Walking Close To The Fire

When the Son of man shall come in His glory, 

and all the holy angels with Him, then shall He 

sit upon the throne of His glory: and before 

Him shall be gathered all nations: and he 

shall separate them one from another, 

as a shepherd divideth his sheep from the 

goats: and He shall set the sheep on His right

 hand, but the goats on the left. Then shall

 the King say unto them on His right hand, 

Come, ye blessed of My Father, inherit 

the kingdom prepared for you from 

the foundation of the world:

Matthew 25:31-34

     The importance of this subject: cultural vs Authentic Christians cannot be misinterpreted as the opening Scripture testifies. God in His economy (management, design) knowing all things from the beginning until the end for He is without time and sees all things in the present set forth how men and women were to be managed. To do this management with justice God in His mercy and in His dispensations throughout history has revealed what He desires for His creation. God set forth and prepared a kingdom from the foundation of the world, a kingdom that His children, those who are Authentic in their faith towards Him. On the other hand God also set forth in His justice what would be the results for those who do not and will not have faith in Him: "Depart from Me, you who are cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels" (Matthew 25:41). What is this eternal fire? Gehenna (see Revelations 20), a place God set forth for those angels who followed Satan in disobedience to God, those who wanted things to be done their way. This reserved place is where men ad women who are also disobedient and want things done their way are to be tossed into, eternal fire, destruction. I must take a moment to give my take on Gehenna for there are those theologians that teach and believe that Gehenna is a place for living people who will be tormented forever. It is true that the Greek word translated tormentor, or torture is a good translation of the Greek, but we must look closely at how this word was used and use good critical thinking: here is an example: "And his lord was wroth, and delivered him to the tormentors, till he should pay all that was due unto him" (Matthew 18:34). Does this mean that this debtor was tortured by some physical means, or does it mean that this word refers to not being set free until he could pay the debt? Well, if a person is beaten, physically tortured how could he pay the debt? Or, does it mean that he cannot get out, and this is torture, a torment. Here is something to think about: the jailer was a tormentor, was he not? Yes! The Greek word while meaning torture or torment came to identify the tormentor with jailer, just like the word word "martyr" that means "witness" came to mean death, a witness to your faith. Why did I take this time to go over this word? It is because we get "hung" up on definitions that we do not have full understanding of and then make doctrines or dogmas to fit that lack of understanding. No matter what: if you are not with God, you are separated from Him and all the blessings that God has prepared for those who love Him. 

     People often, even Authentic Christians, walk to close to the line, just far enough to not be seen as those on the other side. Some cultural Christians walk close to the line so that they may not be seen as cultural. Camping trips are fun and the night campfire is warm, inviting, but have you noticed that the tongues of the fire, no matter what side of the fire you are on are always licking to burn you. If you are a sane and thinking person you will not get so close to the fire so that the tongues of fire cannot burn you. This is the problem by walking close to the line. 

     Walking close to lies will if not corrected cause a person to come to a place where those lies are accepted, your character will be influenced due to you close proximity to those lies. Would it not be better to stand, to walk away from those lies, to be far away so that you will not be influenced by those lies? Yes! God's word, the Bible tells us how we should walk, how we should live, and how we can know the truth so that those lies will not influence our lives. Noah for some 100 years while building the ark told people of the coming destruction and people would not believe him. This was God giving to the people information that would save them, but they refused to listen, they were destroyed, not into some living hell, but destroyed, gone, never to rise again. God has given to us information that will save us so that we will not be destroyed, not when He brings upon earth another flood, no, but when Jesus Christ comes to retrieve His bride and to destroy this sinful world that will not listen to the words given for their safety, they will be destroyed. A new world will be established, one in which sin will have been destroyed, that death will die, and life eternal will be given to all Authentic Christians with Authentic Christian Faith. 

     Jesus Christ came to this earth to do just what was needed to be done so that the will of God from the foundation of the world would be established, a kingdom, a blessing for all who believe upon Him, and the One whom He sent to pay our debt: Jesus Christ. You must come to this place if those words of God will save you: you must come to this place, you are a sinner and in need of a Savior, and that Savior is Jesus Christ: believe upon Him and you will be saved. 

And the LORD said unto Noah,

     Come thou and all thy house

into the ark; for thee have I seen

    righteous before Me in this generation.

                       Genesis 7:1

Will God see you as righteous?

Richard L. Crumb