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Hell
/ Gehenna / eternal punishment / not entering the kingdom of
heaven / not finding life / enmity with God / eternal destruction
(and related topics), continued (2) related
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Note:
Scripture contained in this section is but a small sampling of
passages in the Bible relating to punishment, eternal fire, not
entering the kingdom of Heaven, enmity with God, and related topics. Please
note, however, that some
items in this section may not refer to final judgment or
condemnation or may refer to a temporal punishment rather than the
eternal punishment of hell. Also, some items contained herein may
relate only generally to this topic. We believe such additional
latitude in this topic may be beneficial to readers. In any
case, it should be noted that eternal punishment became most clear
in the New Testament and is clearly taught by Jesus. |
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Whatever you do, do from the heart, as
for the Lord and not for others, knowing that you will receive
from the Lord the due payment of the inheritance; be slaves of the
Lord Christ. For the wrongdoer will receive recompense for the
wrong he committed, and there is no partiality. [COL 3:23-25]
For
you, brothers, have become imitators of the churches of God that
are in Judea in Christ Jesus. For you suffer the same things from
your compatriots as they did from the Jews, who killed both the
Lord Jesus and the prophets and persecuted us; they do not please
God, and are opposed to everyone, trying to prevent us from
speaking to the Gentiles that they may be saved, thus constantly
filling up the measure of their sins. But the wrath of God has
finally begun to come upon them. [1THES 2:14-16]
That is why, when we could bear it no longer, we
decided to remain alone in Athens and sent Timothy, our brother
and co-worker for God in the gospel of Christ, to strengthen and
encourage you in your faith, so that no one be disturbed in these
afflictions. For you yourselves know that we are destined for
this. For even when we were among you, we used to warn you in
advance that we would undergo affliction, just as has happened, as
you know. For this reason, when I too could bear it no longer, I
sent to learn about your faith, for fear that somehow the tempter
had put you to the test and our toil might come to nothing. But
just now Timothy has returned to us from you, bringing us the good
news of your faith and love, and that you always think kindly of
us and long to see us as we long to see you. Because of this, we
have been reassured about you, brothers, in our every distress and
affliction, through your faith. For we now live, if you stand firm
in the Lord. [1THES 3:1-8]
Finally, brothers, we earnestly ask and exhort
you in the Lord Jesus that, as you received from us how you should
conduct yourselves to please God - and as you are conducting
yourselves - you do so even more. For you know what instructions
we gave you through the Lord Jesus. This is the will of God, your
holiness: that you refrain from immorality, that each of you know
how to acquire a wife for himself in holiness and honor, not in
lustful passion as do the Gentiles who do not know God; not to
take advantage of or exploit a brother in this matter, for the
Lord is an avenger in all these things, as we told you before and
solemnly affirmed. For God did not call us to impurity but to
holiness. Therefore, whoever disregards this, disregards not a
human being but God, who (also) gives his Holy Spirit to you.
[1THES 4:1-8]
For you yourselves know very well that the day
of the Lord will come like a thief at night. When people are
saying, "Peace and security," then sudden disaster comes
upon them, like labor pains upon a pregnant woman, and they will
not escape. But you, brothers, are not in darkness, for that day
to overtake you like a thief. For all of you are children of the
light and children of the day. We are not of the night or of
darkness. Therefore, let us not sleep as the rest do, but let us
stay alert and sober. Those who sleep go to sleep at night, and
those who are drunk get drunk at night. But since we are of the
day, let us be sober, putting on the breastplate of faith and love
and the helmet that is hope for salvation. For God did not destine
us for wrath, but to gain salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ,
who died for us, so that whether we are awake or asleep we may
live together with him. [1THES 5:2-10]
Accordingly, we ourselves boast of you in the
churches of God regarding your endurance and faith in all your
persecutions and the afflictions you endure. This is evidence of
the just judgment of God, so that you may be considered worthy of
the kingdom of God for which you are suffering. For it is surely
just on God's part to repay with afflictions those who are
afflicting you, and to grant rest along with us to you who are
undergoing afflictions, at the revelation of the Lord Jesus from
heaven with his mighty angels, in blazing fire, inflicting
punishment on those who do not acknowledge God and on those who do
not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus. These will pay the penalty
of eternal ruin, separated from the presence of the Lord and from
the glory of his power, when he comes to be glorified among his
holy ones and to be marveled at on that day among all who have
believed, for our testimony to you was believed. [2THES 1:4-10]
We ask you, brothers, with regard to the coming
of our Lord Jesus Christ and our assembling with him, not to be
shaken out of your minds suddenly, or to be alarmed either by a
"spirit," or by an oral statement, or by a letter
allegedly from us to the effect that the day of the Lord is at
hand. Let no one deceive you in any way. For unless the apostasy
comes first and the lawless one is revealed, the one doomed to
perdition, who opposes and exalts himself above every so-called
god and object of worship, so as to seat himself in the temple of
God, claiming that he is a god - do you not recall that while I
was still with you I told you these things? And now you know what
is restraining, that he may be revealed in his time. For the
mystery of lawlessness is already at work. But the one who
restrains is to do so only for the present, until he is removed
from the scene. And then the lawless one will be revealed, whom
the Lord (Jesus) will kill with the breath of his mouth and render
powerless by the manifestation of his coming, the one whose coming
springs from the power of Satan in every mighty deed and in signs
and wonders that lie, and in every wicked deceit for those who are
perishing because they have not accepted the love of truth so that
they may be saved. Therefore, God is sending them a deceiving
power so that they may believe the lie, that all who have not
believed the truth but have approved wrongdoing may be condemned.
But we ought to give thanks to God for you always, brothers loved
by the Lord, because God chose you as the firstfruits for
salvation through sanctification by the Spirit and belief in
truth. To this end he has (also) called you through our gospel to
possess the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ. Therefore, brothers,
stand firm and hold fast to the traditions that you were taught,
either by an oral statement or by a letter of ours. [2THES 2:1-15]
This saying is trustworthy: whoever aspires to
the office of bishop desires a noble task. Therefore, a bishop
must be irreproachable, married only once, temperate,
self-controlled, decent, hospitable, able to teach, not a
drunkard, not aggressive, but gentle, not contentious, not a lover
of money... He should not be a recent convert, so that he may
not become conceited and thus incur the devil's punishment. He
must also have a good reputation among outsiders, so that he may
not fall into disgrace, the devil's trap. [Taken from 1TM 3:1-3,6-7]
[Note:
Religious offices indicated in the New Testament are in their
infancy and can be shown to be developing even in Scripture.
Within a short time, many religious offices in the Church adopted
Jesus' and Paul's recommended observance of celibacy as a general
rule.]
Now the Spirit explicitly says that in the last
times some will turn away from the faith by paying attention to
deceitful spirits and demonic instructions through the hypocrisy
of liars with branded consciences. [1TM 4:1-2]
The real widow, who is all alone, has
set her hope on God and continues in supplications and prayers
night and day. But the one who is self-indulgent is dead while she
lives. Command this, so that they may be irreproachable. And
whoever does not provide for relatives and especially family
members has denied the faith and is worse than an unbeliever. Let
a widow be enrolled if she is not less than sixty years old,
married only once, with a reputation for good works, namely, that
she has raised children, practiced hospitality, washed the feet of
the holy ones, helped those in distress, involved herself in every
good work. But exclude younger widows, for when their sensuality
estranges them from Christ, they want to marry and will incur
condemnation for breaking their first pledge. And furthermore,
they learn to be idlers, going about from house to house, and not
only idlers but gossips and busybodies as well, talking about
things that ought not to be mentioned. So I would like younger
widows to marry, have children, and manage a home, so as to give
the adversary no pretext for maligning us. For some have already
turned away to follow Satan. If any woman believer has widowed
relatives, she must assist them; the church is not to be burdened,
so that it will be able to help those who are truly widows. [1TM
5:5-16]
Some people's sins are public, preceding them to
judgment; but other people are followed by their sins. Similarly,
good works are also public; and even those that are not cannot
remain hidden. [1TM 5:24-25]
Whoever teaches something different and does not
agree with the sound words of our Lord Jesus Christ and the
religious teaching is conceited, understanding nothing, and has a
morbid disposition for arguments and verbal disputes. From these
come envy, rivalry, insults, evil suspicions, and mutual friction
among people with corrupted minds, who are deprived of the truth,
supposing religion to be a means of gain. Indeed, religion with
contentment is a great gain. For we brought nothing into the
world, just as we shall not be able to take anything out of it. If
we have food and clothing, we shall be content with that. Those
who want to be rich are falling into temptation and into a trap
and into many foolish and harmful desires, which plunge them into
ruin and destruction. For the love of money is the root of all
evils, and some people in their desire for it have strayed from
the faith and have pierced themselves with many pains. [1TM
6:3-10]
O Timothy, guard what has been entrusted to you.
Avoid profane babbling and the absurdities of so-called knowledge.
By professing it, some people have deviated from the faith. Grace
be with all of you. [1TM 6:20-21]
Bear your share of hardship along with me like a
good soldier of Christ Jesus. To satisfy the one who recruited
him, a soldier does not become entangled in the business affairs
of life. Similarly, an athlete cannot receive the winner's crown
except by competing according to the rules. [2TM 2:3-5]
Therefore, I bear with everything for the sake
of those who are chosen, so that they too may obtain the salvation
that is in Christ Jesus, together with eternal glory. This saying
is trustworthy: If we have died with him we shall also live with
him; if we persevere we shall also reign with him. But if we deny
him he will deny us. If we are unfaithful he remains faithful, for
he cannot deny himself. [2TM 2:10-13]
Remind people of these things and charge them
before God to stop disputing about words. This serves no useful
purpose since it harms those who listen. Be eager to present
yourself as acceptable to God, a workman who causes no disgrace,
imparting the word of truth without deviation. Avoid profane, idle
talk, for such people will become more and more godless, and their
teaching will spread like gangrene. Among them are Hymenaeus and
Philetus, who have deviated from the truth by saying that (the)
resurrection has already taken place and are upsetting the faith
of some. Nevertheless, God's solid foundation stands, bearing this
inscription, "The Lord knows those who are his"; and,
"Let everyone who calls upon the name of the Lord avoid
evil." In a large household there are vessels not only of
gold and silver but also of wood and clay, some for lofty and
others for humble use. If anyone cleanses himself of these things,
he will be a vessel for lofty use, dedicated, beneficial to the
master of the house, ready for every good work. So turn from
youthful desires and pursue righteousness, faith, love, and peace,
along with those who call on the Lord with purity of heart. Avoid
foolish and ignorant debates, for you know that they breed
quarrels. A slave of the Lord should not quarrel, but should be
gentle with everyone, able to teach, tolerant, correcting
opponents with kindness. It may be that God will grant them
repentance that leads to knowledge of the truth, and that they may
return to their senses out of the devil's snare, where they are
entrapped by him, for his will. [2TM 2:14-26]
But understand this: there will be terrifying
times in the last days. People will be self-centered and lovers of
money, proud, haughty, abusive, disobedient to their parents,
ungrateful, irreligious, callous, implacable, slanderous,
licentious, brutal, hating what is good, traitors, reckless,
conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, as they
make a pretense of religion but deny its power. Reject them. For
some of these slip into homes and make captives of women weighed
down by sins, led by various desires, always trying to learn but
never able to reach a knowledge of the truth. Just as Jannes and
Jambres opposed Moses, so they also oppose the truth - people of
depraved mind, unqualified in the faith. But they will not make
further progress, for their foolishness will be plain to all, as
it was with those two. [2TM 3:1-9]
I charge you in the presence of God and of
Christ Jesus, who will judge the living and the dead, and by his
appearing and his kingly power: proclaim the word; be persistent
whether it is convenient or inconvenient; convince, reprimand,
encourage through all patience and teaching. For the time will
come when people will not tolerate sound doctrine but, following
their own desires and insatiable curiosity, will accumulate
teachers and will stop listening to the truth and will be diverted
to myths. But you, be self-possessed in all circumstances; put up
with hardship; perform the work of an evangelist; fulfill your
ministry. [2TM 4:1-5]
For a bishop as God's steward must be blameless,
not arrogant, not irritable, not a drunkard, not aggressive, not
greedy for sordid gain, but hospitable, a lover of goodness,
temperate, just, holy, and self-controlled, holding fast to the
true message as taught so that he will be able both to exhort with
sound doctrine and to refute opponents. For there are also many
rebels, idle talkers and deceivers, especially the Jewish
Christians. It is imperative to silence them, as they are
upsetting whole families by teaching for sordid gain what they
should not. One of them, a prophet of their own, once said,
"Cretans have always been liars, vicious beasts, and lazy
gluttons." That testimony is true. Therefore, admonish them
sharply, so that they may be sound in the faith, instead of paying
attention to Jewish myths and regulations of people who have
repudiated the truth. To the clean all things are clean, but to
those who are defiled and unbelieving nothing is clean; in fact,
both their minds and their consciences are tainted. They claim to
know God, but by their deeds they deny him. They are vile and
disobedient and unqualified for any good deed. [TI 1:7-16]
I want you to insist on these points, that those
who have believed in God be careful to devote themselves to good
works; these are excellent and beneficial to others. Avoid foolish
arguments, genealogies, rivalries, and quarrels about the law, for
they are useless and futile. After a first and second warning,
break off contact with a heretic, realizing that such a person is
perverted and sinful and stands self-condemned. [TI 3:8-11]
Therefore, we must attend all the more to what
we have heard, so that we may not be carried away. For if the word
announced through angels proved firm, and every transgression and
disobedience received its just recompense, how shall we escape if
we ignore so great a salvation? Announced originally through the
Lord, it was confirmed for us by those who had heard. God added
his testimony by signs, wonders, various acts of power, and
distribution of the gifts of the Holy Spirit according to his
will. [HEB 2:1-4]
Therefore, holy "brothers," sharing in
a heavenly calling, reflect on Jesus, the apostle and high priest
of our confession, who was faithful to the one who appointed him,
just as Moses was "faithful in (all) his house." But he
is worthy of more "glory" than Moses, as the founder of
a house has more "honor" than the house itself. Every
house is founded by someone, but the founder of all is God. Moses
was "faithful in all his house" as a "servant"
to testify to what would be spoken, but Christ was faithful as a
son placed over his house. We are his house, if (only) we hold
fast to our confidence and pride in our hope. Therefore, as the
Holy Spirit says: "Oh, that today you would hear his voice,
'Harden not your hearts as at the rebellion in the day of testing
in the desert, where your ancestors tested and tried me and saw my
works for forty years. Because of this I was provoked with that
generation and I said, "They have always been of erring
heart, and they do not know my ways." As I swore in my wrath,
"They shall not enter into my rest."'" Take care,
brothers, that none of you may have an evil and unfaithful heart,
so as to forsake the living God. Encourage yourselves daily while
it is still "today," so that none of you may grow
hardened by the deceit of sin. We have become partners of Christ
if only we hold the beginning of the reality firm until the end,
for it is said: "Oh, that today you would hear his voice:
'Harden not your hearts as at the rebellion.'" Who were those
who rebelled when they heard? Was it not all those who came out of
Egypt under Moses? With whom was he "provoked for forty
years"? Was it not those who had sinned, whose corpses fell
in the desert? And to whom did he "swear that they should not
enter into his rest," if not to those who were disobedient?
And we see that they could not enter for lack of faith. Therefore,
let us be on our guard while the promise of entering into his rest
remains, that none of you seem to have failed. For in fact we have
received the good news just as they did. But the word that they
heard did not profit them, for they were not united in faith with
those who listened. For we who believed enter into (that) rest,
just as he has said: "As I swore in my wrath, 'They shall not
enter into my rest,'" and yet his works were accomplished at
the foundation of the world. For he has spoken somewhere about the
seventh day in this manner, "And God rested on the seventh
day from all his works"; and again, in the previously
mentioned place, "They shall not enter into my rest."
Therefore, since it remains that some will enter into it, and
those who formerly received the good news did not enter because of
disobedience, he once more set a day, "today," when long
afterwards he spoke through David, as already quoted: "Oh,
that today you would hear his voice: 'Harden not your
hearts.'" [HEB 3:1-19,4:1-7]
No creature is concealed from him, but
everything is naked and exposed to the eyes of him to whom we must
render an account. [HEB 4:13]
For it is impossible in the case of those who
have once been enlightened and tasted the heavenly gift and shared
in the Holy Spirit and tasted the good word of God and the powers
of the age to come, and then have fallen away, to bring them to
repentance again, since they are recrucifying the Son of God for
themselves and holding him up to contempt. Ground that has
absorbed the rain falling upon it repeatedly and brings forth
crops useful to those for whom it is cultivated receives a
blessing from God. But if it produces thorns and thistles, it is
rejected; it will soon be cursed and finally burned. But we are
sure in your regard, beloved, of better things related to
salvation, even though we speak in this way. For God is not unjust
so as to overlook your work and the love you have demonstrated for
his name by having served and continuing to serve the holy ones.
We earnestly desire each of you to demonstrate the same eagerness
for the fulfillment of hope until the end, so that you may not
become sluggish, but imitators of those who, through faith and
patience, are inheriting the promises. [HEB 6:4-12]
Let us hold unwaveringly to our confession that
gives us hope, for he who made the promise is trustworthy. We must
consider how to rouse one another to love and good works. We
should not stay away from our assembly, as is the custom of some,
but encourage one another, and this all the more as you see the
day drawing near. If we sin deliberately after receiving knowledge
of the truth, there no longer remains sacrifice for sins but a
fearful prospect of judgment and a flaming fire that is going to
consume the adversaries. Anyone who rejects the law of Moses is
put to death without pity on the testimony of two or three
witnesses. Do you not think that a much worse punishment is due
the one who has contempt for the Son of God, considers unclean the
covenant-blood by which he was consecrated, and insults the spirit
of grace? We know the one who said: "Vengeance is mine; I
will repay," and again: "The Lord will judge his
people." It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the
living God. [HEB 10:23-31]
Therefore, do not throw away your confidence; it
will have great recompense. You need endurance to do the will of
God and receive what he has promised. "For, after just a
brief moment, he who is to come shall come; he shall not delay.
But my just one shall live by faith, and if he draws back I take
no pleasure in him." [HEB 10:35-38]
Strive for peace with everyone, and for that
holiness without which no one will see the Lord. See to it that no
one be deprived of the grace of God, that no bitter root spring up
and cause trouble, through which many may become defiled, that no
one be an immoral or profane person like Esau, who sold his
birthright for a single meal. For you know that later, when he
wanted to inherit his father's blessing, he was rejected because
he found no opportunity to change his mind, even though he sought
the blessing with tears. [HEB 12:14-17]
See that you do not reject the one who speaks.
For if they did not escape when they refused the one who warned
them on earth, how much more in our case if we turn away from the
one who warns from heaven. His voice shook the earth at that time,
but now he has promised, "I will once more shake not only
earth but heaven." That phrase, "once more," points
to (the) removal of shaken, created things, so that what is
unshaken may remain. Therefore, we who are receiving the
unshakable kingdom should have gratitude, with which we should
offer worship pleasing to God in reverence and awe. For our God is
a consuming fire. [HEB 12:25-29]
Consider it all joy, my brothers, when you
encounter various trials, for you know that the testing of your
faith produces perseverance. And let perseverance be perfect, so
that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing. But if
any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God who gives to all
generously and ungrudgingly, and he will be given it. But he
should ask in faith, not doubting, for the one who doubts is like
a wave of the sea that is driven and tossed about by the wind. For
that person must not suppose that he will receive anything from
the Lord, since he is a man of two minds, unstable in all his
ways. The brother in lowly circumstances should take pride in his
high standing, and the rich one in his lowliness, for he will pass
away "like the flower of the field." For the sun comes
up with its scorching heat and dries up the grass, its flower
droops, and the beauty of its appearance vanishes. So will the
rich person fade away in the midst of his pursuits. [JMS 1:2-11]
Blessed is the man who perseveres in temptation,
for when he has been proved he will receive the crown of life that
he promised to those who love him. No one experiencing temptation
should say, "I am being tempted by God"; for God is not
subject to temptation to evil, and he himself tempts no one.
Rather, each person is tempted when he is lured and enticed by his
own desire. Then desire conceives and brings forth sin, and when
sin reaches maturity it gives birth to death. [JMS 1:12-15]
Know this, my dear brothers: everyone should be
quick to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath, for the wrath of a
man does not accomplish the righteousness of God. Therefore, put
away all filth and evil excess and humbly welcome the word that
has been planted in you and is able to save your souls. Be doers
of the word and not hearers only, deluding yourselves. For if
anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man
who looks at his own face in a mirror. He sees himself, then goes
off and promptly forgets what he looked like. But the one who
peers into the perfect law of freedom and perseveres, and is not a
hearer who forgets but a doer who acts, such a one shall be
blessed in what he does. If anyone thinks he is religious and does
not bridle his tongue but deceives his heart, his religion is
vain. Religion that is pure and undefiled before God and the
Father is this: to care for orphans and widows in their affliction
and to keep oneself unstained by the world. [JMS 1:19-27]
My brothers, show no partiality as you adhere to
the faith in our glorious Lord Jesus Christ. For if a man with
gold rings on his fingers and in fine clothes comes into your
assembly, and a poor person in shabby clothes also comes in, and
you pay attention to the one wearing the fine clothes and say,
"Sit here, please," while you say to the poor one,
"Stand there," or "Sit at my feet," have you
not made distinctions among yourselves and become judges with evil
designs? Listen, my beloved brothers. Did not God choose those who
are poor in the world to be rich in faith and heirs of the kingdom
that he promised to those who love him? But you dishonored the
poor person. Are not the rich oppressing you? And do they
themselves not haul you off to court? Is it not they who blaspheme
the noble name that was invoked over you? However, if you fulfill
the royal law according to the scripture, "You shall love
your neighbor as yourself," you are doing well. But if you
show partiality, you commit sin, and are convicted by the law as
transgressors. For whoever keeps the whole law, but falls short in
one particular, has become guilty in respect to all of it. For he
who said, "You shall not commit adultery," also said,
"You shall not kill." Even if you do not commit adultery
but kill, you have become a transgressor of the law. So speak and
so act as people who will be judged by the law of freedom. For the
judgment is merciless to one who has not shown mercy; mercy
triumphs over judgment. [JMS 2:1-13]
What good is it, my brothers, if someone says he
has faith but does not have works? Can that faith save him? If a
brother or sister has nothing to wear and has no food for the day,
and one of you says to them, "Go in peace, keep warm, and eat
well," but you do not give them the necessities of the body,
what good is it? So also faith of itself, if it does not have
works, is dead. Indeed someone might say, "You have faith and
I have works." Demonstrate your faith to me without works,
and I will demonstrate my faith to you from my works. You believe
that God is one. You do well. Even the demons believe that and
tremble. Do you want proof, you ignoramus, that faith without
works is useless? Was not Abraham our father justified by works
when he offered his son Isaac upon the altar? You see that faith
was active along with his works, and faith was completed by the
works. Thus the scripture was fulfilled that says, "Abraham
believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness,"
and he was called "the friend of God." See how a person
is justified by works and not by faith alone. And in the same way,
was not Rahab the harlot also justified by works when she welcomed
the messengers and sent them out by a different route? For just as
a body without a spirit is dead, so also faith without works is
dead. [JMS 2:14-26]
Not many of you should become teachers, my
brothers, for you realize that we will be judged more strictly,
for we all fall short in many respects. If anyone does not fall
short in speech, he is a perfect man, able to bridle his whole
body also. If we put bits into the mouths of horses to make them
obey us, we also guide their whole bodies. It is the same with
ships: even though they are so large and driven by fierce winds,
they are steered by a very small rudder wherever the pilot's
inclination wishes. In the same way the tongue is a small member
and yet has great pretensions. Consider how small a fire can set a
huge forest ablaze. The tongue is also a fire. It exists among our
members as a world of malice, defiling the whole body and setting
the entire course of our lives on fire, itself set on fire by
Gehenna. For every kind of beast and bird, of reptile and sea
creature, can be tamed and has been tamed by the human species,
but no human being can tame the tongue. It is a restless evil,
full of deadly poison. With it we bless the Lord and Father, and
with it we curse human beings who are made in the likeness of God.
From the same mouth come blessing and cursing. This need not be
so, my brothers. Does a spring gush forth from the same opening
both pure and brackish water? Can a fig tree, my brothers, produce
olives, or a grapevine figs? Neither can salt water yield fresh.
[JMS 3:1-12]
Who among you is wise and understanding? Let him
show his works by a good life in the humility that comes from
wisdom. But if you have bitter jealousy and selfish ambition in
your hearts, do not boast and be false to the truth. Wisdom of
this kind does not come down from above but is earthly,
unspiritual, demonic. For where jealousy and selfish ambition
exist, there is disorder and every foul practice. But the wisdom
from above is first of all pure, then peaceable, gentle,
compliant, full of mercy and good fruits, without inconstancy or
insincerity. And the fruit of righteousness is sown in peace for
those who cultivate peace. [JMS 3:13-18]
Where do the wars and where do the conflicts
among you come from? Is it not from your passions that make war
within your members? You covet but do not possess. You kill and
envy but you cannot obtain; you fight and wage war. You do not
possess because you do not ask. You ask but do not receive,
because you ask wrongly, to spend it on your passions. Adulterers!
Do you not know that to be a lover of the world means enmity with
God? Therefore, whoever wants to be a lover of the world makes
himself an enemy of God. Or do you suppose that the scripture
speaks without meaning when it says, "The spirit that he has
made to dwell in us tends toward jealousy"? But he bestows a
greater grace; therefore, it says: "God resists the proud,
but gives grace to the humble." So submit yourselves to God.
Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. Draw near to God, and
he will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners, and
purify your hearts, you of two minds. Begin to lament, to mourn,
to weep. Let your laughter be turned into mourning and your joy
into dejection. Humble yourselves before the Lord and he will
exalt you. Do not speak evil of one another, brothers. Whoever
speaks evil of a brother or judges his brother speaks evil of the
law and judges the law. If you judge the law, you are not a doer
of the law but a judge. There is one lawgiver and judge who is
able to save or to destroy. Who then are you to judge your
neighbor? [JMS 4:1-12]
Come now, you who say, "Today or tomorrow
we shall go into such and such a town, spend a year there doing
business, and make a profit" - you have no idea what your
life will be like tomorrow. You are a puff of smoke that appears
briefly and then disappears. Instead you should say, "If the
Lord wills it, we shall live to do this or that." But now you
are boasting in your arrogance. All such boasting is evil. So for
one who knows the right thing to do and does not do it, it is a
sin. [JMS 4:13-17]
Come now, you rich, weep and wail over your
impending miseries. Your wealth has rotted away, your clothes have
become moth-eaten, your gold and silver have corroded, and that
corrosion will be a testimony against you; it will devour your
flesh like a fire. You have stored up treasure for the last days.
Behold, the wages you withheld from the workers who harvested your
fields are crying aloud, and the cries of the harvesters have
reached the ears of the Lord of hosts. You have lived on earth in
luxury and pleasure; you have fattened your hearts for the day of
slaughter. You have condemned; you have murdered the righteous
one; he offers you no resistance. [JMS 5:1-6]
Be patient, therefore, brothers, until the
coming of the Lord. See how the farmer waits for the precious
fruit of the earth, being patient with it until it receives the
early and the late rains. You too must be patient. Make your
hearts firm, because the coming of the Lord is at hand. Do not
complain, brothers, about one another, that you may not be judged.
Behold, the Judge is standing before the gates. Take as an example
of hardship and patience, brothers, the prophets who spoke in the
name of the Lord. Indeed we call blessed those who have
persevered. You have heard of the perseverance of Job, and you
have seen the purpose of the Lord, because "the Lord is
compassionate and merciful." But above all, my brothers, do
not swear, either by heaven or by earth or with any other oath,
but let your "Yes" mean "Yes" and your
"No" mean "No," that you may not incur
condemnation. [JMS 5:7-12]
My brothers, if anyone among you should stray
from the truth and someone bring him back, he should know that
whoever brings back a sinner from the error of his way will save
his soul from death and will cover a multitude of sins. [JMS
5:19-20]
Rid yourselves of all malice and all deceit,
insincerity, envy, and all slander; like newborn infants, long for
pure spiritual milk so that through it you may grow into
salvation, for you have tasted that the Lord is good. Come to him,
a living stone, rejected by human beings but chosen and precious
in the sight of God, and, like living stones, let yourselves be
built into a spiritual house to be a holy priesthood to offer
spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ. For
it says in scripture: "Behold, I am laying a stone in Zion, a
cornerstone, chosen and precious, and whoever believes in it shall
not be put to shame." Therefore, its value is for you who
have faith, but for those without faith: "The stone which the
builders rejected has become the cornerstone," and "A
stone that will make people stumble, and a rock that will make
them fall." They stumble by disobeying the word, as is their
destiny. [1PT 2:1-8]
Beloved, I urge you as aliens and sojourners to
keep away from worldly desires that wage war against the soul. [1PT
2:11]
Finally, all of you, be of one mind,
sympathetic, loving toward one another, compassionate, humble. Do
not return evil for evil, or insult for insult; but, on the
contrary, a blessing, because to this you were called, that you
might inherit a blessing. For: "Whoever would love life and
see good days must keep the tongue from evil and the lips from
speaking deceit, must turn from evil and do good, seek peace and
follow after it. For the eyes of the Lord are on the righteous and
his ears turned to their prayer, but the face of the Lord is
against evildoers." [1PT 3:8-12]
Therefore, since Christ suffered in the flesh,
arm yourselves also with the same attitude (for whoever suffers in
the flesh has broken with sin), so as not to spend what remains of
one's life in the flesh on human desires, but on the will of God.
For the time that has passed is sufficient for doing what the
Gentiles like to do: living in debauchery, evil desires,
drunkenness, orgies, carousing, and wanton idolatry. They are
surprised that you do not plunge into the same swamp of
profligacy, and they vilify you; but they will give an account to
him who stands ready to judge the living and the dead. For this is
why the gospel was preached even to the dead that, though
condemned in the flesh in human estimation, they might live in the
spirit in the estimation of God. The end of all things is at hand.
Therefore, be serious and sober for prayers. Above all, let your
love for one another be intense, because love covers a multitude
of sins. [Taken from 1PT 4:1-8]
But whoever is
made to suffer as a Christian should not be ashamed but glorify
God because of the name. For it is time for the judgment to begin
with the household of God; if it begins with us, how will it end
for those who fail to obey the gospel of God? "And if the
righteous one is barely saved, where will the godless and the
sinner appear?" [1PT 4:16-18]
Likewise, you younger members, be subject to the
presbyters. And all of you, clothe yourselves with humility in
your dealings with one another, for: "God opposes the proud
but bestows favor on the humble." So humble yourselves under
the mighty hand of God, that he may exalt you in due time. Cast
all your worries upon him because he cares for you. Be sober and
vigilant. Your opponent the devil is prowling around like a
roaring lion looking for (someone) to devour. Resist him,
steadfast in faith, knowing that your fellow believers throughout
the world undergo the same sufferings. [Taken from 1PT 5:5-9]
There were also false prophets among the people,
just as there will be false teachers among you, who will introduce
destructive heresies and even deny the Master who ransomed them,
bringing swift destruction on themselves. Many will follow their
licentious ways, and because of them the way of truth will be
reviled. In their greed they will exploit you with fabrications,
but from of old their condemnation has not been idle and their
destruction does not sleep. For if God did not spare the angels
when they sinned, but condemned them to the chains of Tartarus and
handed them over to be kept for judgment; and if he did not spare
the ancient world, even though he preserved Noah, a herald of
righteousness, together with seven others, when he brought a flood
upon the godless world; and if he condemned the cities of Sodom
and Gomorrah (to destruction), reducing them to ashes, making them
an example for the godless (people) of what is coming; and if he
rescued Lot, a righteous man oppressed by the licentious conduct
of unprincipled people (for day after day that righteous man
living among them was tormented in his righteous soul at the
lawless deeds that he saw and heard), then the Lord knows how to
rescue the devout from trial and to keep the unrighteous under
punishment for the day of judgment, and especially those who
follow the flesh with its depraved desire and show contempt for
lordship. Bold and arrogant, they are not afraid to revile
glorious beings, whereas angels, despite their superior strength
and power, do not bring a reviling judgment against them from the
Lord. But these people…revile things that they do not
understand, and in their destruction they will also be destroyed,
suffering wrong as payment for wrongdoing. Thinking daytime
revelry a delight, they are stains and defilements as they revel
in their deceits while carousing with you. Their eyes are full of
adultery and insatiable for sin. They seduce unstable people, and
their hearts are trained in greed. Accursed children! Abandoning
the straight road, they have gone astray, following the road of
Balaam, the son of Bosor, who loved payment for wrongdoing, but he
received a rebuke for his own crime: a mute beast spoke with a
human voice and restrained the prophet's madness. These people are
waterless springs and mists driven by a gale; for them the gloom
of darkness has been reserved. For, talking empty bombast, they
seduce with licentious desires of the flesh those who have barely
escaped from people who live in error. They promise them freedom,
though they themselves are slaves of corruption, for a person is a
slave of whatever overcomes him. For if they, having escaped the
defilements of the world through the knowledge of (our) Lord and
savior Jesus Christ, again become entangled and overcome by them,
their last condition is worse than their first. For it would have
been better for them not to have known the way of righteousness
than after knowing it to turn back from the holy commandment
handed down to them. What is expressed in the true proverb has
happened to them, "The dog returns to its own vomit,"
and "A bathed sow returns to wallowing in the mire."
[Taken from 2PT 2:1-22]
Know this first of all, that in the last days
scoffers will come (to) scoff, living according to their own
desires and saying, "Where is the promise of his coming? From
the time when our ancestors fell asleep, everything has remained
as it was from the beginning of creation." They deliberately
ignore the fact that the heavens existed of old and earth was
formed out of water and through water by the word of God; through
these the world that then existed was destroyed, deluged with
water. The present heavens and earth have been reserved by the
same word for fire, kept for the day of judgment and of
destruction of the godless. But do not ignore this one fact,
beloved, that with the Lord one day is like a thousand years and a
thousand years like one day. The Lord does not delay his promise,
as some regard "delay," but he is patient with you, not
wishing that any should perish but that all should come to
repentance. But the day of the Lord will come like a thief, and
then the heavens will pass away with a mighty roar and the
elements will be dissolved by fire, and the earth and everything
done on it will be found out. Since everything is to be dissolved
in this way, what sort of persons ought (you) to be, conducting
yourselves in holiness and devotion, waiting for and hastening the
coming of the day of God, because of which the heavens will be
dissolved in flames and the elements melted by fire. But according
to his promise we await new heavens and a new earth in which
righteousness dwells. Therefore, beloved, since you await these
things, be eager to be found without spot or blemish before him,
at peace. And consider the patience of our Lord as salvation, as
our beloved brother Paul, according to the wisdom given to him,
also wrote to you, speaking of these things as he does in all his
letters. In them there are some things hard to understand that the
ignorant and unstable distort to their own destruction, just as
they do the other scriptures. Therefore, beloved, since you are
forewarned, be on your guard not to be led into the error of the
unprincipled and to fall from your own stability. But grow in
grace and in the knowledge of our Lord and savior Jesus Christ. To
him be glory now and to the day of eternity. (Amen.) [2PT 3:3-18]
Now this is the message that we have heard from
him and proclaim to you: God is light, and in him there is no
darkness at all. If we say, "We have fellowship with
him," while we continue to walk in darkness, we lie and do
not act in truth. But if we walk in the light as he is in the
light, then we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of
his Son Jesus cleanses us from all sin. If we say, "We are
without sin," we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in
us. If we acknowledge our sins, he is faithful and just and will
forgive our sins and cleanse us from every wrongdoing. If we say,
"We have not sinned," we make him a liar, and his word
is not in us. [1JN 1:5-10]
My children, I am writing this to you so that
you may not commit sin. But if anyone does sin, we have an
Advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous one. He is
expiation for our sins, and not for our sins only but for those of
the whole world. The way we may be sure that we know him is to
keep his commandments. Whoever says, "I know him," but
does not keep his commandments is a liar, and the truth is not in
him. But whoever keeps his word, the love of God is truly
perfected in him. This is the way we may know that we are in union
with him: whoever claims to abide in him ought to live (just) as
he lived. Beloved, I am writing no new commandment to you but an
old commandment that you had from the beginning. The old
commandment is the word that you have heard. And yet I do write a
new commandment to you, which holds true in him and among you, for
the darkness is passing away, and the true light is already
shining. Whoever says he is in the light, yet hates his brother,
is still in the darkness. Whoever loves his brother remains in the
light, and there is nothing in him to cause a fall. Whoever hates
his brother is in darkness; he walks in darkness and does not know
where he is going because the darkness has blinded his eyes. [1JN
2:1-11]
Do not love the world or the things of the
world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in
him. For all that is in the world, sensual lust, enticement for
the eyes, and a pretentious life, is not from the Father but is
from the world. Yet the world and its enticement are passing away.
But whoever does the will of God remains forever. [1JN 2:15-17]
Children, it is the last hour; and just as you
heard that the antichrist was coming, so now many antichrists have
appeared. Thus we know this is the last hour. They went out from
us, but they were not really of our number; if they had been, they
would have remained with us. Their desertion shows that none of
them was of our number. But you have the anointing that comes from
the holy one, and you all have knowledge. I write to you not
because you do not know the truth but because you do, and because
every lie is alien to the truth. Who is the liar? Whoever denies
that Jesus is the Christ. Whoever denies the Father and the Son,
this is the antichrist. No one who denies the Son has the Father,
but whoever confesses the Son has the Father as well. Let what you
heard from the beginning remain in you. If what you heard from the
beginning remains in you, then you will remain in the Son and in
the Father. And this is the promise that he made us: eternal life.
I write you these things about those who would deceive you. As for
you, the anointing that you received from him remains in you, so
that you do not need anyone to teach you. But his anointing
teaches you about everything and is true and not false; just as it
taught you, remain in him. And now, children, remain in him, so
that when he appears we may have confidence and not be put to
shame by him at his coming. If you consider that he is righteous,
you also know that everyone who acts in righteousness is begotten
by him. [1JN 2:18-29]
Everyone who commits sin commits lawlessness,
for sin is lawlessness. You know that he was revealed to take away
sins, and in him there is no sin. No one who remains in him sins;
no one who sins has seen him or known him. Children, let no one
deceive you. The person who acts in righteousness is righteous,
just as he is righteous. Whoever sins belongs to the devil,
because the devil has sinned from the beginning. Indeed, the Son
of God was revealed to destroy the works of the devil. No one who
is begotten by God commits sin, because God's seed remains in him;
he cannot sin because he is begotten by God. In this way, the
children of God and the children of the devil are made plain; no
one who fails to act in righteousness belongs to God, nor anyone
who does not love his brother. [1JN 3:4-10]
Do not be amazed, (then,) brothers, if the world
hates you. We know that we have passed from death to life because
we love our brothers. Whoever does not love remains in death.
Everyone who hates his brother is a murderer, and you know that no
murderer has eternal life remaining in him. The way we came to
know love was that he laid down his life for us; so we ought to
lay down our lives for our brothers. If someone who has worldly
means sees a brother in need and refuses him compassion, how can
the love of God remain in him? Children, let us love not in word
or speech but in deed and truth. [1JN 3:13-18]
Those who keep his commandments remain in him,
and he in them, and the way we know that he remains in us is from
the Spirit that he gave us. [1JN 3:24]
Beloved, do not trust every spirit but test the
spirits to see whether they belong to God, because many false
prophets have gone out into the world. This is how you can know
the Spirit of God: every spirit that acknowledges Jesus Christ
come in the flesh belongs to God, and every spirit that does not
acknowledge Jesus does not belong to God. This is the spirit of
the antichrist that, as you heard, is to come, but in fact is
already in the world. You belong to God, children, and you have
conquered them, for the one who is in you is greater than the one
who is in the world. They belong to the world; accordingly, their
teaching belongs to the world, and the world listens to them. We
belong to God, and anyone who knows God listens to us, while
anyone who does not belong to God refuses to hear us. This is how
we know the spirit of truth and the spirit of deceit. [1JN 4:1-6]
God is love, and whoever remains in love remains
in God and God in him. In this is love brought to perfection among
us, that we have confidence on the day of judgment because as he
is, so are we in this world. There is no fear in love, but perfect
love drives out fear because fear has to do with punishment, and
so one who fears is not yet perfect in love. We love because he
first loved us. If anyone says, "I love God," but hates
his brother, he is a liar; for whoever does not love a brother
whom he has seen cannot love God whom he has not seen. This is the
commandment we have from him: whoever loves God must also love his
brother. [Taken from 1JN 4:16-21]
Everyone who believes that Jesus is the Christ
is begotten by God, and everyone who loves the father loves (also)
the one begotten by him. In this way we know that we love the
children of God when we love God and obey his commandments. For
the love of God is this, that we keep his commandments. And his
commandments are not burdensome, for whoever is begotten by God
conquers the world. And the victory that conquers the world is our
faith. Who (indeed) is the victor over the world but the one who
believes that Jesus is the Son of God? This is the one who came
through water and blood, Jesus Christ, not by water alone, but by
water and blood. The Spirit is the one that testifies, and the
Spirit is truth. So there are three that testify, the Spirit, the
water, and the blood, and the three are of one accord. If we
accept human testimony, the testimony of God is surely greater.
Now the testimony of God is this, that he has testified on behalf
of his Son. Whoever believes in the Son of God has this testimony
within himself. Whoever does not believe God has made him a liar
by not believing the testimony God has given about his Son. And
this is the testimony: God gave us eternal life, and this life is
in his Son. Whoever possesses the Son has life; whoever does not
possess the Son of God does not have life. [1JN 5:1-12]
If anyone sees his brother sinning, if the sin
is not deadly, he should pray to God and he will give him life.
This is only for those whose sin is not deadly. There is such a
thing as deadly sin, about which I do not say that you should
pray. All wrongdoing is sin, but there is sin that is not deadly.
We know that no one begotten by God sins; but the one begotten by
God he protects, and the evil one cannot touch him. We know that
we belong to God, and the whole world is under the power of the
evil one. [1JN 5:16-19]
Many deceivers have gone out into the world,
those who do not acknowledge Jesus Christ as coming in the flesh;
such is the deceitful one and the antichrist. Look to yourselves
that you do not lose what we worked for but may receive a full
recompense. Anyone who is so "progressive" as not to
remain in the teaching of the Christ does not have God; whoever
remains in the teaching has the Father and the Son. If anyone
comes to you and does not bring this doctrine, do not receive him
in your house or even greet him; for whoever greets him shares in
his evil works. [2JN 1:7-11]
I wrote to the church, but
Diotrephes, who loves
to dominate, does not acknowledge us. Therefore, if I come, I will
draw attention to what he is doing, spreading evil nonsense about
us. And not content with that, he will not receive the brothers,
hindering those who wish to do so and expelling them from the
church. Beloved, do not imitate evil but imitate good. Whoever
does what is good is of God; whoever does what is evil has never
seen God. [3JN 1:9-11]
Beloved, although I was making every effort to
write to you about our common salvation, I now feel a need to
write to encourage you to contend for the faith that was once for
all handed down to the holy ones. For there have been some
intruders, who long ago were designated for this condemnation,
godless persons, who pervert the grace of our God into
licentiousness and who deny our only Master and Lord, Jesus
Christ. I wish to remind you, although you know all things, that
(the) Lord who once saved a people from the land of Egypt later
destroyed those who did not believe. The angels too, who did not
keep to their own domain but deserted their proper dwelling, he
has kept in eternal chains, in gloom, for the judgment of the
great day. Likewise, Sodom, Gomorrah, and the surrounding towns,
which, in the same manner as they, indulged in sexual promiscuity
and practiced unnatural vice, serve as an example by undergoing a
punishment of eternal fire. Similarly, these dreamers nevertheless
also defile the flesh, scorn lordship, and revile glorious beings.
Yet the archangel Michael, when he argued with the devil in a
dispute over the body of Moses, did not venture to pronounce a
reviling judgment upon him but said, "May the Lord rebuke
you!"… Woe to them! They followed the way of Cain,
abandoned themselves to Balaam's error for the sake of gain, and
perished in the rebellion of Korah. These are blemishes on your
love feasts, as they carouse fearlessly and look after themselves.
They are waterless clouds blown about by winds, fruitless trees in
late autumn, twice dead and uprooted. They are like wild waves of
the sea, foaming up their shameless deeds, wandering stars for
whom the gloom of darkness has been reserved forever. Enoch, of
the seventh generation from Adam, prophesied also about them when
he said, "Behold, the Lord has come with his countless holy
ones to execute judgment on all and to convict everyone for all
the godless deeds that they committed and for all the harsh words
godless sinners have uttered against him." These people are
complainers, disgruntled ones who live by their desires; their
mouths utter bombast as they fawn over people to gain advantage.
But you, beloved, remember the words spoken beforehand by the
apostles of our Lord Jesus Christ, for they told you, "In
(the) last time there will be scoffers who will live according to
their own godless desires." These are the ones who cause
divisions; they live on the natural plane, devoid of the Spirit.
But you, beloved, build yourselves up in your most holy faith;
pray in the Holy Spirit. Keep yourselves in the love of God and
wait for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ that leads to eternal
life. On those who waver, have mercy; save others by snatching
them out of the fire; on others have mercy with fear, abhorring
even the outer garment stained by the flesh. [Taken from JUDE 1:3-23]
"To the angel of the church in Thyatira,
write this: 'The Son of God, whose eyes are like a fiery flame and
whose feet are like polished brass, says this: "I know your
works, your love, faith, service, and endurance, and that your
last works are greater than the first. Yet I hold this against
you, that you tolerate the woman Jezebel, who calls herself a
prophetess, who teaches and misleads my servants to play the
harlot and to eat food sacrificed to idols. I have given her time
to repent, but she refuses to repent of her harlotry. So I will
cast her on a sickbed and plunge those who commit adultery with
her into intense suffering unless they repent of her works. I will
also put her children to death. Thus shall all the churches come
to know that I am the searcher of hearts and minds and that I will
give each of you what your works deserve. But I say to the rest of
you in Thyatira, who do not uphold this teaching and know nothing
of the so-called deep secrets of Satan: on you I will place no
further burden, except that you must hold fast to what you have
until I come."'" To the victor, who keeps to my ways
until the end, I will give authority over the nations. He will
rule them with an iron rod. Like clay vessels will they be
smashed, just as I received authority from my Father. And to him I
will give the morning star. [RV 2:18-28]
"To the angel of the church in Sardis,
write this: 'The one who has the seven spirits of God and the
seven stars says this: "I know your works, that you have the
reputation of being alive, but you are dead. Be watchful and
strengthen what is left, which is going to die, for I have not
found your works complete in the sight of my God. Remember then
how you accepted and heard; keep it, and repent. If you are not
watchful, I will come like a thief, and you will never know at
what hour I will come upon you."'" [RV 3:1-3]
"To the angel of the church in
Laodicea,
write this: 'The Amen, the faithful and true witness, the source
of God's creation, says this: "I know your works; I know that
you are neither cold nor hot. I wish you were either cold or hot.
So, because you are lukewarm, neither hot nor cold, I will spit
you out of my mouth. For you say, 'I am rich and affluent and have
no need of anything,' and yet do not realize that you are
wretched, pitiable, poor, blind, and naked. I advise you to buy
from me gold refined by fire so that you may be rich, and white
garments to put on so that your shameful nakedness may not be
exposed, and buy ointment to smear on your eyes so that you may
see. Those whom I love, I reprove and chastise. Be earnest,
therefore, and repent. "'" Behold, I stand at the door
and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, (then) I
will enter his house and dine with him, and he with me. I will
give the victor the right to sit with me on my throne, as I myself
first won the victory and sit with my Father on his throne. [RV
3:14-21]
Then the seventh angel blew his trumpet. There
were loud voices in heaven, saying, "The kingdom of the world
now belongs to our Lord and to his Anointed, and he will reign
forever and ever." The twenty-four elders who sat on their
thrones before God prostrated themselves and worshiped God and
said: "We give thanks to you, Lord God almighty, who are and
who were. For you have assumed your great power and have
established your reign. The nations raged, but your wrath has
come, and the time for the dead to be judged, and to recompense
your servants, the prophets, and the holy ones and those who fear
your name, the small and the great alike, and to destroy those who
destroy the earth." Then God's temple in heaven was opened,
and the ark of his covenant could be seen in the temple. There
were flashes of lightning, rumblings, and peals of thunder, an
earthquake, and a violent hailstorm. [RV 11:15-19]
The beast was given a mouth
uttering proud boasts and blasphemies, and it was given authority
to act for forty-two months. It opened its mouth to utter
blasphemies against God, blaspheming his name and his dwelling and
those who dwell in heaven. It was also allowed to wage war against
the holy ones and conquer them, and it was granted authority over
every tribe, people, tongue, and nation. All the inhabitants of
the earth will worship it, all whose names were not written from
the foundation of the world in the book of life, which belongs to
the Lamb who was slain. Whoever has ears ought to hear these
words. Anyone destined for captivity goes into captivity. Anyone
destined to be slain by the sword shall be slain by the sword.
Such is the faithful endurance of the holy ones. [Taken from RV
13:5-10]
A third angel followed them and said in a loud
voice, "Anyone who worships the beast or its image, or
accepts its mark on forehead or hand, will also drink the wine of
God's fury, poured full strength into the cup of his wrath, and
will be tormented in burning sulfur before the holy angels and
before the Lamb. The smoke of the fire that torments them will
rise forever and ever, and there will be no relief day or night
for those who worship the beast or its image or accept the mark of
its name." Here is what sustains the holy ones who keep God's
commandments and their faith in Jesus. [RV 14:9-12]
The beast that you saw existed once but now
exists no longer. It will come up from the abyss and is headed for
destruction. The inhabitants of the earth whose names have not
been written in the book of life from the foundation of the world
shall be amazed when they see the beast, because it existed once
but exists no longer, and yet it will come again. [Taken from RV
17:8]
After this I heard what sounded like the loud
voice of a great multitude in heaven, saying: "Alleluia!
Salvation, glory, and might belong to our God, for true and just
are his judgments. He has condemned the great harlot who corrupted
the earth with her harlotry. He has avenged on her the blood of
his servants." They said a second time: "Alleluia! Smoke
will rise from her forever and ever." The twenty-four elders
and the four living creatures fell down and worshiped God who sat
on the throne, saying, "Amen. Alleluia." [RV 19:1-4]
Then I saw the beast and the kings of the earth
and their armies gathered to fight against the one riding the
horse and against his army. The beast was caught and with it the
false prophet who had performed in its sight the signs by which he
led astray those who had accepted the mark of the beast and those
who had worshiped its image. The two were thrown alive into the
fiery pool burning with sulfur. The rest were killed by the sword
that came out of the mouth of the one riding the horse, and all
the birds gorged themselves on their flesh. [RV 19:19-21]
When the thousand years are completed, Satan
will be released from his prison. He will go out to deceive the
nations at the four corners of the earth, Gog and Magog, to gather
them for battle; their number is like the sand of the sea. They
invaded the breadth of the earth and surrounded the camp of the
holy ones and the beloved city. But fire came down from heaven and
consumed them. The Devil who had led them astray was thrown into
the pool of fire and sulfur, where the beast and the false prophet
were. There they will be tormented day and night forever and ever.
[RV 20:7-10]
Next I saw a large white throne and the one who
was sitting on it. The earth and the sky fled from his presence
and there was no place for them. I saw the dead, the great and the
lowly, standing before the throne, and scrolls were opened. Then
another scroll was opened, the book of life. The dead were judged
according to their deeds, by what was written in the scrolls. The
sea gave up its dead; then Death and Hades gave up their dead. All
the dead were judged according to their deeds. Then Death and
Hades were thrown into the pool of fire. (This pool of fire is the
second death.) Anyone whose name was not found written in the
book of life was thrown into the pool of fire. [RV 20:11-15]
The one who sat on the throne said,
"Behold, I make all things new." Then he said,
"Write these words down, for they are trustworthy and
true." He said to me, "They are accomplished. I (am) the
Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end. To the thirsty I
will give a gift from the spring of life-giving water. The victor
will inherit these gifts, and I shall be his God, and he will be
my son. But as for cowards, the unfaithful, the depraved,
murderers, the unchaste, sorcerers, idol-worshipers, and deceivers
of every sort, their lot is in the burning pool of fire and
sulfur, which is the second death." [RV 21:5-8]
I saw no temple in the city, for its temple is
the Lord God almighty and the Lamb. The city had no need of sun or
moon to shine on it, for the glory of God gave it light, and its
lamp was the Lamb. The nations will walk by its light, and to it
the kings of the earth will bring their treasure. During the day
its gates will never be shut, and there will be no night there.
The treasure and wealth of the nations will be brought there, but
nothing unclean will enter it, nor any (one) who does abominable
things or tells lies. Only those will enter whose names are
written in the Lamb's book of life. [RV 21:22-27]
Then he said to me, "Do not seal up the
prophetic words of this book, for the appointed time is near. Let
the wicked still act wickedly, and the filthy still be filthy. The
righteous must still do right, and the holy still be holy."
"Behold, I am coming soon. I bring with me the recompense I
will give to each according to his deeds. I am the Alpha and the
Omega, the first and the last, the beginning and the end."
Blessed are they who wash their robes so as to have the right to
the tree of life and enter the city through its gates. Outside are
the dogs, the sorcerers, the unchaste, the murderers, the
idol-worshipers, and all who love and practice deceit. "I,
Jesus, sent my angel to give you this testimony for the churches.
I am the root and offspring of David, the bright morning
star." The Spirit and the bride say, "Come." Let
the hearer say, "Come." Let the one who thirsts come
forward, and the one who wants it receive the gift of life-giving
water. I warn everyone who hears the prophetic words in this book:
if anyone adds to them, God will add to him the plagues described
in this book, and if anyone takes away from the words in this
prophetic book, God will take away his share in the tree of life
and in the holy city described in this book. The one who gives
this testimony says, "Yes, I am coming soon." Amen!
Come, Lord Jesus! The grace of the Lord Jesus be with all. [RV
22:10-21]
Also try:
sin
/ sins / sinned / sinful / sinner [S18a]
devil
/ demon [D7a]
evil
/ wicked
/ wickedness [E3a]
wrong
/ wrongdoing [W14]
heresy
/ heretic [H12a]
separate
from community of believers [E4]
anger of God [A3]
punish
/ punishment / unpunished [P22]
woe
/ woes [W8]
wrath
[W13a]
dead
/ death [D1a]
fear
of God / fear of the Lord [F7]
judgment
[J3a]
repent
/ repentance [R4]
confessing
of sins / forgiveness [F10]
Penance
(Sacrament) [S2]
mercy
/ merciful [M3a]
eternal
life / eternity [E2]
purgatory
[The final purification, after death, of imperfectly
purified souls, before they attain Heaven] [P24]
Heaven
/ heaven / heavens / heavenly [H8a]
Jesus'
second coming [S8]
Other
resources:
Hell / Eternal Damnation
(Topic Page)
Catholic
Basics
Tough
Love in the New Testament
Reflections: A-Z
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