Prophecy – With Salt

Just the word “JUDGMENT” brings a bit of a chill into one’s being, doesn’t it?

Many Christians visualize God’s judgment as a time of uncertainty and fear. It is like (only infinitely more fearful) standing in a courtroom today, waiting for the jury to announce their verdict. It is especially fearful, knowing that you are guilty but hoping that the prosecution did not prove it to the extent that the jury will convict you.

The problem with God’s judgment is that HE HAS ALL THE FACTS! Who could possibly escape the certain judgment since we are guilty and the Prosecutor, Judge &  Jury all know the truth?

Well, the good news is that even though we are all guilty before God for our rebellion & sin, when we accepted Jesus as our Lord and Savior, He washed our record clean with His own blood (shed on the cross). So God the Father can view us as forgiven & justified. It is not necessary for us to be punished when Jesus has already taken the punishment for us.

Just how does the judgment of  God work, anyway? I am glad that you asked that question… I hope to provide some answers in the pages that follow.

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The judgment of actions is God’s first level of judgment for His human children.

(Updated June 25, 2011)

Each person must give account for his or her actions. That accountability may happen in this life and take the form of “you made your bed, now lay in it” but in some cases, people on this earth seem to “get away with murder” and die without exposure or repentance. But without question, accountability refers to the fact that when we commit sin, we earn ETERNAL wages – and the wages of such sin is death (Romans 6:23).

In a previous post, I spoke to the issue of generational curses as being an error of doctrine. This error must be exposed because it opposes the truth of individual accountability. The importance of a proper understanding of judgment can hardly be overstated. If we fail to deal with the cause & effect of one or more of God’s judgments, then we risk a lack of preparation and… “It is a dreadful thing to fall into the hands of the living God” (Hebrews 10:31).

The Israelites clearly misunderstood God’s intention concerning accountability when He gave Moses the law. The first commandment states that we are to worship and serve almighty God – and no other. Hence the prohibition of any type of idol.

Exodus 20:5 (KJV)  Thou shalt not bow down thyself to them, nor serve them: for I the LORD thy God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth generation of them that hate me;

6  And shewing mercy unto thousands of them that love me, and keep my commandments.

Verse 6 is the focus of the matter. God wants us to realize that although He is a jealous God, His TRUE character is to show love and mercy. He WILL punish those who hate Him but only for a relatively short time on earth. However, God emphasized that He will show His mercy to thousands of generations of those who love Him. (Actually, His mercy is eternal. Compare Psalms 106:1, “Praise ye the LORD. O give thanks unto the LORD; for he is good: for his mercy endureth for ever.”)

God is a merciful God. Still, the Judgment of Actions is in effect. Scriptures such as Ezekiel 18:4 God states that we WILL give account for our own personal sins – not those of our ancestors.

Eze 18:4  For every living soul belongs to me, the father as well as the son—both alike belong to me. The soul who sins is the one who will die.

Remember, the wages of sin is death. The effect of this judgment is that (with the exception of our Savior), since everyone commits sin, everyone dies. And, unless an individual’s sin is forgiven, the Judgment of Actions will have eternal consequences. (Hebrews 9:27 “ Just as man is destined to die once, and after that to face judgment.”)

Next up: the “Judgment of Death.”

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This article  considers whether the concept of “generational curses” (also called “family strongholds”) is consistent with Biblical principles.

Some popular TV evangelists/teachers/deliverance ministers believe that certain sins are bound into a family and the resulting “curse” causes the children for several generations to repeat the actions that their parents committed. They use several Old Testament Scriptures to “prove” their teaching (Exodus 20:4-6; Deuteronomy 5:8-10; Exodus 34:6,7; & Numbers 14:17,18). As an example, I offer a quote from Don Rogers’ “spiritual warfare” website.

Generational curses are judgments that are passed on to individuals because of sins perpetuated in a family in a number of generations.  Generational curses are similar to original sin curses because they can be passed down on a generational basis.  They differ in that generational curses do not impose eternal judgment.  They bring judgment or bondage during an individual’s life, reducing the quality of life, until that individual addresses the sin issues that put the curses into place.

I do NOT agree! A closer reading of the Scriptures above reveals that all of them are stating the fact that God’s MERCY far exceeds His wrath (a 1000 generations of mercy vs 3 or 4 generations of wrath). Just a simple reading of the Scriptures seems to refute the doctrine of generational curses. There are many issues that I could present but rather than repeating what others have already written, I will just elaborate on the content of other sites where the error of the generational curses doctrine is exposed.

Jason Dulle and I disagree about the Godhead (he accepts the oneness doctrine while I hold the trinitarian doctrine) but Jason is clearly a godly Christian scholar. He has written an excellent discourse on the error of “generational curses” (found here.)  In his  article, Jason offers several convincing proofs that such “curses” have no effect upon a child of God. Here is a short summary of those proofs. Visit Jason’s site to read the entire article.

1. First, notice that the curses are on those who hate God. This means that if there is such a curse, then it NOT for a person who does not hate God. It is a great comfort, that unless I hate God, any such curse has no effect upon me.
2. All that would be necessary for us to be in the “mercy” rather than “cursed” category is to find ONE relative in the past thousand or so generations that loved and obeyed the Lord. That almost CERTAINLY assures us that we are NOT cursed in such a way!
3. God is the active agent behind these curses. Even though some teach that these “curses” are from the devil, the SCRIPTURES state that God is active here. And, if God has cursed someone (or some family) then to “deliver” them from God’s curse would mean that we have to change God – not likely to happen!
4. The empirical data contradicts the idea that children pay for their fathers’ sins to the third and fourth generations, and that the children are destined to repeat the sins of their fathers. Many godly men in the Bible (and in the present) had evil fathers (and visa versa) but the ancestor’s sin (or blessedness) was not “passed on” to them.
5. Jesus’ statement in John 9:3. Our Savior said that the parents of the man blind from birth had not caused his situation but it happened to enable God’s glory.
6. Ezekiel 18:1-4 counters the idea that God punishes the children for the fathers’ sins. This portion of Scripture EXPRESSLY DENIES THAT SUCH A CURSE EXISTS!

The point of Ezekiel 18 is to establish – once and for all – that every individual is responsible to God for his or her individual sins and NOT for those of their ancestors or children.

Ezekiel 18:1-4,

1 The word of the LORD came to me:

2  ”What do you people mean by quoting this proverb about the land of Israel: “‘The fathers eat sour grapes, and the children’s teeth are set on edge’?

3  ”As surely as I live, declares the Sovereign LORD, you will no longer quote this proverb in Israel.

4 For every living soul belongs to me, the father as well asWilliam Shifflett’ the son—both alike belong to me. The soul who sins is the one who will die.

That seems pretty clear to me!

There are others who offer other points of conflict between this doctrinal error and the Scriptures. William Shifflett offers three additional points on his web page here.

Some teachers point to the scientific evidence that the children of child abusers tend to become abusers themselves. At some level, that is learned behavior. Our sub-conscious self controls much more than we realize. But the cause is psychological or even physiological – certainly not spiritual (i.e., a “curse”). A curse is supernatural and requires supernatural answers. Whereas a physical issue can be resolved by physical means.

In any case, as children of God, we are covered by the redeeming blood of Jesus. Compare Galatians 3:13:

Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us, for it is written: “Cursed is everyone who is hung on a tree.”

So, no matter whether there are generational curses or not — when I accept God’s forgiveness (purchased by Christ our Redeemer), I am released from any curse that might have been upon my life! Praise God!!

Having concluded that the concept of “generational curses” is not Biblical, the next article will return to the understanding of God’s judgments.

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The first level of judgment – Man is accountable for his own actions.

The result of the “Judgment of Actions” is that all men are guilty of sin against God and therefore all must die.

WOW! That is a really harsh opening line!! I don’t know whether I have ever used such a startling statement to begin any discourse – written or verbal! Yet the truth of the matter is difficult to “sweeten.”

One of the most significant Scriptures in the Bible is found at Ezekiel 18:4,

…every living soul belongs to me, the father as well as the son–both alike belong to me. The soul who sins is the one who will die.

But, as simple as it sounds, not everyone accepts this Scripture at face value. So, to avoid creating extremely long articles, I will break this into smaller segments.

The next article considers whether the concept of “generational curses” should be applied in this context.

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In my last article (What Happens When I Die?), I posed the dilemma of how to reconcile the seeming conflict between the (almost) universal concept of the afterlife with the equally common belief about judgment.

Our natural (I would say “God-given”) concept of the afterlife allows us to make the statement that “He/she is in a better place” at every funeral. But it is also common to believe that all mankind will face one ultimate judgment when we stand before God and receive the decision of our eternal destiny (either heaven or hell). It seems that one — or both — of these concepts must be flawed. I hope that I can clear up the misunderstanding in this series of articles.

Where Did They Go?

(NOTE: I have made an imposing assumption that all of my readers believe that there IS an afterlife and that the God of the Christian Bible is both the Creator and the ultimate Judge of all mankind. If you do NOT agree with either (or both) of these assumptions, please do not send me “hate mail” declaring your beliefs. Instead, please be patient and I hope to cover those areas in another series of articles.)

Evidently, I am not the first person to stumble upon this seeming contradiction in the Bible. Other, very learned, individuals have also seen this and some have developed what they feel is the answer… “Soul Sleep” (also known as “conditional immortality.” In the concept of soul sleep, when one dies, not only does his or her body die but also their soul dies. Then at some point, prior to the Great White Throne Judgment, God will somehow reconstruct (NOT resurrect) the bodies of all the dead so that they can face the judgment and hear the decision of their eternal destiny.

Although this concept might be a means to reconcile the two opposing ideas of the afterlife, I do not find that the teaching of “soul sleep” is supported in the Bible. Particularly, the Scripture at 2 Corinthians 5:1-8 seems clear that we are EITHER alive and “at home in the body” or — we  are “present with the Lord” in heaven (cf. v.6).

1 Corinthians 5

1 Now we know that if the earthly tent we live in is destroyed, we have a building from God, an eternal house in heaven, not built by human hands.

2 Meanwhile we groan, longing to be clothed with our heavenly dwelling,

3 because when we are clothed, we will not be found naked.

4 For while we are in this tent, we groan and are burdened, because we do not wish to be unclothed but to be clothed with our heavenly dwelling, so that what is mortal may be swallowed up by life.

5 Now it is God who has made us for this very purpose and has given us the Spirit as a deposit, guaranteeing what is to come.

6 Therefore we are always confident and know that as long as we are at home in the body we are away from the Lord.

7 We live by faith, not by sight.

8 We are confident, I say, and would prefer to be away from the body and at home with the Lord.

And, although many individuals may accept the “soul sleep” teaching, it is officially supported by only two major organizations: Jehovah’s Witnesses and the Seventh-Day Adventists. Other, less learned, individuals probably accept this teaching out of default - they do not have a ready alternative.

It is not my intention to “prove” that soul sleep is not Biblical. (If the reader is interested, I suggest the article published on the “Let Us Reason” website.) Instead, my purpose is to offer Biblically sound, reasoned evidence of what actually DOES happen when we die and see how it helps us understand the afterlife more accurately.. The next article in this series begins that process.

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Over the years, I have made a very unscientific study of what goes on at funerals.

(Updated: Jun 25, 2011)

According to the religious preferences of those involved and according to the societal influence, the style and tone of funerals vary widely. Some are short and sweet (well, maybe not “sweet”) while others are long and drawn out affairs. Some are very formal while others appear to be ad lib. Some are restricted to just the family and others are community events. Some are somber times of regret and loss while others celebrate a life well lived. But one thing that is common to all is what people say at a funeral.

In every funeral that I have ever attended (regardless of whether the deceased was a “saint” or a self-proclaimed atheist), more than a few people were heard saying, “He/she is in a better place.” Has there ever been a funeral where that phrase was not uttered? I think not.

Beyond the very obvious and unlikely proposition that everyone of those people actually is in a “better place,” there is another anomaly involved here. This practically universal concept (of the deceased immediately arriving in a better place) flies in the face of the generally accepted theories about God’s judgment. Personally, I believe that there is an inherent knowledge (placed in us by our Creator) that guides us on many levels and, like an unfettered conscience, this concept – of immediately going to a “better place” after we die – is one of those creator-given guides.

Before I go any further with this thought, consider a picture of a guilty sinner standing before THE JUDGE of all creation. Where and when will this scene take place? “Well, the Great White Throne Judgment” (GWTJ) you say!! (cf., Rev 20:11-15) “Everyone knows that!”

You are right,  of course but something about that thinking does not agree with the “knowledge” that we are subconsciously utilizing when we assume, “(The deceased) is in a better place!” Most of scholars would agree that the GWTJ does not occur until the end of the age or the end of the world. But don’t you see the conflict? We say that a person *IS* (presently) in a better place but how can that be if the judgment has not yet been made about WHERE the person will spend eternity?

The reality is that God has ordained several different judgments – not just the single Great White Throne Judgment. There are others, and each has a specific purpose. I have identified at least seven judgments that God has ordained for mankind! I realize that does not agree with some of man’s doctrines but our “inherent knowledge” DOES agree – proven by our “better place” concept. Now, we need to see if the BIBLE supports this idea.

I will cover each of these seven judgments in some detail in the following series of articles. Check back soon for the next installment!

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Just the word “JUDGMENT” brings a bit of a chill into one’s being, doesn’t it?

Many Christians visualize God’s judgment as a time of uncertainty and fear. It is like (only infinitely more fearful) standing in a courtroom today, waiting for the jury to announce their verdict. It is especially fearful, knowing that you are guilty but hoping that the prosecution did not prove it to the extent that the jury will convict you.

The problem with God’s judgment is that HE HAS ALL THE FACTS! Who could possibly escape the certain judgment since we are guilty and the Prosecutor, Judge &  Jury all know the truth?

Well, the good news is that even though we are all guilty before God for our rebellion & sin, when we accepted Jesus as our Lord and Savior, He washed our record clean with His own blood (shed on the cross). So God the Father can view us as forgiven & justified. It is not necessary for us to be punished when Jesus has already taken the punishment for us.

Just how does the judgment of  God work, anyway? I am glad that you asked that question… I hope to provide some answers in the pages that follow.

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