TWO DESTINIES

Can I pray for you in any way?

Send any prayer requests to TheChristianWalkPrayers@gmail.com.

In Christ, Mark

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

** Follow The Christian Walk on Twitter @ThChristianWalk

** Like posts and send friend requests to the author of The Christian Walk, Mark Cummings on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/mark.cummings.733?ref=tn_tnmn

** Become a Follower of The Christian Walk at http://the-christian-walk.blogspot.com

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The scriptures. May God bless the reading of His holy word.

You have not come to a mountain that can be touched and that is burning with fire; to darkness, gloom and storm; to a trumpet blast or to such a voice speaking words that those who heard it begged that no further word be spoken to them, because they could not bear what was commanded: “If even an animal touches the mountain, it must be stoned to death.” The sight was so terrifying that Moses said, “I am trembling with fear.”

But you have come to Mount Zion, to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem. You have come to thousands upon thousands of angels in joyful assembly, to the church of the firstborn, whose names are written in Heaven. You have come to God, the Judge of all, to the spirits of the righteous made perfect, to Jesus the mediator of a new covenant, and to the sprinkled blood that speaks a better word than the blood of Abel.

Therefore, since we are receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, let us be thankful, and so worship God acceptably with reverence and awe, for our “God is a consuming fire.”

Hebrews 12:18-24, 28-29

This ends this reading from God's holy word. Thanks be to God.

In yesterday’s message, we looked at how there are only two categories that people can be grouped:

1. Those who accept God’s offer of salvation through Jesus

and

2. Those who don’t

In the case of both of these people sets, there are associated destinies because the truth of the matter is that everyone will live forever after death.

Those who placed their belief in Jesus will go onto Heaven and eternal life, receiving a share of the kingdom inheritance God promises.

Conversely, those who chose to snub God’s blessed offer will go to Hell and experience an eternity of damnation and torment.

I think you can see that a person can choose which of these everlasting, after-worldly-death experiences they will go through and to reinforce the two possibilities, we look to today’s passage drawn from some of the closing verses of Hebrews, chapter 12. Look again at these words now:

You have not come to a mountain that can be touched and that is burning with fire; to darkness, gloom and storm; to a trumpet blast or to such a voice speaking words that those who heard it begged that no further word be spoken to them, because they could not bear what was commanded: “If even an animal touches the mountain, it must be stoned to death.” The sight was so terrifying that Moses said, “I am trembling with fear.”

But you have come to Mount Zion, to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem. You have come to thousands upon thousands of angels in joyful assembly, to the church of the firstborn, whose names are written in Heaven. You have come to God, the Judge of all, to the spirits of the righteous made perfect, to Jesus the mediator of a new covenant, and to the sprinkled blood that speaks a better word than the blood of Abel.

Therefore, since we are receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, let us be thankful, and so worship God acceptably with reverence and awe, for our “God is a consuming fire.”  Vv. 18-24, 28-29

Here we find two mountains center stage, one connected to Hell as depicted in terms of Old Testament scriptures and the other depicting Heaven and the glorious new heavenly Jerusalem to come.

First, we look at those who will refuse to gladly accept the gift of eternal life extended by God out of love, grace, and mercy for all created people.

These people, unbelievers who Jesus referred to as goats at the end of Matthew 25, will experience the “consuming fire” of the God they disrespected and dishonored, a judgment that will bring utter terror, darkness, suffering, misery, and gloom to the convicted sinful offender forever.

Compare and contrast this with what awaits the person who believed in Jesus. For anyone who did this, meeting the qualification for God’s salvation, will “come to Mount Zion” which is the “city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem”. This is what we find John referring to when he writes about what will happen when Jesus comes to judge the world.

After receiving Jesus’ intervention, mediation, and justification at the judgment throne of God, Christ believers become Heaven-dwelling Christians, those who have their “names...written in Heaven”, and they will get the opportunity to share the kingdom with “thousands upon thousands of angels in joyful assembly”, joining them in worshiping God and His Son Jesus “with reverence and awe”.

This is the destiny option every person should want, to forever inhabit “a kingdom that cannot be shaken”, a blessing from God that leads to great thanksgiving and rejoicing, a thanksgiving and rejoicing reflected through the chorus of this old great hymn, We’re Marching to Zion:

We’re marching to Zion,

Beautiful, beautiful, Zion:

We’re marching upward to Zion,

The beautiful city of God.

Amen.

In Christ,

Mark

PS: Feel free to leave a comment and please share this with anyone you feel might be blessed by it. Send any prayer requests to TheChristianWalkPrayers@gmail.com.