Saturday, July 7, 2012

Death seals our character and nature forever……..


“Let the one who does wrong, still do wrong; and the one who is filthy, still be filthy; and let the one who is righteous, still practice righteousness; and the one who is holy, still keep himself holy.”  Rev. 22:11  NASB

He who is unjust, let him be unjust…..
He who is unjust is: the one acting unjustly, damaging, or doing wrong. One who violates God’s law. Let him be unjust is active voice participle: let him do unjustly. He is unjust as shown by his ongoing actions.

He who is filthy, let him be filthy still…….
He who is filthy is: “morally impure, degenerate, completely bad; . . . a morally filthy person.”  The opposite of: clean, pure.

After one of Daniel’s visions, he was told that the words were closed up until the time of the end and that both good and evil would continue: the wicked would not understand the things of God, but the wise would (Dan. 12:9-10).

The same situation is before us in this age.  We have much more revelation than Daniel was given, including the entire New Testament and the book of Revelation that tells about these last things.  Yet, the wicked continue to ignore the sure prediction of the judgment of God on the horizon. This will culminate in a generation at the time of the Tribulation who are unique in their blasphemy and unrepentant rejection of God.  Even though they will know God exists and that He is the source of their judgment, they will continue in rebellion and refuse every opportunity to repent (Rev. 6:15-17; Rev. 9:21; Rev. 16:8, Rev. 16:11).

God is saying that men choose to sin because they want to, not because they know no better; and the inference is that even this book, which reveals the ultimate, stark, destiny of sin, will not deter sinners from pursuing their fancy.

In view of this reality, the marching orders of the Church are similar to those of the prophet Ezekiel:

“But when I speak with you, I will open your mouth, and you shall say to them, “Thus says the Lord GOD.”  He who hears, let him hear; and he who refuses, let him refuse; for they are a rebellious house. (Ezek. 3:27)

It was not Ezekiel’s responsibility to make the rebellious turn.  His responsibility was to accurately preserve and convey the message of God.  Those who would respond did so. Those who would not did not. He did not own the results!

Preaching Revelation draws the line. Its truths will melt the hearts of the repentant and harden the hearts of the unrepentant. Those same truths thus become either an instrument of salvation, or an instrument of damnation (1Cor. 1:18; 2Cor. 2:15-16).

Paul gave similar instructions to Timothy:

“….. all who desire to live godly in Christ Jesus will suffer persecution.  But evil men and impostors will grow worse and worse, deceiving and being deceived.  But you must continue in the things which you have learned and been assured of, knowing from whom you have learned them.”  (2Ti. 3:12-14)

He who is righteous, let him be righteous still…..
Those who are righteous evidence their redemption through righteous acts (
James 2:18-24). “The fruit of the righteous is a tree of life, and he who wins souls is wise” (Prov. 11:30).

He who is holy, let him be holy still…..
Holy is: the holy [one] which is the same root word as saint. They are holy because they are set apart to God and indwelt by the Holy Spirit:



Verse 11 is not a command, but rather a statement of fact and a warning. Character tends to become fixed and unchangeable, determined by a lifetime of habitual action. The arrival of the end will prevent any change of destiny.

Those who hear the truth but continue to do wrong will by that hardened response fix their eternal destiny in hell. Conversely, those who continue to practice righteousness and keep themselves holy give evidence of genuine saving faith.

When Christ returns, the deliberate choice of each person will have fixed his eternal fate.

We cannot cover up from God. God sees into the heart. If you are a sinner, He already knows it. You do not have to tell Him. If you belong to Jesus, He knows that, too. Whatever you are down deep, Jesus already knows.

Death seals our character and nature forever.

You may change in life but not after death.

It is very important to get right with God in this life, while there is still time.


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