Evidence that sin and sinners will not rise up a second time after their destruction:
(We are giving this to you from several different Bible versions to help you see it better.)
“What do ye imagine against the LORD? He will make an utter end: affliction shall not rise up the second time.” Nahum 1:9 KJV.
“Whatever you devise against the LORD, He will make a complete end of it. Distress will not rise up twice.” Nahum 1:9 NASB.
“Whatever they plot against the LORD He will bring to an end; trouble will not come a second time.” Nahum 1:9 NIV.
“What do you plot against the LORD? He will make a full end; He will not take vengeance twice on His foes.” Nahum 1:9 RSV.
Can there be any doubt about the meaning of this text? If not read the verses 1-8 before it.
Why is it that sin cannot rise a second time? It is because sin and sinners are no more! Note that the RSV says God will not take vengeance twice on His foes. Why? Because He will make a full end of all sin and all unrepentant sinners. This also speaks against what some people have believed that sinners will be given a second chance, after the probation of their life here, or after they have burned in hell for a while to purge away all of their sins. No way. And no, sinners are not eternally burning, and there is no hope of them ever being saved again, or escaping from the burning fire, because they will cease to exist in ANY form when they are utterly destroyed. Jesus also stated this same truth when He declared: “And fear not them which kill the body, but are not able to kill the soul: but rather fear him which is able to destroy both soul and body in hell.” Matthew 10:28 KJV. Can it be any more clear than what Jesus stated here? We are not to fear anything that man or devils can do to us, but we are to fear (reverence) Him who can destroy both the body and soul in hell. Here it is so clear that God has the power to destroy the body and soul in hell. This means that when God punishes the guilty sinner in the ‘fires of hell’ or ‘the lake of fire’ as described in Revelation, that the body and the soul will both be completely destroyed. It also means that the soul will not go on living apart from the body after the body is destroyed, because God destroys BOTH the body and soul in hell. There will be no endless burning of the wicked in hell. God will not take vengeance on His foes twice.
Paul declares that the last enemy to be destroyed is death. “But every man in his own order: Christ the firstfruits; afterward they that are Christ's at his coming. Then cometh the end, when He shall have delivered up the kingdom to God, even the Father; when he shall have put down all rule and all authority and power. For he must reign, till he hath put all enemies under his feet. The last enemy that shall be destroyed is death. For he hath put all things under his feet. But when he saith all things are put under him, it is manifest that he is excepted, which did put all things under Him.” 1 Corinthians 15:23-27 KJV. If the last enemy that is destroyed is death, how can sinners be punished endlessly after this? Paul clearly states here that Jesus will put down all rule and authority and power, and put all enemies under His feet. The phrase “put down all rule” or authority and power refers to the practice of killing the conquered foe of the enemy, so that they had no more power. Jesus said, talking about the future destruction of the wicked, “But these enemies of mine, who did not want me to reign over them, bring them here and slay them in my presence." Luke 19:27 NASB. This represents the destruction of all sinners and evil angels, who did not want Jesus or His Father to reign over them. In the same way the conqueror destroyed their enemies, Jesus and His Father will destroy their enemies too in the Lake of Fire. After Jesus and His Father ‘slay’ their enemies, they cease to exist, just like the conquered enemies of the kings who were put down or killed. To believe in the endless punishment of the wicked, is to not believe Paul’s or Jesus’ testimony here. Even death is destroyed!
John in Revelation also declares that death and Hades (or Hell) were cast into the Lake of Fire and destroyed: “Then I saw a great white throne and Him who sat upon it, from whose presence earth and heaven fled away, and no place was found for them. And I saw the dead, the great and the small, standing before the throne, and books were opened; and another book was opened, which is the book of life; and the dead were judged from the things which were written in the books, according to their deeds. And the sea gave up the dead which were in it, and death and Hades gave up the dead which were in them; and they were judged, every one of them according to their deeds. Then death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire. This is the second death, the lake of fire. And if anyone's name was not found written in the book of life, he was thrown into the lake of fire.” Revelation 20:11-15 NASB. Note the KJV says “Hell” instead of “Hades”.
So we see that the Bible teaches that even Death itself, and Hell itself are destroyed in the Lake of Fire.
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Originally posted 2017-10-06 14:00:00.
“If anyone comes to Me, and does not hate his own father and mother and wife and children and brothers and sisters, yes, and even his own life, he cannot be My disciple. Whoever does not carry his own cross and come after Me cannot be My disciple. For which one of you, when he wants to build a tower, does not first sit down and calculate the cost to see if he has enough to complete it? Otherwise, when he has laid a foundation and is not able to finish, all who observe it begin to ridicule him, saying, 'This man began to build and was not able to finish.'” Luke 14:26-30 NASB. Are you able to finish the course that is set before you? Hebrews 12:1. You will be able to finish the course that is set before you, if you count the true cost, and the true value of the surpassing riches that God wants to provide you. “And raised us up with Him, and seated us with Him in the heavenly places, in Christ Jesus, in order that in the ages to come He might show the surpassing riches of His grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus.” Ephesians 2:6-7 NASB.
Jesus said, “Greater love has no one than this, that one lay down His life for His friends. You are My friends if you do what I command you.” John 15:13-14 NASB. Jesus is the good shepherd who laid down his life for His friends!Jesus said, “Why do you call Me, 'Lord, Lord,' and do not do what I say?” Luke 6:46 NASB. We are Jesus’ friends if we do what He says. Doing everything that He said is doing everything that He has commanded us.
How to know if you are born again and belong to God? Do you love to tell of Jesus and His Father’s love? Or do you love to tell the faults of others? Do you love your neighbor as yourself? Does doing the right thing, being a good witness, and sharing your faith seem like a duty or a pleasure? Do you have a nagging guilt that you should do something for God and others? Or do you have a burning desire to serve God and help others? Are you so happy that you are free? Or are you bound in slavery and guilt?
Certificate of Achievement: This acknowledges that [blank] is a servant of God because he/she loves Jesus. [Your Name Goes Here?] Signed by the Holy Spirit. Today’s Date? Please look at this certificate and ponder the importance of what it is trying to teach, it is really quite simple, yet powerful. This pictorially shows us how we can please God, and know if we are on the right track or not. It is not just trying to be cute, but to help all to see the truth.
Give your heart to God every day! Why not? He loves you! If you promise to love and serve Him, by His power, and ask Him to bless you in witnessing to others of His love, He will be happy with you! Even though we are cautioned by Jesus not to vow, because we cannot turn one hair of our head white or black, He is talking about any promises that we make in our own strength. The key here is that we cannot keep an oath that we made ‘by our head,’ or by ourselves. But we can vow by the mighty power of God!
“Therefore they said to Him, ‘What shall we do, so that we may work the works of God?’ Jesus answered and said to them, ‘This is the work of God, that you believe in Him whom He has sent.’” John 6:28-29 NASB. What shall we do that we may do the works of God? Believe in the one God sent, Jesus. Yes, we repeated it. When you want to really understand a text, it is often helpful to read it again, because the Bible explains itself. Both the question and the answer are both contained in this text. This is another way of stating righteousness by faith!
The inspiring testimony of Charles Fitch - how he came to receive the Holy Spirit and have a closer walk with God. He learned how God could make him more like Jesus:
It is now several years, since, after a season of spiritual gloom and sadness, I came fully to the conclusion, that there was something in the religion of Jesus Christ, to which I had been a stranger. I had seen myself to be a sinner before God, richly deserving His everlasting indignation. I had seen that God would be holy, just and good, and worthy of universal and eternal adoration, while punishing me with everlasting destruction from His presence and from the glory of His power. I had also seen in Christ a Saviour, who, after atoning for all mankind on the cross, was able, on the merits of that atonement, to save to the uttermost all that come to God by Him; and on that Saviour I had cast myself as my only hope, and trusted in Him, and Him only, as my Deliverer from the wrath of God.
Peter said, “And we are witnesses of these things; and so is the Holy Spirit, whom God has given to those who obey Him.” Acts 5:32 NASB. So obedience to God is the condition for receiving the Holy Spirit! There is a true Holy Spirit, and there is a counterfeit. How do you know which Holy Spirit is the real Holy Spirit? If you are obeying God in what He has revealed in the Bible, or if you want to obey Him, He will give you the help you need and the continued desire to obey Him in everything He has said.
The force of this is found in the fact that the Christian life, which is the result of faith, is progressive. The Christian life is a continual growth. Peter says: "Beware lest ye also, being led away with the error of the wicked, fall from your own steadfastness. But grow in grace, and in the knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ." 2 Peter 3:17, 18. The only way to keep from falling from that which we have, is to grow. David says of the righteous man that "he shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water." Ps. 1:3. This means continual growth.
