“And GOD saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually.” (Gen. 6:5)
And because of that, only eight people were brought through the flood.
“But when the fulness of the time was come, God sent forth his Son, made of a woman, made under the law,” (Gal. 4:4)
But they would not listen, they scourged Him, mocked Him and crucified the Lord of glory, and so.
“Behold, your house is left unto you desolate.” (Matt. 23:38)
And it has been for over two-thousand years now.
And then, the Lord is calling out a people unto Himself, out of the Gentiles, but a day just as those days before is upon us.
“Let no man deceive you by any means: for that day shall not come, except there come a falling away first, and that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition;” (2nd Thess. 2:3)
Do you see a pattern repeating itself here? Six-thousand or more years of history all within a few short sentences, the Almighty calls, some heed the call, most do not, pride enters into the hearts of men, and He reminds them, again, who is Sovereign over all of His creation.
This time it will be the great and terrible day of the Lord, the Tribulation Period, then a thousand years of the Lord ruling on this planet, what we call the Millennial Period. Yet people will still rebel, and that will also come to a close, some to eternal damnation in the Lake of Fire, some to eternal life in the presence of the fulness of joy.
The pattern repeats.
But it is this verse I ponder at times in the Book of Revelation.
“For without are dogs, and sorcerers, and whoremongers, and murderers, and idolaters, and whosoever loveth and maketh a lie.” (22:15)
And I suppose it has brought much debate to the table amongst those who seek the face of God. What is outside of the gates of the New Jerusalem is the new heaven and earth, some dispute whether that new heaven means the third heaven, where the Most High resides, if you will, though He is not confined to any singular space or time, if it means where the stars and galaxies are, or if it is the blue sky above us, the atmosphere that surrounds this planet.
As a side note, and I could be mistaken here, you must remember 1st Corinthians 15:50.
“Now this I say, brethren, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God; neither doth corruption inherit incorruption.”
So breathing is not going to be a necessity for us any longer.
The verse in Revelations implies evil outside, intentional evil against the Almighty, so in the mentioning of it I question if it refers to the Lake of Fire and all the untold numbers of people who will be there forever. Personally, I do not think so, but then I am left with no other option, that history will once again repeat itself.
Satan and all those who were cast out with him, every human being who is not in heaven, who was not chosen by the Almighty, will be confined to the Lake of Fire eternally, never to darken the door of our eternal home, so it would seem to suggest that something that I cannot understand, somehow, in some way, there will be the allowance by the Almighty of free will in the lives of, as best as my simple mind can comprehend, a new form of life.
This short letter to you today holds no true value in my thoughts, save for this, to contemplate the will and Word of God, to fulfill Hebrews 11:6.
“But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.”
For we will never stop seeking to know more about our Savior my friends.
Being born-again is just the beginning, our service and desire to serve Him for His glory will not end when this part of our life is over, there will always and without end be more to know of our Creator and King.
Fulfill the daily tasks that He sets before you, listen intently for the Holy Spirit and His guidance, lift up the name of the Lord Jesus Christ continually. The past and the future are all in His hands.
