Picking back up at Malachi.
Malachi 1:4 "Whereas Edom said, We are impoverished, but we will return and build the desolate places; thus said the LORD of hosts, They shall build, but I will throw down; and they shall call them, the border of wickedness, and, the people against whom the LORD has indignation (for how long?) forever." Now that’s a blanket statement, not just for the Edomites, but for all those who have rejected God’s offer of Salvation. Now we're going to take us into Matthew chapter 25, and this is just two of the many instances when Jesus spoke of the doom of the lost. We think we’ve all heard at one time or another, maybe even from our own pulpit, that Jesus spoke far more of the eternal destiny of the lost, than He did of heaven. He spoke a lot more, and we're just going to give two of them that are real easy to find. This is Jesus speaking here in this passage, so if we have a red letter edition, then it will be in red, and He is speaking during His earthly ministry to Israel.
Matthew 25:29-30 "For to every one that has shall be given, and he shall have abundance: but from him that has not shall be taken away even that which he has. 30. And cast the unprofitable servant into outer darkness: there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth." Now that includes the lost of all the ages. Now we can come up to verse 41 of the same chapter.
Matthew 25:41 "Then shall he say also to them on the left hand, Depart from me, you cursed, into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels:" Plain English? It can’t get any plainer than that. That is the future for the lost of the ages and those who make a mockery of this Gospel of Grace that has been given to Paul. And is for our learning by the Holy Spirit.
Now come up to Romans if we will, turn to Romans chapter 2, and verse 3.
Romans 2:3 "Do you think this, O man, that judge them which do such things, (a Pharisee type individual) and do the same, that you shall escape the judgment of God?" And of course the answer is obvious, "They will not escape!" Now I Thessalonians chapter 5 is the next one. we're going to start at verse 1, but verse 3 is where we will find the word "escape."
I Thessalonians 5:1-3 "But of the times and the seasons, brethren, you have no need that I write to you. 2. For yourselves know perfectly that the day of the Lord so comes as a thief in the night. 3. For when they shall say, Peace and safety; (what does that sound like? Well that sounds like the politicians right now today. Oh, they’re always trying to bring in world peace, and when they say peace and safety) then sudden destruction comes upon them, as travail upon a woman with child and they shall not escape." They’re lost, do we see that? Now let’s go on into Hebrews chapter 10, and we’ll use verse 30 and 31. And remember the whole theme of these verses is, "The lost will never escape if they leave this life never having cashed in on God’s offer of Redemption and Salvation - they are doomed!" And this is the reason.
Hebrews 10:30a "For we know Him that has said, Vengeance belongs to me,…"
Now we’ve got to stop and ask ourselves, "How can God say that? How can God say some of these things we’ve been looking at?" "Well, see the reason is, when He finished the plan of Redemption and our Salvation, when Christ suffered at the hands of those Roman soldiers, and even as He went down the road to Golgotha, and they laid the heavy cross upon Him, and He fell under the weight of it, suffering every step of the way. That was only the very tip of the iceberg compared to when they nailed Him to the cross, lifted it up, and then the epitome of it all, was not just the physical suffering, but God laid on Him the punishment and the wrath of God, that would take away the sin, of not just the small percentage of believers, but rather for the whole world! The whole world was laid on Him, that was the suffering that He accomplished on the world’s behalf. Then God turned right around and through the power of His resurrection and the power of new life, offered it freely to the whole world. I mean FREE, and that’s Grace."
Now after God has done all that, and then lays it out to be had free (for nothing), and men walk it under foot, do we really think He’s being unfair then by coming back with the vengeance, and the wrath that is promised? Oh of course not - be reasonable. He’s already paid the sin debt, it’s all done, but mortal man will not give in. So consequently, verse 30:
Hebrews 10:30 "For we know Him that has said, Vengeance belongs to me, I will recompense, says the Lord, and again, The Lord shall judge His people."
Now first and foremost we’re talking about the Nation of Israel, but we’re also talking about the whole human race, in fact, come back to Romans chapter 3 for a moment. Here in Romans chapter 3, maybe this will help us understand what we're talking about in Hebrews all the time. Yes, Hebrews was written primarily to the Hebrew, because that’s what it says, "To the Hebrews." But listen we can’t just say, "Oh well that’s not for me, that’s for the Hebrew." No, we’re all in the same boat now, because God has reached out beyond the Nation of Israel, and the whole world is now part and parcel of all this.
Romans 3:19a "Now we know that what things soever the law says, (the Mosaic system) it says to them who are under the law:…" Now we think everyone of us know, who was under the Law? Israel. The rest of the world didn’t come under the Mosaic Law. God didn’t expect the Babylonians, Egyptians, and Greeks, to come to Temple worship. That was only for the Nation of Israel. Now reading on.
Romans 3:19b "…it says to them who are under the law that every mouth may be stopped, and all the world may become guilty before God." Do we see how plain that is? Yes, the Law was given to Israel, and Israel was expected to abide by it, not the rest of the world. But the condemnation of the Law (the ten commandments) went to every human being, and not just Israel. Do we see how it reaches? Yes, for those under Law it was a system, it was worship, it was modus operandi, but the condemnation of the Law (ten commandments) went to the whole world, not just Israel. Now with that as a backdrop, come back to Hebrews chapter 10 again. So, it’s the whole world, not just Israel who are under the anathema and the wrath and the vengeance of a Holy God, because He made Redemption and Salvation possible not just for Israel, but the whole human race. As stated else where we're all at our individual conversion placed into the old system of Law for one purpose our training in righteousness which is accomplished by the working of the Holy Spirit who we received as our gift at conversion. His working in us is to lead us or bring us to the point of our seeing our need for God's holiness through which we see salvation laying within reach. But because of the ministration of death which is still in place in the old system we are required to pass through it to reach our desired goal, God's perfect Will, death. Now verse 31. Consequently:
Hebrews 10:31 "It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God."
Do we know why? Because He can do what He says He will do. He is all powerful, He’s Sovereign, and He will keep His Word, and when He says that the lost are going to suffer indignation forever, then we’d better bet our last dollar that it’s going to happen, because He is Sovereign, He’s the One Who has spoken it. So all of these references are merely to show us that yes, God is a God of Grace. God is not willing that any should perish, but when we reject His offer, then He has every right in His Sovereignty and in His Holiness, to bring about our doom and judgment. Now let’s go a little bit further, to the Book of Revelation, chapter 20. People don’t want to hear it, they just want to hear the bless me, prosper me and soft love gospel which are NO gospel at all, because it’s a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the Living God. This is when all of this judgment will come to a head. This is when all the lost of all the ages from Cain on up to the last lost human being that comes off the earth will be meeting at the Great White Throne Judgment for their punishment. So let’s start at verse 11.
Revelation 20:11-12 "And I saw a great white throne, and Him that sat on it, from whose face the earth and the heaven fled away: and there was found no place for them. (that is the earth and universe) 12. And I saw the dead, (the lost. There will be no believers at the Great White Throne) small and great, stand before God; (So they’ve been resurrected, and will be standing before Him bodily, not with a body fit for bliss in glory, but rather with a body that’s fit for their doom, the lake of fire) and the books were opened: and another book was opened, which is the book of life; and the dead were judged out of those things which were written in the books, according to their works." Now here's where it gets interesting where it says "the dead" now this is in reference to all who have not chosen the path from death, spiritual separation from the Living God to Newness of Life found only in the Gospel of Grace and entry into the New Covenant of an Endless Life. The place which we seek while in the first covenant which is designed to teach and train us for His Holiness or to bring about a desire for His Holiness without which NO one will see God (Hebrews 12:14). Now remember that God will give to us the desire of our heart (Psalm 10:17 and 21:2; Proverbs 13:12) when it is in alinement with His will.
Which is a record of their deeds during their life on earth. Now verse 13.
Revelation 20:13 "And the sea gave up the dead which were in it; (in other words nobody is going to miss this that is lost. Every lost person from the very beginning of the human experience until the end is going to be brought up before this Great White Throne. We'll look at this shortly but those who are enemies of the cross and blood of Christ fall into this category as well, in a big way. My, what a horrible place that’s going to be, and Christ will sit as the Judge, not as the Savior that He is for us as believers. Because He has been pleading through His messengers the Gospel of Grace and reconciliation to mankind throughout their whole lifetime, but now they are judged:) every man according to their works." Or as said else where according to they're faith it will be unto them (Matthew 9:29).
Now verse 15, and what a horrible statement, and that’s why most people try to avoid it, but it’s in your Bible, and what does it say?
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