Jesus is Lord over ALL. That means He is Lord over both Heaven and Hell. I have never really thought about this until now. I have always pictured God in Heaven and Hell as the absence of God, where Satan rules. Perhaps this is the great lie that Satan wants people to believe, that he has dominion, even if it is in Hell.
The truth, however, is that according to Revelation 14:10 we are told that Satan too will "drink the wine of God's fury, which has been poured full strength into the cup of his wrath. He will be tormented with burning sulphur in the presence of the holy angels and of the Lamb." Satan is not simply cast away from God to be some sort of prince of Hell, Satan will be tormented for rejecting Him. He will not enjoy some form of rule in Hell, he will be tormented there. He will be punished in the presence of Jesus (the Lamb). Jesus is Lord over ALL, including Satan and Hell.
Philippians 2:10-11 tells us that EVERY tongue in heaven, earth and under the earth will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord and bow before Him, this includes Satan. For God to be God He cannot have limited reign, God MUST be present in Hell and in Heaven (otherwise He would not be omnipresent). It is confusing to think that God is in Hell while in Heaven, but it must be the case. He must be there to work out His perfect justice on those who have rejected His salvation (Daniel 12:2; Romans 2:5; 2 Corinthians 5:10). Jesus is King of all - The Universe, Heaven, Hell, Us.. EVERYTHING
Wednesday, June 30, 2010
Tuesday, June 29, 2010
I have to live in peace with the annoying person?!!
So often I get annoyed with someone around me. It is as if they go out of their way to attempt to exert some form of authority over me which they do not possess. The result of this is a feeling of not being valued for the work I have completed and the contribution I have made. I get angry at them, at the world around me, and am unlikely to be a great witness to those around me.
I get annoyed at people trying to make themselves look better or more important than me. How much more must Jesus have gone through - He is God, yet people called him a liar and killed him!
Hebrews made me think about my reactions to people who work me up.
In times like this it is hard, but I should try to fix my eyes on Jesus, the author and perfector of my faith who endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. I should try to remember that Jesus also endured opposition from sinful men, all so that I may see His example and therefore not grow weary and lose heart (Hebrews 12:1-3).
I need to think of these harder times as times of growth. Hebrews 12:7-12 tells us that we are to endure hardship as times for growth, as discipline. Could it be that in these situations I am being disciplined to focus more on God and less on my own pride?
Peace
I find it quite telling that directly after talking about Disciple, Hebrews (Chapter 12) goes on to talk about how we should "14Make every effort to live in peace with all men and to be holy; without holiness no one will see the Lord. See to it that no one misses the grace of God and that no bitter root grows up to cause trouble and defile many." So rather than getting angry and bitter towards the person who has wronged me, I need to make EVERY effort to live in peace with them and be holy. I need to demonstrate the Grace that God has given to me through my interactions. After all, I should be fixing my eyes on Jesus, not on the petty annoyances of life.
As a side note. Hebrews 12:14b says that "without holiness no one will see the Lord." No one is holy without the Grace of God; we cannot ever reach a state of holiness and thus salvation without Jesus' sacrifice cleansing us before the Father. I need to remember this and not view myself as better than those who annoy me and put me down.
I get annoyed at people trying to make themselves look better or more important than me. How much more must Jesus have gone through - He is God, yet people called him a liar and killed him!
Hebrews made me think about my reactions to people who work me up.
In times like this it is hard, but I should try to fix my eyes on Jesus, the author and perfector of my faith who endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. I should try to remember that Jesus also endured opposition from sinful men, all so that I may see His example and therefore not grow weary and lose heart (Hebrews 12:1-3).
I need to think of these harder times as times of growth. Hebrews 12:7-12 tells us that we are to endure hardship as times for growth, as discipline. Could it be that in these situations I am being disciplined to focus more on God and less on my own pride?
Peace
I find it quite telling that directly after talking about Disciple, Hebrews (Chapter 12) goes on to talk about how we should "14Make every effort to live in peace with all men and to be holy; without holiness no one will see the Lord. See to it that no one misses the grace of God and that no bitter root grows up to cause trouble and defile many." So rather than getting angry and bitter towards the person who has wronged me, I need to make EVERY effort to live in peace with them and be holy. I need to demonstrate the Grace that God has given to me through my interactions. After all, I should be fixing my eyes on Jesus, not on the petty annoyances of life.
As a side note. Hebrews 12:14b says that "without holiness no one will see the Lord." No one is holy without the Grace of God; we cannot ever reach a state of holiness and thus salvation without Jesus' sacrifice cleansing us before the Father. I need to remember this and not view myself as better than those who annoy me and put me down.
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