As always Scott, you answer with such grace, such beautiful certainty, such truth. You, by far, are one of my top 2 Bible teachers. I have learned so much from you. You have a peace about you in every answer to a world that still doesn't have the realization that you and I have. The very thought that God doesn't save, through His Son, every creature, is unthinkable, yet it is the popular belief. They sing in their churches "Jesus saves" yet they don't believe He saves. We have to do our part to make it happen. Hypocrites. We, who believe in saved by the FAITH OF CHRIST are a rare breed. Keep up the good work. You are truly one of the servants of God in these last days. We need you. God yes does the choosing, but we can be evangels of the truth 🙏. God bless you. Many ears listen to you, and many people start to believe in the God of the Bible, the Concordant Literal Bible 🙏
Thank you once again Linda for your kind and encouraging words. Yes, it is a rare thing to understand the extent, power, love, and completion of the cross. God meant for few to understand it now but there will be a time when everyone understands it. Looking forward to that day. God bless you.
Scott, thank you for your teaching. We are so grateful that we are not religiously blinded, not locked up in stubbornness and can see the truths laid out in front of us. Thank you Christ Jesus. M’s❤️
"25 For He must be reigning until He should be placing all His enemies under His feet. 26 The last enemy is being abolished: death. - 1 Corinthians 15: 25
The word ‘until’ means that when this event happens, Christ’s reign ends. Therefore, when all enemies are abolished, the last one being death…Christ’s rule ends. Remember, Christ is still ruling all throughout Revelation. So, Paul here is speaking of a time after Revelation. What happens after Revelation? All are saved.
You need further evidence of Christ’s rule coming to an end? Well, the next three verses in Paul’s letter talks about Christ being subjected to God. All that die in Adam and all creation are subjected to Christ. The only One not subjected to Christ is God Himself. All creation is subjected to Christ so that God will be All in all."
Christ's rule does not end. Christ is the only begotten Son of God. "in the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God". Christ has two natures - divine and human. "He who does not honour the Son, does not honour the Father who sent Him". John 5:21
Death is the result of sin. The last enemy is death, and has already been defeated by Christ at the cross. His bodily resurrection is the proof. Those who die in Christ will reign with Him. Yes - God is all in all as stated in Corinthians, but do not take this out of context. God will judge unbelievers through His Son. There is no second chance. As God is everywhere (omni-present) He will also be present in hell. Whatever hell is, the Bible is clear that it is a real place, and a place of punishment. It is a misunderstanding of the seriousness of sin in God's eyes, that leads corrupt man to think there is an option after death for an escape route, or that hell is some sort of half-way house. If sin was not serious, why did God send His only Son to be the atonement for sin? The Bible speaks of those who are eternally lost. "Jacob have I loved, but Esau have I hated". God has foreordained a definite number who will be redeemed, and equally, a definite number who will be eternally lost. (the second death). Jesus said "even as Thou gavest Him (the Son) authority over all mankind, that to all whom Thou has given Him, He may give eternal life". John 17:2
Christ is reigning now. He is seated at the right hand of the Father, following His ascension. In the new creation, God will dwell with His people. Revelation 21:3. Christ will reign forever. "the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ" (part of 2 Peter 1:11).
Please review what you have written, as you may be leading weaker brothers astray.
You say there is no second chance but in truth there is NO CHANCE at all. The cross and God’s will ended chance. Do you deny 2 Timothy 1:9 that says we are chosen in Christ Jesus before time began? Then our choice is a result of being chosen by God.
Also, who is saying sin is not serious? As you did say, God sent His only son to die for sin. Why don’t you think it worked? Sin is serious and so was Christ’s suffering and death for it. Your mistaken belief of ‘hell’ which is actually death as described in scripture means that you don’t believe in the seriousness and completion of the cross. That’s how God dealt with sin and yet you believe this sin will remain for eternity. I pray that you ponder the power of the cross.
You mentioned that God foreordained people to be eternally lost? So do you believe in free will or don’t you? If you think God foreordained people to be eternally lost then that’s not ‘free will.’ How could this be when His will is for all men to be saved (1 Timothy 2:4)? You think God wills to save all and then purposely goes against that will to eternally damn people?
God did not hate Esau forever, He hated him in relation to choosing Jacob to be Israel. A loving God cannot hate my dear friend. Judgement is a real thing, I get that, but God’s judgements brings people to the foot of the cross. They just come in later. It has nothing to do with chance and everything to do with God and Christ’s cross.
Would have to disagree with you. Hell is not a "mistaken belief". Satan's deception is to convince people of exactly that. Revelation 20:15 - it is a real place. Isaiah 66:24 speaking of the new heavens and the new earth, states that the "corpses of men who have transgressed against Me, their worm shall not dies, and their fire shall not be quenched, and they shall be an abhorrence to all mankind".
This verse alone should be motivation for us to speak and witness of Christ and His salvation. None of us want to see our loved ones in hell.
I have read most of your various articles, and do not agree with either your thinking on universal salvation, or your idea that hell is not a place of punishment. Romans 5:18 - "through Adam all are condemned. Through Christ, many will be made righteous". Do not confuse the free offer of the Gospel to mankind with the doctrine of election. Christ "gave Himself for us, that He might redeem us from every lawless deed, and purify for Himself a people for His own possession, zealous for good deeds." Titus 2:14.
You seem to be saying that ultimately, all are saved. (universalism). That idea leads to anti-nomianism (against the law) i.e do what you like, ignore God's law, and you will be alright in the end - yet God expects those who have been redeemed to be zealous for good deeds - deeds (or works) that He has foreordained for them. Ephesians 2:10. To say otherwise (that everyone will be saved) is to make the cross of no account.
You are also twisting what I said. I used the term "second chance" in the sense of "a second opportunity" for salvation after this life has ended, not in the sense of "chance" or "luck". Simply put, there is no second opportunity for salvation. "Now is the accepted time". No-one, in your words "comes in later". That is basically the unscriptural idea of purgatory as taught by the Roman Catholic church, prayers for the dead, masses for the dead, indulgences, the treasury of merit, and other heresies.
And I think I was very clear in saying that God in His sovereignty, has foreordained a definite number to be saved and a definite number who will be lost.
You are confusing God's desire (for want of a better expression) that no-one should perish, but all have everlasting life; with His decretive will. We do not know who God has decreed will be saved, or lost - hence the need for preaching the Word.
His decretive will can have no other consequence other than what God in His sovereignty commands. Romans 9:15 - "I will have mercy on whom I will have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I will have compassion; so then, it does not depend on the man who wills, or the man who runs, but on God, who has mercy".
We have to base our beliefs on what the Bible teaches - not on what we would like it to teach.
As always Scott, you answer with such grace, such beautiful certainty, such truth. You, by far, are one of my top 2 Bible teachers. I have learned so much from you. You have a peace about you in every answer to a world that still doesn't have the realization that you and I have. The very thought that God doesn't save, through His Son, every creature, is unthinkable, yet it is the popular belief. They sing in their churches "Jesus saves" yet they don't believe He saves. We have to do our part to make it happen. Hypocrites. We, who believe in saved by the FAITH OF CHRIST are a rare breed. Keep up the good work. You are truly one of the servants of God in these last days. We need you. God yes does the choosing, but we can be evangels of the truth 🙏. God bless you. Many ears listen to you, and many people start to believe in the God of the Bible, the Concordant Literal Bible 🙏
A-men
Thank you once again Linda for your kind and encouraging words. Yes, it is a rare thing to understand the extent, power, love, and completion of the cross. God meant for few to understand it now but there will be a time when everyone understands it. Looking forward to that day. God bless you.
Scott, thank you for your teaching. We are so grateful that we are not religiously blinded, not locked up in stubbornness and can see the truths laid out in front of us. Thank you Christ Jesus. M’s❤️
Scott Hicko said:
"25 For He must be reigning until He should be placing all His enemies under His feet. 26 The last enemy is being abolished: death. - 1 Corinthians 15: 25
The word ‘until’ means that when this event happens, Christ’s reign ends. Therefore, when all enemies are abolished, the last one being death…Christ’s rule ends. Remember, Christ is still ruling all throughout Revelation. So, Paul here is speaking of a time after Revelation. What happens after Revelation? All are saved.
You need further evidence of Christ’s rule coming to an end? Well, the next three verses in Paul’s letter talks about Christ being subjected to God. All that die in Adam and all creation are subjected to Christ. The only One not subjected to Christ is God Himself. All creation is subjected to Christ so that God will be All in all."
Christ's rule does not end. Christ is the only begotten Son of God. "in the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God". Christ has two natures - divine and human. "He who does not honour the Son, does not honour the Father who sent Him". John 5:21
Death is the result of sin. The last enemy is death, and has already been defeated by Christ at the cross. His bodily resurrection is the proof. Those who die in Christ will reign with Him. Yes - God is all in all as stated in Corinthians, but do not take this out of context. God will judge unbelievers through His Son. There is no second chance. As God is everywhere (omni-present) He will also be present in hell. Whatever hell is, the Bible is clear that it is a real place, and a place of punishment. It is a misunderstanding of the seriousness of sin in God's eyes, that leads corrupt man to think there is an option after death for an escape route, or that hell is some sort of half-way house. If sin was not serious, why did God send His only Son to be the atonement for sin? The Bible speaks of those who are eternally lost. "Jacob have I loved, but Esau have I hated". God has foreordained a definite number who will be redeemed, and equally, a definite number who will be eternally lost. (the second death). Jesus said "even as Thou gavest Him (the Son) authority over all mankind, that to all whom Thou has given Him, He may give eternal life". John 17:2
Christ is reigning now. He is seated at the right hand of the Father, following His ascension. In the new creation, God will dwell with His people. Revelation 21:3. Christ will reign forever. "the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ" (part of 2 Peter 1:11).
Please review what you have written, as you may be leading weaker brothers astray.
Warm regards.
You say there is no second chance but in truth there is NO CHANCE at all. The cross and God’s will ended chance. Do you deny 2 Timothy 1:9 that says we are chosen in Christ Jesus before time began? Then our choice is a result of being chosen by God.
Also, who is saying sin is not serious? As you did say, God sent His only son to die for sin. Why don’t you think it worked? Sin is serious and so was Christ’s suffering and death for it. Your mistaken belief of ‘hell’ which is actually death as described in scripture means that you don’t believe in the seriousness and completion of the cross. That’s how God dealt with sin and yet you believe this sin will remain for eternity. I pray that you ponder the power of the cross.
You mentioned that God foreordained people to be eternally lost? So do you believe in free will or don’t you? If you think God foreordained people to be eternally lost then that’s not ‘free will.’ How could this be when His will is for all men to be saved (1 Timothy 2:4)? You think God wills to save all and then purposely goes against that will to eternally damn people?
God did not hate Esau forever, He hated him in relation to choosing Jacob to be Israel. A loving God cannot hate my dear friend. Judgement is a real thing, I get that, but God’s judgements brings people to the foot of the cross. They just come in later. It has nothing to do with chance and everything to do with God and Christ’s cross.
Grace and peace.
Would have to disagree with you. Hell is not a "mistaken belief". Satan's deception is to convince people of exactly that. Revelation 20:15 - it is a real place. Isaiah 66:24 speaking of the new heavens and the new earth, states that the "corpses of men who have transgressed against Me, their worm shall not dies, and their fire shall not be quenched, and they shall be an abhorrence to all mankind".
This verse alone should be motivation for us to speak and witness of Christ and His salvation. None of us want to see our loved ones in hell.
I have read most of your various articles, and do not agree with either your thinking on universal salvation, or your idea that hell is not a place of punishment. Romans 5:18 - "through Adam all are condemned. Through Christ, many will be made righteous". Do not confuse the free offer of the Gospel to mankind with the doctrine of election. Christ "gave Himself for us, that He might redeem us from every lawless deed, and purify for Himself a people for His own possession, zealous for good deeds." Titus 2:14.
You seem to be saying that ultimately, all are saved. (universalism). That idea leads to anti-nomianism (against the law) i.e do what you like, ignore God's law, and you will be alright in the end - yet God expects those who have been redeemed to be zealous for good deeds - deeds (or works) that He has foreordained for them. Ephesians 2:10. To say otherwise (that everyone will be saved) is to make the cross of no account.
You are also twisting what I said. I used the term "second chance" in the sense of "a second opportunity" for salvation after this life has ended, not in the sense of "chance" or "luck". Simply put, there is no second opportunity for salvation. "Now is the accepted time". No-one, in your words "comes in later". That is basically the unscriptural idea of purgatory as taught by the Roman Catholic church, prayers for the dead, masses for the dead, indulgences, the treasury of merit, and other heresies.
And I think I was very clear in saying that God in His sovereignty, has foreordained a definite number to be saved and a definite number who will be lost.
You are confusing God's desire (for want of a better expression) that no-one should perish, but all have everlasting life; with His decretive will. We do not know who God has decreed will be saved, or lost - hence the need for preaching the Word.
His decretive will can have no other consequence other than what God in His sovereignty commands. Romans 9:15 - "I will have mercy on whom I will have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I will have compassion; so then, it does not depend on the man who wills, or the man who runs, but on God, who has mercy".
We have to base our beliefs on what the Bible teaches - not on what we would like it to teach.
Warm regards.