Pastor John Weaver Oct 9, 2022

While Americans are busy searching headlines to find what chapter of Revelation they think we’re in, the truth is even more disturbing. It’s not Satan’s fault, it’s ours, and we’re the only ones that can do something about it. They are looking in the wrong book, both for the problem and the solution.

Hopefully, this sermon upsets you as much as it does me. Pastor Weaver only scratches the surface of all we could say. There’s nothing we can do to fix you or America. Each man must make himself upright before a Holy God.

Where is the power of the Christian? It’s in Christ, or there is none. There’s the root of the problem. American Christians have taken the grace of God as license to breeze through a sin-cluttered life, and that’s wrecking civilization. Therefore they have no power to fix it. If being Christian is only a part of who you are, perhaps you’re only partly converted, which is to say, not at all. Watch the whole video, but first, carefully read the topic section of Scripture, Deuteronomy 28, particularly from verse 15 onward.

Deuteronomy 28:15-68:

“15 But it shall come to pass, if thou wilt not hearken unto the voice of the LORD thy God, to observe to do all his commandments and his statutes which I command thee this day; that all these curses shall come upon thee, and overtake thee:

16 Cursed shalt thou be in the city, and cursed shalt thou be in the field.

17 Cursed shall be thy basket and thy store.

18 Cursed shall be the fruit of thy body, and the fruit of thy land, the increase of thy kine, and the flocks of thy sheep.

19 Cursed shalt thou be when thou comest in, and cursed shalt thou be when thou goest out.

20 The LORD shall send upon thee cursing, vexation, and rebuke, in all that thou settest thine hand unto for to do, until thou be destroyed, and until thou perish quickly; because of the wickedness of thy doings, whereby thou hast forsaken me.

21 The LORD shall make the pestilence cleave unto thee, until he have consumed thee from off the land, whither thou goest to possess it.

22 The LORD shall smite thee with a consumption, and with a fever, and with an inflammation, and with an extreme burning, and with the sword, and with blasting, and with mildew; and they shall pursue thee until thou perish.

23 And thy heaven that is over thy head shall be brass, and the earth that is under thee shall be iron.

24 The LORD shall make the rain of thy land powder and dust: from heaven shall it come down upon thee, until thou be destroyed.

25 The LORD shall cause thee to be smitten before thine enemies: thou shalt go out one way against them, and flee seven ways before them: and shalt be removed into all the kingdoms of the earth.

26 And thy carcase shall be meat unto all fowls of the air, and unto the beasts of the earth, and no man shall fray them away.

27 The LORD will smite thee with the botch of Egypt, and with the emerods, and with the scab, and with the itch, whereof thou canst not be healed.

28 The LORD shall smite thee with madness, and blindness, and astonishment of heart:

29 And thou shalt grope at noonday, as the blind gropeth in darkness, and thou shalt not prosper in thy ways: and thou shalt be only oppressed and spoiled evermore, and no man shall save thee.

30 Thou shalt betroth a wife, and another man shall lie with her: thou shalt build an house, and thou shalt not dwell therein: thou shalt plant a vineyard, and shalt not gather the grapes thereof.

31 Thine ox shall be slain before thine eyes, and thou shalt not eat thereof: thine ass shall be violently taken away from before thy face, and shall not be restored to thee: thy sheep shall be given unto thine enemies, and thou shalt have none to rescue them.

32 Thy sons and thy daughters shall be given unto another people, and thine eyes shall look, and fail with longing for them all the day long: and there shall be no might in thine hand.

33 The fruit of thy land, and all thy labours, shall a nation which thou knowest not eat up; and thou shalt be only oppressed and crushed alway:

34 So that thou shalt be mad for the sight of thine eyes which thou shalt see.

35 The LORD shall smite thee in the knees, and in the legs, with a sore botch that cannot be healed, from the sole of thy foot unto the top of thy head.

36 The LORD shall bring thee, and thy king which thou shalt set over thee, unto a nation which neither thou nor thy fathers have known; and there shalt thou serve other gods, wood and stone.

37 And thou shalt become an astonishment, a proverb, and a byword, among all nations whither the LORD shall lead thee.

38 Thou shalt carry much seed out into the field, and shalt gather but little in; for the locust shall consume it.

39 Thou shalt plant vineyards, and dress them, but shalt neither drink of the wine, nor gather the grapes; for the worms shall eat them.

40 Thou shalt have olive trees throughout all thy coasts, but thou shalt not anoint thyself with the oil; for thine olive shall cast his fruit.

41 Thou shalt beget sons and daughters, but thou shalt not enjoy them; for they shall go into captivity.

42 All thy trees and fruit of thy land shall the locust consume.

43 The stranger that is within thee shall get up above thee very high; and thou shalt come down very low.

44 He shall lend to thee, and thou shalt not lend to him: he shall be the head, and thou shalt be the tail.

45 Moreover all these curses shall come upon thee, and shall pursue thee, and overtake thee, till thou be destroyed; because thou hearkenedst not unto the voice of the LORD thy God, to keep his commandments and his statutes which he commanded thee:

46 And they shall be upon thee for a sign and for a wonder, and upon thy seed for ever.

47 Because thou servedst not the LORD thy God with joyfulness, and with gladness of heart, for the abundance of all things;

48 Therefore shalt thou serve thine enemies which the LORD shall send against thee, in hunger, and in thirst, and in nakedness, and in want of all things: and he shall put a yoke of iron upon thy neck, until he have destroyed thee.

49 The LORD shall bring a nation against thee from far, from the end of the earth, as swift as the eagle flieth; a nation whose tongue thou shalt not understand;

50 A nation of fierce countenance, which shall not regard the person of the old, nor shew favour to the young:

51 And he shall eat the fruit of thy cattle, and the fruit of thy land, until thou be destroyed: which also shall not leave thee either corn, wine, or oil, or the increase of thy kine, or flocks of thy sheep, until he have destroyed thee.

52 And he shall besiege thee in all thy gates, until thy high and fenced walls come down, wherein thou trustedst, throughout all thy land: and he shall besiege thee in all thy gates throughout all thy land, which the LORD thy God hath given thee.

53 And thou shalt eat the fruit of thine own body, the flesh of thy sons and of thy daughters, which the LORD thy God hath given thee, in the siege, and in the straitness, wherewith thine enemies shall distress thee:

54 So that the man that is tender among you, and very delicate, his eye shall be evil toward his brother, and toward the wife of his bosom, and toward the remnant of his children which he shall leave:

55 So that he will not give to any of them of the flesh of his children whom he shall eat: because he hath nothing left him in the siege, and in the straitness, wherewith thine enemies shall distress thee in all thy gates.

56 The tender and delicate woman among you, which would not adventure to set the sole of her foot upon the ground for delicateness and tenderness, her eye shall be evil toward the husband of her bosom, and toward her son, and toward her daughter,

57 And toward her young one that cometh out from between her feet, and toward her children which she shall bear: for she shall eat them for want of all things secretly in the siege and straitness, wherewith thine enemy shall distress thee in thy gates.

58 If thou wilt not observe to do all the words of this law that are written in this book, that thou mayest fear this glorious and fearful name, THE LORD THY GOD;

59 Then the LORD will make thy plagues wonderful, and the plagues of thy seed, even great plagues, and of long continuance, and sore sicknesses, and of long continuance.

60 Moreover he will bring upon thee all the diseases of Egypt, which thou wast afraid of; and they shall cleave unto thee.

61 Also every sickness, and every plague, which is not written in the book of this law, them will the LORD bring upon thee, until thou be destroyed.

62 And ye shall be left few in number, whereas ye were as the stars of heaven for multitude; because thou wouldest not obey the voice of the LORD thy God.

63 And it shall come to pass, that as the LORD rejoiced over you to do you good, and to multiply you; so the LORD will rejoice over you to destroy you, and to bring you to nought; and ye shall be plucked from off the land whither thou goest to possess it.

64 And the LORD shall scatter thee among all people, from the one end of the earth even unto the other; and there thou shalt serve other gods, which neither thou nor thy fathers have known, even wood and stone.

65 And among these nations shalt thou find no ease, neither shall the sole of thy foot have rest: but the LORD shall give thee there a trembling heart, and failing of eyes, and sorrow of mind:

66 And thy life shall hang in doubt before thee; and thou shalt fear day and night, and shalt have none assurance of thy life:

67 In the morning thou shalt say, Would God it were even! and at even thou shalt say, Would God it were morning! for the fear of thine heart wherewith thou shalt fear, and for the sight of thine eyes which thou shalt see.

68 And the LORD shall bring thee into Egypt again with ships, by the way whereof I spake unto thee, Thou shalt see it no more again: and there ye shall be sold unto your enemies for bondmen and bondwomen, and no man shall buy you.

Part One

Starting in verse 17, we see the third judgment from the Lord.

“17 Fools because of their transgression, and because of their iniquities, are afflicted.

18 Their soul abhorreth all manner of meat; and they draw near unto the gates of death.

19 Then they cry unto the LORD in their trouble, and he saveth them out of their distresses.

20 He sent his word, and healed them, and delivered them from their destructions.

21 Oh that men would praise the LORD for his goodness, and for his wonderful works to the children of men!

22 And let them sacrifice the sacrifices of thanksgiving, and declare his works with rejoicing.

We suppose that the third judgment type refers to transgressions against others. Perhaps one can have iniquity against the Lord for failing to give of the firstfruits. There may be a connotation to that effect in this judgment, but we doubt that’s the whole meaning. The first reason is that rebellion against the Almighty is already covered in the second judgment (Verse 11). And, it’s challenging to have inequity against the Lord since there never can be any attaining unto equity with God. You are altogether and only, without Him, unable to do any good (Romans 3:12); you are totally depraved in the sight of that which is holy.

Assuredly, becoming fools by transgressions because of inequity against people are seen by God, and He brings into judgment those that commit wickedness against their fellows. That’s an important point in verse 17; we become fools for transgression, which brings affliction; in most cases, the misconduct spoken of is injustice, prejudice, unfairness, or bias.

We must note carefully that a communist did not write the Holy Bible. The mind of the American is saturated with incorrect word definitions, even among those rejecting socialism. Injustice and unfairness do NOT mean inequality; there is no sense whatsoever in the Scripture of a drive toward being equal. The New Religion has taken the redefined terms of 1984ism and now teaches them as though God were trying to “level the playing field” in all portions of society. The thing men are equal in is sin, “For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God” – Romans 3:23. The saying that the ground is level at the foot of the cross is apt; there is none good, no not one, God is no respecter of persons.

It’s tedious to write this, but it needs to be said from the rooftops a thousand times; that the New Religion is apostate, partly because it thinks that God is no respecter of persons becuase God no longer deems sin as wrong; they claim. Inequity means, most often in scripture, bias toward men concerning the law and especially the law of God in commerce (Just Balance) and punishment for crimes.

We’ll offer a few; here’s the first example.

“Ye shall do no unrighteousness in judgment: thou shalt not respect the person of the poor, nor honour the person of the mighty: but in righteousness shalt thou judge thy neighbour.” – Leviticus 19:15

Sin is the standard in the law; righteousness is the test of knowing that there is only One righteous.

“Ye shall not respect persons in judgment; but ye shall hear the small as well as the great; ye shall not be afraid of the face of man; for the judgment is God’s: and the cause that is too hard for you, bring it unto me, and I will hear it.” (Moses speaking) – Deuteronomy 1:17

“Thou shalt not wrest judgment; thou shalt not respect persons, neither take a gift: for a gift doth blind the eyes of the wise, and pervert the words of the righteous.” – Deuteronomy 16:19

Again, sin is the standard in the law; righteous judgment must not be perverted. These laws and commands fall under the ninth commandment of Holy God, Exodus 20:16.

There is this proverb 24:23, and see 1 Peter 1:17 with Romans 2:11.

“To have respect of persons is not good: for for a piece of bread that man will transgress.” – Proverbs 28:21

These sum up the reasons against “disequal” treatment perfectly. Are not the global oligarchy and their governments operating openly in grave sin, having thought so highly of themselves? They respect nothing but money, take from those they don’t favor, and rule with the desire to make peasants through bread, treating those they disdain as having no soul. They transgress to enrich themselves as they plan the death penalty upon billions for no cause.

From these laws of God cited here and others are derived the American concepts of equality under the law, the right to face your accuser, a speedy trial by jury, and a tiered system of redress from higher courts. But all of that has now been rigged.

Making application, we can cite two verses from Timothy; these are your rulers.

“3 Without natural affection, trucebreakers, false accusers, incontinent, fierce, despisers of those that are good, 4 Traitors, heady, highminded, lovers of pleasures more than lovers of God” – 2 Timothy 3:3-4.

Vengeance is the Lord’s against them and woe unto those that join them from any class or station. Keep in mind that the New Religion also rejects the plain teaching of the vengeance verses. God’s law and word speak not only of vengeance on the final day but also that God will tire of the willful transgressions of the wicked. A generation gets judged and pays the just recompense; days of vengeance rage as the Lord of hosts wields His sword against those who partake. The day is swiftly arriving when the last baby will be killed under the color of law; the final “vaccine” that causes a lifetime of disorders will be administered, and the end of shedding innocent blood will arrive. The list is almost endless; the day is coming. David prayed for God’s vengeance upon his enemies (Psalm 94) and got it in his lifetime.

But turn again to our Psalm and verse 18. The just man, a good man, and upright will be sick to his stomach at the error of transgressing against his brother; he becomes afflicted, drawing as if to death with guilt and shame. The honorable man is quite different than those described in 2 Timothy 3:3-4 above.

Jesus said woe to them by whom offenses come. This is why critical bible teaching tells us; that if you have transgressed your brother, go and be reconciled to him right away (Matthew 5:24). And likewise, if one has offended the Law-word, go and settle the matter (Matthew 18:15-17), as this section of Matthew 18 is the procedure for removing unrepentant sinners from among your midst. Pray to God for mercy, apologize first to God, then go to your brother and be made whole. If you think someone owes you an apology, forget about it until seventy times seven (Matthew 18:22). Pray for them to be the very best Christian God would have.

Cry out unto the Lord in your trouble and be saved out of your distresses, being delivered from your destructions. Again, read the chorus in verse 21 and pray over verse 22.

In the fourth judgment type from God, we run into problems with the text as it’s hard for some to grasp that He commands and raises the storm.

“23 They that go down to the sea in ships, that do business in great waters;

24 These see the works of the LORD, and his wonders in the deep.

25 For he commandeth, and raiseth the stormy wind, which lifteth up the waves thereof.

26 They mount up to the heaven, they go down again to the depths: their soul is melted because of trouble.

27 They reel to and fro, and stagger like a drunken man, and are at their wits’ end.

28 Then they cry unto the LORD in their trouble, and he bringeth them out of their distresses.

29 He maketh the storm a calm, so that the waves thereof are still.

30 Then are they glad because they be quiet; so he bringeth them unto their desired haven.

31 Oh that men would praise the LORD for his goodness, and for his wonderful works to the children of men!

32 Let them exalt him also in the congregation of the people, and praise him in the assembly of the elders.”

Those who demand that God be not above all His creation have a problem understanding their very nature; they elevate themselves above their station and lower God co-equal. We say again; God raises the storm! Jesus is the Christ, the Saviour, gifter of eternal life, AND Lord (Romans 6:23, 10:13). God refines you, purging your sin by pruning that you bear more fruit, “Every branch in me that beareth not fruit he taketh away: and every branch that beareth fruit, he purgeth it, that it may bring forth more fruit.” – John 15:2

And what of Psalm 66? Please read the whole Psalm. It’s only 20 verses; here are 10-13.

“10 For thou, O God, hast proved us: thou hast tried us, as silver is tried. 11 Thou broughtest us into the net; thou laidst affliction upon our loins. 12 Thou hast caused men to ride over our heads; we went through fire and through water: but thou broughtest us out into a wealthy place. 13 I will go into thy house with burnt offerings: I will pay thee my vows” – Psalm 66:10-13

And, as you may have rightly figured, there’s a proverb, 25:4.

These are but a few examples from which we must come to understand that God purifies us to make us a vessel fit to bring Him glory through our seeking of Him. And who, having been tested, does not come out with more profound respect and love of God, showing forth in our more excellent works by His power and righteousness through us in the world? The New Religion must think that having their feelings justified by the tickling of their ears is how God grows them. God brings a storm in the believer’s life to raise and train you therein. Get over it and adapt or remain a permanent infant or worse; walk away, having tasted at the first that God’s word is sweet, but rejecting Him when discovering that His word in us can be bitter to the belly (Revelation 10:9).

In Part One of these posts, having touched upon that this fourth judgment here is not to be confused with the second, we should explain further. In the second judgment (Verses 10-16), they have rebelled against the Almighty’s Law-word, that which He commands. For this, God must take action to bring them into the understanding of His demands as not only Saviour but Lord. Here in this fourth judgment, God purposefully raises a storm within which He may purge us of dross as the great refiner of those that are His, bringing forth more acceptable silver we come out the other side purer, closer to being a son and type of Christ.

Of course, verse 30 also presents a problem for the New Religion as they believe God is some type of cosmic genie in a bottle to bring them to their desired haven. Having rejected God’s sovereign will, they refuse to hear how it’s God in the first that would set them on their journey, making them a worthy Christian soldier. Over and over, He would purge and purify, grow and mature you. Still, many don’t want the temporary and necessary interim discomfiture that God may get a significant gain in glory through their later service walking in the works of His will.

Read verses 28-32 again, pray, cry out, and do as He desires of you.

In the final post on Psalm 107, Lord willing, although we felt compelled to cover it somewhat here, we’ll see judgment against nations and rulers.

In Psalm the One Hundred and Seventh, we see four judgments and four instances of restoration. And later, we see two national or “universal” workings of God. Blessed with the conclusion to these matters, here’s verse 43 to examine by way of establishing goals in understanding God’s purposes in leaving us these lessons.

“Whoso is wise, and will observe these things, even they shall understand the lovingkindness of the LORD.” – Psalm 107:43

So, the purpose of this Psalm is that having first salvation, we gain an understanding of the lovingkindness of the Almighty, having been set on a course to endure and grow thereby at the hand of His workings, becoming wise that we might observe these things. Observe does not mean watch; it means do! When you find yourself in the midst, these can be arduous, even hard-fought matters.

“And unto man he said, Behold, the fear of the Lord, that is wisdom; and to depart from evil is understanding.” – Job 28:28

This verse from Job instructs us to be obedient to God, departing or separating from evil so that we might gain wisdom. It fits with this Psalm. Wisdom is knowledge applied by experience so that we might know God and His mind toward us. Judgment upon the believer is for us to gain wisdom in experiential learning from the Lord our God. The self-centered and hyper-personalized teaching of the New Religion forgets that God’s whole purpose is not to glorify you but to bring glory to Himself through you.

This is a favorite verse, and with good reason. “But let him that glorieth glory in this, that he understandeth and knoweth me, that I am the LORD which exercise lovingkindness, judgment, and righteousness, in the earth: for in these things I delight, saith the LORD.” Jeremiah 9:24

As general instruction in every section of scripture, be looking for God’s great purposes in judgment, in mercy and grace, and for instruction in righteousness. When teaching and training, especially the young and especially boys, they need to be weaned off of Bible Stories, as the purpose in instruction becomes to make Christian soldiers for Jesus Christ. This is done, in part, by showing them why God does what He does so that when the time of testing comes, they don’t shrink away from being a follower of Jesus Christ, and they continue in the works He has given them. And this applies to all age ranges, keeping in mind Spiritual maturity is not the same as the number of trips around the sun. As we’ll see later, these judgments scale beyond personal to marriage, family, Church, and State.

Some, much smarter, see the sections of this Psalm differently; nonetheless, we’ll break this scripture apart thus.

“1 O give thanks unto the LORD, for he is good: for his mercy endureth for ever.

2 Let the redeemed of the LORD say so, whom he hath redeemed from the hand of the enemy;

3 And gathered them out of the lands, from the east, and from the west, from the north, and from the south.

4 They wandered in the wilderness in a solitary way; they found no city to dwell in.

5 Hungry and thirsty, their soul fainted in them.

6 Then they cried unto the LORD in their trouble, and he delivered them out of their distresses.

7 And he led them forth by the right way, that they might go to a city of habitation.

8 Oh that men would praise the LORD for his goodness, and for his wonderful works to the children of men!

9 For he satisfieth the longing soul, and filleth the hungry soul with goodness.”

Permanent infant Christians at the hand of inferior Church teachers, Pastors, and Preachers will seldom leave this first judgment. We all love the day of salvation; joy remains in our hearts for the grace and mercy of the Almighty toward us. It’s a good refreshing to meditate on that initial time, the first work in our heart, our first love (Revelation 2:4), the moment Christ made us His, but He further admonishes that church in Revelation to do the first works. But those leaders harm the hearer or reader of their work and do a disservice to Holy God by not showing the weightier things of the Law (Matthew 23:23). When trials come, Christians under their care are lost in a sea of ignorance for lack of proper instruction, know not the chief Sheppard’s purposes in judgment and for instruction in righteousness. Christianity is not about basking in the love of God from this day forward, being consumerists of the Word of God. He gave you His love and His peace that you might carry out the work of a disciple, preaching the Gospel to every creature.

In this first section and verse two, we see that essential truth all men face, captured by the hand of the enemy under the curse of sin from the start; their eyes are blinded to Christ. Their hearing dull by strongholds abounding in their hearts and minds to keep them under the lie that wisdom may be attained without God, making themselves into unredeemed fools headed to the resurrection damned. But we see God’s great mercy in redemption to those whose eyes He has opened to the truth of salvation in Christ unto eternal life.

Verse 4 is undoubtedly historical of the Israelites, but the Messianic implications to us in the first several verses and especially 3 are of His church. He is gathering a people unto Himself (Revelation 7:9), His church which is the body of Christ, to worship Him before the throne. Zionists won’t or can’t hear this verse; God help them. Dear reader, Revelation 7:9 is taking place now, which means that the preceding and following verses in Revelation 7 already happened, just as Jesus said.

“And they shall come from the east, and from the west, and from the north, and from the south, and shall sit down in the kingdom of God.” – Luke 13:29

So we see, in the Psalm, verses 5 through 7, those in need of a Saviour, led forth in the right way to that, the promise of a great city of safe habitation, a refuge, and stronghold in the Lord for the redeemed. Verse seven is the first of two mentions of a city; we know that we have a heavenly city.

“And I John saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband.” – Revelation 21:2

With verse 8 and three other slightly varying instances, 15, 21, and 31, it becomes apparent those are the chorus of this song. One cannot praise the Lord enough, but in each judgment, there is a lesson to be learned. Praise His holy name for salvation, then beseech Him for the sincere milk of the word that you might grow thereby, take meat, walk in His works, and become a teacher, instructing in the whole counsel of God, to all nations as He has commissioned.

As we see it, the second judgment type is in verses 10-16.

“10 Such as sit in darkness and in the shadow of death, being bound in affliction and iron;

11 Because they rebelled against the words of God, and contemned the counsel of the most High:

12 Therefore he brought down their heart with labour; they fell down, and there was none to help.

13 Then they cried unto the LORD in their trouble, and he saved them out of their distresses.

14 He brought them out of darkness and the shadow of death, and brake their bands in sunder.

15 Oh that men would praise the LORD for his goodness, and for his wonderful works to the children of men!

16 For he hath broken the gates of brass, and cut the bars of iron in sunder.”

Sadly, having been redeemed, they resort to rebellion in verse 11 against the Law-word and are set by God bound as in irons with afflictions (verse 10). Rebellion against the almighty for the believer can be devastating, blessings removed, wickedness creeping in, and the mercies of protection by a wall of fire about you and your family are removed. All manner of not “circumstances” but poor judgment, seeming endless effort to no avail, money and position gone, ill favor all around come upon you.

Remember, dear brothers and sisters; all people sit on the precipice into wanton abandon; without Him, all the world would resort to violence as before the days of the flood. The earth is cursed with sin; His mighty favor holds it back. He doesn’t have to do much for the rebellious to come into trouble; removing a bit of providential love and sin from all quarters comes knocking.

Verse 12 explains it well and concludes that there was none to help. That you might learn this primary lesson of rebellion, always depend upon the Lord, for if you hear and heed, rebellion is averted in the first. But, having fallen into rebellion, we have instruction (Verse 13); cry unto the Almighty, by Christ, our great High Priest; He ever liveth to make intercession. He will break the bands of shackles upon you, brought out of darkness, loosed from your self-created prison of the sin of rebellion against Mighty God. And verse 15, again, the chorus, study it closely, praise His holy name, for His judgments are just and true. Amen.

And a secondary lesson but vital, having salvation unto eternal life but rebelling against God, we learn a lesson the worth of which is immeasurable; we are to be assaulting the gates of hell, for the Gospel of Jesus Christ is the power of God unto salvation. We’re not to be picking the lock of that gate that we, if it were possible, having rebelled against Christ, try to re-join the kingdom of death and eternal torment.

“And I say also unto thee, That thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.” – Matthew 16:18

In the next post, we’ll discuss, if Christ allows, the third and fourth types of judgment. It’s most important for one maturing in Christ, a discerner of good and evil (Hebrews 7:25), to distinguish this second type of judgment above (Verses 10-16) from the fourth. Coming before the King admitting fault, or accepting the season of trial with a heart toward growing in the grace and knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ (2 Peter 3:17-18) is a lesson of paramount importance.