Articles

Unconditional Love and Acceptance?

Paula White Exposed [video]

THAT’s My King! Pastor Lockridge [video]

Powerful Prayers from Children-This Will Shake You [video]

The Fear of the LORD is to Hate Evil: Pride, and Arrogancy #shorts [video]

Martin Bobgan, PhD.

Among the stellar emotional needs of humanistic psychology are unconditional acceptance, unconditional self-regard, unconditional self-acceptance, and unconditional love. The meaning of the word unconditional is “without conditions or reservations; absolute.”1 The practical extension of the theories of unconditional love is a permissive attitude and a morally nonrestrictive atmosphere. That means no conditions or restrictions in child rearing, counseling, and other human relationships. Since the parent or counselor is to be giving unconditional love, it must be an absolute love, unrestricted by human feelings or failings, since the very meaning of the word is “absolute.” But, if there is any absolute when it comes to love, it is that human love is limited. It is not what it was originally created to be, even in the best of people and circumstances, except when Jesus Himself is loving in and through a person.

Adler and Maslow considered these “unconditionals” to be basic human needs, essential to a person’s sense of wellbeing. They taught that people need to be loved and accepted unconditionally—without any conditions of performance. Thus their followers teach that parents must love and accept their children unconditionally. Moreover, they encourage all people to love and accept themselves unconditionally.

Adler, Maslow, Rogers and others believed that a human being will find answers to his own dilemmas and naturally blossom into his best self in an atmosphere of unconditional love and acceptance, by which they meant a permissive, unstructured atmosphere. Nevertheless, as much as they would like to think that they themselves loved their clients unconditionally, the truth of the matter is this: people are not able to love unconditionally.

The Myth of Unconditional Love

Unconditional love is a myth. That is because the human is naturally self-biased and the human heart is so deceitful that one can fool himself into thinking that he is loving unconditionally, when in fact he has all kinds of conditions. For instance, what kind of unconditional love and unconditional positive regard is at work when the client can no longer pay for services and therapy is discontinued? Furthermore, even the most nondirective counselors express approval or disapproval in subtle, if not direct, ways.2

The idea of people improving their life in an atmosphere of unconditional love is founded on the premise that people are born good and that their natural inclination to goodness is thwarted by their environment (mainly parents). In such a system, self is the victim of society but finds salvation, freedom, and fulfillment through unconditional self-love and self-acceptance. Unconditional love cannot be based upon performance or it wouldn’t be unconditional. Therefore, it must be based on the intrinsic worth of the person. Paul Brownback, in his book The Danger of Self-Love, explains it this way:

. . . by unconditional love we are speaking of love on the basis of being rather than doing. One implication of this teaching is the place of grandeur that it gives to the human being. I am lovable just because I am human; therefore being human, in and of itself, regardless of what I do with my humanness, must have some sort of independent value or worth. It is by itself a sufficient claim to respect and esteem.3

Thus, according to these self theories, everyone is born with the right to receive unconditional love and unconditional acceptance throughout his entire life, no matter what!

Pastors assigned to shepherd God’s flocks, should have been alert to the subtleties of deception that would turn a believer’s eyes from God to self. But alas, rather than warning the sheep, many of the shepherds have joined the psychologists and embrace their teachings of unconditional love and unconditional acceptance.

A Misunderstanding of God’s Love

The basis for their eager embrace is a misunderstanding of the love of God which passes knowledge. They equate unconditional love and acceptance with the fact that God’s love is vast, unfathomable, and unmerited. Then they follow that with the idea that if God loves and accepts people unconditionally, they should also love and accept themselves unconditionally. While this may sound like a logical progression, there are some serious problems with the basic assumptions. Therefore, we must address the question: Is God’s love unconditional? Are there any conditions that must be met to become a recipient of His love?

Paul prayed that the believers in Ephesus would be able to comprehend the breadth, length, depth and height of God’s love. He desired that they know the love of Christ, which surpasses knowledge, so that they would be filled with the fullness of God (Ephesians 3:16-19). The wide expanse of God’s love has been the theme of the gospel throughout the ages, for to know His love is to know Him. Therefore, any consideration of His love is highly important and must be based upon His revelation of Himself rather than upon the imagination of men.

Love According to Secular Humanism

Ever since the rise of secular humanism in this country and especially since the establishment of humanistic psychology, the popular, “relevant” term to describe God’s love has been unconditional. The thrust of this word in humanistic psychology has been both to give and to expect unconditional love from one another with no strings attached. While unconditional love and acceptance supposedly promote change and growth, they make no requirements. But God, who is love, requires and produces radical change—new life—and He enables His children to grow in righteousness.

In humanistic psychology, parents and society are always the culprits. Since they believe that every person is born with intrinsic worth and innate goodness, psychologists contend that one main reason people experience emotional and behavioral problems is because they have not received unconditional love from their parents. Following that thesis, Christians have come to believe that the best kind of love is unconditional love. It is the highest love secular humanists know. It is touted as a love that makes no demands for performance, good behavior, or the like. It has also been associated with a kind of permissiveness, since it makes no demands and has no conditions, even though the promoters of the unconditional love jargon would say that unconditional love does not have to dispense with discipline.

God’s Love Revealed through Scripture

Because the concept of unconditional love permeates society and because it is often thought of as the highest form of human love, it is natural for a Christian to use this term to describe God. After all, His love is far greater than any human love imaginable. God’s love for humanity is so great that “He gave His only begotten Son that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life” (John 3:16). Oh, the magnitude of the cost! We cannot even fathom His love even though our very breath depends upon it! His love indeed reaches to the heights and depths. Nevertheless, is God’s love truly unconditional?

God’s love is available to human beings by grace alone. There is nothing anyone can do to earn that love. There is no good work that is either demanded or even possible. Does that make God’s love unconditional? Because unconditional love is absolute and without any conditions whatsoever, all men would be saved if God’s love were unconditional. But that would be universalism. That would nullify the need for Christ’s sacrificial death and God’s condition of salvation by grace through faith.

We must also ask, does God’s love apply to the person who has sinned against the Holy Spirit by refusing to receive His grace throughout his lifetime and who is destined for hell? God chooses upon whom He will place His love and the benefits of his love. Did Jesus ever imply that God’s love is unconditional? He said to His disciples:

He that hath my commandments, and keepeth them, he it is that loveth me: and he that loveth me shall be loved of my Father, and I will love him, and will manifest myself to him (John 14:21).

One might argue, however, that the story of the prodigal son proves unconditional love. It indeed illustrates the vastness of God’s love, forgiveness and longsuffering. However, the son repented. If he had had a prosperous evil life he may never have repented. And while the father would have waited and hoped, he would not have extended his love. After all, he did not go out searching for him to support his folly. Up to a point this seems to indicate unconditional love, and yet, God is not waiting in ignorance, not knowing what those for whom His son died might be doing. He knows, and there comes a time when those who have refused his offer of love and forgiveness die and face the judgment. It is difficult enough to understand God’s love without adding the term unconditional which is loaded with secular, humanistic, psychological connotations. The story of the prodigal son teaches grace, forgiveness and mercy—but unconditional love? No!

While God loves with a greater love than humans can comprehend, His holiness and justice also must be taken into consideration. Therefore the term unconditional love is inadequate for defining God. It does not account for God’s reaction to pompous men who devise plans against Him and His anointed. The psalmist goes so far as to say:

He that sitteth in the heavens shall laugh: the Lord shall have them in derision. Then shall he speak to them in his wrath, and vex them in his sore displeasure (Psalm 2:4-5).

And what about Lot’s wife as she turned to look at the smoldering cities? Or what about Jesus’ words to the cities that refused to repent?

Woe unto thee, Chorazin! woe unto thee, Bethsaida! for if the mighty works, which were done in you, had been done in Tyre and Sidon, they would have repented long ago in sackcloth and ashes. But I say unto you, It shall be more tolerable for Tyre and Sidon at the day of judgment, than for you. And thou, Capernaum, which art exalted unto heaven, shalt be brought down to hell . . . . it shall be more tolerable for the land of Sodom in the day of judgment, than for thee (Matthew 11:21-24).

Does that sound like unconditional love?

But perhaps one could say that God’s love for the Christian is unconditional since the Christian partakes of His love and grace through faith. Wouldn’t it be better to say that the conditions have been met? Jesus met the first condition, to wash away the sin that God hates. The believer meets the second condition by grace through faith. Or, perhaps it would be better to say that God’s love extended to a person is conditioned by His plan to give eternal life to those who believe on His Son. The conditions of God’s love are resident within Himself.

There is a strong temptation to use vocabulary that is popular in society in order to make Christianity sound relevant. Christians have something far better than what the world offers, but in expressing that good news they confuse people by using words that are already loaded with humanistic connotations and systems of thought. It would be better not to use the expression unconditional love when describing God’s love. There are plenty of other good words.

In this was manifested the love of God toward us, because that God sent his only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through him.

Herein is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us, and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins. . . .
And we have known and believed the love that God hath to us. God is love; and he that dwelleth in love dwelleth in God, and God in him (1 John 4:9, 10, 16).

The incomprehensible magnitude of God’s love surpasses any concept of love devised by humanistic psychologists. The doctrine of unconditional love is a myth that glorifies man rather than God.

1. Webster’s New Universal Unabridged Dictionary, Second Edition, 1983.
2. Jay Haley. Strategies of Psychotherapy. New York: Grune & Stratton, Inc., 1963, pp. 71, 82.
3. Paul Brownback. The Danger of Self-Love. Chicago: Moody Press, 1982, p. 66.

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Delighting in the LORD [podcast]

Many have set up their altar to the false gods of church, church attendance, mere men in ministry, etc., and not at the feet, the throne of Jesus Christ. These are examples of some of the most insidious, the most subtle forms of damnable idolatry.

“And he shewed me a pure river of water of life, clear as crystal, proceeding out of the throne of God and of the Lamb.” Revelation 22:1

Our lives in Christ must be built around His throne and not a certain church building or Sunday morning event (Jeremiah 17:12; Colossians 3:1-4; Hebrews 4:14-16; Revelation 22:1).

Memory truth:

“A glorious high throne from the beginning is the place of our sanctuary.” Jeremiah 17:12

Heaven is where God is and He’s your headquarters. The LORD Himself is “the place of our sanctuary.”

For many, going to “church” seems to take the place of diligently seeking and knowing, loving, and obeying the LORD. The foundation of such a person will not sustain them in this last hour (Matthew 7:19-29; 24; Luke 21; Hebrews 12:24-28).

The LORD speaks much of the importance of foundations (Psalms 11:3). Those who base their life in Christ on a certain ministry or church gathering or organization, do not have the sure, divine foundation to sustain them in this late hour. Everything is going to be shaken and only that which is truly and soundly grounded in Christ will be left standing.

Like Abel, who chose to do things God’s way and no other way, those who do the same, will be established in Christ the Rock and not be moved.

“And to Jesus the mediator of the new covenant, and to the blood of sprinkling, that speaketh better things than that of Abel. 25 See that ye refuse not him that speaketh. For if they escaped not who refused him that spake on earth, much more shall not we escape, if we turn away from him that speaketh from heaven: 26 Whose voice then shook the earth: but now he hath promised, saying, Yet once more I shake not the earth only, but also heaven. 27 And this word, Yet once more, signifieth the removing of those things that are shaken, as of things that are made, that those things which cannot be shaken may remain. 28 Wherefore we receiving a kingdom which cannot be moved, let us have grace, whereby we may serve God acceptably with reverence and godly fear: 29 For our God is a consuming fire.” Hebrews 12:24-29

Regrettably, so many, who have simply gotten lost in the church crowd, have not established that intimate, individual place in the sanctuary of the LORD. The coming storms will inevitably uproot them if there is no change, no repentance, and seeking the face of the LORD for themselves. Jesus saves us to establish us.

“As ye have therefore received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk ye in him: 7 Rooted and built up in him, and stablished in the faith, as ye have been taught, abounding therein with thanksgiving. 8 Beware lest any man spoil you through philosophy and vain deceit, after the tradition of men, after the rudiments of the world, and not after Christ. 9 For in him dwelleth all the fulness of the Godhead bodily. 10 And ye are complete in him, which is the head of all principality and power:” Colossians 2:6-10

False churches today seek to sell families on the need to join their country club where’s there’s fun for the whole family. These beguilers cater to the urban family to build their church business, with no intention of preaching the whole counsel of God’s Word, the cardinal doctrines of the original Gospel (Jude 3-4). Their goal is to entertain and to grow their church enterpri$e and not to ground their prey in Christ (Colossians, etc.). It’s all surface level, cosmetic. There is no blood of Jesus, no King James Bible, no cross – no crucified life, no Holy Ghost baptism, no repentance, no holiness, no Christology, no readiness for the soon return of Christ, etc.

If you memorize this Bible verse below and speak it, often, your heart, your direction, your life will be divinely moved upward to the LORD! Memorize 1 Chronicles 16:11 beginning now.

“Seek the LORD and his strength, seek his face continually.” 1 Chronicles 16:11

Those who delight in the LORD, delight to do His will.

“I delight to do thy will, O my God: yea, thy law is within my heart.” Psalms 40:8

“STAY UPON THE LORD”

This is a Recurring Theme in Isaiah and Throughout Holy Writ

“And it shall come to pass in that day, that the remnant of Israel, and such as are escaped of the house of Jacob, shall no more again stay upon him that smote them; but shall STAY UPON the LORD, the Holy One of Israel, in truth.” Isaiah 10:20

“For they call themselves of the holy city, and STAY THEMSELVES UPON the God of Israel; The LORD of hosts is his name.” Isaiah 48:2

“Who is among you that feareth the LORD, that obeyeth the voice of his servant, that walketh in darkness, and hath no light? let him trust in the name of the LORD, and STAY UPON his God.” Isaiah 50:10

The LORD is NOT available to the casual seeker. Think about that.

“He is a rewarder of THEM THAT DILIGENTLY SEEK HIM.” Hebrews 11:6

Our LORD rewards those who “diligently seek him.”

“For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the LORD, thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you an expected end. 12 Then shall ye call upon me, and ye shall go and pray unto me, and I will hearken unto you. 13 And ye shall seek me, and find me, when ye shall search for me with all your heart. 14 And I will be found of you, saith the LORD: and I will turn away your captivity, and I will gather you from all the nations, and from all the places whither I have driven you, saith the LORD; and I will bring you again into the place whence I caused you to be carried away captive.” Jeremiah 29:11-14

In the ensuing verses (Jeremiah 29:15-19), God pronounces a judgment on His people for following those false leaders who sit upon the seat of David yet didn’t have an obedient heart after the LORD. Today is no different where you have people following false leaders who pretend to be representing Christ and yet, are compromised with false doctrine and worldliness.

Shannon Cook writes:

“Delight yourself in the LORD (Jesus) and He will give you the desires of thine heart. Jesus Christ IS in fact, the greatest desire of the heart of man. ‘Delight yourself in Me (Jesus), and I will give Me to you.’ Makes perfect sense!”

May God bless us with a John 17 and John 15 oneness abiding relationship with Him, possessed with a poor in spirit disposition, and pure heart after the LORD (Matthew 5:3, 6, 8). In Jesus’ Name.

We have nothing outside of what we have in Christ! Read Colossians 1 and 2.

So love Jesus and aren’t seeking His holy face daily, diligently? Not. Turn back to God in repentance, now.

The bless-ed word “delight” appears several times in God’s Word.

“Delight thyself also in the LORD; and he shall give thee the desires of thine heart.” Psalms 37:4

TODAY, THERE’s nothing more important for me to be doing than seeking the face of the LORD Almighty – to be “Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God.” (Hebrews 12:1-3)

“And when these things begin to come to pass, then look up, and lift up your heads; for your redemption draweth nigh.” Luke 21:28

Having a heart after God is something that is a daily, a moment to moment choice, a decision, which must be cultivated in us.

David, the man after the heart of the LORD, is a glorious example to us.

“I have found David the son of Jesse, a man after mine own heart, which shall fulfil all my will.” Acts 13:22

“One thing have I desired of the LORD, that will I seek after; that I may dwell in the house of the LORD all the days of my life, to behold the beauty of the LORD, and to enquire in his temple. … When thou saidst, Seek ye my face; my heart said unto thee, Thy face, LORD, will I seek.” Psalms 27:4, 8

“My heart is fixed, O God, my heart is fixed: I will sing and give praise.” Psalms 57:7

“My soul followeth hard after thee: thy right hand upholdeth me.” Psalms 63:8

As can be seen in the following verse, legal or religious mindset causes obedience, serving God to the LORD to seem like drudgery.

“To whom shall I speak, and give warning, that they may hear? behold, their ear is uncircumcised, and they cannot hearken: behold, the word of the LORD is unto them a reproach; they have no delight in it.” Jeremiah 6:10

Those living under grace operate in grace, in their heart of hearts, delight to obey their Savior.

“For this is the love of God, that we keep his commandments: and his commandments are not grievous.” 1 John 5:3

No matter what’s going on – good or bad – WE KNOW that the song is true …. that our “God is so good, God is soooo gooood, God is so good, He’s so good to me…..” … There’s NO way to sing this simple song of praise and not get happy in Jesus! Impossible.

The LORD our Maker alone can truly satisfy, all the way to the marrow of the bone, to the depth of the human heart!

“For I have satiated (fully satisfy) the weary soul, and I have replenished every sorrowful soul.” Jeremiah 31:25

All who are not full of Christ via knowing and seeking Him, delighting in and worshipping Him perpetually, are full of misery – from which they shall never escape, unless they repent and let Jesus be the King, the LORD, the Master of their lives.

The Bible is music to the ears of truth-seeking followers of Christ! They pour prayerfully of the words of Holy Scripture daily, as they seek the face of the LORD.

Times of fasting and prayer are doing yourself a favor and not God. Yes. You are crucifying self, getting self out of God’s way so that Christ is reigning in your life in place of sinful self! This should be viewed with absolute delight! (Psalms 37:4; Hosea 6:6; Matthew 9:13, etc.). You are crying, you are driving a stake in the ground and declaring: “LORD, You must increase but I must decrease! (John 3:30) That’s the “daily” operation of the cross God has ordained to be transpiring in our lives (Luke 9:23-24; 2 Corinthians 4:10-12; Galatians 2:20, etc.).

“We would worry less if we praised more. THANKSGIVING is the enemy of discontentment and dissatisfaction.” Harry Ironside

Powerful resurrection life teeming in and through our lives requires a going down deep into the death the resurrection of Christ (2 Corinthians 4:10-12). There is no shortcut.

“WE WOULD SEE JESUS.” John 12:20-21

Detox your inner man! Detox your spirit, soul, and body! How? Fasting and Prayer! Delighting in the LORD (Psalms 37:4). Fasting and prayer begins with being done, being fed up, being exhausted of the iniquitous nature that has driven us into darkness, into dismal ditches with guilt, shame, and forfeited blessings the result! Our desire now and henceforth is for Christ to reign supreme in our lives and not self! Self, sin must be dethroned. Serving self instead of the Savior has ushered in every single evil thing into our lives and we now stand forth and declare that Christ must increase but we must decrease! (John 3:30) We do this now with more than just words – also with a holy resolve, a driving of the stake deep into the ground, singly focused on the reign of Heaven’s coming KING, on the seat, the throne of our hearts. The reins of our lives are reserved for Him to reign, no longer us!

“Then shalt thou delight thyself in the LORD; and I will cause thee to ride upon the high places of the earth, and feed thee with the heritage of Jacob thy father: for the mouth of the LORD hath spoken it.” Isaiah 58:14

“It has been said that no great work in literature or in science was ever wrought by a man who did not love solitude. We may lay it down as an elemental principle of religion, that no large growth in holiness was ever gained by one who did not take time to be often long alone with God.” Austin Phelps

Anita Villarreal exhorts:

“‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart…..do this and you will live.’ Luke 10:27-28

The death of Jesus. Christ on the Cross is what has drawn men to Himself. Christ did this out of Divine Love for humanity, and LOVE ALWAYS DRAWS. It is the LOVE that men and women need, and wherever they find it they want to come and rest in it’s warmth and tenderness. God’s love is the purest form of true, sincere and unselfish love. Of you haven’t received or known this kind of love, ask Jesus to show you this love and by faith receive it. Let Him cleanse your soul of all impurities and forgive you of all your sins.”

We were created to know Him!

“And this is life eternal, that they might know thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent.” John 17:3

“And let them make me a sanctuary; that I may dwell among them.” Exodus 25:8

Our union, our oneness with God is from which all else in His kingdom emanates….

“For the kingdom of God is not meat and drink; but righteousness, and peace, and joy in the Holy Ghost.” Romans 14:17

“We are truly living in a time of great apostasy and I would urge each person to seek to know the Lord for yourself as Jesus said in John 17:3 that this is life eternal that we know the only true God and His Son Jesus Christ. In the book of 1 John 5:20 John states that Christ came to give us understanding of the one true God and His son Jesus Christ. David said in Psalms 27:4 that one thing he desired of the Lord and that he would seek after that He could dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of life to gaze upon the beauty of the Lord. I urge people to examine the scriptures and stop trusting in flesh (mere men) for the scripture states that curse is the man that trust in man and makes flesh his arm whose heart has depart from the Lord (Jerm 17:5). Any real man that God has called will only point you to Lord not himself. Wake-up Church those who have an ear to hear what Lord is speaking to His true body.” Matthew Washington

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“He Appeared to put away sin by the Sacrifice of Himself” [podcast]

Why did Jesus come?

“When Jesus therefore had received the vinegar, he
said, It is finished: and he bowed his head, and gave
up the ghost.” John 19:30

This revelation in the above words of the Messiah— “It is
finished”—is consistent with the whole divine unveiling of
Holy Scripture—the redemption of mankind after the fall.

Jesus came to do something and that’s why while dying on
the cross for the sins of the world, He declared “It is
finished” (John 19:30). These are the three most powerful
words ever spoken! What exactly was “finished”?

“For then must he often have suffered since the
foundation of the world: but now once in the end of
the world hath he appeared to put away sin by the
sacrifice of himself.” Hebrews 9:26

Jesus declared mercy and forgiveness over mankind while
He was dying to provide redemption on that cross: “It is
finished” (John 19:30). This simply means “paid in full.” The
price for sin has been fully paid. The claims of the Father’s
justice were perfectly satisfied, paid in full by the precious,
sinless blood of the Son of God. All men are now invited to
come to Him, repent and believe upon the LORD Jesus Christ
for redemption—mercy and forgiveness (Colossians 1:14).

On that cross, the LORD Jesus declared: “It is finished” and
“Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do”
(John 19:30; Luke 23:34).

Prayer: Father I rejoice in the precious blood of Jesus shed for
my sin—to bring me to You for an eternal relationship.

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8 Classes of Sinners Guaranteed to Spend Eternity in Hell

“But the fearful, and unbelieving, and the abominable, and murderers, and whoremongers, and sorcerers, and idolaters, and all liars, shall have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone: which is the second death.” Revelation 21:8

“The second death”

[which is the second death] The second death is the lake of fire, or the second separation from God in hell (Rev_2:11; Rev_20:14; Rev_21:8).

Of Revelation 21:8, Adam Clarke writes the following:

Revelation 21:8

But the fearful – Δειλοις· Those who, for fear of losing life or their property, either refused to receive the Christian religion, though convinced of its truth and importance; or, having received it, in times of persecution fell away, not being willing to risk their lives.

And unbelieving – Those who resist against full evidence. And sinners, και ἁμαρτωλοις, is added here by about thirty excellent MSS., and is found in the Syrian, Arabic, some of the Slavonic, and in Andreas and Arethas. On this evidence Griesbach has admitted it into the text.

The abominable – Εβδελυγμενοις· Those who are polluted with unnatural lust. (sodomites, lesbians Romans 1)

And murderers – Φονευσι· Those who take away the life of man for any cause but the murder of another, and those who hate a brother in their heart (.

And whoremongers – Πορνοις· Adulterers, fornicators, whores, prostitutes, and rakes of every description.

Sorcerers – Φαρμακοις· Persons who, by drugs, philtres, fumigations, etc., pretend to produce supernatural effects, chiefly by spiritual agency.

Idolaters – Ειδωλολατραις· Those who offer any kind of worship or religious reverence to any thing but God. All image worshippers are idolaters in every sense of the word.

And all liars – Και πασι τοις ψευδεσι· Every one who speaks contrary to the truth when he knows the truth, and even he who speaks the truth with the intention to deceive; i.e., to persuade a person that a thing is different from what it really is, by telling only a part of the truth, or suppressing some circumstance which would have led the hearer to a different end to the true conclusion. All these shall have their portion, το μερος, their share, what belongs to them, their right, in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone. This is the second death, from which there is no recovery.

“21:8 But not all are overcomers. Some are cowardly, afraid to confess Christ; unbelieving, unwilling to trust the sinner’s Savior; sinners, all those who remain in their sins, whether guilty of the gross iniquities listed here or not; abominable, given over to disgusting immorality; murderers, malicious and savage killers; sexually immoral, practicing fornication and other forms of sexual sins; sorcerers, those who traffic with evil spirits; idolaters, insulting God by worshiping images; and all liars, compulsive deceivers. These will be assigned to the lake of fire as their final destiny.” Believer’s Bible Commentary

“And the devil that deceived them was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone, where the beast and the false prophet are, and shall be tormented day and night for ever and ever. … 14 And death and hell were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death. 15 And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire.” Revelation 20:10, 14-15

One source notes the following:

“Brimstone and fire” refers to the fiery imagery of divine judgment and eternal punishment found in the Bible. It symbolizes God’s wrath, often describing the fate of sinners in hell, and is a phrase used in religious sermons and literature. “Brimstone,” an old word for sulfur, is a key component of this imagery, evoking a smell and heat associated with inescapable, fiery destruction.

Biblical origins

Old Testament:

The phrase originates in the King James translation of the Old Testament, used to describe God’s destruction of enemies. A key example is the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah.

New Testament:

The imagery is used to describe eternal damnation, a common theme in both the Old and New Testaments. In the book of Revelation, for example, it describes those who worship the beast being tormented in a lake of fire and brimstone.

Etymology:

The phrase is a calque of the Biblical Hebrew and Ancient Greek words for “sulfur and fire”.

Geological evidence:

Archaeological and geological evidence of sulfur deposits and charred formations in areas like the Dead Sea region have been noted as consistent with biblical descriptions of fire and sulfur-related events.”

“But the children of the kingdom shall be cast out into outer darkness: there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth.” Matthew 8:12

Hell Category

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