Everlasting Kingdom: Unraveling the Bible’s Secrets

Are the “Unsaved” Lost?

The Called, the Culled, and the Excused!

INDEX

Chapter 12, Part 3 Preview: In part two we saw what really happens to the “tares” as well as the astonishing truth about the identity of the sheep and the goats. We saw three resurrections (the third a matter of deduction and speculation) and the timing of when there will be no more sorrow.

Every human will have had an opportunity to obtain eternal Life, tho they will have seldom recognized it as such. In the Judgment, the wicked will rise only long enough to grieve as they face their just fate.

Paul knew that a remnant of Israel would be excused from their sins:

Romans 11:27 And THEN [4] they will have My [NEW] COVENANT, after I have forgiven their sins.—The Gabriel Bible

[4] The house of Israel and the house of Judah have not lived under a Covenant since the ancient captivity, but that is about to change (Jeremiah 31:31-34)! The Greek totally obscures the matter of timing by substituting “this” for “then”! See The New Covenant—Soon to be Implemented!

The Bible tells how Elijah plead with Yehovah against Israel saying:

Romans 11:3-5 Yehovah, they’ve killed Your prophets and torn down Your altars. I’m the only one left, and they’re trying to kill me.” 4 And what was revealed to him, “I have kept 7,000 people for Myself who have never bowed down to worship Baal [the lord]!” 5 It is the same today, a remnant have been rescued—selected by dignity.

This remnant will be in the “first resurrection”, but that is not the end of the story.

Romans 10:21-11:6 But He said to Israel, “All day long, I have reached out My hands to a quarrelsome and disobedient people. Romans 11: So I ask, has Yehovah rejected His people? Absolutely not. I myself am an Israelite, a descendant of Abraham from the tribe of Benjamin. 2 Yehovah hasn’t rejected the people who He predestined. Don’t you know what the Scriptures say about Elijah when he complained to Yehovah about Israel? He said, 3 “Yehovah, they’ve killed Your prophets and torn down Your altars. I’m the only one left, and they’re trying to kill me.” 4 And what was revealed to him, “I have kept 7,000 people for Myself who have never bowed down to worship Baal [the lord]!” 5 It is the same today, a remnant have been rescued—selected by dignity. 6 But since it is by dignity, it isn’t by works, otherwise, dignity isn’t dignity. And if by works, it isn’t by dignity, otherwise works aren’t works.

Some believe in a physical resurrection—another opportunity to live life for those who were ignorant of Yehovah’s Torah (Law). If this were so, then why didn’t Yehovah say to Elijah, when he was condemning Israel, “Elijah, Elijah, you silly guy, don’t you know that it doesn’t matter if those men are murderers? I’m going to bring them all back to life later, and their good and bad works will not have mattered”. (Where is that Scripture anyway?) But rather the “'special'response” informed him that seven thousand Israelite men were not incorrigible murderers or idolaters! Further:

If this is certainly not the end of those people, then what will happen to them?

Romans 11:25-27 Friends, so that you won’t be presumptuous, I want you to know of this hidden mystery—that a degree of spiritual blindness has overtaken Israel until the full complement of nations can come in, 26 and then all of Israel will be saved [alive]. As the Scriptures declare, “A Savior will come from Zion and turn Jacob [the “lost” ten tribes] from sinfulness.”

27 “And THEN [4] they will have My [NEW] COVENANT, after I have forgiven their sins.”

Yehovah told Elijah about a “remnant” in ancient Israel, Paul spoke of a “remnant” in his time, and Moses spoke of another remnant “in the latter days”.

Deuteronomy 28:64-65 Yehovah will scatter you among all the nations to the farthest horizons of the earth. There you’ll be forced to worship foreign gods made of wood and stone that neither you or your ancestors have accepted. 65 In these nations you’ll find no rest, not even a place to rest the sole of your foot, but Yehovah will repay you there with trembling thoughts, failing eyes and a depressing life.

Yes, Yehovah will search out, call, or draw those already seeking Him as best they can, particularly “in the latter days”!

Deuteronomy 4:27,29 Yehovah will scatter you among the nations, and only a few of you will survive being in those nations where Yehovah will lamentably exile you. 29 But from there you’ll seek Yehovah your Elohim, and you’ll find Him, when you search for Him with complete 'sincerity' and with all your being...

Yehovah doesn’t give I.Q. tests. Any intellectual (or other) edge that you have in this life is factored out of your “final exam” on Judgment Day. A lack of intellect will not hold anyone back; but a lack of diligence will. (The test curve parameter is specified in Luke 12:48.)

Proverbs 2:3 & 5 You’ve roamed this region long enough; now turn north... 5 Don’t provoke them, because I’m not giving you any of their land, not even enough to put your foot on, because I’ve given Esau’s descendants the region of Mount Seir as their property.

Under duress, end time survivors who were not seeking Yehovah earlier will meditate on the truths that the Two Witnesses, and other martyrs proclaimed, and repent!

Question: How safe is it to willfully be blinded, or allow yourself to be deceived? And how safe is someone who “refused to love the truth”? Answer:

2 Thessalonians 2:9-12 His coming is by the supernatural work of Satan, with great power, miracles and deceitful illusions, 10 using every kind of lawlessness action to deceive those who are dying, because they refused to love the truth that could rescue them. 11 This is why Yehovah will send the superhuman power of deception to them, so that they could believe the lie. 12 Then anyone who refuses to believe the truth and delights in injustice will be summoned for judgment.

In short: “to love the truth” = “rescue”; while deception and believing “the lie” = being “summoned for judgment” and “dying”. Anyone who “willingly chose to violate the Law” will be culled, because they would rather fight and die than change!

Those who long for and seek goodness and truth will find it, but only to the degree that they look for it. Those seeking Yehovah in this life are “called”.

Those who don’t know Yehovah but love their neighbors will have an opportunity to be “excused” during the year of Judgment!

Acts 2:20-21 The sun will be darkened and the moon 'will become' blood red before the great and awesome Day of Yehovah arrives. (When—Matthew 24:29). 21 And everyone who calls on Yehovah’s name (in reference to Yeshua!) will survive!

Sodom and Gomorrah

An intriguing question arises concerning Yeshua’s (Jesus’) statement:

Matthew 10:15 I am certain that it will be more bearable for the land of Sodom and Gomorrah on Judgment Day than for that town!

Will Yehovah tolerate their evil enough to excuse it, or might they simply receive a more merciful death sentence on Judgment Day? While the fate of Sodom and Gomorrah is mentioned frequently, the answer to their fate must be found elsewhere. Abraham strove with Yehovah to pardon Sodom and Gomorrah in his day, but to no avail. Yet in Judgment Day—The Last Day a degree of tolerance for those who were destroyed in Sodom and Gomorrah is definitely indicated. Today, the word “tolerance” has become a mantra in our society. Some say that tolerance is the last virtue to fall in a degenerating society. Yet tolerance of evil is far from a virtue. The wicked typically only call for tolerance toward viewpoints in opposition to Yehovah.

There are only six places in the Bible where a form of the word “tolerance” is used, and they all refer to Yeshua’s comments about the cities mentioned in the following passage:

Matthew 11:20-24 Then Yeshua began to criticize the cities that many of His powerful miracles were done in because they hadn’t change their ways. 21 He said, “I pity you Chorazin! I pity you Bethsaida! If the powerful miracles had occurred in Tyre and Sidon, they would have amended their ways in sackcloth and ashes long ago! 22 I tell you, it will be more bearable for Tyre and Sidon on Judgment Day than for you. 23 And you, Capernaum, exalted to heaven will be brought down to sheol, because if the powerful miracles that were done for you had been done in Sodom, it would be standing untill this very day. 24 But I tell you that it will be more bearable for the land of Sodom on Judgment Day than for you.

Amazingly, even Israel never responded to miracles. Sodom and Gomorrah, under different circumstances, would not have been singled out for annihilation at that time, rather those cities would have survived “until this day”.

We need to examine all pertinent references. I can’t help but wonder if Sodom and Gomorrah had become sodomite resort towns that had no normal men, or any women or children, with the exception of Lot and his family. Notice:

Genesis 19:4 But before they went to bed, the men of Sodom surrounded the house, young and old—all the people from every 'part of town'.

They intended to rape the Messengers who were thought to be men. The example of righteous Lot’s family, living among this much decadence serves as a warning for righteous people of all time not to be like frogs that will not leap from a pot that is set to slowly come to a boil.

We know that:

Genesis 13:13 The men of Sodom were extremely wicked, constantly sinning against Yehovah.

These people were so wicked that Yehovah Himself could hardly believe it. Sodomy certainly was not the only sin of these people. In fact it doesn’t even specifically mention illicit sex sins on the list of the seven things that Yehovah hates the most. The perversion of these people certainly was noteworthy, but their aberrant response when the Messenger (Angel) blinded them demonstrates that even Yehovah couldn’t distract them from their mindset.

Genesis 18:20-21 Yehovah said, “Because the outcries against Sodom and Gomorrah are so numerous, and because their sin is so very serious, 21 I’m going down now to see if their actions are as bad as the outcries that have come up to Me. If not, I will know.

Yeshua apparently did hold out a ray of hope for some of the citizens of Sodom and Gomorrah. Their total lack of spiritual knowledge will serve them better than the Pharisees, who had considerable knowledge. Far more was expected of the Pharisees. More of the people of Sodom will be salvageable than the Pharisees, who knowingly killed a Man sent from Yehovah:

John 3:1-2 There was a Pharisee named Nicodemus, a leader of the Jews, 2 who came to Yeshua one night and told Him, “Rabbi, we know that You are a teacher sent from Yehovah, because no one can do the miraculous signs that You do unless Yehovah is with Him.

Now an interesting and informative dialog took place between Abraham and Yehovah. Abraham said:

Genesis 18:23-26 Abraham approached Him and asked, “Would you really sweep away the righteous with the wicked? 24 What if there are fifty righteous people in the city? Would you still sweep them away without sparing the place for the sake of the fifty righteous who live there? 25 Be it far from You to do things like that, to kill the righteous with the wicked, treating the righteous like the wicked. Far be it from You. Shouldn’t the Judge of the entire world be just?” 26 Yehovah said, “If I find fifty righteous people in the city of Sodom, then I’ll spare the entire region for their sake.

Abraham spoke on and on about this matter.

Question: Why didn’t Yehovah stop Abraham and tell him that there couldn’t possibly be any righteous people in Sodom. Yehovah could have said: “If there are any relatively righteous people there, as in other cities, wouldn’t I know about it”. Yet Yehovah assured Abraham that He would check and see if as few as ten “would be found there”. The answer to this question, that no one even asks, is that there are relatively righteous “unsaved” people who do not know Yehovah yet, and there are wicked “unsaved” people who wouldn’t even want to know Yehovah!

Genesis 19:24 Then Yehovah [the Son—skip stupid ads] rained burning sulfur stones on Sodom and on Gomorrah from Yehovah [His Father] out of the sky.Then Yehovah [the Son—skip stupid ads] rained burning sulfur stones on Sodom and on Gomorrah from Yehovah [His Father] out of the sky.

“... shouldn’t the Judge of the entire world be just?”

Peter defined who the wicked were, beginning with the fallen angels and continuing down to his own day and age. Peter also clearly described their ultimate fate. Here is the beginning and the end of it:

2 Peter 2:4-17 If Yehovah wasn’t lenient with the angels who sinned, but imprisoned ['tartarooed'] [2] them in chains of darkness reserved for a painful judgment, 5 and wasn’t lenient with the original world, but rescued Noah, a herald of righteousness and his family of eight when He brought a flood on the world of the wicked, 6 and burned up the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah and condemned them with an upheaval, making them an example for the wicked people who would live after them, 7 and rescued righteous Lot, who was tormented by the filthy conduct of the Torahless, 8 (because that righteous man living among them was distressed in his righteous consciousness [psyche, Gr: psuche] every day, by seeing and hearing about their Torahless deeds), 9 then Yehovah knows how to rescue those who fear Him from suffering, but He’ll reserve the wicked for Judgment Day to be tormented, 10 and especially those who follow the mortal lusts of defiling passions and despise government. Daring and arrogant, they are unfazed as they blaspheme, 11 yet spirit messengers far greater than they in might and valor don’t bring blasphemous condemnation against them. 12 But they are like instinctively illogical [Gr. a’logos] animals who are born to be butchered and destroyed, blaspheming things they don’t even understand. They will die in their own corruption.

13 These people will be compensated for their injustice, because their idea of fun is carousing during the daytime. They are spots and blemishes, reveling in laziness and devoted to pleasure [3]. 14 They are always 'looking for' adulterous opportunities and never ending sins, enticing unstable minds, their own minds disciplined in greed, they are cursed children. 15 They’ve abandoned the right way and wandered astray in the way of Beor’s son Balaam, who loved the wages of wickedness, 16 who was reprimanded for breach of Torah by a dumb donkey, who spoke like a man and restrained the madness of the prophet. 17 They are dry wells, clouds driven by a storm whose destiny is darker than night.

[2] Tartaroo is actually a Greek verb! That’s about the only accurate thing to be found in a lexicon, since verbs simply aren’t nouns! So I ‘doubly verbalized’ tartaroo into ‘tartarooed’ to make a point. These angels will burn during the Judgment (Deuteronomy 32:22-24), but they aren’t burning now. The Aramaic brings out the fact that they are in “sheol” (1 Peter 3:19)! Revelation 9:14 says they are in the Euphrates river, while verse 11 calls their place of restraint ‘the abyss’! An abyss is usually a very cold and wet place. [3] The Greek ‘says’, “while they feast with you”, but I don’t think you’d eat with these people!

2 Peter 2:13-16 These people will be compensated for their injustice, because their idea of fun is carousing during the daytime, they are spots and blemishes, reveling in laziness and devoted to pleasure. 14 They are always ‘looking for’ adulterous opportunities and never ending sins, enticing unstable minds, their own minds disciplined in greed, they are cursed children. 15 They’ve abandoned the right way and wandered astray in the way of Beor’s son Balaam, who loved the wages of wickedness, 16 who was reprimanded for breach of Torah by a dumb donkey, who spoke like a man and restrained the madness of the prophet.

Jude, the brother of Yeshua, also knew about the fate of at least most of the residents of Sodom and Gomorrah, and spoke clearly about it in the exact same context as Peter did.

Jude:6,7,11 He has held the angels who disregarded their prime directive, and abandoned their assigned place with chains [Gr. ‘eternal chains’] in concealed darkness, awaiting the great Judgment Day. 7 Like Sodom and Gomorrah and the surrounding cities that in a similar way were given over to illicit sex, having committed 'homosexual acts' [unnatural + flesh], are lying beneath the aftermath of an ages old fire, and condemned to judgment... 11 Too bad for them, they’ve followed in the way of Cain, and as Balaam did, they’ve lusted for money and died, just like those in Korah’s rebellion.

Psalm 37:10,13,17-18,20,27,37-38 In a little while the wicked will no longer exist. Tho you carefully consider their standing, they aren’t there... 13 The Sovereign will laugh at them, because He sees that their Judgment Day is coming... 17 The arms of the wicked will be broken, but Yehovah sustains the righteous. 18 Yehovah knows the 'lifespan' of the innocent. Their legacy will endure forever... 20 The wicked will be exterminated. The enemies of Yehovah will be like a beautiful meadow. They’ll vanish—vanish like smoke... 27 Avoid evil and do good, and you’ll live forever!... 37 Notice a wholesome person, and see the righteous, there is a future [1] for a peaceful person. 38 As for rebels, they’ll be exterminated all together. The future of the wicked will be cut short.

[1] The KJV uses the word “end” here, similar to “end of the Law”, and while translators like to retain this word in reference to the Law (Torah), the meaning is entirely different in the 21st century. There is a future for the peaceful, with no “end” in sight.

Proverbs 14:32 The wicked are overthrown by their own wickedness, but righteous people have a refuge in death.

Remember that these quotes concern righteous and wicked people who lived and died before Yeshua died for them, the arrival of the 'special' spirit, the “gospel” and baptism!

In King David’s final address to all of the leaders of Israel, just before he died, he mentioned that:

1 Chronicles 28:4 However Yehovah, Elohim of Israel selected me out of all of my father’s household to be king over Israel forever. He has chosen the tribe of Judah to lead, and from the House of Judah, He chose my father’s household, and of my father’s sons were pleased to make me king over all the people of Israel.

That was his destiny—he was hand picked. Forever often means for eternity, not just until the end of an age. Be sure to notice that while Yehovah indeed “searches ALL hearts”, He is searching for those who will “seek Him”. He continued:

1 Chronicles 28:8-9 So now, in the sight of all the people of Israel, and Yehovah’s assembly, and with Elohim listening, 'carefully' obey all the Commandments of Yehovah your Elohim, so that you can possess this good land, and leave it as an inheritance to your descendants after you forever. 9 “And you, my son Solomon, get to know the Elohim of your father, and serve Him with complete resolution and with a willing mind, because Yehovah searches all minds and understands every motivation. If you search for Him, you’ll find Him, but if you reject Him, He’ll find you to be odious forever.

Their “thoughts” determining either a future life or death “forever”!

Today, those who truly serve Yehovah have an opportunity to become Eternal Kings and Priests in the Kingdom, helping to rule over the future generations of mankind! What an honor Yehovah has expected us to attain! To qualify, Yehovah must reveal to some of us, in great detail, His master plan so that He can pre screen us to fill the most important positions. Most of humanity is not being prepared for eternal leadership roles. Ancient Israel was offered a plot of “good land” for doing their human best in serving Yehovah. He didn’t expend much effort explaining the eternal consequences of their “works”. He primarily emphasized to them the immediate benefits of serving Him, as best they could—which was sufficient to judge their character and fitness for eternal life. In a word, our “character” is the absolute bottom line concerning eternal life, and its accompanying rewards. When the Kingdom comes, we will either take part in “the Resurrection of Life”, as spirit composed Leaders, or we’ll be “excused” followers and survivors, reserved for Life. The other alternative is to face the “Resurrection of Condemnation” being “cast off forever”—reserved for Death, because Yehovah “searches ALL HEARTS”.

Are the Commandments Fair?

Some will ask: “Is it fair of Yehovah to expect some of us to obey the Ten Commandments, while others only need obey the last six to obtain eternal life?” I briefly mentioned verses that indicate that it is our own quest for Him that initiates His reciprocating!

Acts 17:26-27 From one 'man' [blood] He made all of humanity, intending that they inhabit the entire surface of earth. He has defined their epochs by His decree, and defined limitations on their civilization 27 in order to orchestrate our finding out about Yehovah by searching, reaching for Him, inspired by His creations [3], tho He isn’t far from any one of us.

[2] This is the world’s most important question, but virtually no one believes His answer, even tho it is repeated in Mark 10:17-22 & Luke 18:18-23! These are the six “love your neighbor” Commandments, (counting covetousness, vss.21-22). The first four Commandments are the “love your Aloha” Commandments, while the last six Commandments apply to human relationships. There is a greatly overlooked means of obtaining eternal life for righteous people who are ignorant of the Torah, as explained in Are the “unsaved” Lost?.

Just like volunteers in the military, they have no idea what the consequences of their volunteering will lead to, but they commit themselves nonetheless. Yes, some may desert their calling and go back to an easier life. Nevertheless, hungering and thirsting for Yehovah’s truths, with sufficient humility, and having a visible inclination to desire goodness, is the reason why Yehovah calls some of us to have a deep understanding of His mind. Yehovah tests some of us, using all Ten Commandments, because we (or our parents) sought a higher awareness. Of course, being from a Commandment keeping family is a distinct head start.

Ancient Israel, in what can only be understood as Judgment Day terminology concerning sins being “remembered” after death (vs.22,30), had the conditions for eternal life spelled out for them in the simplest of terms, with most of the emphasis on interpersonal relationships, and only minimal mention of spirituality (don’t be a pagan), because they knew better and there was no excuse:

Ezekiel 18:4-9, 21-24, 29-30 Every soul [living person] is Mine. Fathers as well as sons are Mine. The soul who sins will die! [1] 5 “But if someone is righteous—is fair and living the right way, 6 and doesn’t eat in pagan mountain shrines [after fair warning: Revelation 14:6-12], or 'look to' the idols of the House of Israel, and doesn’t defile his neighbor’s wife, or have sex with a woman during her period, 7 if they don’t oppress anyone, but return to debtors their earnest payment, and they don’t rob anyone. On the contrary, they feed the hungry and give clothes to those who are naked, 8 they don’t lend at usury or take interest, they 'refrain' from sinning, and are just and fair with 'everyone'. 9 If they 'live' by My unchanging rulings and obey My regulations faithfully—THAT PERSON IS RIGHTEOUS, they’ll most certainly live [forever],” declares the Sovereign Yehovah... 21 But if a wicked person turns from all the sins they’ve [2] committed and obeys all of My unchanging tenets, and does what is fair and right, they’ll certainly live [forever], they won’t die [forever]. 22 None of the rebellious things that they did will be remembered for use against them. They will live [forever] because of the righteous things they did. 23 “Do I enjoy the death of the wicked, asks the Sovereign Yehovah? Shouldn’t I prefer that they turn from their ways and live? 24 When a righteous person turns away from doing right and begins doing sinful things and does the same highly detestable things that the wicked do, should they live? None of the righteous things that they did will be remembered because of their unfaithful behavior—due to the sins they have committed. They will die [forever] because of them!... 29 Yet the House of Israel says, ‘The ways of Yehovah are unfair.’ House of Israel, aren’t My ways fair and your ways unfair?

30 “So I’ll judge you, House of Israel, each of you by what you’ve done,” declares the Sovereign Yehovah. “Change your minds, and turn from all your sins so that sin won’t trip you up.

Logically, given Yehovah’s fairness to the Commandment keepers who are offered the opportunity to become Kings and Priests, some will only be zealous enough to obtain eternal life—without being zealous enough to be among the limited number offered high leadership roles. The man entrusted with one “talent” (a unit of money) should have at least drawn interest on it, as he sat and waited for His Master’s return. That would be considered minimally acceptable, if at all

A Parable Solved!

Upon learning that people can receive eternal life without having lived in the knowledge of “the truth” for much or even all of their lives—rather than being extremely excited that the Creator has a rescue plan for truly benevolent people who were not fortunate enough to be taught from the Bible, some people will complain bitterly! In the parable of the Vineyard Workers, here is how it ends:

Matthew 20:9-16 Those hired about the eleventh hour came, and they each received a denarius. 10 When those hired first came, they thought that they would receive more, but they all received a denarius. 11 When they received it, they complained to the householder. 12 They said, “These last men have only worked an hour, but you have treated them just like those of us who have endured the scorching heat all day.” 13 But he said to one of them, “Friend, I’m not treating you unfairly. Wasn’t our contract for a denarius? 14 Take your money and go. I want to give the last men hired as much as I gave you. 15 Isn’t it legal for me to do what I want to with what belongs to me? Or are you envious because of my generosity?” 16 So the last will be first, and the first last, because many are invited, but few have chosen to participate [2].

[2] Rather than “Are chosen”, this is quite well illustrated in the parable of the invitations to the banquet (in Matthew 22). The Aramaic in verse 16 is in agreement with the Textus Receptus, and includes, “Because many are invited, but few have chosen to participate”, unlike most modern versions.

And concerning the righteous who thought they knew so much about “the truth”, a great many, particularly among those involved with Groupthink, will be totally shocked when they find out how much truth they were totally unaware of and/or even opposed to! But there is hope:

Psalm 49:13-14 This is the destiny of the ignorant [or foolish], and their followers who perpetuate their 'allegations'. Selah. 14 They’re like a flock of sheep destined for sheol. Death will be their shepherd (but the righteous will rule over them in the morning!) Their bodies will rot in sheol, far from their estates.

But don’t be surprised if being disappointed when others are blessed with eternal life lessens a persons own eternal blessing!

Why Does Yehovah Test Us?

The Commandments are really a measuring stick. The purpose that they serve is solely to determine our inclination toward love and trust. At the garden in Eden, Adam and Eve had only one Commandment! Could they have stolen from another family? Could they have born false witness against someone—to damage their character? Could they have coveted their neighbor’s spouse, or their neighbor’s anything else? With only one commandment, concerning a tree, Yehovah was able to test their character!

By being born into a physical world, and having immediate and constant exposure to evil, Yehovah can quickly determine which of us are “by nature” inclined to resist evil. Yehovah has allowed Satan to live just long enough to test humanity for a few thousand years. Of course we are all singed by evil, but with Yehovah’s help many will escape the flames! There will, of course, be some who never “enter life” to become “like the Messengers”. They will “crash and burn”, as did the fallen angels. Like Judas, it would have been better, had they never been born.

On Judgment Day there are only two groups of people: those who are “righteous” and those who are “wicked”, those who “inherit the earth”, and those who “will be cut off”. Being righteous simply means that you are not wicked!

Psalm 37:9 The evil will be cut down, but those who anticipate Yehovah will take possession of the land.

Psalm 37:11 But the humble will inherit the earth, and will be delighted in an abundance of peace.

Psalm 37:22 Those He blesses will inherit the earth. Those He curses will be cut down.

Psalm 37:29 The righteous will inherit the earth and live in it forever.

Psalm 125:3 The scepter of the wicked won’t remain over the land of the righteous, tempting the righteous to reach out for injustice.

Isaiah 60:21 Your people will all be righteous, they’ll inherit the land forever, a shoot that I planted, the work of My hands bringing about My splendor.

Righteousness is a relative thing; sometimes the “righteous” are simply less “treacherous!”

Jeremiah 3:11 Yehovah told me, “Faithless Israel has shown herself more righteous than treacherous Judah.

Ezekiel 16:52 You must bear your own shame, since you’ve been an advocate for your sisters. Your sins are more highly detestable than theirs. They are more righteous that you. So be ashamed, and bear your humiliation, because you’ve made your sisters look righteous by comparison.

Habakkuk 1:13 You who consider your eyes too 'special' to witness hardship, why do you associate with the treacherous and remain silent when the wicked devours a person more righteous than they are?

Of course it is far more of a blessing when you strive to be righteous. The “scribes and Pharisees” had too little “righteousness” to “enter the kingdom of the heavens”.

Matthew 5:6 Those who hunger and thirst for righteousness are blessed, because they’ll be completely satisfied!

Matthew 5:10 Those who are persecuted because of righteousness are blessed because the Kingdom of the Heavens belongs to them!

Matthew 5:20 I assure you that unless your righteousness greatly surpasses the Torah teachers and the Pharisees, you will never enter the Kingdom of the Heavens.

Called, culled, or excused: It’s up to us— “anyone” and “everyone”—whether we know it or not! So:

Matthew 7:7-8 Ask, and you’ll receive. Search, and you’ll find. Knock, and the door will be opened for you. 8 Everyone who asks will receive. Everyone who searches will find. The person knocking at the door will have the door opened.

Revelation 3:20 I have been standing at the door knocking. If anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I’ll come in to them and eat with them, and they with Me.

Everyone wants to be a “firstfruit”. Doesn’t the word itself imply that there will be “secondfruits”? What farmer in his right mind would stop harvesting their fruit after only a few have ripened? To call a good neighbor “lost” is a judgment, a con-damnation I would fear to make!

So combining what we learned about the ignorance of “the sheep and goats” with the three accounts of a young man asking what was necessary to obtain eternal life we see a preview of Judgment Day. Let’s review both texts:

Matthew 25:31-40 When the Human Son comes in His splendor, and all His spirit messengers with Him, He’ll sit on the throne of His splendor. 32 All the nations will be gathered in front of Him, and He’ll separate them from each other, just like a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. 33 He’ll put the sheep on His right and the goats on His left.

34 Then the King will say to those on His right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by My Father! Inherit the Kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world. 35 I was hungry and you gave Me some food, I was thirsty and you gave Me a drink, I was a stranger and you took Me home. 36 I needed clothes and you gave me clothing, I was sick and you cared for Me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.’

37 And the righteous will ask Him, ‘Sovereign, when did we see You hungry and feed You, or thirsty and give You something to drink? 38 When did we see that You were a stranger and take You home, or needing clothes and give You some? 39 When did we see You sick or in prison and come to You’ [5]? 40 The King will reply, ‘I can say with certainty that whenever you did anything for one of My brothers, who others thought of as insignificant, you did it for Me.’

[5] See why these “righteous” are ignorant about the Kingdom! Are the Unsaved Lost?

Matthew 19:16-22 Someone came to Him and asked, “Good Sovereign, what good thing should I do to have eternal life ?” 17 He replied, “Why are you calling Me good? No one is good but One, namely Aloha [God]. But if you want to enter into eternal life, OBEY THE COMMANDMENTS” [2]. 18 Then he asked, “Which ones?” So Yeshua told him, “Never murder. Never commit adultery. Never steal. Never give false testimony, 19 honor your father and your mother, and you must love your neighbor as yourself.”

20 The young man told Him, “I have obeyed all of these since childhood. What else do I need?” 21 Yeshua told him, “If you want to become perfect, go and sell everything you own and give the money to the poor, and you will have a treasure in heaven, then come right back here and accompany Me”! 22 When the young man heard this he went away in sorrow, because he owned a lot of property.

So I like to imagine a typical situation on Judgment Day with Joe Sheep:

Yeshua: “Those of you on the right, you’re close to being blessed by My Father and innheriting the Kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world.

Joe Sheep: “Good Master, what good things should I do to have eternal Life and be part of Your Kingdom?”

Yeshua: Joe, you never murdered anyone, and taking out that armed intruder saved Me the trouble. You never committed adultery, the conscience I gave you worked well for you. You never stole anything, you even returned a lost wallet full of cash. You never lied about anyone else to make them look bad. You made your parents proud their entire lives, and you respected everyone you encountered and lived by, and even watched out for their property. Nice of you for finding that lost dog’s owner. This is the best I could have expected of you since you were lied to about the first four of the 10 Commandments from birth. You’ve demonstrated your love for your neighbors (acquaintence) your entire life, proving your prospective value to the everlasting Kingdom. You can choose to immigrate into My kingdom by pledging your loyalty to Me as your Savior and obeying My every command. The only other option is the fiery pit on the left. So choose life!

Once more; the Six Commandments:

Matthew 7:12 So do for others whatever you want them to do for you [1], because this 'encapsulates' the Torah and the Prophets.

[1] Act first, don’t wait on others!

I hope that you choose the road less traveled, scoring a perfect “10” (Commandments)!

Matthew 7:13 Enter thru the narrow door, because the door is wide and the road is broad that leads to destruction, and many enter thru it.

Here is an article I read about salvation in 1973 that still impresses me! You just read about the back door into the Kingdom; this covers the front door!

If Are the “Unsaved” Lost? intrigued you and you would like to see an avalanche of Scriptures pertaining to the fate of the wicked, then proceed to ADDENDUM 2, Part 1: The Fate of the Wicked.

Lonnie Martin, zech14@proton.me

December 19, 1999

Part 1 / Chapter 13 is What is “The Hour of Trial”?

Lonnie Martin’s work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License

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