Dear F2F,
You said:
The judgement of those people is already past.
Yes, you are right but your overall understanding is in error.
Here is the verse:
John 3:18 He (a child of God) that believeth on him is not condemned: but he (all mankind) that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.
Mankind has no faith in Christ - no one.
Rom 3:10 As it is written, there is none righteous, no, not one: 11 There is none that understandeth, there is none that seeketh after God.
Because carnal mankind was made in this faithless condition, all mankind is condemned already.
The only people who can know Christ and believe in Him are the
children of God who are
not carnal. They have been given a new spiritual nature - one which is governed by the Holy Spirit. Their old spiritual nature, which was carnal, was destroyed by judgment. This is what it means to be converted. To be saved, we must die, but from that death, we are "born again" as a child of God.
John 12:24 Verily, verily, I say unto you, Except a corn of wheat fall into the ground and die, it abideth alone: but if it die, it bringeth forth much fruit.
Jer 18:4 And the vessel (the natural man) that he made of clay was marred in the hand of the potter: so he made it again another vessel (a child of God), as seemed good to the potter to make it.
Christ will do this spiritual work of conversion within all mankind before the final age ends. In this age, Christ is only converting His chosen Elect. They are blessed, not because of anything they have ever done to deserve it, but simply because it satisfies God's plans and purposes for mankind.
Look at this verse below: It says that only with the Holy Spirit can anyone believe in Christ:
1Cor 12:3 Wherefore I give you to understand, that no man speaking by the Spirit of God calleth Jesus accursed: and that no man can say that Jesus is the Lord, but by the Holy Spirit.
This verse above is really quite profound and is not hard to understand. However, it is completely rejected by the apostate church. This verse is in direct conflict with their "another gospel" which they preach to the world. Their false gospel teaches that salvation comes by a mixture of "works" and faith. But this is not true. Salvation comes only by faith in Christ; mankind contributes nothing. Under the New Covenant, 100% of the work which is necessary for our salvation & conversion comes from Christ. Even our confession of faith comes from Christ. We make that confession as a result of Christ's spiritual work which He does within us. And after He does that work, we can no longer reject Him.
Paul's conversion is the pattern all the Elect will follow for their salvation (
1Tim 1:16). Paul never asked for Christ to come to Him on the Damascus Road, nor did Paul give Christ permission to give him the Early Rain. Paul only had it in his heart to persecute Christians. But Christ came to Paul anyway. Christ did so simply because of His grace and because Paul was chosen to be blessed from the foundation of the world - just like all the Elect are. After Paul received the Early Rain, Paul fell to his knees and called Jesus "Lord".
Paul's confession was caused by the work of Christ within Paul. Paul cannot take any credit for it.
From Christ's work, Paul's heart and mind were changed:
This verse applies:
Prov 16:1 The preparations of the heart in man, and the answer of the tongue, is from the LORD.
Only AFTER Christ comes to a person and gives them the Holy Spirit (without them asking for it and without their permission) will they make the confession of faith. And since Christ is not willing that anyone should perish (
2Pet 3:9, the true penalty of sin), Christ will come to all mankind someday at a time of His choosing; the Elect in this age, then the rest of mankind in the final age.
John 12:32 And I, if I be lifted up from the earth, will draw all men unto me.
1Tim 2:3 For this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Savior; 4 who will have all men to be saved, and to come unto the knowledge of the truth.
You said:
The judgement on those Pharisees who rejected Christ and planned his death is all but a formality now. They received their calling for repentence ,but rejected it completely and utterly.
The Pharisees who rejected Christ and crucified Him never repented before their deaths. As a result, they will "suffer loss" but they will still be saved at the end of the final age:
1Cor 3:13 Every man’s work shall be made manifest: for the day shall declare it, because it shall be revealed by fire; and the fire shall try every man's work of what sort it is. 14 If any man's work abide which he hath built thereupon, he shall receive a reward. 15 If any man's work shall be burned, he shall suffer loss: but he himself shall be saved; yet so as by fire.
The "loss" they suffer is the loss of being a "heir" and a "First Fruit" of Christ's harvest of mankind. The heirs (the Elect) will have "life" during the ages and will have the honor of reigning with Christ in the final age to help Him bring in the full harvest of mankind.
Here is what Christ told the Pharisees who crucified Him:
Mat 21:31 Which of the two was obeying his father?" They replied, "The first, of course." Then Jesus explained his meaning: "I assure you, corrupt tax collectors (Matthew) and prostitutes (Mary Magdalene) will get into the Kingdom of God before you do.
With Christ, there was never any doubt that He would save the Pharisees who crucified Him. The only issue was when their salvation would occur. Matthew and Mary Magdalene are the Jewish Elect who Lazarus represented in the parable. They will be blessed and saved first. Then in the final age, the Pharisees will be saved.
Also, this verse:
Luke 12:59 I tell you, you will not get out until you have paid the last penny.”
The Pharisees will be saved after they have "paid the last penny". The payment is their spiritual death and is the same spiritual death even the Elect must pay. However, the Elect will not be judged in wrath as will those of the final age. But even so, Christ will give them the Early and Latter Rains before they perish (last penny). They will then enter into life as a new creation; a child of God.
You said:
You are correct, the Master is not a hard man, but he is always loving and righteous....however, those who blaspheme the Holy Spirit cannot be saved.
No, that is not true.
Here is the verse:
Mat 12:32 And whosoever speaketh a word against the Son of man, it shall be forgiven him: but whosoever speaketh against the Holy Spirit, it shall not be forgiven him, neither in this age (the Old Covenant age), neither in the age (this present age) to come.
However, they will be forgiven in the final age. They will miss the blessing of being a heir.
You said:
Keep in mind these comments only relate to those who fit into Luke 16:19 and Luke 13:28 - in no way is this descriptive of Israel as a whole. They can be grafted back in and will be at his coming.
Paul said this:
Rom 11:25 For I would not, brethren, that ye should be ignorant of this mystery, lest ye should be wise in your own conceits; that blindness in part is happened to Israel, until the fulness of the Gentiles be come in. 26 And so all Israel shall be saved: as it is written...
The physical Nation of Israel will be the last group to be saved in the final age. Their salvation will come after the last Gentile is saved. After Israel is saved, Christ will deliver up the Kingdom of Heaven to His Father and God will then be "all in all" (1Cor 15:20-28).
Your blindness to Christ actually being mankind's Savior is causing you to understand scripture incorrectly. Christ really is mankind's Savior and He will not rest until the last person is saved. Only then will He have not failed to complete the mission His Father gave Him:
1John 4:14 And we have seen and do testify that the Father sent the Son to be the Savior of the world.
Anything less than 100% of mankind being saved would make Christ a failure. But of course, that cannot be. God is love and love never fails.
Joe
