FIRST OF ALL, I don’t want to sound like I am preaching to anyone. I am in NO POSTION to preach to others, I have enough to worry about myself. A lot of this stuff includes things that have been pressed on my heart lately … and this is one way of attempting to change my thoughts about things. But some of this is directed at certain people. I will make no mention of who these people are, because I feel these passages can apply to any and all that are willing to search their hearts and minds for the truth. This is only Part 1 of my religious posts, I have 4 more waiting to be read too … so read this … let me know what you think (because that’s a major reason for posting it here … to get feedback to help me understand) … and don’t get offended PLEASE!
Oh and let me know when you are ready for the next topic of my discussion … remember there are 4 more!

Suffering & Judgment

Matthew 20: 17-19
17Now as Jesus was going up to Jerusalem, he took the twelve disciples aside and said to them, 18“We are going up to Jerusalem, and the Son of Man will be betrayed to the chief priests and the teachers of the law. They will condemn him to death 19and will turn him over to the Gentiles to be mocked and flogged and crucified. On the third day he will be raised to life!”
At a church camp about 5 years ago, this theory was brought up: after taking of the sins of everyone in the past, present, and future, Jesus had to suffer for these sins (like going to hell for us all). It says that “On the third day he will be raised to life,” and in theory Jesus spent those three days in hell paying for our sins. This was God’s design all along; that if you sin, you have to pay for it in hell for an eternity. Jesus spent those three days in hell, so we would have the chance to spend our eternity in heaven. I believe this to be true. It seems to make the verse where Jesus says, “My God, my God. Why have you forsaken me?” make more sense. Because hell is complete separation from God, thus being forsaken … Jesus knew what suffering was awaiting him.

Matthew 25: 31-
31”When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, and he will sit on his throne in heavenly glory. 32All the nations will be gathered before him, and he will separate the people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. 33He will put the sheep on his right and the goats on his left.
34Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world. 35For I was hungry and you have me something to eat, I was thirsty and you have me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, 36I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.’
37Then the righteous will answer him, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? 38When did we see you a stranger and invited you in, or needing cloths and clothe you? 39When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?’ 40The King will reply, ‘I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me.’
41Then he will say to those on his left, ‘Depart from me, you who are cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels. 42For I was hungry and you gave me nothing to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me nothing to drink, 43I was a stranger and you did not invite me in, I needed clothes and you did not clothe me, I was sick and in prison and you did not look after me.’
44They also will answer, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or needing clothes or sick or in prison, and did not help you?’ 45He will reply, ‘I tell you the truth, whatever you did not do for one of the least of these, you did not do for me.’ 46Then they will go away to eternal punishment, but the righteous to eternal life.”
There is a song by Cake called “Sheep go to Heaven, Goats go to Hell.” I knew that I had heard that in the Bible somewhere before, but was never really sure where and the significance of it. By no means do I consider Cake a “Christian band” because of this song, but I do enjoy the alliteration. In other parts of the Bible, and in sermons I’ve heard, Christians are referred to as the flock of sheep and Jesus as the Shepard. This makes that whole analogy make so much more sense. Now the question is … which are you?

Revelation 20: 11-15
11Then I saw a great white throne and him who was seated on it. Earth and sky fled from his presence, and there was no place for them. 12And I saw the dead, great and small, standing before the throne, and books were opened. Another book was opened, which is the book of life. The dead were judged according to what they had done as recorded in the books. 13The sea gave up the dead that were in it, and death and Hades gave up the dead that were in them, and each person was judged according to what he had done. 14Then death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire. The lake of fire is the second death. 15If anyone’s name was not found written in the book of life, he was thrown into the lake of fire.
Does verse 13 refer to Limbo? I don’t really understand the whole significance of limbo, or for that matter what it exactly entails … but from what I do know … it kind of sounds like verse 13 is calling for those in limbo to be judged again when Jesus returns. And this passage also gives me the impression that one does not go up to heaven when they die. It sounds like you die, then Death will give you to Jesus on the second coming … and then from there you are judged according, but not before? I don’t know. This passage confuses me a lot … please let me know what you think about it.

Job
The book of Job reads like a detective story in which the readers know far more than the central characters. The very first chapter answers Job’s main question: He had done nothing to deserve such suffering. We, the readers, know that, but nobody tells Job and his friends.
Unknown to him, Job was involved in a cosmic test, a contest proposed in heaven but staged on earth. In this extreme test of faith, the best man on earth suffered the worst calamities. Satan had claimed that people like Job love God only because of the good things he provides. Remove those good things, Satan challenged, and Job’s faith would melt away along with his riches and health.
God’s reputation was on the line. Would Job continue to trust him, even while his life was falling apart? This is the crucial question of the book: Would Job turn against God?
Job’s wife mocked him, “Are you still holding on to you integrity? Curse God and die!” (2:9). His friends were even crueler: They argued that Job was being punished, that he fully deserved the tragedies crashing into his life. For his part, Job struggled to do what seemed impossible: to keep on believing in a loving, fair God even through all the evidence pointed against such as God.
So if you ever feel like you’re being tested by God or Satan … and you feel as though you are about to lose hope, or you think that it is unfair and question God’s plan … think of Job. Maybe God sees you as a strong follower and worthy of being tested by Satan, showing Satan that there are true believers in this day and age … making your faith stronger … and Satan’s tie to you weaker and weaker. (oh and proving that God has faith in believers as well as believers having faith in Him.)

2 Thessalonians 1: 6-10
6God is just: He will pay back trouble to those who trouble you 7and give relief to you who are troubled, and to us as well. This will happen when the Lord Jesus is revealed from heaven in blazing fire with his powerful angels. 8He will punish those who do not know God and do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus. 9They will be punished with everlasting destruction and shut out from the presence of the Lord and from the majesty of his power 10on the day he comes to be glorified in his holy people and to be marveled at among all those who have believed. This includes you, because you believed our testimony to you.
Verse 6 tells us not to seek vengeance ourselves; that God knows who has done what wrongs and what punishment is worthy of their crimes. The ultimate punishment for those who do you wrong is them going to hell. I don’t mean to sound like it’s okay to wish someone to hell … that’s a sin in itself I’m sure. But let God handle the wrongs that others commit against you, for his punishments come without grief and unfairness. When Christ comes back again, make sure that you aren’t one of those that are gong to receive “everlasting destruction” …

Sincerely,
Josh