Wormwood said:
None of these passages are speaking about heavenly rewards. They are speaking about salvation. They all imply the danger of "being burned," falling and being destroyed, fearful judgement, worse off than before they were saved, having their lampstand removed, and the importance of persevering so their name is not blotted from the "book of life." All of these warnings are addressed to churches and Christians. To ignore these warnings and imply they have no meaning for Christians is dangerous in my opinion. If God gives us a warning, we should not ignore it or pretend such a danger cannot exist or applies only to losing square footage in a heavenly home. The language can only mean salvation from destruction.
Running the race and enduring through trials is specifically about crowns in heaven. If you deny this then I suggest you pray about it...
1 Cor 9:24-27 NIV Do you not know that in a
race all the
runners run, but only one gets the
prize?
Run in such a way as to get the
prize. 25Everyone who
competes in the games goes into strict training. They do it to get a
crown that will not last, but we do it to get a
crown that will last forever. 26Therefore I do not
run like someone
running aimlessly; I do not fight like a boxer beating the air. 27No, I strike a blow to my body and make it my slave so that after I have preached to others, I myself will not be disqualified for the
prize.
=========================================================================================
Heb 6:4-8 - Repentance here is talking about the sacrificing of animals. Before resurrection the Jews sacrificed an animal once a year on The Day of Atonement I believe to cleanse their sins. Also, how is it possible to crucify the Son all over again in Heb 6:6 when Jesus paid the sin penalty once and for all, being crucified only once. Is God in contradiction..Rom 4:7-8 NIV, Rom 6:10 NIV, 1 Cor 15:12-19 NIV, 2 Cor 5:18-20 NIV, Col 2:13-15 NIV, Heb 7:23-25 NIV, Heb 7:27 NIV, Heb 9:12 NIV, Heb 9:24-28 NIV, Heb 10:10-14 NIV, 1 Pet 3:18 NIV
=========================================================================================
1 Cor 10:6-13 - This has nothing to do with salvation, it has to do with temptation. Also read 1 Cor 10:13 NIV.
=========================================================================================
2 Pet 1:10-11 - This passage is about losing blessings in Christ, not salvation. Notice the word "promises" in 2 Peter 1:4 NIV. Now notice the word "promise" in the following...Acts 2:38-39 NIV, Gal 3:22 NIV, Gal 3:29 NIV, Eph 1:13-14 NIV, Phil 1:6 NIV, Heb 4:1 ESV, 2 Peter 2:4-10 NIV, 1 John 2:24-25 NIV, Jude 1:24 NIV.
Also notice in 2 Peter 1:11 NIV it does not say we will NOT be welcome into the eternal kingdom, rather it says if we do these things we will receive a rich welcome. It's only being applied to HOW we will be greeted, not IF we will be greeted.
Lastly, in 2 Pet 1:10 NIV, the word for stumble is translated "ptaió" which means to cause to stumble, to stumble, or to fall, sin, err, transgress. We err every day and fall short of God's glory, because only Jesus is perfect.
=========================================================================================
Heb 10:26-27 - Scripture actually says the opposite about believers. Believers no longer keep on sinning because the "truth" which is the seed of God remains in them forever...Eph 1:13-14 NIV, 1 Pet 1:23 NIV, 1 John 3:9 NIV, 2 John 1:2 NIV. Nonbelievers are also known to have the knowledge of truth, but not salvation Rom 1:18-32.
Also, how can there be no sacrifice for sins left when Jesus paid the sin penalty once and for all, being crucified only once. Is God in contradiction..Rom 4:7-8 NIV, Rom 6:10 NIV, 1 Cor 15:12-19 NIV, 2 Cor 5:18-20 NIV, Col 2:13-15 NIV, Heb 7:23-25 NIV, Heb 7:27 NIV, Heb 9:12 NIV, Heb 9:24-28 NIV, Heb 10:10-14 NIV, 1 Pet 3:18 NIV.
Lastly, Heb 10:27 is about God's wrath and the enemies of God, but scripture teaches us that believers are no longer appointed to wrath in which we are no longer enemies of God...
No longer enemies - Nahum 1:2 ESV, Rom 5:10-11 NIV, Rom 11:28 NIV, Rom 12:19-20 NIV, Heb 10:27 NIV
No longer under God's wrath - Job 21:30 NIV, Isa 26:20 NIV, Matt 3:12 NIV, John 3:36 NIV, Rom 5:9 NIV, Eph 2:3 NIV, 1 Thess 1:10 NIV, 1 Thess 5:9 NIV
=========================================================================================
2 Pet 2:20-22 - This passage is referring to escaping the sins of the world, not the blood of Jesus. Just like any man that escapes sin..if he's an alcoholic then he will stop going to the liquor store, but not going to the liquor store doesn't cleanse you of your addiction. Only the free gift of salvation can do that and the sanctification of the Holy Spirit. The word "escaped" here in Greek is apopheugó, which means to flee from.
The chapter starts off by telling us who the audience is, false prophets and false teachers. 2 Pet 2:1 NIV also explains how they deny Christ. Those who deny the deity of Christ are nonbelievers and are of the antichrist spirit Tit 1:15-16 NIV, 1 John 2:22 NIV, Jude 1:4-7 NIV.
2 Pet 2:3 NIV - This verse clearly tells us that these people are still condemned, but believers in Christ are no longer condemned by God...Mark 16:16 NIV, John 3:18 NIV, John 5:28-29 NIV, John 8:11 NIV, John 16:11 NIV, Rom 3:6-8 NIV, Rom 5:16 NIV, Rom 8:1-2 NIV, Rom 8:34 ESV, Col 2:13-15 NIV, 2 Thess 2:11-12 NIV, 2 Pet 2:3 NIV, 1 John 3:21 NIV, Jude 1:4-5 NIV.
2 Pet 2:8 NIV - This verse clearly separates the righteous from the lawless, and scripture clearly states that believers are no longer condemned as lawless. We are no longer of the antichrist spirit...2 Thess 2:3 NIV, 2 Thess 2:7-9 NIV, Heb 10:17 NIV, 2 Pet 2:7-8 NIV.
2 Pet 2:9 NIV - This verse clearly states that the unrighteous are held for punishment on the day of judgment, but scripture clearly states that nonbelievers are the one's who will experience punishment...Dan 12:1 NIV, Matt 24:21-22 NIV, John 3:36 NIV, John 5:29 NIV, John 6:35-40 NIV *, John 6:54 NIV, John 12:48 NIV, Rom 2:5 NIV, Rom 5:9 NIV, 1 Thess 1:9-10 NIV, 1 Thess 5:9-10 NIV, Heb 4:3 ESV, Rev 3:10 NIV.
Scripture also states that believers will not be punished, rather we will be rewarded at the Bema Seat of Christ...Matt 5:12 NIV, Matt 6:20 NIV, 1 Cor 3:13-15 NIV, 1 Cor 9:24-27 NIV, Phil 3:12-14 NIV, Col 2:18 NIV, 1 Thess 2:19 NIV, 2 Tim 2:5 NIV, 2 Tim 4:8 NIV, Heb 10:34-35 NIV, James 1:12 NIV, 1 Pet 5:2-4 NIV, 2 John 1:8-11 NIV, Rev 2:10 NIV, Rev 3:11 NIV, Rev 11:18 NIV, Rev 22:12 NIV.
2 Pet 2:14 NIV - This verse clearly tells us that these people never stop sinning, but believers in Christ no longer keep on sinning...Rom 6:14 NIV, 1 John 3:6 NIV, 1 John 3:9 NIV, 1 John 5:18 NIV.
2 Pet 2:17 NIV - This verse clearly tells us that these people are springs without water, but scripture tells us that believers in Christ are springs WITH water...John 4:13-14 NIV, John 7:38-39 NIV, 1 Pet 3:21 NIV, Rev 7:17 NIV, Rev 21:6 NIV, Rev 22:1-2 NIV, Rev 22:17 NIV.
=========================================================================================
Rev 2:5 - Jesus is removing the fallen (church) out of its high place. Candlestick represents a group of people, not the Holy Spirit. For example, it's not saying God will remove the Holy Spirit from your body, rather it's saying God will remove the church as a people from your pride because they chose not to love Rev 2:4 NIV. The Gospel is of love, not religion. It's not talking about individual salvation, rather a group of people..
κινεῖν τήν λυχνίαν τίνος (ἐκκλησίας) ἐκ τοῦ τόπου αὐτῆς,
to move a church out of the place which it has hitherto held among the churches; to take it out of the number of churches,
remove it altogether, and will remove thy candlestick out of his place, except thou repent; or thee out of the candlestick, the pastor from the church, either by persecution or by death; or else the church,
and church state itself, signified by a candlestick;
To be victorious, one would have to believe and trust in Jesus Christ as their savior Rom 10:9-10 NIV, 1 John 5:4-5 NIV. Many will not believe that Jesus died for all their sins. Are you in that group Wormwood? Have you believed and confessed...
Rev 2:7 NIV Whoever has ears, let them hear what the Spirit says to the churches.
To the one who is victorious, I will give the right to eat from the tree of life, which is in the paradise of God.
=========================================================================================
Rev 3:4-5 - Yet you have a few people in Sardis who have not soiled their clothes. They will walk with me, dressed in white, for they are worthy. 5
The one who is victorious will, like them, be dressed in white. I will never blot out the name of that person from the book of life, but will acknowledge that name before my Father and his angels.
And how are we victorious brother? By BELIEVING...
1 John 5:4-5 NIV for everyone born of God overcomes the world. This is the victory that has overcome the world, even our faith. 5Who is it that overcomes the world? Only the one who believes that Jesus is the Son of God.
- ATP