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These proofs are being written so that you can see logical proofs that show that good news is preached to those in Hell.
Proof number one: God and His Kingdom only speak truthfully (Isaiah 54:17, 1st John 3:4-10, John 1:12-13 and 3:3-6), they are not deceived, that is the definition of God and His Kingdom. If a person is only trusting in lies and not in truth, they are not a citizen of the Kingdom of Heaven, which is God’s Kingdom. They are spiritually dead, but still existing as an evildoer. The Kingdom of Heaven is at hand preaching to those in spirit prison (1st Peter 3:19 and 4:6). Hell is a spirit prison. If a person rightly believes the truth, in that right belief they are not guilty of sin. In fact, if they believe truth rightly, that is a righteous deed, and they will be rewarded for it. Any love for the truth will do. Only guilty people are punished as sinners. The only way for a person to remain in Hell as a guilty person is to continue sinning. If a person who has been in Hell sinning in the past repents into being righteous, they are no longer in that spirit prison, they are freed. This kind of truth is seen in Isaiah 61: the good news is preached, liberty is proclaimed to captives and freedom to prisoners. So in summary, the message to sinners who are actually sinners is, “repent, the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand.” John the Baptist and Jesus are both recorded as having preached this message (Matthew 3:1-3, Matthew 3:17 and 4:23). If a person is loving the truth, they are in agreement with this message towards sinners because they love the truth and they love their enemies (Matthew 5:43-48 and Luke 6:27-28). Proof number two: Sinners are separated from God in a way (Isaiah 59:2). The separation is the difference between their beliefs. God (as He actually is) believes truth. Sinners (actual sinners) believe lies. The reason that sinners are punished in Hell is that they are guilty of believing lies at the time they are being punished. They desire evil (Proverbs 21:10). God and His Kingdom speak truth to them. If the truth is believed by those who have been unrighteous, then they believe truth, and that is righteous to do. That is rewarded by God. The wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord (Romans 6:23). If you have a general love for the truth, you are actually agreeing that all truth is true. If you do this, one truth that is in that body of truth is that Jesus is Lord. If you love that truth along with all truth, then you are righteous according to Romans 10:9-10. A person has to not believe any truth and trust in deceit to be totally unrighteous. Good news is always adequately preached to all creation. To show this truth is in the Scriptures, I will quote from several passages below: Romans 1:18-20 “For the wrath of God is revealed from Heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who suppress the truth in unrighteousness, because that which is known about God is evident within them; for God made it evident to them. For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes, His eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly seen, being understood through what has been made, so that they are without excuse.” Psalm 145:8-9 “The LORD is gracious and merciful; slow to anger and great in lovingkindness. The Lord is good to all, and His mercies are over all His works.” Colossians 1:13-17 “For He delivered us from the domain of darkness, and transferred us to the kingdom of His beloved Son, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins. And He is the image of the invisible God, the first-born of all creation. For by Him all things were created, both in the heavens and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities – all things have been created by Him and for Him. And He is before all things, and in Him all things hold together.” Quick comment: all creation is His work… therefore, His mercies are over all creation. Colossians 1:23b “…hope of the gospel that you have heard, which was proclaimed in all creation under heaven, and of which I, Paul, was made a minister.” John 1:3 “All things came into being by Him, and apart from Him nothing came into being that has come into being.” Luke 6:27-28 “But I say to you who hear, love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you.” Romans 5:8 “But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.” In conclusion: So to keep this to a manageable length, I have shown two proofs that good news is preached to those who are in Hell and that good news is, in fact, preached to all creation. I will present further in the future on the concept of the duration of eternal life and eternal punishment. I will emphasize the meaning of the Greek used in the New Testament to highlight what these terms mean as far as duration. I will use Biblical concepts to show that if a person changes from being evil to being good, then they change from being punished to having eternal life. I will also show that if a person falls away from having good faith into trusting in lies, they enter into being punished by God and His Kingdom. This punishment lasts only for as long as they are still evildoers. The punishment is always commensurate with their actual ongoing sin. They too are invited back to the straight and narrow path which leads to life. In fact, as I proved above, everyone that exists is invited to the straight and narrow path that leads to life, no matter what they have done in the past or what they are doing in the present or what they are committed to doing into the future. Matthew 7:13-14 “Enter by the narrow gate; for the gate is wide, and the way is broad that leads to destruction, and many are those who enter by it. For the gate is small, and the way is narrow that leads to life, and few are those who find it. I’m not sure what population statistic Jesus was referring to when he said “many” and “few”, but I do know that loving the truth is good and all people who exist are invited to and even commanded to “enter by the narrow gate”. Remember the love of God and His Kingdom. You are always loved. Everyone is always loved. In fact, God is love and all who are in His Kingdom are like Him, abiding in love (1st John 4:8 & 4:16).
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All good news is good news. People who exist in a state of being damned are still people. Truth is still spoken to them by God and His Kingdom. If they are totally damned, they don’t believe the truth, even if it is spoken to them. But if, at some point, people who have been totally damned as cowardly unbelievers start believing truth… at this point they would no longer be totally damned. They would no longer be totally cowardly. They would be courageous. It is courageous to love truth.
I believe with all my heart that good news is preached to people who are sinners. In fact, I believe that there is no good reason to be a sinner. To be a sinner, you must believe lies. All sinning is based in being deceived. People deceive themselves if they claim that lies are true. There is no excuse for sin in all creation. It is justly punished as a normal consequence that is in the actual ways of nature. God commands people to live in such a way that they love truth. A person who loves truth does good work in loving truth. If a person perseveres in loving truth, they are seeking for glory and honor and immortality… and God renders to them eternal life. I am going to copy Romans 2:4-16 below to illustrate what I am talking about: 4 Or do you think lightly of the riches of His kindness and tolerance and patience, not knowing that the kindness of God leads you to repentance? 5 But because [fn] of your stubbornness and unrepentant heart you are storing up wrath for yourself in the day of wrath and revelation of the righteous judgment of God, 6 who will render to each person according to his deeds: 7 to those who by perseverance in doing good seek for glory and honor and immortality, eternal life; 8 but to those who are selfishly ambitious and do not obey the truth, but obey unrighteousness, wrath and indignation. 9 There will be tribulation and distress for [fn] every soul of man who does evil, of the Jew first and also of the Greek, 10 but glory and honor and peace to everyone who does good, to the Jew first and also to the Greek. 11 For there is no partiality with God. 12 For all who have sinned without [fn] the Law will also perish without [fn] the Law, and all who have sinned under [fn] the Law will be judged by [fn] the Law; 13 for it is not the hearers of [fn] the Law who are just [fn] before God, but the doers of [fn] the Law will be justified. 14 For when Gentiles who do not have the [fn] Law do instinctively [fn] the things of the Law, these, not having the [fn] Law, are a law to themselves, 15 in that they show the work of the Law written in their hearts, their conscience bearing witness and their thoughts alternately accusing or else defending them, 16 on the day when, according to my gospel, God will judge the secrets of men through Christ Jesus. So you can see that if a person is keeping the law and doing accordingly, they are justified. If a person is lawless, they are sinning. To make this point more thoroughly, I will quote 1st John 3:4-10 below: 4 Everyone who practices sin also practices lawlessness; and sin is lawlessness. 5 You know that He appeared in order to take away sins; and in Him there is no sin. 6 No one who abides in Him sins; no one who sins has seen Him or knows [fn] Him. 7 Little children, make sure no one deceives you; the one who practices righteousness is righteous, just as He is righteous; 8 the one who practices sin is of the devil; for the devil has [fn] sinned from the beginning. The Son of God appeared for this purpose, to destroy the works of the devil. 9 No one who is born [fn] of God practices sin, because His seed abides in him; and he cannot sin, because he is born [fn] of God. 10 By this the children of God and the children of the devil are obvious: anyone [fn] who does not practice righteousness is not of God, nor the one who does not love his brother. So, to help people understand that good news is preached to the condemned sinner even in places like Hell, I will reference 1st Peter 3:18-4:6 below. I have many other proofs that good news is preached to those in Hell. I will do a post on this in the future, Lord willing. 18 For Christ also hath once suffered for sins, the just for the unjust, that he might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh, but quickened by the Spirit: 19 By which also he went and preached unto the spirits in prison; 20 Which sometime were disobedient, when once the longsuffering of God waited in the days of Noah, while the ark was a preparing, wherein few, that is, eight souls were saved by water. 21 The like figure whereunto even baptism doth also now save us (not the putting away of the filth of the flesh, but the answer of a good conscience toward God,) by the resurrection of Jesus Christ: 22 Who is gone into heaven, and is on the right hand of God; angels and authorities and powers being made subject unto him. 1 Forasmuch then as Christ hath suffered for us in the flesh, arm yourselves likewise with the same mind: for he that hath suffered in the flesh hath ceased from sin; 2 That he no longer should live the rest of his time in the flesh to the lusts of men, but to the will of God. 3 For the time past of our life may suffice us to have wrought the will of the Gentiles, when we walked in lasciviousness, lusts, excess of wine, revellings, banquetings, and abominable idolatries: 4 Wherein they think it strange that ye run not with them to the same excess of riot, speaking evil of you: 5 Who shall give account to him that is ready to judge the quick and the dead. 6 For for this cause was the gospel preached also to them that are dead, that they might be judged according to men in the flesh, but live according to God in the spirit. So, in summary, good news is preached to the damned, and if they repent into loving truth, they are no longer damned, but are righteous. I also believe that there is a state called “double-mindedness” which is where people love both truth and lies and consequently are both good in part and evil in part. The good part of them is righteous. The evil part of them is sinning and condemned as such. Good news is still preached to them. For emphasis, I am going to add that any believing of any good news is righteous and is rewarded by God. Believing good news is always a righteous thing to do. The concept of everlasting life is important. Every person that does the will of God has everlasting life as long as they do the will of God. The will of God is this: persevere in doing good… and by this seek for glory and honor and immortality. When this is done by you, God renders everlasting life to you.
This concept is found in Romans 2:5c-11. Here is the passage: “…God, who will render to every man according to his deeds: to those who by perseverance in doing good seek for glory and honor and immortality, eternal life; but to those who are selfishly ambitious and do not obey the truth, but obey unrighteousness, wrath and indignation. There will be tribulation and distress for every soul of man who does evil, of the Jew first and also of the Greek, but glory and honor and peace to every man who does good, to the Jew first and also to the Greek. For there is no partiality with God.” John 3:36 also has this idea: “He who believes in the Son has everlasting life; but he who does not obey the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God abides on him.” There are many distinctions made in scripture concerning the righteous versus the wicked. The above passage summarizes it well. Everlasting life is for those who love truth (1st Thessalonians 2:10). As long as a person loves truth, they have everlasting life. Jesus said in John 14:6, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father but by me.” Christians are commanded to be imitators of God as dearly beloved children (Ephesians 5:1), and Jesus is a perfect imitator of God (Hebrews 1:3). So like Jesus, all Kingdom of Heaven citizens are the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father but by them. They are in Jesus, and Jesus is in them (John 17:23 & 26, Colossians 1:27, Ephesians 3:14-17, 2nd Corinthians 5:17). 1st John teaches that no evil doer has everlasting life abiding in them. Those who hate their brother are in the darkness until now. They do not know God (Titus 1:16[i] and 1st John 4:7-8[ii]). Those who “walk in the light” have fellowship with one another (1st John 1:7). So you cannot know God unless you love with friendship love the entire Kingdom of Heaven… which is those who do the will of God, which is to do good works (Ephesians 2:10). 1st Timothy 4:7b-10 says, “On the other hand, discipline yourself for the purpose of godliness; 8for bodily discipline is only of little profit, but godliness is profitable for all things, since it holds promise for the present life and also for the life to come. 9It is a trustworthy statement deserving full acceptance. 10For it is for this we labor and strive, because we have fixed our hope on the living God, who is the Savior of all men, especially of believers.” God is the Savior of all men, especially of believers. That is important. God loves all of His creatures. In His love, He commands all of His creatures to love all of His creatures, including themselves and even their enemies. God commands all of His enemies to repent into being righteous so that they too can have everlasting life. He loves them with everlasting love. He is kind and patient. He is forbearing. He does things for His name’s sake. He loves to be right. He loves to be just. He loves to be merciful. He is victorious. He commands everyone who exists to live like Him. There are also warnings in the scriptures about people falling away from the faith. If someone falls away from loving the truth into believing lies, they are no longer having everlasting life, but instead are in everlasting punishment. They are still commanded by God and His Kingdom to repent into loving the truth. God is merciful, and is good to all. So is His Kingdom. You cannot do anything to make them not love you with divine charity love as long as they are Kingdom of Heaven citizens. It is true though, that the Kingdom of Heaven has friendship love only for those who love truth. So the good news is, everlasting life is available to all, but only those who choose to love truth will actually obtain everlasting life. ------------------------ [i] Titus 1:16 “They [1] profess to know God, but by their deeds they deny [2] Him, being detestable [3] and disobedient [4] and worthless [5] for [6] any good deed.” [ii] 1st John 4:7-8 “Beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God; and everyone who loves is born [fn] of God and knows God. The one who does not love does not know God, for God is love.” |
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