Tag gospel

Die Once, Face Judgment

“People are destined to die once, and after that to face judgment.” Hebrews 9:27. When most people read this text, they just take it to mean that the present life of every human is some kind of test that each of us undergoes, at the end of which we die and then face God to be sentenced with reward or punishment based on our performance. Is this understanding scriptural? What is judgment according to the Scriptures?

Kingdom of Heaven

Why does any Christian need to learn about the Kingdom of Heaven? Why does Jesus Christ ask us to pray for a Kingdom to come upon the Earth where God's will shall be done as it is in Heaven? Isn't the Kingdom of Heaven supposed to be rather in Heaven? Jesus went about the cities and villages preaching the gospel of the Kingdom. Compared to that, what is the predominant teaching regarding the Kingdom among present-day churches?

A Hell of a Story

Won’t it be alright to use hell fire (even if it’s false) as a threat to frighten people into submitting to God? Not really. A disappointed God says, ‘Their fear toward me is taught by the precepts of men’ (Isa 29:13). He rather desires a willingly obedient heart driven by love for Him and goodness - not by fear. And the idea of torment is abhorrent to God. God forbade torture in His Law. Would a God who commands us to love our enemies, wish to burn them forever?

Fate of Adam & the Bad Guys

Where are the dead at present? Is there any hope for them? There is a hell – SHEOL/HADES to which ALL our souls were condemned when Adam fell. That hell is the GRAVE. But there is hope! God promised to RANSOM us from the power of the grave [SHEOL] (Hosea 13:14). He sent Jesus (John 3:16) to die in place of Adam. Jesus paid Adam’s RANSOM and paved the way for the resurrection of all of Adam (Rom 5:12,18). Jesus is the RANSOM for ALL (1Tim 2:6). As in Adam ALL die, so in Christ ALL will be made alive (1Cor 15:22).

The Times of Restitution of All Things

God is the Savior of ALL men, SPECIALLY of those that believe (1Tim 4:10). This scripture promises God's redemption for ALL humans and also a SPECIAL salvation for the believers. How does that work? And Jesus says, 'To the one who does my will to the end, I will give authority over the nations' (Rev 2:26). What are these nations and why are they going to be ruled by the followers of Christ?

The Ransoming of Humankind

If every human falls asleep in death due to Adamic sin, how can the Bible (1Cor 15:22) promise ‘in Christ all will be made alive’? God declares in the Bible – ‘I will RANSOM them [mankind] from the power of the grave; I will redeem them from death (Hosea 13:14). 1Timothy 2:3-6 describes how Jesus Christ fulfilled God's promise. In that explanation, what do these phrases mean - 'ransom for all', 'to be testified in due time' and 'to be saved and to come unto the truth'?

Scriptures, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from THE HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®, NIV® Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide. Scriptures indicated NASB are taken from the NEW AMERICAN STANDARD BIBLE®, Copyright © 1960,1962,1963,1968,1971,1972,1973,1975,1977,1995 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. Scripture quotations marked (NLT) are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2007 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved. Scripture quotations marked HCSB are taken from the Holman Christian Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1999, 2000, 2002, 2003, 2009 by Holman Bible Publishers. Used by permission. Holman Christian Standard Bible®, Holman CSB®, and HCSB® are federally registered trademarks of Holman Bible Publishers. Wherever indicated NCV, scripture taken from the New Century Version®. Copyright © 2005 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.