Tag Archives: mercy

Smoke Ascends Forever?

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Will the wicked really be tormented forever in hell? In this sermon, pastor Rod Reynolds examines in detail passages in the book of Revelation that have traditionally been used to establish the common belief in a never-ending hellfire reserved for punishment of the wicked. To understand what the Bible says about hell, we must carefully study the context of the scriptures in question.

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This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.

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Don’t Harden Your Heart

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Jesus in Luke 4:4 said that man is to live “by every word of God.” He taught that the wise will build his life on the foundation of obedience to the word of God (Matthew 7:24-25).

God’s word judges us. “For the word of God is living and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, and of joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart” (Hebrews 4:12). “Discerner” is from the Greek κριτικός, an adjective that means able to judge or discern (Greek-English Lexicon, Bauer, Arndt and Gringrich). The English word “critic” is derived from the Greek word used here. Kριτικός is a cognate of κριτής (kritēs), a judge, and κρίνω (krinō), a verb meaning to judge or distinguish or decide. God’s word judges us, and in a sense is our critic. It penetrates beyond the surface to our innermost being. In the final analysis, everyone will be judged by God’s word (John 12:48).

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The Truth About Hell

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Millions have been taught that according to Scripture God sends “the unsaved” to an “ever-burning hell,” to be tortured for eternity. Yet, the Bible tells us that God is just and merciful.

In reality, the Bible teaches nothing like the commonly accepted ideas about “hell” taught historically by most allegedly Christian Churches, and believed by many, more likely most, who have professed Christianity.

This message explains what the Bible really teaches about “hell,” and how it affects human beings.

“The Truth About Hell,” audio recording by Rod Reynolds, COGMessenger is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.

What Does God Require?

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The ancient kingdoms of Israel and Judah were destroyed because the people were not faithful to their covenant with God. The physical Temple was destroyed multiple times because of unfaithfulness. God is now building his dwelling place, a spiritual temple. What does God require of those involved in that process?

“What Does God Require?” COGMessenger is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.

God of Justice

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Scripture prophesies that Jesus Christ, who is God, is coming soon as this age draws to a close to administer his government over the entire world.

Note the following prophecy concerning the second coming of Jesus Christ: “Then the seventh angel sounded: And there were loud voices in heaven, saying, ‘The kingdoms of this world have become the kingdoms of our Lord and of His Christ, and He shall reign forever and ever!’” (Revelation 11:15).

And in the book of Daniel: “I was watching in the night visions, And behold, One like the Son of Man, Coming with the clouds of heaven! He came to the Ancient of Days, And they brought Him near before Him. Then to Him was given dominion and glory and a kingdom, That all peoples, nations, and languages should serve Him. His dominion is an everlasting dominion, Which shall not pass away, And His kingdom the one Which shall not be destroyed” (Daniel 7:13-14).

Among the qualities of that government to rule all nations, we are assured, is justice.

A prophetic psalm proclaims: “The Lord reigns; Let the earth rejoice; Let the multitude of isles be glad! Clouds and darkness surround Him; Righteousness and justice are the foundation of His throne” (Psalms 97:1-2).

“… the Lord is a God of justice; Blessed are all those who wait for Him” (Isaiah 30:18).

Let’s examine what the Bible tells us about God as the “God of Justice.”

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