HomeDailyFriday: Further Thought – Upon Whom the Ends Have Come    

Comments

Friday: Further Thought – Upon Whom the Ends Have Come — 5 Comments

  1. Cricket is one of those great sports (that few Americans understand). It is great to watch an Ashes game (the battle between the Poms (English) and the Aussies). Spectators and commentators discuss strategies at length, liberally sprinkling the conversation with terminology like "googlies", "yorkers" and on one occasion with "ground grubbers" (that one fuelled arguments for years and caused a lot of people to read the rule book). But, if you want to really understand and enjoy cricket, you have to play it. Nearly every Australian can talk about cricket and give an opinion and discuss the rules(they are called cricket tragics). Far fewer don the gloves and grab the willow and hit the leather. But when it comes to the crunch, there would be no game without the players.

    Christianity is not a spectator game. Knowing the terminology and rules and being able to discuss them at length may make you appear knowledgeable, but it says little about your ability to play the game. God does not want us to sit in the stands and watch, or even in the commentary box, showing others how much we know. He wants us out in the field playing the game.

    Noah could have preached for 120 years, but he built the ark at the same time. Does that help us to understand our role now?

    The great chapter on faith in Hebrews does not talk about people who had a clear, theologically correct definition of faith. It talks about men and women of action.

    (44)
  2. We would never be able to stand before God and justify ourselves. Are we ready to do that? Because justifying ourselves is a repetitive practice we do every time we sin (that means, all the time) - or do we even think we do not sin? Let us practice the humbleness of accepting Jesus's sacrifice for us every minute, and rejoice in the fact that we have a bond dealer. To Him we owe everything we are and (think) we have.

    (9)
  3. The question is asked: "Prior to devouring the wicked with fire from heaven (as He did with Sodom), God raises them from the dead and allows Satan to work with them for a short while (Revelation 20:7-9). What reasons can you think of that this would be a necessary last step before God sets everything right?"

    This final step serves several purposes:

    1. Vindicates God's Justice – The wicked, even after seeing Christ and the New Jerusalem, still choose to follow Satan, proving God's judgment was fair.

    2. Reveals Satan’s True Character – His immediate return to deception confirms he has not changed and deserves final destruction.

    3. Clarifies the Great Controversy – The contrast between good and evil is fully revealed, leaving no doubt that God’s ways are just.

    4. Secures Eternal Peace – The universe witnesses the final results of sin, ensuring rebellion will never rise again (Nahum 1:9).

    5. Leads All to Acknowledge God's Righteousness – Every being, including the wicked, confesses that God is just before destruction (Philippians 2:10–11).

    This process shows God's fairness, patience, and love, settling the great controversy forever.

    (3)
  4. Discussion question #3 is an interesting question. What reasons can you think of that this would be a necessary last step before God sets everything right?

    In teaching about the millenium I have had people question the purpose of the second resurrection. "Why raise the lost from the grave only to burn them up? That seems masochistic on God's part!" I have often thought and taught that during the millenium as the books are opened and the redeemed get to see why certain people aren't saved, some, or perhaps many will wonder, "God if you would only give them one last chance, I'm sure that they would repent!" However, the second resurrection and the ensuing quest of the resurrected lost to take the New Jerusalem, powerfully demonstrate that they truly are irredeemable. Instead of turning against Satan and attacking him, they once again listen to the voice of the deceiver and allie themselves on his side.

    I see the second resurrection and the second death as God laying to rest any lingering questions or doubts about His character, once and for all eternity. This is why in the very end, every knee will bow and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, and His ways are righteous. Phil. 2: 10-11. This is also why affliction will not rise up again.

    Am I an anomaly in this rationale? I wonder if anyone else sees it this way?

    (6)
    • Agree with you,Tim! Ultimately judgment is about the character of God--sometimes referred to as "theodicy"--maybe for angels and unfallen beings in the cosmos as well as for us humans!

      (0)

Leave a Reply

Please read our Comment Guide Lines and note that we have a full-name policy. Please do not submit AI-generated comments!

Notify me of follow-up comments via e-mail. (You may subscribe without commenting.)

Please make sure you have provided a full name in the "Name" field and a working email address we can use to contact you, if necessary. (Your email address will not be published.)

HTML tags allowed in your comment: <a href="" title=""> <abbr title=""> <acronym title=""> <b> <blockquote cite=""> <cite> <code> <del datetime=""> <em> <i> <q cite=""> <s> <strike> <strong>