By denying God's right to execute judgment is to deny His kingship and right to rule.

The doctrine of "judgment" is seen all through the whole Bible. God is constantly presented in the majesty of Judge. He calls the world to account. No man or nation can escape His judgment.

"The principal Hebrew word for the verb to judge is shaphat. The principal noun for judgment is mishpat. The root idea of shaphat is to rule or judge in the sense of rendering a verdict. "The noun mishpat means the judgment which is given by the shopet (judge), whence the word can mean justice, ordinance, legal right, and so forth."

The Hebrew word shaphat has the double meaning of "to rule" or "to judge." Translators have rendered shaphat in both ways. .

Judgment is a function of the king or ruler. To be a king means to be given the responsibility of judge.

It is not the job of the citizens to act as judge, but it is the responsibility of the king.

Throughout the book of Judges, the judges are Israel's deliverers and saviours who annihilate their enemies and bring Israel rest.

The big difference is that our Deliverer first must deliver everyone who will respond, from their sins.
His work of forgiving sins is especially a manifestation of the work of a judge. In view of Jesus' message of future judgment, forgiveness and deliverance from sin is urgent.

Remember God could have simply left sin to burn itself out -- everyone would have been destroyed, there would have been no hope, no deliverance, no justice.

But God is ruler and king still --
He will judge.


He will separate the "sheep and the goats". Those who responded to His offer of Life, and received His justification and sanctification will enter the joy of the Lord, while those who rejected it will enter the fire inflicting punishment that is irreversible -- the eternal death.

2 Cor. 5:10 For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ; that every one may receive the things done in his body, according to that he has done, whether it be good or bad.

John 5:20 Jesus says, " I judge: and my judgment is just".

Physicians make judgments about patients all the time. But do the physicians then kill their patients? Nope. What you really want dedication is for God to be the executioner of the transgressor. This God is not! Hosea 4:17 AKJV Ephraim is joined to idols: let him alone.
Here is a judgment and response.

APL, repeating your view without explaining the lake of fire is pointless. Dismissing Dedication's post with a curt retort is disrespectful. Ignoring my questions and comments is rude.

Mike,

With all due respect, I truly believe you have missed APL's entire point to begin with--his whole purpose for posting here. Don't let him succeed. Spend your time more profitably in building up the kingdom of God.

I've increasingly realized the futility of trying to evangelize the devil's missionaries. Their success is gained merely in wasting the Lord's servants' time. The longer they can lead the Lord's servants on to believe there is some hope of saving them, and the more time they can extract, so much the less time remains for the Lord's servants to have used in saving someone else.

Many of the devil's missionaries know not the part they are playing. But let not their ignorance be matched in our own. We must be "wise as serpents"--meaning we need to understand the devil's tricks.

APL is beyond changing his mind. That is amply demonstrated in the halls of this forum. He won't see the truth, for he has too often rejected it.

If APL were to read the Testimonies for the Church, with a mind set on seeking the Lord's will in place of cherished opinion, there may be yet some hope. Mrs. White wrote the following short testimony there which seems to apply, in a general sense, to any of us, and yet there are some testimonies which would apply more specifically to his case--but which I am certain he would reject were you or I to present them here, and thus I won't at this time.



Blessings,

Green Cochoa.

APL has built an idol of cherished opinion here. Let him alone.



Blessings,

Green Cochoa.

So would you say that if you did have success in evangelizing "the devil's missionaries", they would recant and say that God indeed does act like the devil?

Green - you quote a reference which speaks of works. Where I have claimed we are saved by works? We are saved by God from our sins, and by nothing we can do lest we boast. We are not saved from what God is going to do to us, unless you speak about God letting us have our own way. It is you that has said that you are glad you are not like me, or kland, or Johann, or Gregory. You thanks God that you are not like us sinners. That sure sounds like pride in your own opinion. "Those who think that they will never have to give up a cherished view, never have occasion to change an opinion, will be disappointed." "The sin that is most nearly hopeless and incurable is pride of opinion, self-conceit."

The pharisees were very offended when they were told they were wrong, and they rejected the truth about God.

I agree that this is a heretical belief that has infiltrated our church as a movement in these last days. They are as thick as those who believe that everyone makes it to heaven, the sacred namers, the anti- Ellen Whiters, and the pentecostal horde of Rock and Roll worshippers. We are seeing the omaga of apostacy unvieled before our eyes and everyone is asleep, or have no strength to do anything about it if they wanted to.

God wont let me go down like that.

The people who think it a sport to come into SDA church or websites and try to convert others to your beliefs, and all those here for other-than-honorable intentions, my God has news for you.

Heavenly angels are marking your every thought, move and intention, and they are here to protect those who believe.

As long as there is someone who thinks they were sent by God to alter the message of the SDA church, God will direct me to that fight.

I do not defend the corporate segment, only those convicted and humbled in God's grace, the true church. Strive to be the church within the church. We need to continually sigh and cry for the abominations done in His sanctuary, but it takes God's intervention and a heart willing to be humilliated for errors to truly be converted and empowered to take on errors. Those who will not hear the truth are fooling themselves and others. Those who refuse to be persuaded by the unadulterated truth will be shaken out when the test comes.

Back to the subject...

Everyone knows fire from heaven destroyed Sodom and Gommorah correct? But what was that fire from heaven?

"Now the last night of Sodom was approaching. But men perceived it not. While angels drew near on their mission of destruction, men were dreaming of prosperity and pleasure. The last day was like every other that had come and gone. A landscape of unrivaled beauty was bathed in the rays of the declining sun. Pleasure-seeking throngs were passing to and fro, intent upon the enjoyment of the hour. {EP 99.1}
In the twilight, two strangers drew near to the city gate. None could discern in those wayfarers the mighty heralds of divine judgment. The careless multitude little dreamed that in their treatment of these heavenly messengers that very night they would reach the climax of guilt which doomed their city. {EP 99.2}

"The divine Majesty descended in a cloud with a glorious retinue of angels, who appeared as flames of fire." {1SP 234.3}

"While man lived near God, the altars were lighted by fire from heaven... each brought an offering to the gate of the garden... The lamb was laid upon the altar, and fire flashed from the shining sword of the cherubim guarding the way to the Tree of Life, and the sacrifice was consumed." {SDP 136.2}

Did you get it? The FIRE FROM HEAVEN that consumed every sacrifice and destroyed the wicked in Sodom and Gommorah came from the ANGEL with the firey sword that guards the way to the tree of life. But only those who have been following the path to the city would ever have a clue what I'm sharing with you right now.

Misrepresenting what I said won't help your cause any.

Blessings,

Green Cochoa.