We need to focus on the Middle East because it is there where World War III will begin. In this special program, we will be discussing events pertaining to Iran, Saudi Arabia, Turkey, Jordan, Israel, Egypt , Syria, Libya, Ethiopia and ISIS. We will also address growing anti-Semitism in Europe and the strained relationship between Israel and the EU. We will explain how these events fit into the panorama of biblical prophecy, and what we can expect to occur next.
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Scorn and Ridicule for God and His People
The Bible shows us that especially in these end times, many will scoff at God, His Word, His servants and His people. We should not be surprised when we are ridiculed and scorned. Those who may know us and do not approve of our new way of life may look for “reasons” to mock us and speak evil of us–because they themselves may not want to change. But we must also be careful that we do not unnecessarily provoke ridicule through our own conduct.
Rumors and Conspiracies
Many believe in wild rumors and weird conspiracy theories. And even some in God’s Church can become easy targets, if they are not careful. We are called upon to come out of the Babylonian confusion of political propaganda and war hysteria, while rejecting unprovable concepts and speculations. Would we be guilty of lying if we were to propagate something which turns out to be false? Do we understand that many popular conspiracy theories were invented by Satan and his demons?
In What Way is Christ the End of the Law?
We find the following statement in Romans 10:4: “For Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to everyone who believes.”
Many use this Scripture for the false concept that Christ came to end or abolish the law, and that we are free to break the law (which, they claim, does not exist anymore for us), and that all we need in order to be righteous in the eyes of God is a belief in Christ.
It is true, of course, that with the death of Jesus Christ, the sacrificial system found its completion, so that we are no longer bound to keep Old Testament rituals, including animal sacrifices and physical circumcision. We are no longer under a temporary tutor of rituals which brought us to Christ (Galatians 3:24). Those ritual laws and sacrifices were added because of sin and transgressions until the Seed (Jesus Christ) would come (Galatians 3:19; Romans 5:20). Sin is the transgression of the law (1 John 3:4, Authorized Version). It is obvious then that Galatians speaks about two different sets of laws—the law of temporary rituals and sacrifices which was added and the permanent spiritual law which defines sin (Romans 7:14). While the ritual law has been fulfilled in Christ and is no longer in force and effect for us, the spiritual law (some call it moral law) is still binding and, as we will see, can be obeyed by us when the love of God and the faith of Christ reside in us and when we are following Christ’s lead.
The Bible makes it very clear that theoretical faith “in” Christ is not enough, and that we will not inherit salvation when we refuse to keep God’s spiritual law of the Ten Commandments. When a rich young ruler asked Christ what he needed to do to have eternal life (Matthew 19:16), Christ answered that in order to have eternal life, to enter the kingdom of God and to inherit salvation (compare verses 24, 25), he had to keep the commandments (verse 17), clarifying that He spoke about the Ten Commandments (verses 18-19).
James confirms the biblical teaching that we must still keep the Ten Commandments today, showing that even the violation of one of the Ten Commandments convicts us as transgressors of the law which will judge us. He says in James 2:8-12: “If you really fulfill the royal law according to Scripture, ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself,’ you do well; but if you show partiality, you commit sin, and are convicted by the law as transgressors. For whoever shall keep the whole law, and yet stumble in one point, he is guilty of all. For He who said, ‘Do not commit adultery,’ also said, ‘Do not murder.’ Now if you do not commit adultery, but you do murder, you have become a transgressor of the law. So speak and so do as those who will be judged by the law of liberty.”
It is absolutely false to say that Christ came to do away with the spiritual law of the Ten Commandments and the spiritual statutes and judgments which define and explain the Ten Commandments even further. For instance, the Fourth Commandment enjoins us to keep the Sabbath day holy (Exodus 20:8-11). But other passages show that God is not just talking about the weekly Sabbath day (the time from Friday sunset to Saturday sunset), but also seven annual Holy Days, which are also called “Sabbath” in Scripture (compare Leviticus 23:27, 32, 39, Authorized Version). Another example is the Seventh Commandment, prohibiting adultery (Exodus 20:14). Other Scriptures show that God does not only prohibit sexual relationships involving at least one married partner, but also fornication (sexual relationships between unmarried partners), as well as sexual sins such as homosexuality. The Ninth Commandment prohibits bearing false witness against our neighbor (Exodus 20:16), but this is not limited to giving false testimony in a court of law, but it also includes lying, slander, libel, false reports and spreading unsubstantiated rumors.
In addition, Christ made clear that not only the literal violation of one of the Ten Commandments (and of the statutes and judgments) constitutes sin, but that even the underlying motives and desires are already enough to convict us as transgressors of the law. For instance, not only is committing murder a violation of the Sixth Commandment and therefore sin, but anger and hatred (which could lead to literal murder) are already forbidden as well (Matthew 5:21-22; 1 John 2:11; 3:15). Not only is committing adultery sinful, but looking “at a woman to lust for her” already constitutes adultery with her in the heart (Matthew 5:27-28).
Christ came to exalt the law and make it more honorable (Isaiah 42:21). He did so by keeping it perfectly, without ever sinning; by emphasizing strongly that we must keep it today and revealing to us how it can be done; and by explaining the intent of the law. God shows us through the law that we must not only refrain from carrying out the literal act of a prohibition, but that we must already control our emotions and desires which, if unchecked, would lead to such literal violations. We read that out of the heart “proceed evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts, false witness, blasphemies” (Matthew 15:19; compare also Mark 7:21-23).
Christ stated very forcefully that those who practice lawlessness and the transgression of the law will NOT inherit God’s Kingdom. He said in Matthew 7:21-23: “Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who DOES the will of the Father in heaven. Many will say to Me in that day, ‘Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Your name, cast out demons in Your name, and done many wonders in Your name?’ And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness!'” The Swiss Zuercher Bible says: “…you who practice what is against the law.”
John echoed Christ’s statements with these powerful words: “He who says, ‘I know Him,’ and does not keep His commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in Him” (1 John 2:4). He also said this: “For this is the love of God, that we keep His commandments. And His commandments are not burdensome” (1 John 5:3).
We will answer below how we can obtain the love of God—which keeps His commandments—and how it is actually possible to keep His commandments.
But first, let us explain what Paul meant in Romans 10:4 when he said that Christ was the “end of the law.” From what we have seen so far, this passage cannot mean that the spiritual law of the Ten Commandments and of the spiritual statutes and judgments has “ended” or has been done away with, so that it would not have any force and effect for us today.
The Greek word for “end” is “telos.” It can mean “end,” “goal,” “aim,” “purpose” and “result.” For instance, we read in 1 Timothy 1:5: “Now the end of the commandment is charity out of a pure heart, and of a good conscience, and of faith unfeigned.” It is obvious that this passage does not say that the commandment has been abolished. Just the opposite is expressed here: Its purpose or aim or goal is love out of a pure heart, as well as having a good conscience and unwavering faith.
Peter expressed exactly the same thought in 1 Peter 1:9 when he states that you will be “receiving the end of your faith—the salvation of your souls.” Peter did not want to say that our faith would ever end [in fact, it never will end, compare 1 Corinthians 13:13]; rather, he stressed the point that the goal or aim of our faith is the inheritance of our salvation.
Another example can be seen in James 5:11 where we read: “Indeed we count them blessed who endure. You have heard of the perseverance of Job and seen the end intended by the Lord—that the Lord is compassionate and merciful.” Here, the word “end” is very clearly used as a description of God’s goal, aim or purpose: God intended to show Job through his trials that He was compassionate and merciful. God had to reveal to Job his sin of self-righteousness which had to be repented of, but throughout the book of Job, God showed His compassion and mercy with Job even when he began to launch some very harsh criticism against God.
Christ describes Himself as “the beginning and the end” (Revelation 21:6; 22:13). He did not mean to convey that He had a beginning or that He would cease to exist, but He wanted to show that nothing exists or came into existence without Him, and that His goal, purpose, aim and result will be accomplished. Nobody can prevent His Will from being carried out.
And so, the German Pattloch Bible renders the phrase in Romans 10:4 as follows: “Final goal [Endziel] of the law is Christ for righteousness for everyone who believes.”
This leads us to the question as to why is Christ the “end”—that is, the aim, goal or purpose—of the law “for righteousness to everyone who believes.”
Righteousness is defined as keeping God’s commandments (Deuteronomy 6:25). But we cannot keep God’s law, based on our own strength. We need Christ to make us righteous. When we sin, we commit unrighteousness (1 John 5:17), but when we repent and believe in Christ’s Sacrifice for the forgiveness of our sins, then we are washed clean and become righteous again. The law shows us what sin is (Romans 3:20; 7:7), but it does not make us righteous. Only God, through the Holy Spirit, can do this.
We read earlier (in 1 John 5:3) that this is the love of God that we keep His commandments. This is the case because His commandments define for us what God’s love is (Romans 13:8-10). When we love our neighbor, we fulfill the law which tells us how to love our neighbor (by not murdering him, stealing from him, committing adultery with his wife, lying to him, etc.). The Bible also shows us how we CAN receive the love of God (“This is what the love of God IS: keeping His commandments,” New Jerusalem Bible). Romans 5:5 tells us that “the love of God has been poured out in our hearts by the Holy Spirit [which] was given to us.”
The important point to realize is that Christ must make us righteous. It is actually Christ, dwelling in us through the Holy Spirit, who fulfills the law through us—if we allow Him to do so, and if we don’t resist His lead. Romans 8:3-4, 9 states:
“For what the law could not do in that it was weak through the flesh [our flesh was too weak to keep it], God did by sending His own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, on account of sin: He condemned sin in the flesh, that the righteous requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us who do not walk according to the flesh but according to the Spirit… Now if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ he is not His.”
The German Revised Luther Bible translates Romans 8:4: “…so that the righteousness, demanded by the Law, would be fulfilled in us.”
The Living Bible translates Romans 8:4: “So now we CAN obey God’s laws if we follow after the Holy Spirit and no longer obey the old evil nature within us…”
We can only keep the righteous requirements of the law, IF Christ lives in us through the Holy Spirit, and IF we follow Christ’s lead. When God’s Holy Spirit lives within us, then the love of God and the faith of Christ live within us. And THAT is what will make us righteous.
Romans 3:21–22 (Authorized Version) talks about the “righteousness of God which is by faith OF Jesus Christ unto all and upon all them that believe.”
We need to believe in Jesus; that Jesus is the Son of God; that He died for us; that His Sacrifice forgives our sins and removes our death penalty (because the wages of sin is death, Romans 6:23)—but that belief is just the beginning. The faith necessary for salvation is Christ’s faith—the faith OF Christ—living in us and enabling us to keep the law.
The Bible teaches that the faith of Christ—Christ’s faith in us—makes us righteous. Those who believe in Christ must have the faith OF Christ living IN them.
Philippians 3:9 (Authorized Version) says: “… and be found in him, not having mine own righteousness, which is of the law, but that which is through faith OF Christ, the righteousness which is of God by faith.”
The faith of Christ in us is a living, obedient faith, which brings forth good works (James 2:20, 26). We are called upon to uphold the OBEDIENCE of the faith (Romans 1:5; 16:26). And remember: This IS the love of God (which is given to us by the Holy Spirit) that we keep His commandments.
All of this is expressed in Paul’s profound statement in Romans 10:4 that Christ is the real purpose of the law for righteousness to everyone who believes. The law shows us what sin is, and Christ in us fulfills the law through us, thereby enabling us to obtain God’s righteousness, if we believe that Christ forgives us our sins (doing away with our unrighteousness) and that He, through the Holy Spirit in us, helps us to obey the righteous requirements of the law.
For more information, we recommend the study of our free booklets:
“Paul’s Letter to the Galatians–How to Understand it.”
“And Lawlessness Will Abound.”
“Old Testament Laws–Still Valid Today?”
Lead Writer: Norbert Link
“Close the Borders to all Refugees!”
Donald Trump’s demands to close American borders to all Muslims are echoed in Germany where several politicians are saying that “Germany should completely close its borders to refugees within the next two months for an unspecified period” if it is to solve the migrant crisis. Others insist that the number of migrants must be reduced drastically, while Austria announced that no migrant will be allowed anymore to come and stay in Austria. We are told that “Germany is boiling”; that there is “an apocalyptic mood in the media”; that Chancellor “Merkel is at the heart of the criticism”; and that “everyone is against the chancellor.” What does it all mean in the light of biblical prophecy for Europe and Germany? For answers, we are offering our free booklet, “The Ten European Revivals of the Ancient Roman Empire.”
Download Audio Download VideoHave You Seen Satan?
Does the Bible tell us whether Satan and demons can make themselves visible to the human eye? Can they materialize and appear as humans, without being recognized as spirit beings? Should you try to contact aliens or the ghosts of deceived loved ones? How can you protect yourself against Satan and his fallen angels? What kind of activities are we to avoid at all costs? Should we stay away from demonic movies and video games, séances, Ouija boards, far-eastern meditation practices, haunted houses, chiropractors who use the Reiki method, and medical hypnosis?
Germany’s Massive Cover Up of Migrant Violence
Hundreds of German women filed complaints against hundreds of refugees and migrants-mainly Syrians and people of foreign North African and Arab origin. These women were molested and sexually abused at New Year’s Eve in Cologne and in other German cities. However, these despicable criminal activities which were apparently planned and coordinated, were intentionally covered up by the German media and governmental agencies. This program will present appalling facts showing that a massive cover-up has been systematically engaged in for quite a while, because of “political correctness.” Angela Merkel’s policy of “welcoming all Syrian migrants” has clearly failed, and the idea that hundreds of thousands of Muslim refugees could be integrated into German society has been labeled as foolish and impossible. The New York Times is asking for Merkel’s resignation; for closing Germany’s borders; and for mass deportations for foreign able-bodied male teenagers and young adults.
Download Audio Download VideoDoes God Condemn Fighting in War?
Recently, more and more voices have been heard advocating the “need” for waging war in diverse places, even if this would lead to the death of innocent civilians. The argument has been advanced that true Christians are allowed, if not compelled, to participate in “righteous” wars. One “supporting” concept is that God does not view killing in war as murder. Those who believe this idea refer to the fact that in Exodus 20:13 (“You shall not kill”), the Hebrew word “ratsach” is used for “kill,” and they say that it only means “murder” and that killing in war is not murder and therefore allowed.
That conclusion is false. The Hebrew word “ratsach” can even refer to ACCIDENTAL killing. In Numbers 35:25, the person who kills accidentally is referred to as a “manslayer” (“ratsach”). He was not worthy of death, but he had to flee to a city of refuge to stay there until the high priest died. So, accidental killing (including of innocent civilians in war, so-called casualties) is prohibited and sinful in the eyes of God.
Apart from the fact that many translations (such as the Authorized Version, the Revised Standard Version, the New American Bible and the New Jerusalem Bible, as well as virtually ALL German Bibles) render Exodus 20:13 as, “You shall not kill” (not: “You shall not murder”), the argument that the Ten Commandments exclude killing in war is also faulty for the following reason:
Those who advocate fighting in war allege that whenever killing in war is described in the Old Testament, the Hebrew word is “harag,” and they say that this word does NOT describe murder. But the truth is that the word “harag” IS very clearly used for “murder”:
Psalm 10:8 speaks of a person who “murders” (“harag”) the innocent in secret. Hosea 9:13 states that Ephraim will bring out his children to the “murderer” (“harag”). Jeremiah 4:31 says that Jeremiah’s soul is weary because of “murderers” (“harag”). Genesis 4:8 explains that Cain killed (“harag”) his brother Abel, and 1 John 3:12 clearly shows that Cain “murdered” Abel.
That fighting in war is clearly sinful and murder in the eyes of God can be seen in James 4:1-2: “Where do wars and fights come from among you… You MURDER and covet and cannot obtain. You fight and war.” The Greek word for “war” is “polemeo,” and it is used in Revelation 17:14, referring to people who make war with the Lamb.
So, fighting and killing in war is prohibited by the Sixth Commandment. It is sinful and constitutes murder. This means that a true Christian must refuse participating in war. It also means that he or she must refuse voting for someone who advocates and engages in war. Every American President is also Commander in Chief. For this reason alone, an American Christian CANNOT and MUST NOT vote in presidential elections.
We know that many might see it differently. Some might even allege that they are still following the fundamental teachings of the late human leader of the Worldwide Church of God, Mr. Herbert W. Armstrong, who died on January 16, 1986. American Christians may say that all their fellow citizens and brethren MUST vote in America’s upcoming presidential election, and if need be, even fulfill their “patriotic duties” by joining the military and fighting against their country’s enemies.
Well, that kind of thinking would clearly be in DIRECT opposition to one of the most CRITICAL and FOUNDATIONAL areas of CHURCH DOCTRINE.
Here is what Mr. Armstrong taught about voting in governmental elections. In an article, titled, “How Would Jesus Vote for President?”, which was published in the “Good News” of October/November 1984, Herbert Armstrong summarized the Church’s stance AGAINST voting in governmental elections, as follows:
“The true Christian is one who follows Christ, and Christ did not vote! … What, then, would Jesus do in [a time of] presidential election?… HE WOULD BE TOO BUSY PROCLAIMING THE GOOD NEWS OF THE COMING WORLD-RULING KINGDOM, and the way of salvation, to take ANY PART WHATSOEVER in the politics of this present evil world, or in any man-made form of government that is DOOMED very soon to be destroyed and replaced by the theocratic government of the KINGDOM OF GOD!”
Likewise, when thundering AGAINST “Christian” warfare, he stated in his booklet, “Military Service and War,” copyright 1967 and 1985:
“Military service, bearing arms (for use against humans), killing, war, is directly contrary to God’s Law in principle! It is not the WAY of giving, sharing, helping, serving (page 11)… It was altogether unnecessary for these Israelites to arm themselves and wage war. It was WRONG! It was SIN (page 23)… Actually, reliance on military arms, physical force, and human allies, is SIN. It breaks God’s Commandment, ‘Thou SHALT NOT KILL!’ The fact that ALL nations have chosen the way of SIN does not make it RIGHT! And the individual Christian, today, having God’s Spirit, and in God’s CHURCH, must face this question and decide for himself whether he will go along THE WAY OF SIN, as the overwhelming majority are doing, or whether he will OBEY God, and then TRUST GOD with his life—TRUST GOD alone!” (pages 24-25).
These are clear words, and they are as relevant today as they were when they were written. The Bible shows that in these end times, sin and lawlessness will abound, and as a consequence, the love of many in the Church of God will grow cold. They will fall away from the truth. They will hate and persecute those who uphold the truth. They will turn from God’s Spirit of love to a spirit of hatred, fighting and war. They will forsake God’s Way of Love and become again part of this rotten world of Satanic deception which they might try to “improve,” by voting in governmental elections and taking part in the politics of “their” country.
All of us have a choice, and in the months to come, the need for making the right choice will become more and more pressing. Will we obey God or man? Will we seek the honor of God or of men? When we love the world and the things which are in this world, then the love of the Father is NOT in us (1 John 2:15-17).
Will There Be Punishment in the Third Resurrection? (Part 2)
In the previous Q&A, we discussed the fact that the incorrigible wicked will be punished and “tormented” in the Third Resurrection. In this context, we quoted passages mainly from the gospel according to Luke and the Book Revelation. But the concept of physical punishment in the Third Resurrection is clearly revealed in other Scriptures as well. Even though some of the following Scriptures may ALSO refer to the disobedient in this day and age and to the time of Christ’s Return, in their ultimate application, all of them picture in vivid detail the ultimate fate of the incorrigible sinner. We should also note that those who qualify for the Kingdom of God will be considered worthy and “ready to punish all disobedience when your obedience is fulfilled” (2 Corinthians 10:6). They will, under Jesus Christ, punish disobedient and rebellious people (compare Revelation 2:26-27; Psalm 149:5-9).
First, let us review passages which describe in general God’s view of rebellious sinners.
Proverbs 12:2 tells us:
“A good man obtains favor from the LORD, But a man of wicked devices He will condemn.”
We read in Psalm 37:28:
“For the LORD loves JUSTICE, And does not forsake His saints; they are preserved FOREVER, but the descendants of the wicked [those who act as the wicked does] shall be CUT OFF.”
Isaiah 41:11-16 states:
“… They shall be as NOTHING. And those who strive with you shall PERISH. You shall seek them and not find them… [they] shall be as NOTHING, As a NONEXISTENT THING… the wind shall carry them away…”
The following passages describe in more detail God’s punishment of rebellious sinners.
Deuteronomy 32:35-43 describes God’s judgement of the wicked in these vivid terms:
“Vengeance is Mine, and recompense… For the day of their calamity is at hand… I will whet My glittering sword [God’s Word is compared with a two-edged sword (Hebrews 4:12; Revelation 1:16; 19:15; Isaiah 11:4) which will judge and condemn the wicked], and My hand takes hold on JUDGMENT, I will render vengeance to My enemies, and repay those who HATE Me… My sword shall devour FLESH… Rejoice, O Gentiles, with His people, For He will avenge the blood of His servants, And render vengeance to His adversaries…”
Paul makes very clear that God will take vengeance on those who oppose Him and refuse to obey Him. He states in 2 Thessalonians 1:6-9:
“.. it is a RIGHTEOUS thing with God to repay with tribulation those who trouble you… in flaming FIRE taking vengeance on those who do not know God, and on those who do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ. These shall be PUNISHED with EVERLASTING destruction from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of His power…”
Jude 14-15 adds:
“… Behold, the Lord comes with ten thousands of His saints, to EXECUTE JUDGMENT on ALL, to CONVICT ALL who are ungodly among them of all their ungodly deeds which they have committed in an ungodly way, and of all the harsh things which UNGODLY SINNERS have spoken against Him.”
We read in 2 Peter 2:9-21:
“… the Lord knows how to deliver the godly out of temptation and to RESERVE the UNJUST under PUNISHMENT for the day of JUDGMENT, and especially those who walk according to the flesh in the lust of uncleanness and despise authority. They are presumptuous, self-willed… and will utterly perish in their own corruption and will receive the wages of unrighteousness… having eyes of adultery and that CANNOT cease from sin… and are ACCURSED children… These are wells without water, clouds carried by a tempest, to whom the gloom of darkness is reserved forever… For if, after they have escaped the pollutions of the world through the knowledge of the Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, they are again entangled in them and overcome, the latter end is worse for them than the beginning. For it would have been better for them not to have known the way of righteousness, than having known it, to turn from the holy commandment delivered to them.”
We also read in Hebrews 10:26-31:
“For if we sin willfully after we have received the knowledge of the truth, there no longer remains a sacrifice for sins, but a certain FEARFUL EXPECTATION OF JUDGMENT and fiery INDIGNATION which will DEVOUR the adversaries. Anyone who has rejected Moses’ law dies without mercy on the testimony of two or three witnesses. Of HOW MUCH WORSE PUNISHMENT, do you suppose, will he be thought worthy who has trampled the Son of God underfoot, counted the blood of the covenant by which he was sanctified a common thing, and insulted the Spirit of grace? For we know Him who said, ‘Vengeance is Mine, I will repay,’ says the Lord. And again, ‘the LORD will JUDGE His people.’ It is a FEARFUL THING to fall into the hands of the living God.”
Christ echoes this sentiment in Luke 12:5: “I will show you whom you should fear: Fear Him who, after He has killed, has power to cast into hell [Gehenna fire]; yes, I say to you, fear Him.”
We must respect God and honor Him, but we have every reason to fear Him and be terrified, if we choose to willfully sin against Him.
A remarkable statement can be found by Christ in one of His parables. Addressing the “evil servant” in Matthew 24:48-51, who is beating his fellow servants and eats and drinks with the drunkards, Christ explains that the master of that servant will come “on a day when he is not looking for him and at an hour that he is not aware of, and will cut him in two and appoint him his portion with the hypocrites. There shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth.”
This passage explains very clearly the fate of the evil servant in the Third Resurrection. This is shown especially by the use of the phrase “weeping and gnashing of teeth,” which is strictly applied to the time of the Third Resurrection. A parallel account can be found in Luke 12:45-46, where the wicked servant will share the fate of “the unbelievers” (compare Revelation 21:8). The Broadman Bible Commentary writes: “… the wicked servant shall be… assigned his proper lot with those accursed forever.”
Both Matthew and Luke use the word “dichotomeo,” which is translated in English as “cut in two” (or “cut asunder” in the Authorized Version). These are the only two places in the New Testament where this expression is used.
The meaning of this phrase has been the object of considerable controversy.
Barnes’ Notes on the Bible writes that “this kind of punishment was anciently practiced. Sometimes it was done by the sword, sometimes by saws. It was practiced among the Chaldeans [Daniel 2:5; Daniel 3:29], and among the Hebrews [2 Samuel 12:31; 1 Samuel 15:33; 1 Kings 3:25; Hebrews 11:37]. It was also practiced by the Egyptians and Romans. It is not, perhaps, here to be taken literally, but signifies that the wicked servant should be severely punished.”
The Expositor’s Greek Testament adds that the “probable meaning is: will cut him in two (so to speak) with a whip = thrash him, the base slave, unmercifully. It is a strong word, selected in sympathy with the master’s rage.”
The Pulpit Commentary states: “This mode of death was inflicted in some cases… the difficulty is that the utter destruction of the malefactor implied in his literal cutting asunder is not consistent with his subsequent consignment to the lot of the hypocrites… we may take the Lord’s words as applying first to temporal punishment…”
Some have suggested that the expression refers just to separation from the saints or from spiritual grace or from all blessings promised to the righteous. Even though this is clearly included, more than that is conveyed.
Vine’s Expository Dictionary of New Testament Words gives the following explanation:
“Some take the reference to be the mode of punishment by which criminals and captives were cut in two; others, on account of the fact that in these passages the delinquent is still surviving after the treatment, take the verb to denote to cut up by scourging, to scourge severely, the word being used figuratively. As to [Matthew] 24:51, it has been remarked that the cutting asunder was an appropriate punishment for one who had lived a double life [he will be counted among the hypocrites]. In both passages the latter part of the sentence applies to retribution beyond this life… In the [Septuagint, a translation of the Hebrew Bible into Koine Greek,] the verb is used in Exodus 29:17 of the dividing of the ram as a whole burnt offering at the consecration of the priests… The corresponding noun is found in [Genesis] 15:11, 17; [Exodus] 29:17; [Leviticus ] 1:8; [Ezekiel] 24:4.”
What we can see from these passages is that the wicked servant will receive some kind of physical and psychological punishment, before he is thrown into the lake of fire with the hypocrites and the unbelievers. We might not know exactly what that punishment will be. But it is clear from Scripture that the punishment of the incorrigible sinners will include torment and fearful expectation BEFORE their existence ends. It will be much more severe than just a fleeting moment of annihilation in the Gehenna fire. They will receive “heavy stripes” or “scourging”… including stripes of a psychological nature.
When those who commit the unpardonable sin stand before the Judgement Seat of Christ, they will be confronted with the terrible deeds which they had committed, but they will not feel any remorse. They will refuse to repent of their wicked conduct. Filled with wrath and hate, they will hear Jesus Christ’s words condemning them to punishment and eternal death, and they will be tormented by the realization that they ARE going to receive “stripes” and that they will be subsequently destroyed forever. Because of this, their hate and rage will even increase. Their wicked nature and conduct will be manifested in front of everyone. There will never be any doubt about God’s unfailing justice and just punishment.
Lead Writer: Norbert Link
Ongoing Tensions between Saudi Arabia and Iran… Where Will They Lead?
This program discusses the highly explosive situation in the Middle East, involving Saudi Arabia and Iran… or more precisely, the age-old battle between Sunni and Shiite Muslims. Why is there so much animosity between these two rival branches of Islam? Have we reached a “point of no return,” and are we facing a bloody civil war, leading to the destruction of the Saudi monarchy or the defeat of Iran? Will there be a Mahdi in these end times? Our free booklet, “Middle Eastern and African Nations in Bible Prophecy,” gives you the answers to these puzzling questions.
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