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Warren Seventh Day Adventist Church

Giancarlo De Miranda

A Maligned God

And today we're going to talk about the last topic a maligned God and with that I invite you to pray with me 1 more time and let's ask God's blessing as we open the scriptures dear Heavenly Father we come once again before your presence now is to ask for the Holy Spirit specially to study your word and father your word is spiritually discerned and even if we were to understand with our mind, we wouldn't be able to understand with our hearts and Father we speak and we pray here to you that you help us to have the enlightenment of the Spirit so may He guide us into the truth we pray in Jesus name, amen have you ever visited hell?

You know, there is an island, a Caribbean island, called Grand Cayman.

And there is a spot in that island there, you can see in the very top there on the, in your left side, a place called Hell.

It's the size of, half the size of a football field probably.

And that is the name that a lot of tourists, they go to this place called Hell in that Caribbean island to visit.

And there are different stories why that place was actually called Hell, but it exists.

You can travel to Hell and you can visit Hell today.

And 1 of the stories why they named that place hell was because of the appearance, okay?

So this, what you see there is volcano rocks coming in contact with the lime that was in the area And that was according to 1 of the traditions, what people exclaimed when they first visited that spot.

Okay, And from that point on, that was the name of that location.

And if you go there, you can even visit the post office, Welcome to Hell, and Hell's only post office.

It's the only place you can send a letter straight from Hell.

And you can send a letter to someone and some people they buy souvenirs and that's what they do there to remember this place.

But that take us to the topic for today, a maligned God, because really God has been tremendously misunderstood because of the doctrine of hell.

And I'm switching now to the concept of hell in the theological realm And I want to read to you what some atheists, or at least the people that do not believe in Christianity and in the version of God that Christianity presents, I want you to see why they don't believe and what they say about hell and I wanna start by a very famous 1 Charles Darwin the 1 that really push the theory of evolution and I wanted to see what he wrote here thus disbelief swept over me at a very slow rate but was at last complete, the rate was so slow that I felt no distress and I have never since doubted even for a single second that my conclusion was correct that he stopped believing in the God that the Bible presents and then he goes on to say I can indeed hardly see how anyone ought to wish Christianity to be true I don't know why people want Christianity to be true for if so the plain language of the text seems to show that the man who do not believe and then he says and this would include my father brother and almost all my best friends will be what's next word that he uses?

Everlastingly punished and this is what kind of doctrine?

And I must say that I totally agree with him okay and on this side I side with the 80s and you know what in many aspects of God that the world presents and sometimes even the Christian faith presents we must say we disbelieve in we don't believe in God at least not in this God that you're presenting to the world I want to read another statement from someone who is also noticeable at least here in the United States Robert Ingersoll so he was a lawyer he was a orator a politician he wrote we are to be so taken up with Jesus and the angels he's being sarcastic by the way here ok so he's talking about like Christians enjoying the bliss of heaven we are to be so taken up with Jesus and the angels that we shall care nothing about our brothers and sisters that have been damned we shall be so carried away with the music of the harp that we shall not even hear the wail of father and mother such a religion is a disgrace to human nature would you agree with him yes or no I would I second that and I side with the 80s on that he was not an 80s he was agnostic he is considered a great agnostic okay so another 1 here for you so Clarence Darrell a lawyer as well became well known, especially in the early 1900s, I am not afraid of any God in the universe who would send me or any other man or woman to hell.

If there were such a being, he would not be God, he would be who, everyone?

And then 1 more for us here just to draw the point.

Robert Short, he wrote the book, The Gospel According to Pinnate, the doctrine of eternal damnation more than any other teaching of the Church, produces what, everyone?

It is this teaching more than any other that offended them and turned them away, the atheists.

And by the way, he's not speaking from his own sentiments, he's speaking according to research, okay?

And the evangelicals, the Protestants, they know that the doctrine that are keeping thousands and millions of people away from Christianity today is the doctrine of everlasting punishing in hellfire.

They cannot reconcile a God of love as the Bible presents with the doctrine of eternal burning and eternal fire so the Bible says in 1st John 4, 8 and 16, he who does not love does not know God for what is the very nature of God according to this verse for God is love God is love and he who abides in love abides in God and God in him so if you try to put 1 in the other together you just can't how can God be love and how can he consent or even send people to eternal hell to burn there forever.

Have you ever thought about what forever really is?

So think about that, somebody burning in hell forever after 3000000000000 years eternity has just began so somebody so basically what these people are really questioning and pushing back is the teaching that somebody lives for maybe 20 maybe 60 years maybe 80 years maybe a hundred years and then they sin they don't accept God's grace they prefer to take upon themselves the consequences of their sins and as a consequences of those 80, 100 years of sin they will burn forever and ever and ever they say this is completely unjust, unfair and therefore if such a being exists he must be the devil you see the rationale and I honestly don't think they are wrong the 2 can't go together either God is love or the doctrine of eternal hell should not exist So let's go on that and try to unpack and in fact it is there in the Bible expressions such as this Revelation 14 verse 10 he shall be what tormented with fire and brimstone the verse goes on in verse 11 and the smoke of their torment ascends for how long everyone forever and ever so text such as this seems to support the notion of eternal hellfire but Let's try to answer some questions here this morning.

Is it burning in the center of the earth now as tradition has said for centuries?

And number 2, another question we want to answer, how long does hell last?

Is it eternally as tradition has also suggested and some people says that the Bible actually supports that and number 3 how can a loving God destroy those he loves because God loves all we just say amen for that for God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten son for whosoever whosoever anyone who believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life okay notice here a comforting verse to start with okay so Matthew 25 and verse 41 Jesus said then he will also say to those on the left hand depart from me you cursed into the everlasting fire which is prepared for whom everyone prepare for the devil and his angels God never meant hellfire to be for any of the human family anyone to have the human family was never meant for that it was meant for the devil and his angels because of course when planet Earth came into scene they had already gone too far so let's begin with question number 1 when does hell occur?

Is it burning in the center of the earth now?

Let's go to Malachi if you will I invite you to turn your Bibles there with me last book of the Old Testament Scriptures and the last chapter you have Malachi chapter 4 and we're going to read verse 1 and notice with me the details of the language of the verse in verse 1 the Bible says for behold the day is coming So is Malachi prophesying about a day that has already come in his days, or was present in his days, or is he talking about something in the future?

For behold, the day is coming, burning like an oven.

It wasn't burning in his days yet and then it says and all the proud yes all who do wickedly will be stubble.

The verse goes on to say and the day which is coming in the future shall burn them up, says the Lord of hosts, that will leave them neither root nor branch.

So can you see that for Malachi the notion of God punishing the wicked is Something that it's not taking place now in the present, but something that will take place in the future Another Bible verse and you're welcome to go there with me to 2nd Peter chapter 3 it shows the same concept 2nd Peter chapter 3 and verse 7 notice again the language pointing to something that will take place in the future in verse 7 the Bible says there but the heavens and the earth which are now preserved by the same word, the Word of God which is preserving the world today are reserved for what everyone?

They are reserved, they are not in fire right now, but they are reserved for fire until the day of judgment.

It seems to be a day that is still in the future.

A day of judgment and prediction of ungodly man.

So there we have beginning to answer question number 1, when does hell occur?

And it's certainly not burning in the center of the earth as tradition has suggested.

But I want to show you just bringing back some of our studies in the past that Jesus talked about how many resurrections everyone to the resurrection of life and the resurrection of damnation just called that quickly here to you and John 528 and 29 Jesus says do not marvel at this for the hour is coming and he's pointing to the future as well in which how many who are in the grave will come forth all no exception who are in the graves will hear his voice and come forth he goes on to say verse 29 those who have done good to the resurrection of life and those who have done evil to the resurrection of condemnation there you have 2 resurrections because we know the dead knows nothing they are waiting for their resurrection day however though there are 2 resurrections the Bible also described that they do not take place in the same time or at the same time So there is a gap of 1, 000 years according to the Bible we're going to see that in a little bit between the 2 resurrections the resurrection of life takes place at what occasion everyone?

Ok the second coming of Jesus and then there is a gap of 1000 years and then you have the resurrection of condemnation of the wicked.

In 1st Thessalonians 4.16 describes exactly that.

For the Lord, who is the Lord everyone here?

For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven what event is that when Jesus will come down from heaven the second come with a shout with the voice of the archangel and with a trumpet of God and what happens when Jesus comes and the dead in Christ shall rise first and then what happens next then we which are alive those that will see Jesus coming without seeing death and remain shall be cut up together with them that were resurrected that died in Jesus to meet the Lord in the air and thus we shall always be with the Lord so there you have the first resurrection the resurrection of the righteous at Jesus second coming and the resurrection of the wicked in Revelation 20 verse 6 blessed and holy is he who has part in the first resurrection that's the resurrection of the blessed and the holy those that have accepted Jesus over such what kind of death the second death has no power we will talk about the second death in a moment but I want you to see that the Bible talks about how many kinds of death to so the second death has no power we will talk about the second death in a moment but I want you to see that the Bible talks about how many kinds of death choose so the second death has no power upon the righteous they experience the first death because of the consequences of sin they are resurrected when Jesus comes and the second death has no power over them but has power over some in the same verse the Bible says but they shall be priests of God and of Christ and shall reign with Him.

For how long they will reign with Christ?

The first death is a death that we each die as a natural result of living in a sinful world the second death is what kind of death is everyone an eternal death as a result of personal what's next word rebellion against God So in Revelation 20 where we just were in verse 5 says, but the rest of the dead, those that did not come forth in the first resurrection, all the wicked that would come forth in the resurrection of condemnation but the rest of the dead did not live again until what period?

The thousand years were fulfilled and that bring us back right to that chart that we were looking at you have the resurrection of life when Jesus comes you have 1, 000 years when the righteous will reign with Christ in heaven and by the way they are going to be judging the world understanding why they were not saved and understanding the consequences of their choices and then after the 1, 000 years you have the resurrection of damnation and Then they will experience what the Bible called a second what everyone the second death so back to Revelation 20 and verse 9 I want you to see that picture right after the 1000 years we read the Revelation 20 and verse 9 they went up this is talking about the wicked after they were resurrected after the 1000 years, they went up on the breadth of the earth and surrounded the camp of the saints in the beloved city, the new Jerusalem and fire came down from God out of heaven and what is next word everyone devoured them so you're not I'm not there right so that's why you didn't follow that's good I said you're so quiet where did they all go are you sleeping on me and fire came down from God out of heaven and devour them so the Bible is clear that there is such a thing as punishing the wicked but I'm not fully convinced that there is such a thing as eternal punishing.

If you're in Revelation 20, I invite you to read, I quoted a portion from verse 11 and from verse 15, it says, and they were judged, these are the wicked that were resurrected, each 1 according to his works and then in verse 15 and anyone not found written in the book of life was cast into what kind of lake?

The lake of fire so the Bible does talk about a lake of fire where the wicked will experience the second death why second death?

Because they already experienced the first death through the natural causes of living in a sinful world and they were if they were alive when Jesus came they were consumed by his presence they couldn't stand in the presence of a holy and glorious God now they are raised after the 1000 years they understand why they are lost and they are now in the lake of fire the Bible calls that again the second death when the earth will be turned into a lake of fire and consumed the wicked.

On the other hand, Revelation 21 the next chapter paints a different picture for the righteous.

It says, now I saw a new heaven and a new earth for the first heaven and the first earth has had passed away.

It turned into a lake of fire now God restores all things again, we see a picture of the New Jerusalem coming down from heaven in verse 2 the Bible says then I John saw the holy city New Jerusalem coming down out of heaven from God prepared as a bride adorned for for her husband.

So Revelation presents this beautiful picture the closing scene of Revelation is a marriage scene between Christ and his church coming together to live forever and ever happily ever and ever so that's what we have understood so far the wicked will be burned in the future and they are not being burned right now.

How long does hell or this lake of fire will actually last?

So I invite you to go with me if you will to Malachi chapter 4 again, the last book of the Old Testament.

And it's interesting how this last book of the Old Testament correlates so well with the last book of the New Testament, Revelation.

And we already read verse 1 but just to give a little context but I really want to emphasize in verse 3 but the context says in verse 1 for behold the day is coming burning like an oven and all the proud yes all who do wickedly will be stubble verse 1 goes on to say and the day which is coming shall burn them up.

The language is very clear nothing burns forever friends.

Every material thing will only burn until it's fully consumed.

And the day which is coming shall burn them up says the Lord of hosts that will leave them neither what everyone neither root nor branch verse 3 you shall and this is speaking in poetic language here it says you shall trample the wicked for they shall be what is next word ashes under the soles of your feet the Bible is trying to say friends the wicked will disappear they will be fully destroyed and it will not have any trace they're not going to be burning and suffering forever now another passage here just go there quickly here for us in Psalms 37 and verse 20 the same idea but the wicked shall what is next word everyone perish the enemies of the Lord like the splendor of the meadows shall vanish and notice the language now into smoke they shall vanish away does that sound like an eternal fire yes or no like burning no the wicked will be turned to ashes not burned continually for millions and trillions of years.

That's not the picture that the Bible paints.

What does the Bible mean when it uses the expression everlasting destruction or eternal fire as we just read in Revelation?

I'll go quickly through this verses here so we can understand the usage of the term eternal in the Bible.

When talking about the salvation that Jesus accomplished for us, Paul says notice carefully, neither by the blood of goats and calves but by his own blood he entered in once into the holy place having obtained what kind of salvation friends eternal redemption for us the consequence of the redemption bought from Jesus or bought by Jesus is 1 that has eternal consequences Notice in the same book in Hebrews 6 verse 2 of the doctrine of baptisms and laying of hands and of the resurrection of the dead and of what kind of judgment?

It says the results of redemption and judgment will be what everyone?

Let's see if that actually fits in the biblical narrative.

Now we are going to the last book of the New Testament before Revelation.

I should have asked you what chapter do you think it is?

The author here, Jude, is describing the judgment that came upon the earth upon the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah.

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A Maligned God

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