The Restraint On Total Apostasy & Judgment Of Damnation. (Part 1).
The Restraint On Total Apostasy & Judgment Of Damnation.
Throughout scripture God's restraint(the time of his patience) in pouring out consummate judgment on iniquity, is the righteous.
As long as the righteous are still found in the midst, God is restrained from pouring out judgment, but as soon as he removes the righteous from the midst, his judgment ensues.
In the days of Noah, God's restraint was only Noah who was a preacher of righteousness, and the Spirit of God in relationship with Noah was striving to persuade and convict that generation of the coming judgment but their hearts were hardened in evil.
God said "My Spirit will not always strive with man for he is flesh(he is carnal, unresponsive to the things of the Spirit) yet his days shall be a hundred and twenty years". Genesis 6:3.
God thus gave a timeline for that generation, the timeline of his patience while the ark was being prepared, and when that time elapsed and the ark was ready, God shut Noah and his family in the ark, and the flood judgment was poured out on the ungodly.
In the case of Sodom and Gomorrah, God's restraint in pouring out judgment was righteous Lot; even when the time of his patience came to an end, and he revealed to Abraham the imminent judgment of Sodom & Gomorrah, Abraham asked him thus:
Will you also destroy the righteous with the wicked? Peradventure there are fifty righteous within the city: will you also destroy and not spare the place for the fifty righteous that are therein?
And the LORD said, If I find in Sodom fifty righteous within the city, then I will spare all the place for their sakes. Genesis 18:17-33.
Abraham's intercession went from fifty to ten, and the Lord said for the sake of ten righteous ones, he will not destroy the city; however, Lot was the only righteous man in Sodom & Gomorrah just as Noah was the only one in his generation, who found grace in the eyes of the Lord (Genesis 6:8).
God poured out judgment on Sodom & Gomorrah as soon as he took Lot out.
In these two examples of judgment we have two strong witnesses of God taking out the righteous in order to pour out a consummate judgment on the wicked.
The righteous Noah was taken out, as shut out from the world, then the flood judgment came and destroyed all.
The righteous Lot was taken out of Sodom and Gomorrah, and the judgment rain of fire/brimstone destroyed all the wicked.
The Judgment That Will Mark The End Of Christendom.
2 Thessalonians 2:11-12 speaking of the judgment which will mark the end of christendom, says that when the restraint(the righteous/wheat) is taken out of the way, all that is left in the field will be given over to damnation.
"And for this cause God shall send them strong delusion, that they should believe a lie: That they all might be damned who believed not the truth, but had pleasure in unrighteousness".
Note: This strong delusion is what goes with the revelation of that wicked one(man of lawlessness/son of perdition), whose coming is after the working of satan with all power and signs and lying wonders, and with all deceivableness of unrighteousness.
The mystery of iniquity/lawlessness and the spirit of antichrist, already working in the midst are forerunners of the revelation of the wicked one & coming strong delusion.
*Anyone who believes and teaches that the true people of God(the righteous) will be in the midst when the man of sin (Antichrist) is revealed, and when God will send a strong delusion for all in the way of apostasy in christendom, to believe a lie unto damnation, is doctrinally caught up in the mystery of iniquity/antichrist spirit, which seeks to leaven and apostatize the whole lump, delivering the entire field of christendom unto the Antichrist at his revelation/coming, without God taking/having any fruit from it.
Anyone teaching you that the church will go through the hour/time of tribulation, is preparing you for apostasy.
Just like all the wicked in the days of Noah were destroyed when God shut Noah from that generation, and all the wicked in Sodom and Gomorrah were destroyed when God took Lot out, so shall all the false/unrighteous professors in Christendom be given over to apostasy and damnation, but only when the true ones are taken away.
In the second epistle of Peter, when scripture reveals/speaks of the judgment of the false ones in the midst of God's people(the tares & false professors in christendom), several examples of past judgments were cited.
Now in the opening verses (vs 1-3) scripture gives us the description of these false ones, and also reveals beyond their profession of christianity, their actual practice in christendom.
• They are actually people exposed to the truth and the way of truth, but in handling the truth, they import/bring in extraneous teachings that lead to damnation.
• In teaching things contrary to the truth, and not consenting to wholesome words, they deny/contradict the Lord that bought them.
• Many follow their pernicious ways(doctrine & practice which causes much harm yet in a very subtle way). They thus command a large following in christendom.
• They bring reproach and shame to the way of truth. By reason of their doctrine and manner of life, the unbelieving reproach, criticize and speak evil of christianity.
• They are covetous: they teach as inspired and driven by covetousness(lust for acquisition) which is idolatry; thus their belly(lust/craving/appetite for acquisition) is their god.
• They make merchandise of their gullible followers including the true people of God in their congregations. This they do with feigned, fictitious and false words/ testimonies, motivating people to give in the spirit of transacting/exchanging their material things for some assumed 'spiritual benefit/gain'.
* Sadly, this is a perfect description of many of the people we see today in christendom, doing ministry and running "churches" with large fellowership and great acquisitions.
Scripture goes on to speak of their end/judgment and says that their judgment/damnation from of old is not idle/inactive, and their destruction/perdition slumbers not(vs.3). Then in verses 4-8 three examples of past judgments( ie. judgments from of old) are lifted to buttress the point/fact that their judgment/damnation from of old is not idle/inactive, but has been fully activated of God in the past examples he made/set forth, to serve as a warning and a possible deterrent to those who afterwards would live ungodly.
Throughout scripture God's restraint(the time of his patience) in pouring out consummate judgment on iniquity, is the righteous.
As long as the righteous are still found in the midst, God is restrained from pouring out judgment, but as soon as he removes the righteous from the midst, his judgment ensues.
In the days of Noah, God's restraint was only Noah who was a preacher of righteousness, and the Spirit of God in relationship with Noah was striving to persuade and convict that generation of the coming judgment but their hearts were hardened in evil.
God said "My Spirit will not always strive with man for he is flesh(he is carnal, unresponsive to the things of the Spirit) yet his days shall be a hundred and twenty years". Genesis 6:3.
God thus gave a timeline for that generation, the timeline of his patience while the ark was being prepared, and when that time elapsed and the ark was ready, God shut Noah and his family in the ark, and the flood judgment was poured out on the ungodly.
In the case of Sodom and Gomorrah, God's restraint in pouring out judgment was righteous Lot; even when the time of his patience came to an end, and he revealed to Abraham the imminent judgment of Sodom & Gomorrah, Abraham asked him thus:
Will you also destroy the righteous with the wicked? Peradventure there are fifty righteous within the city: will you also destroy and not spare the place for the fifty righteous that are therein?
And the LORD said, If I find in Sodom fifty righteous within the city, then I will spare all the place for their sakes. Genesis 18:17-33.
Abraham's intercession went from fifty to ten, and the Lord said for the sake of ten righteous ones, he will not destroy the city; however, Lot was the only righteous man in Sodom & Gomorrah just as Noah was the only one in his generation, who found grace in the eyes of the Lord (Genesis 6:8).
God poured out judgment on Sodom & Gomorrah as soon as he took Lot out.
In these two examples of judgment we have two strong witnesses of God taking out the righteous in order to pour out a consummate judgment on the wicked.
The righteous Noah was taken out, as shut out from the world, then the flood judgment came and destroyed all.
The righteous Lot was taken out of Sodom and Gomorrah, and the judgment rain of fire/brimstone destroyed all the wicked.
The Judgment That Will Mark The End Of Christendom.
2 Thessalonians 2:11-12 speaking of the judgment which will mark the end of christendom, says that when the restraint(the righteous/wheat) is taken out of the way, all that is left in the field will be given over to damnation.
"And for this cause God shall send them strong delusion, that they should believe a lie: That they all might be damned who believed not the truth, but had pleasure in unrighteousness".
Note: This strong delusion is what goes with the revelation of that wicked one(man of lawlessness/son of perdition), whose coming is after the working of satan with all power and signs and lying wonders, and with all deceivableness of unrighteousness.
The mystery of iniquity/lawlessness and the spirit of antichrist, already working in the midst are forerunners of the revelation of the wicked one & coming strong delusion.
*Anyone who believes and teaches that the true people of God(the righteous) will be in the midst when the man of sin (Antichrist) is revealed, and when God will send a strong delusion for all in the way of apostasy in christendom, to believe a lie unto damnation, is doctrinally caught up in the mystery of iniquity/antichrist spirit, which seeks to leaven and apostatize the whole lump, delivering the entire field of christendom unto the Antichrist at his revelation/coming, without God taking/having any fruit from it.
Anyone teaching you that the church will go through the hour/time of tribulation, is preparing you for apostasy.
Just like all the wicked in the days of Noah were destroyed when God shut Noah from that generation, and all the wicked in Sodom and Gomorrah were destroyed when God took Lot out, so shall all the false/unrighteous professors in Christendom be given over to apostasy and damnation, but only when the true ones are taken away.
In the second epistle of Peter, when scripture reveals/speaks of the judgment of the false ones in the midst of God's people(the tares & false professors in christendom), several examples of past judgments were cited.
Now in the opening verses (vs 1-3) scripture gives us the description of these false ones, and also reveals beyond their profession of christianity, their actual practice in christendom.
• They are actually people exposed to the truth and the way of truth, but in handling the truth, they import/bring in extraneous teachings that lead to damnation.
• In teaching things contrary to the truth, and not consenting to wholesome words, they deny/contradict the Lord that bought them.
• Many follow their pernicious ways(doctrine & practice which causes much harm yet in a very subtle way). They thus command a large following in christendom.
• They bring reproach and shame to the way of truth. By reason of their doctrine and manner of life, the unbelieving reproach, criticize and speak evil of christianity.
• They are covetous: they teach as inspired and driven by covetousness(lust for acquisition) which is idolatry; thus their belly(lust/craving/appetite for acquisition) is their god.
• They make merchandise of their gullible followers including the true people of God in their congregations. This they do with feigned, fictitious and false words/ testimonies, motivating people to give in the spirit of transacting/exchanging their material things for some assumed 'spiritual benefit/gain'.
* Sadly, this is a perfect description of many of the people we see today in christendom, doing ministry and running "churches" with large fellowership and great acquisitions.
Scripture goes on to speak of their end/judgment and says that their judgment/damnation from of old is not idle/inactive, and their destruction/perdition slumbers not(vs.3). Then in verses 4-8 three examples of past judgments( ie. judgments from of old) are lifted to buttress the point/fact that their judgment/damnation from of old is not idle/inactive, but has been fully activated of God in the past examples he made/set forth, to serve as a warning and a possible deterrent to those who afterwards would live ungodly.
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