Category Archives: Heaven and Hell

Character of God, Consequences of Sin, Heaven and Hell, Justice / Judgment, Parables

Hell Is Real – Prepare Today To Avoid It Tomorrow

If you accept Jesus Christ as Lord, so must you accept that hell is real. Many of our churches today do not teach on hell because it makes people uncomfortable. People want to believe that everyone goes to heaven and there is no hell. However Jesus Christ Himself spoke about hell on many occasions and warned people to avoid it with a sense of urgency. He knew it to be important to warn people about hell because it is a miserable place and our decision to accept or reject God will have eternal consequences.

[John 3:16-18] 16 “For this is how God loved the world: He gave[a] his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life. 17 God sent his Son into the world not to judge the world, but to save the world through him.

18 “There is no judgment against anyone who believes in him. But anyone who does not believe in him has already been judged for not believing in God’s one and only Son.

[Matthew 25:41-46] 41 “Then the King will turn to those on the left and say, ‘Away with you, you cursed ones, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his demons.[g] 42 For I was hungry, and you didn’t feed me. I was thirsty, and you didn’t give me a drink. 43 I was a stranger, and you didn’t invite me into your home. I was naked, and you didn’t give me clothing. I was sick and in prison, and you didn’t visit me.’

44 “Then they will reply, ‘Lord, when did we ever see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or sick or in prison, and not help you?’

45 “And he will answer, ‘I tell you the truth, when you refused to help the least of these my brothers and sisters, you were refusing to help me.’

46 “And they will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous will go into eternal life.”

[John 5:24-30] 24 “I tell you the truth, those who listen to my message and believe in God who sent me have eternal life. They will never be condemned for their sins, but they have already passed from death into life.

25 “And I assure you that the time is coming, indeed it’s here now, when the dead will hear my voice—the voice of the Son of God. And those who listen will live. 26 The Father has life in himself, and he has granted that same life-giving power to his Son. 27 And he has given him authority to judge everyone because he is the Son of Man.[d] 28 Don’t be so surprised! Indeed, the time is coming when all the dead in their graves will hear the voice of God’s Son, 29 and they will rise again. Those who have done good will rise to experience eternal life, and those who have continued in evil will rise to experience judgment. 30 I can do nothing on my own. I judge as God tells me. Therefore, my judgment is just, because I carry out the will of the one who sent me, not my own will.

 If we love others, we must tell them about hell as Jesus did. If we saw a building was on fire and people were having a party inside, would we not come and tell them with a sense of urgency? If they still did not believe us, would we not tell them again trying to point to the evidence of it, urging them at least to come and look for themselves? It would be a true failure on our part as Christians to just walk by their house as it burned and say “I am sure they are aware of the fire and have chosen to remain inside, so they are responsible for themselves. I do not want to upset them and disturb their good time. I don’t want them to make fun of me and I certainly don’t want them to feel embarrassed or self conscious about remaining in an house that is on fire. ”

If you accept Jesus as Lord, you must also accept heaven and hell as real. He taught about them often. Just because it may be unpopular does not make it false. Are you living your life as if heaven and hell are real and eternal? Are you telling others with a sense of urgency, as if to rescue them from a burning building?

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Have you submitted your life to Jesus Christ? If you die today, do you know for sure that you would be with God in heaven? Learn more about salvation through The Message of the Cross.

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Character of God, Disobeying, Rebelling Against, Ignoring God, Faith / Trusting God, Family, Greed, Heaven and Hell, Hebrew Roots / Commands / Law, Obeying God, Righteousness / Serving God, Salvation, Suffering / Adversity

What Good Deed Must I Do To Have Eternal Life?

Jesus continues to teach us about the kingdom of heaven in Matthew 19:16-30, in response to a question from a wealthy man. Jesus’ response is respectful but difficult and really tests how committed the man is to seeking and submitting to God. Sadly, this man walks away from God because it is too hard for him.

16 Someone came to Jesus with this question: “Teacher,[f] what good deed must I do to have eternal life?”

17 “Why ask me about what is good?” Jesus replied. “There is only One who is good. But to answer your question—if you want to receive eternal life, keep[g] the commandments.”

18 “Which ones?” the man asked.

And Jesus replied: “‘You must not murder. You must not commit adultery. You must not steal. You must not testify falsely. 19 Honor your father and mother. Love your neighbor as yourself.’[h]”

20 “I’ve obeyed all these commandments,” the young man replied. “What else must I do?”

21 Jesus told him, “If you want to be perfect, go and sell all your possessions and give the money to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me.”

22 But when the young man heard this, he went away sad, for he had many possessions.

23 Then Jesus said to his disciples, “I tell you the truth, it is very hard for a rich person to enter the Kingdom of Heaven. 24 I’ll say it again—it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich person to enter the Kingdom of God!”

25 The disciples were astounded. “Then who in the world can be saved?” they asked.

26 Jesus looked at them intently and said, “Humanly speaking, it is impossible. But with God everything is possible.”

27 Then Peter said to him, “We’ve given up everything to follow you. What will we get?”

28 Jesus replied, “I assure you that when the world is made new[i] and the Son of Man[j] sits upon his glorious throne, you who have been my followers will also sit on twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel. 29 And everyone who has given up houses or brothers or sisters or father or mother or children or property, for my sake, will receive a hundred times as much in return and will inherit eternal life. 30 But many who are the greatest now will be least important then, and those who seem least important now will be the greatest then.[k]

We should be careful to recognize that the rich man is a specific person, and not representative of all rich people or all people who have many possessions. That should be obvious since it is clear that not all who are rich even come to seek God or try to follow His commands as this man did.  I give him credit in that he was trying to follow God’s commandments and seek to learn more about path to eternal life… he was closer to the kingdom of God than many in our churches today. However, he still came up short of what is required… submission to God in all things.  He valued money and possessions above God.

We immediately get insight into this man’s motivations and drives by his opening question.

16 Someone came to Jesus with this question: “Teacher,[f] what good deed must I do to have eternal life?”

The wealthy man did not come seeking to know God’s will for him and to submit to God. He came to see what he could do to get eternal life.  In effect he wanted to see what was required and if it was not hard, he would do it. He is task oriented and seeking another specific action or work on his part to complete on his way to eternal life. He does not seem to recognize that his works and deeds are not and will never be sufficient.

He appears to believe in eternal life, but by the end we will see that his conviction on this matter is perhaps not as strong as it seems at first… else why would he walk away in the end. When we lack conviction in the reality of eternity with or without God (heaven or hell), we are vulnerable to valuing possessions or relationships in this world too much, putting them above God and failing to fully submit to Him.

Jesus takes a moment to clearly define “good”… that is to say godly or meeting God’s standard of holiness. Only those things and people are good. He clearly points out that only one is good… God Himself. No person meets this standard.

Jesus continues by pointing out that the man should measure himself against the commandments. The mans’ motivation for responding with “which ones?” is not clear to me. Was he looking for the bare minimum to get by or was he seeking clarification to separate God’s commandments from the many burdensome rules and traditions of men that the Pharisees and Sadducees had created?

When the man responds that he has followed all these commandments, we know that he can only be thinking of the physical acts associated with the commandments. Jesus just stated that only one is good… that one being God. Plus we read elsewhere in scripture where Jesus clearly tells us that to even think angry thoughts is to commit murder… to think lustful thoughts is to commit adultery. (Matthew 5:21-26). No one can measure up to God’s standard as reflected in the commandments. They show the depth of our sin when properly used as our measuring stick.

Jesus knows this man has not met the standard and could have spent time discussing it with him. Instead, Jesus knows where the man’s heart is and where his stumbling block is and gets right to the heart of the matter as it applies to this specific wealthy man.

21 Jesus told him, “If you want to be perfect, go and sell all your possessions and give the money to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me.”

We may not know for sure if the rich man ever repented, but clearly he left in defeat. How hard it is for those that have much in this world to submit to God. How easy to rely on the things of this world.

Jesus then clearly explains to the disciples that it is hard… humanly impossible even, for a man to get to heaven without God. It is only with God that it is possible.

Peter then asks what several disciples are likely thinking…

27 Then Peter said to him, “We’ve given up everything to follow you. What will we get?”

We see that our eternal life with God is not just a case of either “in or out”, but rather there are levels of reward based on how we submitted to and served Him with our lives.

29 And everyone who has given up houses or brothers or sisters or father or mother or children or property, for my sake, will receive a hundred times as much in return and will inherit eternal life. 30 But many who are the greatest now will be least important then, and those who seem least important now will be the greatest then.[k]

We are also clearly reminded by Jesus that those who follow Him should expect to be giving up possessions, family , friends… those things most dear to us. This is not to be done randomly, but rather Jesus is warning us that when we put God first above all else, we will find ourselves facing rejection even from those most dear. We must choose God above all else, without exception. It will be hard… humanly impossible. We need God.

Pray that God would reveal to you what areas of your life you are holding as higher priority or value over God. Pray He would help you to properly put Him first, even when it is painful.

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Have you submitted your life to Jesus Christ? If you die today, do you know for sure that you would be with God in heaven? Learn more about salvation through The Message of the Cross.

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Character of God, Children, Heaven and Hell, Parables

God Loves Each Of Us As Special And Unique

Beginning in Matthew 18, Jesus speaks to His disciples about what it means to be great in the kingdom of heaven. He calls a child over and then speaks about how important it is to welcome little children on His behalf and how bad it is to tempt and mislead them. In Matthew 18:12-14, Jesus then continues on with a parable to give insight into how God feels about caring for His people.

12 “If a man has a hundred sheep and one of them wanders away, what will he do? Won’t he leave the ninety-nine others on the hills and go out to search for the one that is lost? 13 And if he finds it, I tell you the truth, he will rejoice over it more than over the ninety-nine that didn’t wander away! 14 In the same way, it is not my heavenly Father’s will that even one of these little ones should perish.

God cares for all of His people as the shepherd cares for all hundred of the sheep. God cares enough to go looking for even one of us that gets lost. This is a wonderful expression of love. God does not view us as interchangeable parts, each the same as the other, such that missing one when you still have so many others is not important. God knows each of us as individuals and none of us is replaceable by another. He made us. We are each precious to Him. He does not want any of us to perish… to get lost and end up separated from Him for eternity in hell.

I have heard people stumble on this teaching. They think the shepherd is leaving the ninety-nine at risk to go seek the one who got lost. Perhaps they feel like ninety-nine out of one hundred is pretty good after all and how important can the one sheep be?

Most who stumble don’t understand the mentality of a shepherd who is tending his own flock. They think more like a hired hand who feels no personal ownership or accountability for the flock. This parable is actually giving us great insight into how God views us.

Consider a family with ten children that went camping in the woods. Would they return with just nine children? Would not the parent leave the nine at the car or camp site if necessary and go look for the one that was missing? Would they not all rejoice more over the one that was found than the nine that were never lost?

God knows us each personally and loves us as His children. He is our father, our shepherd, and we depend on Him. He wants all of us to grow to know Him and follow Him.

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Am I on the path?, Children, Consequences of Sin, Heaven and Hell, Humility, Righteousness / Serving God, Sin, Temptation/Tempting

Who Is The Greatest In The Kingdom Of Heaven?

Many of us in the world seek greatness. Often what is most telling is what is put forth as the standard against which to measure greatness. Jesus addresses this subject in Matthew 18:1-10.

18 About that time the disciples came to Jesus and asked, “Who is greatest in the Kingdom of Heaven?”

2 Jesus called a little child to him and put the child among them. 3 Then he said, “I tell you the truth, unless you turn from your sins and become like little children, you will never get into the Kingdom of Heaven. 4 So anyone who becomes as humble as this little child is the greatest in the Kingdom of Heaven.

5 “And anyone who welcomes a little child like this on my behalf[a] is welcoming me. 6 But if you cause one of these little ones who trusts in me to fall into sin, it would be better for you to have a large millstone tied around your neck and be drowned in the depths of the sea.

7 “What sorrow awaits the world, because it tempts people to sin. Temptations are inevitable, but what sorrow awaits the person who does the tempting. 8 So if your hand or foot causes you to sin, cut it off and throw it away. It’s better to enter eternal life with only one hand or one foot than to be thrown into eternal fire with both of your hands and feet. 9 And if your eye causes you to sin, gouge it out and throw it away. It’s better to enter eternal life with only one eye than to have two eyes and be thrown into the fire of hell.[b]

10 “Beware that you don’t look down on any of these little ones. For I tell you that in heaven their angels are always in the presence of my heavenly Father.

Where does greatness begin, according to Jesus?

  • Turn from our sin. To turn from our sin does not mean we live sinless lives… but it does mean we strive to. It is a journey away from our sin nature and toward God’s holy standard. We are not to accept and dwell in our sin.
  • Be humble, as a small child. If we are arrogant instead of humble we likely start to think we deserve heaven… we have earned it because we are better than others. We also start to treat others differently, and not in a good way. On the other hand, when we realize that we are not good enough and it is only through God’s grace that we are saved, then we become humble. When we are humble, we treat people, even sinners or those who disagree with us, with love and compassion and not with contempt.
  • Recognize how our actions and words can lift someone up and lead them to Christ or cause them to stumble. We are accountable to God for helping or stumbling others in their spiritual journey.
  • Those who tempt others to sin and reject God will be held accountable and it will be bad for them. Rather than tempt people to sin by rationalizing sinful behavior, always look for ways to encourage others in living in a way that honors and obeys God.
  • There is most certainly life after death and what we do in this life directly has consequences on our life after death.

Jesus’ definition of greatness is very different from the world. The world tempts us to define great as those who get fame, power, money while basically serving themselves. Jesus calls us to turn from sin, be humble, and be seek to help others in their journey to know God and live His way rather than tempt them to live however they want to live, rationalizing sin and ignoring or rejecting God in the process.

Take a few moments to reflect for yourself and your family:

  •  How do you measure up to this standard of greatness? What changes do you want to make personally?
  • Whose standard of greatness do you use to identify your role models and heroes? God’s standard or the world’s standard? Should you change who you consider role models?

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Character of God, Courage / Fear, Faith / Trusting God, Heaven and Hell, Obeying God, Prophecy, Suffering / Adversity

Jesus Again Predicts His Death And Resurrection

Earlier in Matthew 17, Jesus experiences the transfiguration on a mountaintop, coming into the presence of God, Elijah, and Moses. Then he comes down the mountain top to find that His disciples were unable to cast out a demon from a young boy and he appears to get frustrated, apparently at the lack of faith of the disciples. (We covered this in yesterday’s devotion, so will not cover in detail here.)

As we read Matthew 17:22-23 we gain some insight into why He may have been getting frustrated with the progress of the disciples. Time for His earthly ministry is running short. After explaining to the disciples why they could not cast out the demon, because they did not have enough faith, Jesus tells them again of His impending death and resurrection.

22 After they gathered again in Galilee, Jesus told them, “The Son of Man is going to be betrayed into the hands of his enemies. 23 He will be killed, but on the third day he will be raised from the dead.” And the disciples were filled with grief.

The disciples loved Jesus. They were filled with grief to think that He would suffer or no longer be with them.

Jesus clearly knew what was coming. He demonstrated courage and faith by willingly choosing to submit to God’s will and suffer and die for our sins… the sins of all those who would follow Him and accept His offer. Jesus in His earthly ministry demonstrates the faith we are called to strive for in our lives.

One can also take a moment to recognize that this is clearly prophetic in terms of predicting what events will transpire before they occur based on revelation from God.  Jesus was preparing the disciples for what was to come by showing them it was not unexpected and by showing them that He was willingly submitted to obeying God’s will for His life.

Take time to consider in your own life:

  • Are you fully submitted to God, even when things He asks are difficult or feel uncomfortable? Even when people will come against you and mock you or persecute you?
  • Or do you do what you want to do and only obey God’s instruction when it is easy and consistent with your own desires and comfort zone?
  • What are some examples in your life where you have taken a stand for Jesus despite being mocked, rejected, or persecuted? If you can not think if any… then consider again the first question above.

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Disobeying, Rebelling Against, Ignoring God, Heaven and Hell, Pride, Righteousness / Serving God, Suffering / Adversity, Wickedness / Evil

John the Baptist Executed On A Whim

Matthew 14:1-12 informs us about the death of John the Baptist by Herod Antipas. Herod was obviously wicked and appears to be prideful. He makes a foolish vow and then sticks by it… choosing to kill John rather than backtrack on a vow he made on a whim. It is worth noting that Herod did not even want to kill John, but determines it is better to execute John than to nullify a vow.

14 When Herod Antipas, the ruler of Galilee,[a] heard about Jesus, 2 he said to his advisers, “This must be John the Baptist raised from the dead! That is why he can do such miracles.”

3 For Herod had arrested and imprisoned John as a favor to his wife Herodias (the former wife of Herod’s brother Philip). 4 John had been telling Herod, “It is against God’s law for you to marry her.” 5 Herod wanted to kill John, but he was afraid of a riot, because all the people believed John was a prophet.

6 But at a birthday party for Herod, Herodias’s daughter performed a dance that greatly pleased him, 7 so he promised with a vow to give her anything she wanted. 8 At her mother’s urging, the girl said, “I want the head of John the Baptist on a tray!” 9 Then the king regretted what he had said; but because of the vow he had made in front of his guests, he issued the necessary orders. 10 So John was beheaded in the prison, 11 and his head was brought on a tray and given to the girl, who took it to her mother. 12 Later, John’s disciples came for his body and buried it. Then they went and told Jesus what had happened.

It is hard to imagine such a foolish decision by Herod. The chapter even begins with recognition that Jesus, whom he thought may be John raised from the dead is doing many miracles. This seems to indicate that Herod knew John had power and authority above a normal man… but refused to acknowledge it was from God and refused to submit to it because it would call him to change how he was living.

John, on the other hand, served God even to his death. He did not compromise truth to save his own life. He lived, and died, for God. This scripture provides a stark contract between those who live for God and those who are wicked and selfish, living only for themselves and without a accurate moral sense of right and wrong.

We can be assured from the rest of God’s word that John is with God and Herod would seem to be somewhere else. There is ultimately accountability for our actions, often in this world… always when we die and face our creator.

Praise God for providing a way to salvation and forgiveness of our sins through Jesus Christ! Those who repent from our sins, submit to and serve Jesus Christ will also go to be with God when we die.

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Heaven and Hell, Money / Finances / Wealth, Righteousness / Serving God, Suffering / Adversity

Abraham’s Character Revealed In Burying Sarah

Genesis 23 provides insight into the character of Abraham as he seeks to bury his wife, Sarah.

23 When Sarah was 127 years old, 2 she died at Kiriath-arba (now called Hebron) in the land of Canaan. There Abraham mourned and wept for her.

3 Then, leaving her body, he said to the Hittite elders, 4 “Here I am, a stranger and a foreigner among you. Please sell me a piece of land so I can give my wife a proper burial.”

5 The Hittites replied to Abraham, 6 “Listen, my lord, you are an honored prince among us. Choose the finest of our tombs and bury her there. No one here will refuse to help you in this way.”

7 Then Abraham bowed low before the Hittites 8 and said, “Since you are willing to help me in this way, be so kind as to ask Ephron son of Zohar 9 to let me buy his cave at Machpelah, down at the end of his field. I will pay the full price in the presence of witnesses, so I will have a permanent burial place for my family.”

10 Ephron was sitting there among the others, and he answered Abraham as the others listened, speaking publicly before all the Hittite elders of the town. 11 “No, my lord,” he said to Abraham, “please listen to me. I will give you the field and the cave. Here in the presence of my people, I give it to you. Go and bury your dead.”

12 Abraham again bowed low before the citizens of the land, 13 and he replied to Ephron as everyone listened. “No, listen to me. I will buy it from you. Let me pay the full price for the field so I can bury my dead there.”

14 Ephron answered Abraham, 15 “My lord, please listen to me. The land is worth 400 pieces[a] of silver, but what is that between friends? Go ahead and bury your dead.”

16 So Abraham agreed to Ephron’s price and paid the amount he had suggested—400 pieces of silver, weighed according to the market standard. The Hittite elders witnessed the transaction.

17 So Abraham bought the plot of land belonging to Ephron at Machpelah, near Mamre. This included the field itself, the cave that was in it, and all the surrounding trees. 18 It was transferred to Abraham as his permanent possession in the presence of the Hittite elders at the city gate. 19 Then Abraham buried his wife, Sarah, there in Canaan, in the cave of Machpelah, near Mamre (also called Hebron). 20 So the field and the cave were transferred from the Hittites to Abraham for use as a permanent burial place.

Reviewing Abraham’s actions at this difficult time reveals some important points to consider:

  • No matter how old a loved one is when they die and no matter how strong our faith in God it is a natural reaction to mourn. It is ok to mourn. Give yourself that time even if you believe they are in heaven, you still grieve the loss in this life. You will miss them.
  • The Hittites had great respect for Abraham even though He distinguished himself as a man who followed God and was a foreigner in their land. They worshipped other gods.
  • Abraham showed respect for the Hittites (e.g. bowed low).
  • Abraham was not afraid to openly ask for help.
  • Abraham, though wealthy, was not greedy. He refused the opportunity to take advantage of the offer of receiving the land for free. He did not even haggle. Further, he avoided any possible appearance of wrong by conducting business in the open with witnesses.

As Christians, we can strive to follow Abraham’s example in dealing with non-Christians. For those who are not openly hostile and seeking to kill Christians, we can conduct business with them and show them proper respect. We treat them as someone God loves and someone whom we would love to reach with the good news of the gospel.  However, we do not hide our faith. We openly live so as to show that we follow and serve God. Our behavior and attitudes should differentiate us clearly from those who do not follow God.

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Consequences of Sin, False Prophets / Teachers, Heaven and Hell, Jesus Christ / Yeshua, Parables, Wickedness / Evil

Parable of the Fishing Net

Jesus continues to teach about the Kingdom of Heaven through  parables in Matthew 13:47-52 using a comparison to a fishing net.

47 “Again, the Kingdom of Heaven is like a fishing net that was thrown into the water and caught fish of every kind. 48 When the net was full, they dragged it up onto the shore, sat down, and sorted the good fish into crates, but threw the bad ones away. 49 That is the way it will be at the end of the world. The angels will come and separate the wicked people from the righteous, 50 throwing the wicked into the fiery furnace, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. 51 Do you understand all these things?”

“Yes,” they said, “we do.”

52 Then he added, “Every teacher of religious law who becomes a disciple in the Kingdom of Heaven is like a homeowner who brings from his storeroom new gems of truth as well as old.”

It is important to recognize once again that not all of us will go into heaven to spend eternity with God. We must choose the offer of grace through Jesus which also leads to repenting from our sin and changing our behavior and thoughts. We can not just keep sinning and ignoring God or outright rejecting Him and then expect Him to accept us into heaven.

We must not claim to be His followers and wear the label Christian, but then not submit to His leadership and follow Him. God calls us to change our behaviors to be righteous, not to change the interpretation of scripture or laws of man to accept our sins.

The good news is that we do not have to be perfect! We can put our faith and hope in Jesus Christ and genuinely repent of our sins (yes, imperfectly) and seek to follow Him wholeheartedly. We can proclaim His message loudly and try to bring others with us to Jesus.

One final observation… Jesus calls out the teachers of religious law that become disciples of Kingdom of Heaven… these are two separate things. Many who are or just seem knowledgeable as religious leaders are not disciples in the Kingdom of Heaven. Even Satan knows the word of God very well. The difference is a matter of the heart and the desire to serve God or serve themselves.

Praise God for those teachers and church leaders who are disciples of Jesus! They are messengers bringing joy to the world.  Please look for opportunities to thank and encourage those who teach God’s whole word according to the Bible. Many will reject them for it, but the encouragement is great when receiving it genuinely from their flock.

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Creation, Heaven and Hell, Parables, Satan, Share the Good News, Sin, Suffering / Adversity

Sifting the Wheat From The Weeds

Jesus uses many parables to help explain the kingdom of heaven. In  Matthew 13:24-30, Jesus compares it to a farmer who plans wheat in his field.

24 Here is another story Jesus told: “The Kingdom of Heaven is like a farmer who planted good seed in his field. 25 But that night as the workers slept, his enemy came and planted weeds among the wheat, then slipped away. 26 When the crop began to grow and produce grain, the weeds also grew.

27 “The farmer’s workers went to him and said, ‘Sir, the field where you planted that good seed is full of weeds! Where did they come from?’

28 “‘An enemy has done this!’ the farmer exclaimed.

“‘Should we pull out the weeds?’ they asked.

29 “‘No,’ he replied, ‘you’ll uproot the wheat if you do. 30 Let both grow together until the harvest. Then I will tell the harvesters to sort out the weeds, tie them into bundles, and burn them, and to put the wheat in the barn.’”

A few verses later, in Matthew 13:36-43 Jesus explains the parable.

36 Then, leaving the crowds outside, Jesus went into the house. His disciples said, “Please explain to us the story of the weeds in the field.”

37 Jesus replied, “The Son of Man[d] is the farmer who plants the good seed. 38 The field is the world, and the good seed represents the people of the Kingdom. The weeds are the people who belong to the evil one. 39 The enemy who planted the weeds among the wheat is the devil. The harvest is the end of the world,[e] and the harvesters are the angels.

40 “Just as the weeds are sorted out and burned in the fire, so it will be at the end of the world. 41 The Son of Man will send his angels, and they will remove from his Kingdom everything that causes sin and all who do evil. 42 And the angels will throw them into the fiery furnace, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. 43 Then the righteous will shine like the sun in their Father’s Kingdom. Anyone with ears to hear should listen and understand!

When God created the world, He allowed free will – the ability for us as people to choose to follow Him or reject Him and do things our own way. He made us like His children, not a set of robots who are pre-programmed to accept Him.

God allowed Satan to have much influence in this world, but Satan ultimately can only do what God allows. He has been defeated and will again be defeated by God. However, Satan preys on our sin nature and selfish view of the world. His actions to deceive us and lead us away from God are like the enemy who planted weeds in amongst the wheat. It makes life difficult for the wheat (the righteous).

God has a plan though. He is not confused or surprised by Satan.  He will separate the wheat from the weeds when harvest comes. Those who follow God will get what they chose… an eternity with God in heaven. Those who serve their own sin nature and reject God will get what they chose… eternity in hell, separated from God.

Of course we, as followers of Christ, want to bring as many people as we can with us to follow God in this world and enter heaven after they die. We are to seek God wholeheartedly and proclaim Him loudly and publicly.

—-

Please share our devotionals with your friends and family and visit our website at www.HearingFromJesus.org to see more.

the way with scripture - for posts, medium 2

Creation, Heaven and Hell, Parables, Satan, Share the Good News, Sin, Suffering / Adversity

Sifting The Wheat From The Weeds

Jesus uses many parables to help explain the kingdom of heaven. In  Matthew 13:24-30, Jesus compares it to a farmer who plans wheat in his field.

24 Here is another story Jesus told: “The Kingdom of Heaven is like a farmer who planted good seed in his field. 25 But that night as the workers slept, his enemy came and planted weeds among the wheat, then slipped away. 26 When the crop began to grow and produce grain, the weeds also grew.

27 “The farmer’s workers went to him and said, ‘Sir, the field where you planted that good seed is full of weeds! Where did they come from?’

28 “‘An enemy has done this!’ the farmer exclaimed.

“‘Should we pull out the weeds?’ they asked.

29 “‘No,’ he replied, ‘you’ll uproot the wheat if you do. 30 Let both grow together until the harvest. Then I will tell the harvesters to sort out the weeds, tie them into bundles, and burn them, and to put the wheat in the barn.’”

A few verses later, in Matthew 13:36-43 Jesus explains the parable.

36 Then, leaving the crowds outside, Jesus went into the house. His disciples said, “Please explain to us the story of the weeds in the field.”

37 Jesus replied, “The Son of Man[d] is the farmer who plants the good seed. 38 The field is the world, and the good seed represents the people of the Kingdom. The weeds are the people who belong to the evil one. 39 The enemy who planted the weeds among the wheat is the devil. The harvest is the end of the world,[e] and the harvesters are the angels.

40 “Just as the weeds are sorted out and burned in the fire, so it will be at the end of the world. 41 The Son of Man will send his angels, and they will remove from his Kingdom everything that causes sin and all who do evil. 42 And the angels will throw them into the fiery furnace, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. 43 Then the righteous will shine like the sun in their Father’s Kingdom. Anyone with ears to hear should listen and understand!

When God created the world, He allowed free will – the ability for us as people to choose to follow Him or reject Him and do things our own way. He made us like His children, not a set of robots who are pre-programmed to accept Him.

God allowed Satan to have much influence in this world, but Satan ultimately can only do what God allows. He has been defeated and will again be defeated by God. However, Satan preys on our sin nature and selfish view of the world. His actions to deceive us and lead us away from God are like the enemy who planted weeds in amongst the wheat. It makes life difficult for the wheat (the righteous).

God has a plan though. He is not confused or surprised by Satan.  He will separate the wheat from the weeds when harvest comes. Those who follow God will get what they chose… an eternity with God in heaven. Those who serve their own sin nature and reject God will get what they chose… eternity in hell, separated from God.

Of course we, as followers of Christ, want to bring as many people as we can with us to follow God in this world and enter heaven after they die. We are to seek God wholeheartedly and proclaim Him loudly and publicly.

—-

Please share our devotionals with your friends and family and visit our website at www.HearingFromJesus.org to see more.

the way with scripture - for posts, medium 2