established Through Faith The Cost of Discipleship Faith Works! Costly Grace Deleted Scriptures in the Bible? Did Jesus Nail the Law to the Cross? The Obedience of Faith Righteousness by Faith not Law

Striving to Enter the Kingdom of God Aim for Perfection Righteous Deeds and White Robes Doing What is Right Your Rewards Are Based on Your Practice Partaking of the Divine Nature Walking in the Perfect Will of God Pressing on Toward the Goal Obedience by the Spirit The Law is Good if Used Lawfully What Then Must We Observe? Remember the Eternal Law of God

Believe All That the Prophets Have Spoken
Jesus taught us to believe all that Moses and the Prophets have spoken.  He said, "For if you believed Moses, you would believe Me, for he wrote about Me. But if you do not believe his writings, how will you believe My words?" (Joh 5:46-47).  From this it is clear that Moses and Jesus are in harmony with each other.  And it is necessary to believe both Moses and Jesus.  If you do not believe the writings of Moses, you will not believe the words of Jesus.

Another passage in Luke’s gospel that I would like to mention is the account of the Lord meeting the two men on the road to Emmaus on the day of His resurrection. 

“And He said to them, ‘O foolish men and slow of heart to believe in all that the prophets have spoken! Was it not necessary for the Christ to suffer these things and to enter into His glory?’ Then beginning with Moses and with all the prophets, He explained to them the things concerning Himself in all the Scriptures.” (Luk 24:25-27)

Notice that he rebuked them for being slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have spoken. The prophets spoke of how it was necessary for the Christ to suffer these things and to enter into His glory.  One example of that is in Isaiah 53, in which Isaiah prophesied about Christ’s suffering and crucifixion around seven hundred years before it happened (also see Yeshua Ha'Maschiah in the Tanakh).  And notice how Jesus explained to them the things concerning Himself in all the Scriptures, beginning with Moses and with all the prophets. So as they listened to Jesus, He taught about Himself from the Law and the prophets.

“Now He said to them, ‘These are My words which I spoke to you while I was still with you, that all things which are written about Me in the Law of Moses and the Prophets and the Psalms must be fulfilled.’ Then He opened their minds to understand the Scriptures, and He said to them, ‘Thus it is written, that the Christ would suffer and rise again from the dead the third day, and that repentance for forgiveness of sins would be proclaimed in His name to all the nations, beginning from Jerusalem.’” (Luk 24:44-47)

Notice that all things that are written about Jesus in the Law of Moses and the Prophets and the Psalms must be fulfilled. So Jesus emphasized His harmonious relationship with the Law of Moses and the Prophets.  In Him we find the fulfillment of what is written in those Scriptures, including their fulfillment in Him within our lives.  His suffering, crucifixion, and resurrection from the dead were all in fulfillment of those Scriptures. Likewise, we proclaim to all nations repentance for forgiveness of sins in His name, just as it is written in the Law and the prophets. It is always just as it is written in the Law and the prophets, since they must always be fulfilled.  And Jesus is the One Who opens our minds to understand those Scriptures by the power of the Holy Spirit.  Listen to Him!

As Philip said to Nathanael, "We have found Him of whom Moses in the Law and also the Prophets wrote--Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph." (Joh 1:45).  We proclaim as Peter did,  "Of Him all the prophets bear witness that through His name everyone who believes in Him receives forgiveness of sins."  (Act 10:43). As Paul did, we believe everything that is in accordance with the Law and that is written in the Prophets. (Ac 24:14).

Finally, if you notice in the many divine revelations of heaven and hell that I have posted on Eternal Destinations, the message in these revelations typically refers to the ways of God that are found throughout the Bible, including the Law and the Prophets. Let's keep the ways of God according to Scripture, and not be like the rich man in hell and countless others who failed to do so, because they didn't listen to the Law and the Prophets.  They were slow of heart to believe in all that the prophets have spoken. Just as it is written, let us prepare in holiness for the return of our Lord Jesus Christ.  He is coming right away! The call is going out today, "Sinner, come home!" Repent and believe the gospel, for the Kingdom of God is near.

Attribution notice: Most Scripture quotations taken from the NASB. Most other Scriptures taken from The Holy Bible, New International Version® NIV®, unless otherwise noted.  The calligraphy in the "Every Word of God is Flawless" image used in this article is by my sixteen-year-old daughter, C.V. Lacroix.  The "At the Cross" illustration was also created by her. You can find more of her fine artwork at A Brush with Life.

Author's note: If you enjoyed this article, I recommend The Cost of Discipleship, Sins That Will Keep You From Heaven, Remember the Eternal Law of God, Is Tithing Required?, Godly Attire and Adornment -- Seven Divine Revelations, Carrying Your Cross or Cross Dressing?, The Straight and Narrow Path, Striving to Enter the Kingdom of God, The Top Ten Things Jesus Taught, Separation from the World, The Rise of Antichrists, The Flesh vs the Spirit, and Ask for the Ancient Paths. You may access my complete blog directory at "Writing for the Master."

Do You Want to Know Him?
If you want to know Jesus personally, you can. It all begins when you repent and believe in Jesus.  Do you know what God's Word, the Bible says?

“Jesus came into Galilee, preaching the gospel of God, and saying, ‘The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel.’” (Mar 1:14b-15).  He preached that we must repent and believe.

Please see my explanation of this in my post called "Do You Want to Know Jesus?"

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Len Lacroix is the founder of Doulos Missions International.  He was based in Eastern Europe for four years, making disciples, as well as helping leaders to be more effective at making disciples who multiply, developing leaders who multiply, with the ultimate goal of planting churches that multiply. His ministry is now based in the United States with the same goal of helping fulfill the Great Commission. www.dmiworld.org.