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THE REWARD OF HEAVEN [Part 4]

Heaven will be sparsely populated. Only few will find and successfully traverse the Narrow Way.

“SEEK AND YE SHALL FIND”

The Greek word is ζητέω zētéō (dzay-teh’-o). Its primary definition is “to seek in order to find.” When the Lord Jesus stated this relatively simple truth He was not referring to a brief flippant attempt at possible discovery in which finding would be easy as if all one had to do was look under the first proverbial rock one stumbled upon and there it was. In reality, it is pretty much just the opposite. Why? Because on the one hand the enemy of humanity does his best to hide what must be found and do all he can to lead people away and astray. He has many means with which to do this including the creation of false doors that appear real by which most people are deceived. On the other hand the Lord also makes that which must be found a challenge in that only the dedicated devoted steadfast faithful committed give-it-their-whole-heart crowd will discover the otherwise seemingly secret entrance. And what is more, one must keep what one has found by maintaining a lifestyle toward that goal or else it could well be lost and even possibly become unrecoverable. As the Lord stated:

“I am coming quickly; hold fast what you have, so that no one will take your crown. He who overcomes, I will make him a pillar in the temple of My God, and he will not go out from it anymore; and I will write on him the name of My God, and the name of the city of My God, the new Jerusalem, which comes down out of heaven from My God, and My new name. He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.” [Revelation 3:11-13]

Most Christians understand the concept of the “one pearl of great price” (Matthew 13:46), the “treasure hid in a field” (Matthew 13:44), and the “lost piece of silver” (Luke 15:8-9). In each of these cases and many more, the Lord was teaching on both the need for discipline and perseverance in the act of “seeking in order to find” but also the great reward thereof when one at last finds what one was duly searching for. And one would think most Christians also understand that which is by far the greatest of all rewards given by the Lord, other than Himself, of course, who gave His very life for His sheep which is the only gift/sacrifice that makes heaven possible.

Therefore, let us look again at the following familiar passages and glean from them all we can regarding the process of salvation and finding the “secret” entry:

KEEP ASKING / KEEP SEEKING / KEEP KNOCKING

“Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened.” [Matthew 7:7-8]

THE SMALL NARROW GATE / THE NARROW WAY

“Enter through the narrow gate; for the gate is wide and the way is broad that leads to destruction, and there are many who enter through it. For the gate is small and the way is narrow that leads to life, and there are few who find it.” [Matthew 7:13-14]

THE “FEW” WORD

I still retain a very clear memory of an event I had at a church I was attending many years ago. I was a member in very good standing but that did not matter so much at the time. After a church service I was talking to a friend and the discussion had turned to salvation. I told him about how there would only be a relative few that would actually be saved. Now, this particular place was a mega church in the making and it eventually got there in a very big way but when I was there it was still relatively small according to such standards. The pastor was a man with a giant vision. He had started the church from scratch. He worked very hard. He was certainly a dedicated and gifted man. And everybody knew who was in charge.

As it happened, after my little discussion, no doubt because the person with which I was having the discussion was not so aware of the written Word, that the word had somehow gotten back to the pastor that I had used the otherwise dreaded “few” word. Such a word does not dovetail so well with the word “mega.” It is the only thing to explain what occurred. I think it was a midweek service. Picture a congregation of about four or five hundred. I was sitting not too far from the front. At one point in the service the pastor said something to the effect that some people want to limit God and believe such things as only “few will be saved.” He was looking right at me when he said it. And he was not happy.

With that being said we must take a look at the “few” word a little closer. The actual verse in which this word appears is Matthew 7:14. It is from the Greek ὀλίγος olígos (ol-ee’-gos). Strong’s Concordance defines it as such: “of uncertain affinity; puny (in extent, degree, number, duration or value); especially neuter (adverbially) somewhat:—+ almost, brief(-ly), few, (a) little, + long, a season, short, small, a while.”

Here it is according to The Outline of Biblical Usage:

little, small, few
of number: multitude, quantity, or size
of time: short
of degree or intensity: light, slight

I could go further here and cite additional sources but you get the idea:

THE LORD JESUS SAID ONLY “FEW” WOULD FIND THE SMALL GATE AND THE NARROW WAY AND BY IMPLICATION SUCCESSFULLY FOLLOW THAT NARROW WAY TO THE VERY END.

This means we as Christians in general and especially as ministers of the Gospel should preach and teach the Word that the Lord Jesus preached and taught because He had an extremely good reason for it, instead of watering it down and changing it into something more palatable and socially acceptable, perhaps for the purpose of gaining greater numbers and possibly also to create and build a much more “successful” Christian enterprise.

Now, if it happens that the Lord wants to collect a great many of the “few” and put them all under one big giant massive roof in which maybe a hundred thousand may fit then such is all well and good and proper. But He will never cut corners or water down or change His Word in order to do it and the people there are still going to comprise a portion of the relative “few” worldwide and heaven itself will ultimately still be relatively sparsely populated and the great bulk of humanity will still never find the door.

Also, I think if most of us had our way and our heart is right we would want EVERYONE to be saved, but this is simply never going to happen primarily because only a “few” will ever repent of their sins properly and fully and give their entire lives and all their heart to the Lord Jesus. This does mean we are to limit our witnessing or sit around waiting for the inevitable end as if we could not help the Lord seek the lost. We must remember that in His ministry He sought the lost sheep of the House of Israel (Matthew 15:24) and found them and saved them even though the majority of the nation rejected Him. In our case, however, we can never make judgments regarding who is “worthy” of salvation and therefore we must desire the salvation of all.

THE REWARD

As the apostle Peter wrote:

The Lord is not slow about His promise, as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing for any to perish but for all to come to repentance.

But the day of the Lord will come like a thief, in which the heavens will pass away with a roar and the elements will be destroyed with intense heat, and the earth and its works will be burned up. Since all these things are to be destroyed in this way, what sort of people ought you to be in holy conduct and godliness, looking for and hastening the coming of the day of God, because of which the heavens will be destroyed by burning, and the elements will melt with intense heat! But according to His promise we are looking for new heavens and a new earth, in which righteousness dwells.

Therefore, beloved, since you look for these things, be diligent to be found by Him in peace, spotless and blameless, and regard the patience of our Lord as salvation; just as also our beloved brother Paul, according to the wisdom given him, wrote to you, as also in all his letters, speaking in them of these things, in which are some things hard to understand, which the untaught and unstable distort, as they do also the rest of the Scriptures, to their own destruction.

You therefore, beloved, knowing this beforehand, be on your guard so that you are not carried away by the error of unprincipled men and fall from your own steadfastness, 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. [2Peter 3:9-18] [1]

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Tags: Apostle Paul, Apostle Peter, Discipleship, Enter Through the Narrow Gate, Finding Our Way Home, For Many Are Called But Few Are Chosen, Heaven, Lord Jesus, Narrow Way, Real Christianity The Nature of the Church, Real Repentance, Salvation, Sinners Saved By Grace, Spiritual Warfare, The Great Awakening, Unreal Christianity

THE REWARD OF HEAVEN [Part 3]

Feb 22

Posted by RJ Dawson

In addition to the misconception that heaven is the eternal default destination (rather than the hot place), there is another massive misconception among many Christians…

THE GREAT DIVIDE

A division occurred again among the Jews because of these words. Many of them were saying, “He has a demon and is insane. Why do you listen to Him?” Others were saying, “These are not the sayings of one demon-possessed. A demon cannot open the eyes of the blind, can he?” [John 10:19-21]

Everywhere one travels throughout the New Covenant writings, from the Gospels to Revelation, he will discover an ongoing underappreciated theme dealing with a thoroughly somewhat unpleasant topic. Whether the Lord is referring to sheep and goats, wheat and tares, or human subjects such as the rich man and Lazarus, He is often dividing by two. At times He is relatively subtle, such as through His expert use of particular parables to illustrate the fine nuances of the truth He wishes to convey. At other times, however, He charges ahead at a high spiritual decibel level to not only blast out a truth but also dispel false notions regarding it. The latter form of truth-telling is rarely heard in pulpits across the land, for otherwise obvious reasons, such as the following:

“Do not think that I came to bring peace on the earth; I did not come to bring peace, but a sword. For I came to set a man against his father, and a daughter against her mother, and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law; and a man’s enemies will be the members of his household.” [Matthew 10:34-36]

Whoa. Sounds harsh. Sounds unchristian. And He’s not done…

“He who loves father or mother more than Me is not worthy of Me; and he who loves son or daughter more than Me is not worthy of Me. And he who does not take his cross and follow after Me is not worthy of Me. He who has found his life will lose it, and he who has lost his life for My sake will find it.” [Matthew 10:37-39]

Again, we see division. We see Him dividing by two. On the one hand He does not appear to be getting with the unity-at-all-costs program, that which an apparent majority of Christians are obsessed with, but just the opposite. On the other hand, however, we discover by such “hard sayings” that He is actually on a much higher level of the standard unity/unifying program by establishing the creation of spiritual unity through division. And we see that such a program has an ultimate end.

Here is more:

“I tell you, on that night there will be two in one bed; one will be taken and the other will be left. There will be two women grinding at the same place; one will be taken and the other will be left. [Two men will be in the field; one will be taken and the other will be left.”] [Luke 17:34-36]

Therefore, according to these few noted passages and so many more throughout the written Word, the Lord Jesus, in reality, by creating the spiritual unity of His flock through His proficient means of separation by the sword, could rightly be classified as The Division King.

THE RESPONSE FROM EVIL

The use of the dividing sword will always bring a requisite retort that essentially solidifies the place of the unrepentant unbeliever as all-the-more willingly desirous of being apart from God. Such people do not realize that by their inability to control their anger and hatred by being called out and exposed for what they are, even though the intention is to bring them into the light, they play right into the hands of the division process. As we continue in this passage from John Chapter Ten, the Lord continues to cause division by simply revealing who He is. At the end, His detractors seal their eternal fate by going all in—100%—which proves conclusively the very necessity of the dividing sword in the first place:

At that time the Feast of the Dedication took place at Jerusalem; it was winter, and Jesus was walking in the temple in the portico of Solomon. The Jews then gathered around Him, and were saying to Him, “How long will You keep us in suspense? If You are the Christ, tell us plainly.” Jesus answered them, “I told you, and you do not believe; the works that I do in My Father’s name, these testify of Me. But you do not believe because you are not of My sheep. My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me; and I give eternal life to them, and they will never perish; and no one will snatch them out of My hand. My Father, who has given them to Me, is greater than all; and no one is able to snatch them out of the Father’s hand.”

“I and the Father are one.”

The Jews picked up stones again to stone Him. Jesus answered them, “I showed you many good works from the Father; for which of them are you stoning Me?” The Jews answered Him, “For a good work we do not stone You, but for blasphemy; and because You, being a man, make Yourself out to be God.” [John 10:22-33] [1]

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THE REWARD OF HEAVEN [Part 2]

Feb 17

Posted by RJ Dawson

The NT states it is impossible to gain heaven through our own efforts, but the Lord Jesus certainly gained heaven through His efforts—and also for potentially everyone.

He left heaven for our sakes with every intention of going back. However, the only way He could ever return is if He successfully completed His mission. (Keep this in mind regarding your own mission.)

What most Christians do not realize is that the Lord put absolutely everything on the line when He became one of us. He knew the only way to defeat the devil and death itself was to live a perfect human life without ever making a single miscue or misstep. If He committed only one sin He would have failed His mission completely, regardless of everything else He accomplished, and could no longer be the sinless Sacrifice Lamb of God. That would mean no one would be saved. It would mean every human being that had ever lived would be barred from heaven and end up in the dreaded default destination.

It would also mean the Lord Himself would never have a savior since He is the only possible Savior. And that would mean He would never return to heaven.

I know this may sound like sheer speculation of the off the charts variety, but it is actually sound from a New Testament perspective. It dovetails with what the Lord taught. It is not His fault that His authentic teachings have been so watered down and transformed over the centuries that most Christians think the real appears foreign while the gospel they are familiar with, whichever one of the many faux gospels it may be, looks correct and acceptable.

Additionally, some or quite possibly most Christians may believe it was impossible for the Lord Jesus to sin which renders what I’m stating here to be an essentially specious argument. In reality, however, if such a thing was true, how does one explain His extreme suffering, the great strength and determination He put into successfully overcoming temptation, the necessity of His initial forty day fast and who knows how many multitudinous fasts He endured throughout His ministry? How would one explain the exceptional discipline in His life and the same discipline required for every believer in order to be spiritually effective? And how would one explain this:

For we do not have a high priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but One who has been tempted in all things as we are, yet without sin. [Hebrews 4:15]

It should be obvious, therefore, that the enemy knew exactly what everything hinged upon regarding God’s plan for salvation and is why the enemy focused so much effort on attempting to get the Lord to succumb to temptation and commit sin. It is true, of course, that the Lord overcame every effort against Him but is also true that it often took everything He had to do so and was very difficult. It was high level spiritual warfare. And in war there is always the possibility of defeat.

Now that we have established the proper perspective we should understand how difficult the Lord’s mission was. Nevertheless, it appears as though most Christians do not understand this and thus take heaven for granted. It is also likely that those Christians with such an attitude also take their own walk with God for granted as if the requirements are not all that demanding. This is likely due in part to the preponderance of fake ministers of the Gospel preaching other gospels containing false doctrines that not only do not tell the Gospel truth but also fail to illustrate the actual supreme difficulty of the Lord’s mission and all it entailed. Those who engage in this dishonorable travesty and all those who follow them have decided on taking another way which, not surprisingly, is relatively simple and easy, instead of the Way. And the people overcome by such a deception likely never realize they failed a temptation test somewhere along the way and as a result will never find their way to heaven. Their only reward is thus in the present.

THE PARABLE OF THE GOOD SHEPHERD

This parable is an excellent discourse explaining the truth of how to get to heaven. The Lord Jesus makes all the pertinent points in that regard and answers every question. He also does it using relatively easy to understand language and general terms familiar to his audience which are fundamental components of parabolic teaching. Nevertheless, as in all His parables, understanding them meant one must possess “ears to hear” and “eyes to see.”

The Lord begins by speaking of the evil ones who refuse to acknowledge the only Door and attempt to find another way into His sheepfold. Sound familiar? He then explains how the actual process works:

“Truly, truly, I say to you, he who does not enter by the door into the fold of the sheep, but climbs up some other way, he is a thief and a robber.

“But he who enters by the door is a shepherd of the sheep. To him the doorkeeper opens, and the sheep hear his voice, and he calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. When he puts forth all his own, he goes ahead of them, and the sheep follow him because they know his voice. A stranger they simply will not follow, but will flee from him, because they do not know the voice of strangers.” This figure of speech Jesus spoke to them, but they did not understand what those things were which He had been saying to them. [John 10:1-6]

Okay, we have a picture of the sheepfold. In the Lord’s time such folds or pens were usually created with stone walls which were just high enough to do the job. They were likely created in relatively crude but sturdy fashion using the ready rocks of the field. For greater protection and also requiring less material they were sometimes (or oftentimes) created when available against natural walls such as the edges of hills or rises or against cliffs. The shepherd would construct such pens to keep his sheep in for the night. If the fold was semi-permanent he would make one opening (a door) using stacked rocks or possibly one fashioned from wood. It was clearly important to make the enclosure safe and secure, primarily from predators.

Regarding the entry, the Lord taught that the shepherd always entered by the door. He stated that anyone trying to enter the fold any other way was a thief and a robber, meaning they had sinister intentions. He thus gives us the first clue at the very beginning regarding those to watch out for and how to identify them.

The sheep were generally penned up into the fold in the evenings. Such sheepfolds were usually created with minimum space requirements which resulted in somewhat cramped conditions. In the morning among the hustle of the sheep longing to get out and into the pastures the doorkeeper would begin taking down the rocks comprising the door. In their hurry to leave the somewhat impatient sheep would assist in this process by pressing against the egress and assist in knocking down the loose rocks on their way out finishing the opening and following their shepherd into the liberty of the free-range grazing fields.

In the next passage the Lord Jesus identifies Himself as the only Door. Additionally, He states His great love for His sheep and defines this love as that in which He is willing to give His life and due to which the sheep feel secure and protected. He also again teaches about the enemy who merely masquerades as the shepherd but is only a hired hand. Sound familiar?

So Jesus said to them again, “Truly, truly, I say to you, I am the door of the sheep. All who came before Me are thieves and robbers, but the sheep did not hear them. I am the door; if anyone enters through Me, he will be saved, and will go in and out and find pasture. The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I came that they may have life, and have it abundantly. “I am the good shepherd; the good shepherd lays down His life for the sheep. He who is a hired hand, and not a shepherd, who is not the owner of the sheep, sees the wolf coming, and leaves the sheep and flees, and the wolf snatches them and scatters them. He flees because he is a hired hand and is not concerned about the sheep. I am the good shepherd, and I know My own and My own know Me, even as the Father knows Me and I know the Father; and I lay down My life for the sheep.

“I have other sheep, which are not of this fold; I must bring them also, and they will hear My voice; and they will become one flock with one shepherd. For this reason the Father loves Me, because I lay down My life so that I may take it again. No one has taken it away from Me, but I lay it down on My own initiative. I have authority to lay it down, and I have authority to take it up again. This commandment I received from My Father.” [John 10:7-18] [1]

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Tags: Discipleship, Heaven, Hired Hands, Lord Jesus, Parables, Real Christianity The Nature of the Church, Salvation in Jesus, Sin, Spiritual Warfare, The Door of the Sheep, The Good Shepherd, The Great Awakening, Unreal Christianity

THE REWARD OF HEAVEN [Part 1]

Feb 13

Posted by RJ Dawson

The New Testament states that heaven is not anyone’s eternal destination unless one does something life-changing to secure it and avert the dreaded default.

MANKIND’S INHERENT NATURE

It appears as though the majority of people who believe in an afterlife have the mistaken notion that pretty much everyone will end up in the good place regardless of anything in their lives which would warrant such a profound celestial gift. Yet it also appears apparent that most people go through life doing what they will and whatever life calls for without thinking too much about eternity as if one’s eternal destination has already somehow been taken care of by providence, which means they understand providence to be both benevolent and also no stickler for one’s behavior or intentions.

Consequently, the concept of sin doesn’t come up too often. How do we know this? For the simple reason that many people if not most (likely most) do not possess any objective moral checklist to indicate right from wrong except in a general sense or that which is dictated by their culture. Even though most people have a working conscience early in life that clearly delineates the good from the bad, humans are notorious for making exceptions and overriding their conscience when it suits them, usually when they want to engage in something for their own selfish pleasure or gain something through nefarious means. This proves one will generally break the rules and violate their conscience when it serves his or her own interests and believes such decisions should be no one else’s business, which has a tendency to subvert societal mores (understatement alert).

Now, if pretty much everyone has this attitude, which present and historical evidence certainly seems to strongly suggest, then it means human societies demand some method of restricting such an attitude and it’s pernicious fruits or else there will be utmost chaos and debauchery and the very antithesis of a cohesive culture and society, which is supposed to exist for the benefit of the members thereof and not so everyone can run amok in the engagement of vice. We call this restriction of human will that is naturally bent toward personal licentious outcomes Law. And we have law so there can be Order. Thus, the establishment of law and order which the majority has always been in favor of in the good societies in this world proves that humanity has a serious problem that must be not only addressed but addressed at all times, meaning law and order is a 24 hours a day and 365 days a year proposition.

No matter how one may look at this it proves absolutely that human beings are basically and inherently degenerate, otherwise we wouldn’t need massive skyscraper level libraries of laws and restrictions spelling out every human offense there is down to the minutest level. And we wouldn’t need scads and scads and scads of those who make their living in this medium of secular ultra-casuistry called Lawyers, some of which to defend innocent parties hurt/harmed/damaged/injured by the bad guys and some to prosecute said bad guys for their bad guy behavior. Such a process has a tendency to draw sharp contrasts between the harmed and the harmers (the good guys and bad guys) as if the harmed are not and cannot be the harmers. Yet, since all human beings have the same problem regarding what the Word of God calls sin, such a good guy/bad guy scenario must be based on another set of laws because God’s Law says everyone is a sinner on their way to you know where.

SOCIETAL CONDUCT CONTROLS

In other words, if one does fairly well obeying societal or cultural mores and behaviors then they are considered good “law-abiding” citizens. This means they score well on what are essentially watered-down tests of morality in that they manage to keep themselves from committing major behavioral aberrations and crimes to the point that their lesser indiscretions are either not counted, are unseen or unknown, OR there are no laws on the books for their particular immoral miscues. But since the more enlightened societies and cultures of the world doing well to illustrate a high level of civilization are also often the ones with the most laws and lawyers it indicates that something is simply not on the up and up, which proves that even the best human societies/cultures DEMAND endless laws ad infinitum and veritable armies of lawyers simply to stay intact and maintain some semblance of order.

What then happens to lesser societies/cultures? Obviously, things are worse in such places and are far worse in the worst of such places. If they somehow manage to stay intact it is only through greater degrees as required of brute force. This means their laws are essentially worthless since most don’t obey them and law enforcement can only go after the very worst offenders while everyone else gets away with their “lesser” crimes. One might call this grading on the curve.

This raises an interesting question: Why are some societies and cultures better than others? Why are some people better at regulating their behavior than others? Why are some cultures made up primarily of people who cannot or will not control themselves and do whatever they want to fulfill their evil desires? Regardless of whatever it may be that causes some populations of people to possess little or no morality whatsoever and simply cannot or will not control themselves, while other populations do a relatively very good job at such, it stands to reason that there must be something beyond the human beings comprising such better societies that keeps them in line if it exists and is applied.

Again, even the best societies and cultures of this world demand multitudinous laws and lawyers which means human beings have a serious problem with inherent human behavior. Thus, the only reason good societies exist is because the people thereof are well aware of their condition and work extremely hard at regulating it. They teach their young from the very beginning what is right and what is wrong. They reward good behavior but pay special attention to nipping bad behavior in the bud and make great demands of themselves and their charges to be upstanding citizens and strive to create and possess good reputations.

Now, that being said, most children have good natures and usually only need set boundaries. Their freedom must be limited in such a way that they are not so aware of it and then increased as they can handle it. If they prove worthy they get the recompense of slightly more freedom and rewards for good behavior. In this way they have a much better chance of learning right from wrong in a manner that agrees with their conscience which confirms they are being taught correctly which in turn establishes trust in and respect for authority. Some kids need relatively less strict discipline to keep them on track while other kids demand much more.

Hence, the good behavior required to be good kids and future good upstanding citizens must be learned and the rewards for fulling such must be earned.

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Tags: America, Discipleship, Heaven, Law of Moses, Lawlessness, Lord Jesus, Real Christianity The Nature of the Church, Sin and Evil, Societal Pressure, The Great Awakening

SPIRITUAL ASSASSINATION (AND A TIMELY RESURRECTION)

Apr 19

Posted by RJ Dawson

Just as in the case of the Lord Jesus who was marked for assassination by His enemies (who succeeded but failed), so is every dedicated real Christian likely marked.

Some of these spiritual assassination attempts will succeed (we have Scriptural examples). The vast majority will not. But no matter. Physical death is not the end of the story. Every real Christian so marked is also marked for resurrection just as our Founder was marked. He was destined to die for a great purpose but was also destined to rise again not long after. In His case it happened on the third day after His death. (This also happened to be the third day of the Feast of Unleavened Bread.) For the vast majority of real Christians, however, their resurrections will come much later. There will be a day in the future when all will rise again together. Old-timers referred to it as “that great gettin’ up mornin.’

I say “the vast majority” because there were some who actually received their resurrections from death in the first century AD. In this, I am not referring to Lazarus or others whom the Lord or the apostles raised up because those people had to die physically a second time. I am instead referring to those mysterious resurrections which took place soon after the Lord’s resurrection referred to in Matthew’s Gospel:

And Jesus cried out again with a loud voice, and yielded up His spirit. And behold, the veil of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom; and the earth shook and the rocks were split. The tombs were opened, and many bodies of the saints who had fallen asleep were raised; and coming out of the tombs after His resurrection they entered the holy city and appeared to many. [Matthew 27:50-53]

One wonders if there were others elsewhere in various locations who were also raised at that time. The city of Jerusalem was not the only place saints of old were buried though it is possible more might have been buried in its environs than elsewhere. One wonders further just who these saints might have been. What qualified them to be resurrected at that time? Were they Old Testament saints from centuries past? Or were they first-century believers who died at some point during the Lord’s ministry? What if some of the well-known national figures were included in this group, such as David, who was buried in Jerusalem?

THE PRIVILEGE OF RESURRECTION

Because there is so much misunderstanding or lack of information about the future resurrection of those who have passed, the subject must be put into context. We know the Scriptures are clear that all will be resurrected, both the saved and unsaved:

“Truly, truly, I say to you, an hour is coming and now is, when the dead will hear the voice of the Son of God, and those who hear will live. For just as the Father has life in Himself, even so He gave to the Son also to have life in Himself; and He gave Him authority to execute judgment, because He is the Son of Man. Do not marvel at this; for an hour is coming, in which all who are in the tombs will hear His voice, and will come forth; those who did the good deeds to a resurrection of life, those who committed the evil deeds to a resurrection of judgment.” [John 5:25-29]

In addition to this, the Lord makes it clear that the future resurrection unto Life is a privilege not given to everyone or just anyone but only to those who are worthy:

Jesus said to them, “The sons of this age marry and are given in marriage, but those who are considered worthy to attain to that age and the resurrection from the dead, neither marry nor are given in marriage; for they cannot even die anymore, because they are like angels, and are sons of God, being sons of the resurrection.” [Luke 20:34-36]

It is likely the case at most funerals that the person who died is assumed to have gone to heaven. Imagine all the funerals (term used very loosely) worldwide for all time. The dearly departed was likely loved by someone or maybe a great many. To question his or her eternal destination at such a time is probably the height of protocol-breaking or certainly awkward. According to the teachings of the Lord and the entry requirements He mandates, most of these people went to the opposite place they were assumed to have gone.

The point, of course, is that “going to heaven” and participating in a future resurrection unto Life is not automatic or a right but a great privilege and blessing reserved only for a relative few. It is something, in the words of the Lord Jesus, to attain. The Greek word means “to hit upon, meet, happen, obtain.” It is something to strive for, to work toward, and to make oneself worthy to receive. This does not mean we can earn our salvation, which is impossible, but that we must work within the context set forth by the Lord Jesus to be “considered worthy to attain to that age and the resurrection of the dead.”

WHY THE LORD JESUS WAS A MARKED MAN

We are in a war. It is a spiritual war. The devil is a mighty foe. He is very powerful. He attacks his enemies. His aim is to eliminate anyone attacking him or his kingdom. Those who do the most damage are at the top of his list. But the Lord Jesus, on the other hand, is so much more powerful He could squash the devil like a bug any time He felt like it. And He will protect His children in this world who work for Him the same way He protected Himself from the many assassination attempts upon His life before He surrendered to His destiny as the Sacrifice Lamb.

A close friend told me the other day something a pastor had recently preached. The pastor said to the effect, “Don’t ever let anyone tell you that the Lord was killed or murdered. He laid down His life willingly…” I said “Well, the pastor is wrong. It is in fact, both. The Lord certainly laid down His life and made Himself vulnerable, but He was also murdered. The apostle Peter said this very thing in the first anointed message of the Church on the Day of Pentecost.” Here is the passage:

“Men of Israel, listen to these words: Jesus the Nazarene, a man attested to you by God with miracles and wonders and signs which God performed through Him in your midst, just as you yourselves know—this Man, delivered over by the predetermined plan and foreknowledge of God, you nailed to a cross by the hands of godless men and put Him to death. But God raised Him up again, putting an end to the agony of death, since it was impossible for Him to be held in its power.” [Acts 2:22-24]

It is often said that Stephen was the first martyr of the Church but this is not true. It was the Lord Jesus who was the first martyr. He had to be first. He was indeed greatly persecuted by evil unbelievers and eventually suffered physical death at their hands. He was the first to die and also the first to rise. It had to be this way. Nothing else could have possibly worked otherwise. The Lord Jesus is both the Door and the one who opened the door to Life. He is the only spiritual Warrior who could defeat death, hell, and the grave. He had to go first to do this because He was the only one worthy. It would have been impossible with anyone else because everyone else has sin but He never did. He was thus worthy to attain His resurrection and eternal life.

And because He did attain it He makes it possible for His followers to attain it as well. They must be cleansed of all sin, however, or forget it. But He has the power to do that. He has the power, with His own Blood, to cleanse a person of all of his or her personal sin. He also has the power to raise one up to new life in this world, fill one with His Holy Spirit which enables one to be properly equipped for service and the spiritual battlefield, live an overcoming life over sin, and also to work for Him within His kingdom doing works that He did. THESE are the people, in general, who are the worthy ones.

Thus, heaven is not nor has it ever been automatic, the only condition met being death. It is reserved only for those who submit to the salvation method of the Lord Jesus. Now, granted, there will be those who are also judged by Him to be worthy who do not fit the apparent conditions within the context of His teachings. Paul alluded to this possibility in the following:

For there is no partiality with God. For all who have sinned without the Law will also perish without the Law, and all who have sinned under the Law will be judged by the Law; for it is not the hearers of the Law who are just before God, but the doers of the Law will be justified. For when Gentiles who do not have the Law do instinctively the things of the Law, these, not having the Law, are a law to themselves, in that they show the work of the Law written in their hearts, their conscience bearing witness and their thoughts alternately accusing or else defending them, on the day when, according to my gospel, God will judge the secrets of men through Christ Jesus. [Romans 2:11-16][1]

It is thus possible that one may never hear the Gospel and still go to heaven. (Consider all those who died prior to the Lord’s ministry or who lived at great distances away on other continents long before the Gospel ever reached their lands.) But this can only be possible if the preceding qualifications are met. How many millions, and indeed, billions of people who have ever lived on this planet lived in such a way that they did their best to honor their conscience, strove to do good and shun evil, and reached out to a Creator they knew must exist. These are things beyond the realm of human judgement or knowledge. No one can see such things but the Lord. Only the Lord Jesus knows all hearts. He is the best possible Judge of one’s soul. He will make the right decisions. He will always render perfect judgments.

THERE IS LIKELY A CONTRACT ON YOUR LIFE

If you are a big enough threat, expect to be attacked. But know also that the Lord has means to grant you victory. I knew someone several years ago who was attacked severely and his entire life was essentially destroyed. The devil’s aim was to do even more. His original goal was to destroy everything including the person’s life. But it didn’t work out quite that way. Because this man had walked with God the Lord allowed his former life to be destroyed but preserved the man’s spiritual life. He preserved the man’s ministry and life purpose. He worked with the man over several years to sort out all the ramifications which resulted from both a diabolical Jezebel attack and also a Judas betrayal. The enemy meant total destruction and it should have been such in that he threw everything he had at him. It was a pure assassination attempt in the first degree.

But it failed. Rather than be overcome by the severe repercussions of the spiritual attack, this man worked with the Lord over several years to work everything out. He patiently crossed all the t’s and dotted all the i’s. Everything was settled above board and properly. And it was done with no evil intent toward his human attackers who assisted in the plot. This man had what might be termed an ongoing resurrection. Though the enemy tried with all his might and though he succeeded at destroying much, he failed at destroying all. This is always a dangerous outcome. It made the man who was marked for death an even greater threat than he was before.

It also meant he survived the worst. This man will never have to go through such again. You may know people like this. Their experience is noted for something many have gone through over the last quarter century or so. There are people who represented a threat to the enemy who for all practical purposes should not have survived the attempt against them who then later became a greater threat than before.

Those who are forced to go toe to toe with some gnarly Goliath, who face otherwise certain death and destruction, and live to tell the story of a great victory are the kind of people you want on your team. They have already experienced a type of resurrection, reminiscent of their future one, and rejoined the Lord on the battlefield. The assassination they were marked for is what they mark the enemy with and have greater power and ability given by God to achieve that objective.

All praise and glory to the Lord Jesus.

Posted in Teaching

HEAVEN WILL BE SPARSELY POPULATED

Jun 7

Posted by RJ Dawson

“For the gate is small and the way is narrow that leads to life, and there are few who find it.” [Matthew 7:14]

If you like wide open spaces free from the maddening crowd you will love heaven. It will not be because heaven’s perceived billions will be spread out in such a way over a limitless expanse that it appears relatively empty, but because its population relevant to planet earth will be disproportionately less than many can imagine. This means most humans will never get there.

A HUNDRED MILLION TO ONE

It reminds one of why the Creator is so generous with seeds so as to greatly boost the chances of fruitfulness. It appears He is thus wasting seeds but in reality He is only increasing the chances of fertility, productivity, success, and abundance.

One might keep in mind that every human being is the result of one very strong unrelenting little fighting spermy guy who fended off all the other loser spermy guys to make it first to the interior of the great egg at the finish line.

On average, when the sower sows his seed, 100 million sperm are released. 100 million. That’s roughly 30% of the current population in the USA. Yet these 100 million are reduced down to only one winner. So though we characterize extremely long odds as “a million to one,” this ratio is one hundred times that. This means 100 million minus one are losers. They never get to the finish line. The vast majority all die along the way.

Now, these little guys can actually live up to about five days once implanted. This means they have five days to get to the egg. So it is not just each other they are competing against—they are also competing against time. Each one of them has the highest of callings but only one in a hundred million actually gets to fulfill it. Many of them get lost. Many run out of steam. Many get sidetracked. Many don’t have the capacity to get very far. They say this is nature’s way of insuring that only the very best make it to the very end. Only one gets there. There is no second place.

“For the gate is small and the way is narrow that leads to life, and there are few who find it.” [Matthew 7:14]

It is the same with humanity. Billions of people exist but the Lord Jesus said only a relative few will make it to the eternal goal. It is not necessarily because He sets very high restrictions. It is mostly because human beings in general are stupid, lazy, selfish, and prideful. Most do not seek truth. Most do not seek deliverance from sin. Most people do not understand that seeds must be planted and that this action calls for sacrifice and self surrender. Most of those who do understand it cannot bring themselves to do it, or do it consistently, or they try but give up.

Truly, truly, I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it bears much fruit. He who loves his life loses it, and he who hates his life in this world will keep it to life eternal.” [John 12:24-25]

Survival of the fittest is also true in the spiritual realm. The Lord Jesus gives us the tools and opportunities to succeed but we must put it all to work and we must always trust Him faithfully regardless of circumstances. The human spirit is extremely strong. Once it is directed properly and functioning properly per the Lord’s will there cannot help but be success. This success, however, is according to the Lord’s standards and not those of this world. Worldly standards dictate that the apostle Paul, for example, was a loser. He left this world with no material possessions beyond the clothes on his back, no retirement, no 401k, no nothing. But according to spiritual standards he perhaps did more for the Lord Jesus and His kingdom than anyone else. All real Christians are still blessed recipients of Paul’s writings to this day.

How much more can the same be said for the Lord Jesus Himself? He accomplished infinitely more than Paul or all the rest of us put together. He not only made it to the egg but He made it to the greatest egg of all time and opened up a door and a trail for us to get there as He did. Even so, most “believers” will never make it. This is why:

“Hear then the parable of the sower. When anyone hears the word of the kingdom and does not understand it, the evil one comes and snatches away what has been sown in his heart. This is the one on whom seed was sown beside the road. The one on whom seed was sown on the rocky places, this is the man who hears the word and immediately receives it with joy; yet he has no firm root in himself, but is only temporary, and when affliction or persecution arises because of the word, immediately he falls away. And the one on whom seed was sown among the thorns, this is the man who hears the word, and the worry of the world and the deceitfulness of wealth choke the word, and it becomes unfruitful. And the one on whom seed was sown on the good soil, this is the man who hears the word and understands it; who indeed bears fruit and brings forth, some a hundredfold, some sixty, and some thirty.” [Matthew 13:18-23]

No one overcame as many obstacles in completing His course as did the Lord. The early believers illustrated for future generations how one must go about living for God, doing His will, and achieving the objective. They did not have it easy but they did it anyway. Most of today’s Christians take the opposite approach. Most will all die in the opening salvos and machine gun fire on the beaches of Normandy.

It is an exceedingly tough journey for the little spermy guys to make it to the egg. Not only must they expend energy on the trip, they must also conserve the energy they will need for the end of the trip. Why? Because the egg is actually covered by a thick layer which makes it all the more difficult for conception to occur. The few sperm that get there must have enough left in the tank to penetrate the outer layer of the egg. This is where the remaining few greatest die. Imagine making it that far and not being able to complete the objective.

This exact seed journey scenario mirrors life in a general sense, but it perfectly captures life in the spiritual sense. The Kingdom of the Lord is therefore only for those who have the unrelenting drive to make it all the way, to dedicate themselves completely to the Lord Jesus, and be determined against often ridiculous odds to complete the course.

All real Christians will go though the following in the process:

“Blessed are those who have been persecuted for the sake of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are you when people insult you and persecute you, and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of Me. Rejoice and be glad, for your reward in heaven is great; for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.” [Matthew 5:10-12]

If one is going to make it to heaven one will have to overcome all the persecution along the way. One will have to maintain love and always forgive. One must contend with betrayal and potential traps. The obstacles can be immense. There may be vast scorching waterless deserts to cross or giant mountain ranges with deep snow and icy winds. There will always be much resistance. Many elements of the journey will refuse to cooperate. At times the objective will appear impossible. But because the real Christian is blessed with the indomitable spiritual seed of the great Creator, he has the ability to overcome everything and continue to press on. On one occasion, Paul illustrated the challenge set before us as follows:

I do all things for the sake of the gospel, so that I may become a fellow partaker of it. Do you not know that those who run in a race all run, but only one receives the prize? Run in such a way that you may win. Everyone who competes in the games exercises self-control in all things. They then do it to receive a perishable wreath, but we an imperishable. Therefore I run in such a way, as not without aim; I box in such a way, as not beating the air; but I discipline my body and make it my slave, so that, after I have preached to others, I myself will not be disqualified. [1Corinthians 9:23-27][1]

If Paul knew he could miss the mark, we should all know we could also. He put forth maximum effort to stay qualified. We should also. Anyone who has ever accomplished anything significant knows that it takes much work and dedication. This is even truer when it comes to working in the Lord’s kingdom. And it is entirely true when it comes to properly graduating from this life into the next.

There will only be a relative few at the ceremony.

Posted in Teaching

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Tags: Christian Persecution, Discipleship, Enter Through the Narrow Gate, Heaven, Lord Jesus, Parable of the Sower, Salvation in Jesus, Spiritual Seed, Spiritual Warfare, The Great Awakening

Longing for Camaraderie and Missing a Friend

Dec 6

Posted by RJ Dawson

A good friend went home earlier this year. He was a part of this blog from the beginning and was nothing but a support from the start, over six years ago.

Every follower of the Lord needs someone like Don. He only ever had an encouraging word and a smile, and was willing to consider any truth. He left many messages here, in comments spread throughout my many posts.

He was a gentle man but strong, and much loved by his family and so many friends. I don’t think it was even possible to not like him. Having already raised a family, he was still working at his profession into his mid-seventies. I met him and his wife at the end of a church service right before I created this site. He was pretty much my only reader in the beginning. I remember I kept plugging away. In my first year I wrote over a hundred posts and was still much invisible, but Don was always there.

We would get together for Bible studies at his place. He even let me teach on many occasions. We had a good time. After I returned from a few years working on the oil rigs, we continued to meet every week or so, having informal study sessions, which is actually a euphemism for Don allowing me to talk. He was a great listener. He understood, I think, that I had a lot to say and few to say it to, but it’s always been that way. He would add, though, many wise words, even though he was not all that proficient or up to speed on all the voluminous spiritual knowledge we have available to us today.

The Lord made me a teacher from the beginning with an anointing to search and seek out knowledge and truth, especially of course, His truth. I could never get enough and still can’t. I joke with people that I’m glad eternity is forever because I have so much work to do and so much to learn. Don would always allow me to tell him about all the recent revelations I was receiving from heaven’s downloads. He didn’t understand sometimes but never allowed that to be a cause of rejection. He was a traditionalist, I think, at heart, and had a disciplined west Texas upbringing, one of those kinds of raisings that so many Americans received, in which the number one rule was to serve the Lord in the light they had, in the way they felt was right. The second rule was to survive.

This is a dynamic that so many have lost touch with. Back then and for so much of the history of America it truly was always a matter of survival. You had the Lord, if you did, and then you had some family and maybe a friend or two. And you had your wits and an understanding that life is very hard and only the strong survive. There was no government, for the most part, back then. There was, but it was so small, and it was distant, and for most Americans it had little effect. They were on their own. There was no nanny state. America was still very far apart and far away and distant horizons were everywhere. Those days have long since passed.

Americans sprinted out west and then backwashed to the center and America became a place where all the detail started getting filled in and everyone started building out everything that could be. In time it became the equivalent of a person turning inward and then America began experiencing all levels of mental constructs and the problems that ensue when people lose their dreams and their way.

Yet, it was only eighty years ago when there was still a frontier in places and so much yet to discover. The famed Route 66 began in 1926. People had an insatiable desire to seek out a good life with much energy and joy. Families stayed together. They had to. They needed each other. Their focus wasn’t on themselves.

Then the whole thing blew up. The devil invaded with an evil agenda and most Americans didn’t know it was him. He would do his usual dividing and destroying and generally just deceiving everyone and bringing temptation and the resultant sin to epidemic proportions. Many American Christians continued to remain loyal to what they had always done, not understanding that the battle had expanded far beyond what it was before and would require much more Lord Jesus and much more of His Holy Spirit.

The Lord obliged. He knew what we would need. And as always He was way ahead of us. It began about 1960. I have written about the phenomenon here several times. And while the 1960s were blowing up on the political front and on university campuses and in the streets, the Lord was bringing forth new spiritual life on a level never before seen and doing the impossible. Christians from all denominations were experiencing a new spiritual time in this country. Many Christians didn’t see it and most rejected it. But the Lord was proven right.

My friend Don was on the cusp of all this. He felt more comfortable in his traditional beliefs and approach though he certainly progressed into the future. It had made him what he was. Yet, in my experience, he was one of a kind.

Our many informal sessions are over now. There will be no more spontaneous Bible studies or talk sessions out on his driveway or in his garage. I think he understood that though I often engaged in much of the verbiage that it was what I needed. I needed someone to listen and gain positive feedback. It was a form of silent counseling on his part, yet he most often was always listening and open. He told me on occasion how much I had done for him and how much he had learned. This was truly real koinonia in action. We both attended to our callings and both received a spiritual benefit that would otherwise never be possible. Here was an older brother listening to a much more informed and knowledgeable younger brother. His hair had long since gone white. Mine was on the way.

And now he’s gone. This is the fate of us all. Summer always gives way to fall and falling leaves, and an inevitable turn to dark winter skies and gently blowing snow.

When Don passed away the winter was going. The annual rebirth was underway. Spring was almost here. Life was being born again yet again.

The Lord is trying to tell us something. We must cross the spiritual frontier in the here and now and receive all He has for us and needs us to have, for His sake and the Gospel.

Life is short and for some it is shorter than others. Though we possess God’s blessings and strength in the here and now and live to serve Him, and though life is often wrought with pain and tragedy, there is something good at the end of this temporary and often heart-rending realm for those who stay in faith.

That’s where Don is.

Posted in Current Events

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Tags: Eternal Life, Fellowship, Heaven, Lord Jesus