What Happens to the Lost - 159-169

159.  What will be the condition of the earth during the thousand year millennium?

• Jeremiah 4:23 I beheld the earth, and, lo, it was without form, and void; and the heavens, and they had no light.
• Jeremiah 4:24 I beheld the mountains, and, lo, they trembled, and all the hills moved lightly.
• Jeremiah 4:25 I beheld, and, lo, there was no man, and all the birds of the heavens were fled.
• Jeremiah 4:26 I beheld, and, lo, the fruitful place was a wilderness, and all the cities thereof were broken down at the presence of the LORD, and by his fierce anger.
• 2 Peter 3:11, 12 Seeing then that all these things shall be dissolved, what manner of persons ought ye to be in all holy conversation and godliness, Looking for and hasting unto the coming of the day of God, wherein the heavens being on fire shall be dissolved, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat?

Father, these texts remind me not to count on earthly pursuits. All that I see will soon be dissolved. No human achievement will retain any value. Turn my eyes on my Heavenly reward, so that I may live my life in light of eternity, not for here and now.

160.  After Jesus comes to raise the righteous dead, will there be 1000 years until the resurrection of the wicked?

• Revelation 20:2 And he laid hold on the dragon, that old serpent, which is the Devil, and Satan, and bound him a thousand years,
• Revelation 20:3 And cast him into the bottomless pit, and shut him up, and set a seal upon him, that he should deceive the nations no more, till the thousand years should be fulfilled: and after that he must be loosed a little season.
• Revelation 20:4, 5 And I saw thrones, and they sat upon them, and judgment was given unto them: and I saw the souls of them that were beheaded for the witness of Jesus, and for the Word of God, and which had not worshipped the beast, neither his image, neither had received his mark upon their foreheads, or in their hands; and they lived and reigned with Christ a thousand years. But the rest of the dead lived not again until the thousand years were finished. This is the first resurrection.
• Revelation 20:6 Blessed and holy is he that hath part in the first resurrection: on such the second death hath no power, but they shall be priests of God and of Christ, and shall reign with him a thousand years.
• Revelation 20:7 And when the thousand years are expired, Satan shall be loosed out of his prison,

Father, Your Word talks about a thousand year period during which Satan will be bound, and not be deceiving anyone, since all the wicked are dead. Lord, Your saints will be resurrected and live and reign with You for these 1000 years. I want to be there too, dear Lord. Enable me to be faithful to You, especially in these last prophetic days of earth's history. Use me to be a witness for Jesus, even if it means laying down my life for You!

161.  At some point, will everyone bow before God, admitting that He was fair and just?

• Psalm 72:11 Yea, all kings shall fall down before him: all nations shall serve him.
• Isaiah 45:23 I have sworn by myself, the Word is gone out of my mouth in righteousness, and shall not return, That unto me every knee shall bow, every tongue shall swear.
• Zephaniah 2:11 The LORD will be terrible unto them: for he will famish all the gods of the earth; and men shall worship him, every one from his place, even all the isles of the heathen.
• Romans 14:11 For it is written, As I live, saith the Lord, every knee shall bow to me, and every tongue shall confess to God.
• Philippians 2:10 That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth;

Dear God, as You wrap up the great controversy between good and evil, Your Word portrays You as the ultimate victor. Every created intelligent being who has ever lived will one day acknowledge Your supremacy. Every knee will bow down before You and admit that You are worthy of worship and honor. What a horrible realization this will be for those who are lost. It is now too late for the dead to change their destiny. Lord, help me to bow on my knees and confess You as my Lord now, every day, so that I may rejoice in that final day, for You truly are worthy of my worship!

162.  For those who choose to cling to sin, what are the results?

• Psalm 37:38 But the transgressors shall be destroyed together: the end of the wicked shall be cut off.
• Romans 5:12 Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned:
• Romans 6:21 What fruit had ye then in those things whereof ye are now ashamed? for the end of those things is death.
• Romans 8:6 For to be carnally minded is death; but to be spiritually minded is life and peace.
• James 1:15 Then when lust hath conceived, it bringeth forth sin: and sin, when it is finished, bringeth forth death.

Dear Father, Your Word is clear that transgressors will be cut off from life, completely destroyed. Enable me to realize that sin truly brings death, the cessation of life. Over and over our Word declares this truth. Keep me from toying with sin, and thinking that it is harmless. Cause me to believe that You mean what You say. Enable me daily to choose life in You, and freedom from sin.

163.  What are some of the sins that will cause sinners who have not received cleansing to be forever lost?

• Mark 7:21 For from within, out of the heart of men, proceed evil thoughts, adulteries, fornications, murders,
• Mark 7:22 Thefts, covetousness, wickedness, deceit, lasciviousness, an evil eye, blasphemy, pride, foolishness:
• Galatians 5:19-21 Now the works of the flesh are manifest, which are these; Adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness, Idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, variance, emulations, wrath, strife, seditions, heresies, Envyings, murders, drunkenness, revellings, and such like: of the which I tell you before, as I have also told you in time past, that they which do such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God.
• Colossians 3:5, 6 Mortify therefore your members which are upon the earth; fornication, uncleanness, inordinate affection, evil concupiscence, and covetousness, which is idolatry: For which things' sake the wrath of God cometh on the children of disobedience:
• Revelation 22:15 For without are dogs, and sorcerers, and whoremongers, and murderers, and idolaters, and whosoever loveth and maketh a lie.

Father, Strengthen me to continually put to death the carnal nature that enjoys sin. I recognize that, without Your convicting power, I have the capacity to commit horrible sins. I must have Your indwelling spirit to transform me from a sinner to a saint, because I recognize my inherent sinfulness. Save me, Lord!

164.  What horrible experience do I need to make sure that I never have?

• Isaiah 2:20 In that day a man shall cast his idols of silver, and his idols of gold, which they made each one for himself to worship, to the moles and to the bats;
• Isaiah 2:21 To go into the clefts of the rocks, and into the tops of the ragged rocks, for fear of the LORD, and for the glory of his majesty, when he ariseth to shake terribly the earth.
• Jeremiah 8:20 The harvest is past, the summer is ended, and we are not saved.
• Matthew 24:30 And then shall appear the sign of the Son of man in heaven: and then shall all the tribes of the earth mourn, and they shall see the Son of man coming in the clouds of heaven with power and great glory. 51 And shall cut him asunder, and appoint him his portion with the hypocrites: there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth.
• Revelation 6:15, 16 And the kings of the earth, and the great men, and the rich men, and the chief captains, and the mighty men, and every bondman, and every free man, hid themselves in the dens and in the rocks of the mountains; And said to the mountains and rocks, Fall on us, and hide us from the face of him that sitteth on the throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb:

Oh my Lord, what an unbearable tragedy it would be to be forever lost! What absolute horror of realizing that all the earthly treasures and pleasures had been traded for eternity! How devastating to mourn with grief beyond measure. Words cannot describe the terror that will overtake the lost in that day. Father, that must never be my experience! Wake me up so that I am not senseless to eternal realities. Show me how to do what I can to warn others of their need to prepare for Your soon coming.

165.  For those who persist in rebellion against God, will it be a painful, strange act for Him to let them go and be lost forever?

• Isaiah 28:21 For the LORD shall rise up as in mount Perazim, he shall be wroth as in the valley of Gibeon, that he may do his work, his strange work; and bring to pass his act, his strange act.
• Ezekiel 18:31 Cast away from you all your transgressions, whereby ye have transgressed; and make you a new heart and a new spirit: for why will ye die, O house of Israel?
• Ezekiel 18:32 For I have no pleasure in the death of him that dieth, saith the Lord GOD: wherefore turn yourselves, and live ye
• Ezekiel 33:11 Say unto them, As I live, saith the Lord GOD, I have no pleasure in the death of the wicked; but that the wicked turn from his way and live: turn ye, turn ye from your evil ways; for why will ye die, O house of Israel?
• Hosea 11:8 How shall I give thee up, Ephraim? how shall I deliver thee, Israel? how shall I make thee as Admah? how shall I set thee as Zeboim? mine heart is turned within me, my repentings are kindled together.

Precious Lord, in these verses I hear Your heart weeping with agonizing cries for all Your people, for every one that has been born on this earth. You have been pleading with all to turn to You, and live. You graciously offer a new heart and new spirit to all, and You long for all to respond to Your loving call. It will hurt You deeply to let them go. I can't even begin to imagine the pain You experience when souls are lost forever, for each one is precious to You. Oh, Lord, such incredible love is beyond me!

166.  Are the wicked immortal?

• Psalm 37:9 For evildoers shall be cut off: but those that wait upon the LORD, they shall inherit the earth.
• Psalm 37:10 For yet a little while, and the wicked shall not be: yea, thou shalt diligently consider his place, and it shall not be.
• Psalm 37:20 But the wicked shall perish, and the enemies of the LORD shall be as the fat of lambs: they shall consume; into smoke shall they consume away.
• Ezekiel 18:20 The soul that sinneth, it shall die. The son shall not bear the iniquity of the father, neither shall the father bear the iniquity of the son: the righteousness of the righteous shall be upon him, and the wickedness of the wicked shall be upon him.
• Malachi 4:3 And ye shall tread down the wicked; for they shall be ashes under the soles of your feet in the day that I shall do this, saith the LORD of hosts.

Dearest Father, how sad it is that many have believed Satan's first lie that humans are immortal and won't surely die. Almost everyone believes this lie. But Your Word is clear that the soul that sins without repentance will die. They will perish, and be consumed, and become as ashes. Lord, remove from my mind Satan's lie about immortal souls suffering endlessly in hell. Teach me your truth, which contains much comfort.

167.  Will the wicked have eternal punishment or will they have eternal punishing?

• Isaiah 47:14 Behold, they shall be as stubble; the fire shall burn them; they shall not deliver themselves from the power of the flame: there shall not be a coal to warm at, nor fire to sit before it.
• Proverbs 24: 20 For there shall be no reward to the evil man; the candle of the wicked shall be put out.
• Matthew 25:46 And these shall go away into everlasting punishment: but the righteous into life eternal.
• 2 Thessalonians 1:9 Who shall be punished with everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord, and from the glory of his power;
• Jude 1:7 Even as Sodom and Gomorrha, and the cities about them in like manner, giving themselves over to fornication, and going after strange flesh, are set forth for an example, suffering the vengeance of eternal fire.

Gracious Heavenly Father, what a blessed truth to know that there is no eternally burning hell, but instead, the wicked will be totally annihilated. In Your love and mercy, You will do the kindest possible thing for those who refuse to listen to You, which is everlasting punishment and destruction, not everlasting punishing and destroying. Just as Sodom and Gomorra suffered the vengeance of eternal fire, so will the wicked. Illumine me, Lord, to understand the finality of ceasing to exist, and to know how horrible that would be! Lead me to flee from evil.

168.  How complete will be the destruction of the wicked?

• Psalm 37:38 But the transgressors shall be destroyed together: the end of the wicked shall be cut off.
• Nahum 1:10 For while they be folden together as thorns, and while they are drunken as drunkards, they shall be devoured as stubble fully dry.
• Isaiah 47:14 Behold, they shall be as stubble; the fire shall burn them; they shall not deliver themselves from the power of the flame: there shall not be a coal to warm at, nor fire to sit before it.
• Malachi 4:1 For, behold, the day cometh, that shall burn as an oven; and all the proud, yea, and all that do wickedly, shall be stubble: and the day that cometh shall burn them up, saith the LORD of hosts, that it shall leave them neither root nor branch.
• 2 Peter 2:12 But these, as natural brute beasts, made to be taken and destroyed, speak evil of the things that they understand not; and shall utterly perish in their own corruption;

My Lord and Redeemer. By Your grace alone will I be kept from the horrible fate of the wicked, being cut off, perishing, burned up to ashes. As stubble leaves just ashes, so shall the wicked be utterly cut off and devoured. Thank You for sparing me from this destiny.

169.  Will the devil and the evil angels, who rebelled against God, be destroyed forever?

• Psalm 11:6 Upon the wicked he shall rain snares, fire and brimstone, and an horrible tempest: this shall be the portion of their cup.
• Matthew 25:41 Then shall he say also unto them on the left hand, Depart from me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels:
• 2 Peter 2:4 For if God spared not the angels that sinned, but cast them down to hell, and delivered them into chains of darkness, to be reserved unto judgment;
• Jude 1:6 And the angels which kept not their first estate, but left their own habitation, he hath reserved in everlasting chains under darkness unto the judgment of the great day.
• Revelation 12:9 And the great dragon was cast out, that old serpent, called the Devil, and Satan, which deceiveth the whole world: he was cast out into the earth, and his angels were cast out with him.

Gracious and Merciful Heavenly Father, Your marvelous plan to rid this universe of sin forever will be carried out some day. Hell fire is designed for the devil and his evil angels. This is their bitter reward for their rebellion. You do not want one human to join them in hell, but if they continue to choose rebellion against You, they will join in that horrible destiny. Vitalize me, Lord, to trust in Your mercy. Strengthen me to allow Your grace to flush out every trace of rebellion against You.

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