[i]I thought to share some writings I have put together that go along with some question that come up in forums from time to time. What did man fall [b]from[/b] and what will man be restored back to? What is God's purpose in the Gospel?

When man fell in the Garden, man lost his/her glorified body. This was the first ICHABOD experience. The glory departed and since that time all have come short of the glory of God. The body fell into corruption and mortality. it was no longer the place of God's rest that it once was (Isaiah 66:1, 2). This will be a some what long series of answers, but perhaps you may find some help. Shall we make a start?[/i] -Robert Wurtz II

[b]Section I - The Gospel of God's Great love[/b]

Part 1 (In The Beginning)
Part 2 (Satan Pioneers Sin and Iniquity)
Part 3 (Sin Entered the World)
Part 4 (Trusting in Lies)
Part 5 (From Friends to Enemies)
Part 6 (Sin Crouching at the Door)
Part 7 (Kicking Against the Pricks)
Part 8 (The Place of God's REST)
Part 9 (This IS Eternal Life)
Part 10 (The Destiny of the Damned)
Part 11 (You must Be Born Again)
Part 12 (The WEIGHT of an Individuals Crimes Against God)


[b]Section II - For By Grace Are You Saved Through Faith[/b]

Part 1 (Only God Can Provide Our Covering)
Part 2 (Without Faith it is Impossible to Please God)


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[b]The Gospel of God's Great love[/b]
Part 1 (In The Beginning)
Robert Wurtz II

Ever since God decided to create beings that had free moral agency there has been a struggle between the free moral agents will and God’s will. God existed eternally in loving fellowship within the Godhead and was complete in Himself (see John 17:24). But God wanted to bring many sons unto glory as additional objects of His love, with which He could fellowship in a loving relationship (Hebrews 2:10, Job 1:6).

God the Father did not need to create any creatures, He already enjoyed an eternal loving fellowship with the Son and the Holy Spirit. God is and has always been love and God has always had withing the three persons of the Trinity objects of His love. But God wanted to add to this loving relationship, so He began creating beings that had a nature like Himself. He wanted to bring many 'sons' unto glory.

God did not create preprogrammed 'robots' that would love Him mindlessly. He created beings that understood what God's will was and yet they possessed the ability to chose their own will. These creations were also known as "the sons of God." These creatures we know as angels and along with the whole of his creative works were created for God's own pleasure (Rev. 4:11).

A dear brother once said that, "God has chosen to reveal to us information about the angels on a need to know basis." Angels are not the primary subject of scripture, but there are some relevant events in their history that impacts ours. Understand that the angels were created long ago in the eternal past. They have a completely different 'story' than we as human beings have. The Bible is primarily the story of man and God's dealings with him. Only as necessary does God reveal to us information about the angels. here are some things that we do know:

* We know first that God created an innumerable number of angels (Hebrews 12:22).

* We know that they are greater in power, might and intellect than human beings (II Peter 2:11).

* Some of their names are words beyond our comprehension (Judges 13:18).

* Lucifer was perhaps the greatest of all the angels- being referred to as the Anointed Cherub that Covers (Ezekiel 28).

* God ordained that Lucifer would dwell in the Mountain of God with Him. He walked up and down in the stones of fire that are before the throne. He was exceedingly awesome as God's creation.

* But at some point in Lucifer’s existence his heart began to be lifted up in pride because of his beauty. In Ezekiel 28:15 we read, Thou wast perfect in thy ways from the day that thou wast created, till iniquity was found in thee. The iniquity that formed in Lucifer’s heart would eventually lead to a terrible and radical change in his nature.

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Robert Wurtz II

[b]The Gospel of God's Great Love[/b]
Part 2 (Satan Pioneers Sin and Iniquity)


There has always been a strait and narrow way and that path was one of complete submission to God's will. Any other actions than those approved of God would only corrupt God's perfect and fine tuned order. Wisdom is found in knowing that God is all wise and it is impossible to improve upon His ways and requirements. Any deviation from God's will can only damage what God has so wisely created and established.

Satan (Lucifer) is the pioneer of the way of the transgressors of God’s will (John 8:44, Proverbs 2:22, 13:15). He has hewn down God’s ordinances and removed the road blocks of His commandments (Ezekiel 28:18). He is the father of iniquity (lawlessness). Though there had only ever been one road, the straight and narrow road of obedience and submission to God, Satan blazed a broad path into the unknown bringing unimaginable pain and suffering into God's order.

Heaven was once a place of complete rest, but Satan defiled His sanctuaries and as a result was cast out of Heaven. Satan pioneered what we now call, "the broad road to destruction." He wanted to exalt Himself and be like God. God ended Satan's 'broad road' with a construction project of his own. God closed the road and ended it with a place called Hell (Matthew 25:41).

This ‘pride induced’ detour of rebellion twisted him into a contagious spirit of corruption that would lead multitudes of humans and a third of the angels to his own final tormented ruin (Rev. 12:4). The most frightful thing imaginable is to suffer infinite wrath as God’s enemy and be eternally dead to His goodness and grace. Who can deliver from His wrath? (Deut. 32:39)

We are given helpful insight into what Satan (Lucifer) had been thinking when he rose up to lead disciples after himself in Isaiah 14:13, 14, “For thou hast said in thine heart, I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God: I will sit also upon the mount of the congregation, in the sides of the north: I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will be like the most High.” I will is used here 5 times.

It is a short step from “I will” to I AM. Satan wanted to be the god and lord of his own life. He wanted to sit upon the throne of his own heart. He lusted to be like the Most High God- not just in his own life, but in the lives of others. There arose within the bosom of Satan an absolute corruption in his nature as he ceased for all eternity to be humble and tremble at God’s word (Isaiah 66:1, 2). He could never again be a place of God's rest. This root corruption is spiritual rebellion.

From this point on, Satan would submit to God’s will- but no longer willingly. This is an important point. Satan no longer lived and loved to do God’s will. He broke off from God’s will and took up his own. Understand that as an angel Satan is and has always been under God Almighty’s sovereign authority, but since his fall he has not submitted willingly. He has made himself the enemy of God by corrupting his own nature. He is and forever will be the father of all those that are disobedient (Ephesians 2:3, Col. 3:6).

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Robert Wurtz II

[b]The Gospel of God's Great Love[/b]
Part 3 (Sin Entered the World)

God created man upright and perfect. He had created man in His own image. This means that man was originally created with the nature of God. Man was created with the Law of God written upon his heart as an internal guide to right and wrong. The conscience seeks to enforce that law by inward dealings and reminders of God's commandments. Man knew right from wrong and had a mechanism in place to serve as a *WARNING* when God's will was in danger of not being followed.

God allowed Satan to take on the form of a Serpent and gave him access into the Garden of Eden. The serpent was the wisest of all the other creations God had made on the earth and since God had only created Adam and Eve he transformed himself into a trusted serpent. God orchestrated this trial for man, but not before he had equipped Adam for the battle. Adam had been armed with the sword of God’s express commandment and the awesome sting of the conscience. No doubt as the Serpent began his lies it was SHOUTING at him God’s promised consequence for disobedience (Genesis 2:17).

The Ultimate Death

God told Adam that in the day you eat of the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil- literally DYING thou SHALT DIE. This is one of the first cases in scripture where we see the doubling of words for emphasis sake. We would later learn of the Holy of holies (the ultimate holy place), the King of kings (the ultimate king) and the Song of songs (the ultimate song). Dying thou shalt Die is the ultimate death. Death in scripture does not mean annihilation- it means separation. Adam had walked with God in beautiful fellowship, that sweet communion in the cool of the day. Satan came to try to murder that relationship and destroy man’s innocence.

Imagine what it would be like to have never disobeyed God and your conscience was as white as snow. God's glory no doubt resided in Adam and Eve and the radiance of that Glory was surely as evident as the Glory that filled the Temple or that shone from Moses' face. Imagine a garment of God's Glory- the evidence of innocence.

A death implies that life (communion) once existed. Things have to be together before they can separate. Adam enjoyed that Eternal Life of the knowledge and communion of God (John 17:3). Adam and Eve were both naked of physical clothing, the adorning that their posterity would bear and were unashamed walking and living in the Glory of God. No doubt, as Moses face radiated the glory of God, their bodies showed forth the radiance of being Face to Face with God. No need to fear- their conscience was clear.

Moses had a wonderful experience, but even he could not look upon God and live because of his inherent sinfulness. Adam and Eve knew God in the closest of terms. Their bodies were temples of the Holy Spirit. Indeed God’s hind quarters was the closest Moses would get this side of eternity to seeing God (Exodus 33), yet his face still shined as he came down from the mountain with that precious radiance of God’s glory. We can only imagine a garment of glory- a glorified body as Paul tells us about (Philippians 3:21).

Adam exchanged his glorified body for a Sin defiled, vile body and passed that vileness through the whole of the human race. The sweet communion was gone. They were banished from Paradise. This is what we know as “Paradise Lost.” Their eyes were open and they knew they were naked. They hid themselves from God as the Glory had departed. Surely this was the ultimate ICHABOD and from that time until this all men have sinned and fallen short of the Glory of God (Romans 3:23).

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Robert Wurtz II

[b]The Gospel of God's Great Love[/b]
Part 4 (Trusting in Lies)

With lies and deceit Satan deceived Eve and Adam and with full knowledge Adam surrendered his weapon (as it were). He laid aside the sword of God’s Holy Word and stepped straight in to the snare of the enemy. It was as if he held out his hands and allowed Satan to take him and the whole human race away captive.

Reborn unto Satan and Sin

An exchange took place. The Lord departed from Adam and the vile spirit of disobedience and rebellion took his place (Ephesians 2). Where once God worked in Adam both to will and do his good pleasure, now Adam and all of his progeny would do the lusts of their new father the Devil. Adam traded his soul for a chance at being 'as' God (Genesis 3:5). He asserted his own will and disregarded God's.

Satan lied to Eve and told her they would be 'as' gods; but it was not what they expected. With his much fair speech he caused Eve and then Adam to yield, but they did not seem to believe that what they had done was for their own souls. Adam was blinded to the way in which he would alter the course of his descendants. In one moment of sin he changed the trajectory of human history towards damnation. He took into himself, as the figure head of the whole human race, the dynamic of Sin. From this point on man would sin naturally.

God did not want Adam and Eve living forever in corruptible and vile bodies, dominated by the spirit of disobedience, so He banished them from the Garden of Eden before they could eat of the Tree of Life and live forever as sinners. When Sin entered man- man had to exit the Garden. But God did not forsake man, but continued to strive with him to bring them back into a place of repentance.

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Robert Wurtz II

[b]The Gospel of God's Great Love[/b]
Part 5 (From Friends to Enemies)


Ever since Adam surrendered to the lies of Satan, men and women have been taken captive by him at his will (II Timothy 2:26). Adam trusted in the lies, that is, he shifted his trust as a person would shift their weight from God and his truth to Satan and his lies.

Why would Adam believe these lies? There is much speculation here. In any case Satan appealed to Adam’s reasoning and caused him to believe that God was somehow holding back something good from him. Yet we know that God does not withhold any good thing from those that walk uprightly. Satan tempted Adam to circumvent the process of learning and experience that God had designed. Yet Adam was not blind to these lies and could have resisted the Devil.

God had set limitations to what Satan could say and do to Adam before allowing the trial to begin (See Job 1). He has never allowed man to be tested above that which they were able to bear, but with the temptation has made a way to escape (I Cor. 10:13). For Eve it was sin by deception, but for Adam it was sin “eyes wide open.” Satan was powerless against humanity so long as Adam remained submitted to God. The lies took the 'edge' off of Adam's trust in God had said. Yet, if Adam would wield the sword of God’s word rightly by believing God to be TRUE he would have prevailed.

Everyone has a 'god'

Adam placed his faith and trust in the lies of Satan. This is an important point. What or who you place your trust in determines the direction of your life and soul. Human beings live in a world that they cannot control and must look beyond themselves for a higher source for provision of their needs. This is why the pagans of Canaan served the Baal’s and in our times multiplied millions of ‘gods’ have been invented. Men and women have worshipped the Sun and the host of heaven all seeking to bring some certainty and stability to their lives. They placed their faith and hope in these false gods. Francis Shaffer once pointed out that the great civilizations of the past always tried to invent greater and greater gods with which to rest the weight of life’s necessities, issues and morals.

We are helpless apart from God and have to place our trust in something or someone other than ourselves. This is historical fact as well as common sense. When Satan succeeded in separating God from man- man no longer had a foundation for his existence and was vulnerable to all manor of fearful events and circumstances. If man cannot or will not call upon God- what do they turn to? When you find out ‘what’ or ‘who’ a person is ultimately trusting and believing in you will find their ‘god’. So we may want to ask, "What are you believing and trusting in?"

The Shifting Sands of Satan's Empty Promises

Satan is a murderous father of lies and there is NO truth in him (John 8:44). He comes to steal, kill and destroy and he does it with lies. Lies create something false for someone to trust in. Lies are a terrible sin and betrayal. When people lie they destroy the safety of trust; that is, those they love cannot safely trust in them. Lies give the liar a sense of power and control because they were able to fabricate something and then get the victim to believe it.

I suppose this is one of the possible reasons why all liars are going to have their place in the Lake of Fire (Rev. 21:8). Satan gained the allegiance of Adam and Eve with lies. Satan’s lies were promises that he had no intention on making good on. And just as Abraham believed God and it was imputed to him for righteousness and he was called the friend of God- Adam believed Satan and it was counted to him for Sin and he became the enemy of God.

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Robert Wurtz II

[b]The Gospel of God's Great Love[/b]
Part 6 (Sin Crouching at the Door)

God originally created man as a free moral agent and would fellowship with him in sweet communion so long as he/she obeyed. Man had Eternal Life (John 17:3). The Holy Spirit worked in Adam to bring him as a son into an ever renewing glory.

Free moral agency simply means that man had the ability to choose between submission to God and rebellion against God. The question to Adam and Eve was the same as it was to the angels- will I or will I not submit to the authority of God? There came a point in the eternal past when Satan decided he would no longer willingly submit.

Jehovah God is ALL POWERFUL and the wellspring of all authority in heaven and in earth (Romans 13:1). Satan sought to usurp that authority by lies and deception and prevailed with certain of the angels and with Adam and Eve (II Tim. 2:26, Genesis 3). The word usurp is the Greek authenteo and it means “one who does a thing with his own hand.” It can mean to play the master, supplant or to domineer.

Typically, authority is usurped by intimidation and without right, but Satan did it by deception. He could never force Adam and Eve to sin. God always makes a way to escape during temptation. But because Adam believed the lie, man passed from life to death and from the power of God to the power of Satan. The former things passed away and all became ruined.

The image of God in man was marred and the spirit of disobedience reigned in place of God’s Holy Spirit. This is the “dying thou shalt die” that God warned them about. Satan from that day to this has worked in man both to will and do his evil lusts (John 8:44). All of humanity is born ‘in Adam’ and are subject to this condition. Man with this sinful carnal nature cannot please God. His mind is carnal and at enmity with God.

God repeatedly convinced man of their sin from that time unto this. The carnal mind did not like to factor God in to it's thoughts. It is important to stop here and make an important observation; men love darkness rather than light because their deeds are evil (John 3). Simply put, men and women, by and large, do not want God around. They get very uncomfortable when God is near. So they press Him as far from their minds as possible and avoid every reminder of Him. They don't want to hear about God and don't want to talk about Him. In fact, crafty schemes such as Darwinism have been invented to assist man in this process.

But still God strives with man to repent. Adam bore Cain and Abel as immediately that murderous nature of Satan manifested in Cain (I John 3:12). Man began to multiply upon the earth and some began to call upon the Lord. By the time we reach Genesis 6 man had thoroughly corrupted His way in spite of the fact that God had been striving with Him all along.

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Robert Wurtz II

[b]The Gospel of God's Great Love[/b]
Part 7 (Kicking Against the Pricks)

In Genesis 6:3 we read, And the LORD said, My spirit shall not always strive with man, for that he also is flesh: yet his days shall be an hundred and twenty years. The Bible uses some insightful pictures to express how God strives with man. One of them is that of a farmer plowing a field with oxen and how the plowman directs the ox to make sure the rows are being cut in a straight line.

Plows had attached to them on either side what is known as an ox goad. These were very sharp pieces of iron or wood that were attached to a device that the plowman could control. When he wanted to go 'left' he would press that goad into the right side of the ox causing pain in the side. This was much more than a 'thorn in the side' as it was very difficult for an ox to resist this measure without hurting itself. To give you an idea an ox-goad was used by a man named Shamgar in Judges 3:31 to slay 600 men. So this was very painful and difficult to resist.

When Jesus appeared to Saul of Tarsus that was persecuting and killing Christians He made an interesting statement, "Saul, Saul why do you persecute me- it is hard for you to kick against the pricks (goads)." This was a proverb of sorts to denote rebelling against God's Holy Spirit. God was working desperately to get Saul on the right track, but like a stubborn ox he was hurting himself all the more to maintain his own course.

But God said he would not always deal with man in this way. He seeks to get them to repent by various measures including physical pain. All in an attempt to bring man to repentance. Why? Because He loves man. He knows the finality of rebellion and desires to bring man back into loving fellowship. This would end at 120 years for man. God demonstrated through the preaching of Noah that man will rebel and procrastinate until their hearts are utterly hardened beyond hope. Apparently the cutoff for rebellion is 120 years. Beyond that rebellious man is only heaping judgment upon his/her head.

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Robert Wurtz II

[b]The Gospel of God's Great Love[/b]
Part 8 (The Place of God's REST)

What is the purpose of the Gospel? Why did Christ come and die on the cross? Why did God send ministers to proclaim reconciliation to God? God has always desired to restore what He had with Adam and Eve in the Garden before they fell into sin. God is holy and cannot remain in the presence of sin without bringing judgment. The wages of sin is death; that is, the penalty for sinning is death. This happens on a spiritual level when God separates from man and on a physical level when man's soul and spirit separates from his/her physical body. The closer God's unique presence is to man the swifter His judgment upon sin. When people sin with impunity it is evidence that God is not near.

When God began to draw near to man he had to deal with the terrible defilement that sinning caused. Sin is an offense towards God and has to be dealt with. Sins, individual transgressions have to be dealt with also before God can draw near on an ongoing basis. Man also needs to have his conscience cleansed of the accusation that makes man want to flee from God so that he can come boldly before God's Throne in prayer and fellowship. Many things need to be dealt with to make God's return possible, but first we need to look at God's ultimate plan.

Thus saith the LORD, The heaven is my throne, and the earth is my footstool: where is the house that ye build unto me? and where is the place of my rest? For all those things hath mine hand made, and all those things have been, saith the LORD: but to this man will I look, even to him that is poor and of a contrite spirit, and trembleth at my word (Isaiah 66:1, 2).

God intended to make His dwelling place among men. Not to a building or a structure or a 'spot' on a map, but to this 'man' will I look. God intended to walk with man in sweet fellowship and communion. He desired to be worshipped in Spirit and in Truth. He desired a place of rest. But since the fall man has not been kind to welcome God or present himself as a holy dwelling place for Him.

From Genesis 3 to Genesis 6 man was on the fast track to absolute destruction. The people did not like to retain God in their knowledge (Romans 1:28). They did not seek after God- in fact they fled from Him and resisted Him on every hand. In Genesis 6:3 God said that His Spirit would not always strive with man, but that his days would be 120 years. Some men began to call on the name of the Lord, but by the days of Noah there were only 8 people that would heed the call of God to repentance. The world was destroyed by water and Noah’s family then began to swiftly replenish the earth. But over time man drifted almost completely away from God again until there were only tiny pockets of people that feared the Lord.

This is a tragic fact, yet the eyes of the LORD run to and fro throughout the whole earth, to shew himself strong in the behalf of them whose heart is perfect toward him (II Chron. 16:9). God found such a man in Abram and called him out of Ur of the Chaldees into the land that He swore unto him.

God Returning Among Men

God appeared to Abraham and started a process by which He would slowly bring man back into fellowship with Him on a large scale. God had to deal with man’s sin problem on the one hand and a rebellious nature on the other. Men typically seek a ‘personal peace’ and want to be left alone to do their own will unthwarted. But from time to time throughout the Old Testament God would find a person whose heart is perfect towards Him and would seek to reveal Himself.

Abraham was such a man. Abraham built altars and became a praying man. He sought the face of God in the mountain and from place to place. It was his desire to please God and do what was right. Abraham's nephew Lot, on the other hand, pitched his tent towards Sodom and filled his heart and mind with the vexing torments of other people’s sins. God could never be at rest in such a person’s life. So Lot never knew the closeness of fellowship with God that Abraham knew. He wanted a little bit of compromise in his life and God could not walk with him as a friend as He did with Abraham.

Lot could have chosen the path Abraham took. He could have shared in his altar experiences. But Lot wanted just enough Egypt to safely keep God on retainer, but never to have a close relationship with Him as did Abraham. Lawyers in our times are prepaid to be on retainer so they will come running when they are needed. This is how many people treat God. Lot was no different. He wanted to keep God at a safe distance so he could live in compromise.

Over time Abraham would have a promised son named Isaac and Isaac would have Jacob (Israel). Lot's life ended in disaster beyond words. The consequence of his compromise would be felt for generations. Each of these men had to come to their own personal decision to serve God. The God of their father’s had to become their God.

Jacob (Israel) had 12 sons that became the 12 Tribes of Israel. Most of these sons bore many children and did not walk in the way of their father Jacob, but Joseph feared the LORD and God showed Himself strong through him. The 12 Tribes of Israel were slaves in Egypt 400 years and multiplied into the hundreds of thousands. They remembered the God of their fathers and cried out to Him. God raised up a deliverer in Moses. With a mighty outstretched arm God delivered all of the children of Israel from Pharaoh and Egypt. At first they seemed to be happy to go, but soon they began to grumble and complain.

God cannot rest in an environment of unthankfulness and He will bring swift judgment. If He stays he has to judge the sin. If He does not deal with the sin then His unique presence has to leave. God drew very near to Israel when Moses went up on the mountain. He came down and his face was glowing with the radiance of God's glory. This was their opportunity. Did the people line up to see Moses' face? Did they long to look upon him with awe and wonder savoring every glimpse of God's majesty? Did they ask Moses' what it was like to be with God or perhaps they could get permission from God to come up? No on all counts. In fact, they tried to cover his face to shield themselves from any remembrance of God. The would accept the book, but they did not want God near.

When Moses came to the Mountain and God was seeking to draw near to his people once again- the people found out that they did not really want their God.

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Robert Wurtz II

[b]The Gospel of God's Great Love[/b]
Part 9 (This IS Eternal Life)

I have tried to establish a backdrop for the question, "How do I become a Christian?" From a biblical perspective, the question really is, "How do I become a place of God's rest?" The religious people in the New Testament did not get this. It is a critical point. To miss this is to miss the very purpose of the question itself.

What is Eternal Life? Is it to be saved from the wrath of God? Is it a promise of blessings in this life and the next? Is it streets of gold and mansions bright? Jesus answers the question in John 17, As thou hast given him power over all flesh, that he should give eternal life to as many as thou hast given him. And this is life eternal, that they might know thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent.

Men don't mind religion so much, because religion is worship in the absence of God. This is the crux of the message Steven preached in Acts 7. God desired to draw near to his people, but they would not. He desired to rule and reign preparing them for even greater glory in Acts 2. But they could not handle even a slight nearness to God. it is a sad commentary, but common among men, that they used the hypocrisy of Samuel's sons as an excuse to usher in a king in Israel.

This would mark God's ongoing departure from Israel. He laments this fact in conversation with the prophet in I Samuel 8. And the LORD said unto Samuel, Hearken unto the voice of the people in all that they say unto thee: for they have not rejected thee, but they have rejected me, that I should not reign over them. According to all the works which they have done since the day that I brought them up out of Egypt even unto this day, wherewith they have forsaken me, and served other gods, so do they also unto thee.

God was trying to draw near and the people were pushing Him away. Yet they still wanted to retain their identity as His people. They wanted to be known as the people of the book, but God wanted them to be the people of the God of the book. There is a great difference. They were OK so long as God stayed in the Tabernacle or the Temple, but when Christ came walking the earth as the living Temple of God they rose up to destroy that Temple. And this is the tragedy of the human condition, men and women do not like to retain God in their knowledge. They resist God on every hand even under the pretense of serving Him.

Steven quoted directly from Isaiah 66:1,2 and put his finger on the point of controversy God had with those religious people. God was not interested in dwelling in a Temple. what fellowship has God with the gold and wood that those places were built from? Had not His hand made all of those things? Was not heaven His throne and the earth His footstool? He created the raw materials that they made the Temple with. Has not my hands made all these things?, He asked. God did not fellowship with the materials when they were in the ground and He did not fellowship with them once man fashioned them into a dwelling place for Him.

To this man will I look, God said. This is what Acts 2 is all about. God was taking up residence in those that were willing to turn to Christ in sincere repentance and faith; and to cease striving with the Holy Ghost so He could come in to them and rest. They needed the well spring of Sin dealt with in them individually so God could dwell there. They needed to cease grieving the Holy Spirit by stopping entertaining things that offend Him. We have an entire Old Testament to demonstrate to us how easy it is to grieve the Holy Spirit when we entertain sin and compromise.

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Robert Wurtz II

[b]The Gospel of God's Great Love[/b]
Part 10 (The Destiny of the Damned)

The saddest thing I think about God's solemn warnings and the host of examples given to us in scripture of the destiny of the lost is that folk have endless means of distracting their minds from pondering these facts. They refuse to allow the reality of God's warning to weigh in on their decision making process. They do this by distracting themselves of death and judgment.


TOPHET (The First Picture of Hell)


It might help to pause a moment and interject an important truth about why people yield to sin- seemingly blind and deaf to the breadth and length and depth and height of the future far reaching consequences of their actions. There was a firey pit outside Jerusalem known historically as the Valley of Hinnom (later renamed Gehenna). It was the mass grave for ancient Israel’s enemies that burned continually. It was the trash dump outside Jerusalem in the time of Jesus where worms would eat through the carcasses and garbage as it burned day and night.

In ancient Israel it was the place where idol worshippers would bring their firstborn sons to sacrifice to the god Molech. In some cases it was a firey pit that the mothers and fathers would throw their infant offspring in to. In other times there was a brazen image that was hollowed out and a fire lit inside. As it’s outstretched arms began to glow red these devilish parents would place their babies to roast the skin off their bodies and burn to death. Even as deranged and lust filled for status and success (for this is why the sacrificed to Molech) as these idolaters were, they would still be troubled by the horrific screams of the babies.

To deal with this some inventor of evil suggested a strategy to beat drums and play music to drown out the screams. Hence the place was first called Tophet- which means “the beating of drums.” And this is the first picture we have of the place we know as HELL- Drums drowning out the screams that would prick the conscience and sway a persons judgment. Drown is any VOICE of reason that would take hold of the mind and draw it back to its senses.

Satan: The Ultimate Percussionist

Did Adam ever think that his actions would set his children on a coarse for Hell? The lies of Satan, that formidable percussionist drowned the sound of their consciences in a cadence of lies. Had he been able to see for even the slightest moment the finality of his actions – surely he would have chosen otherwise. Satan has a myriad of means with which to drown out the conscience of men- to distract them from the screams of both their own future burning souls and their children. The ROAR that offsets the voice of conscience and the prodding of the Holy Spirit is growing louder as new means (devices) of distracting men's minds are created.

The Wisdom of Preparing Hell

One great picture of this future quarantine is in our Lord’s use of the Greek name Gehenna. This was a perpetually burning burial pit for the decaying bloated corpses of the enemies of Israel. Gehenna was known in the Hebrew tongue as the, “Valley of Hinnom” (Matt. 5:28, 29). This was formerly Tophet. In the pits at Gehenna the fire purified and destroyed the disease that could potentially be spread by diseased dead bodies.

Sin is like a plague and God will not only punish Satan and all of his sinful angels and sinful human followers, but He will protect once and for all the faithful angels and the redeemed saints from anything sinful that could defile them (Revelation 21:27). Nothing that could harm or defile will be allowed in heaven. This is one of the great expressions of God’s love towards us.

The means by which Sin could spread is temptation and temptation implies a ‘tempter’. All tempters will be shut up and sealed off in Hell forever and ever. Who can question the wisdom of such a procedure? No one will remain that could possibly lead the creation in some rebellion or deceive them into disobeying God. Gone forever will be Sin and the terrible suffering and sorrow that it brings. Sin is like a flesh eating disease that eats away and destroys God’s perfect creation and creative order. Sin corrupts. Sin destroys and destroys mercilessly.

Sin must be contained, destroyed and then remediated like mold or poison; Sin is the ultimate ‘hazardous substance’. God will deal sharply and wisely to eliminate sinners and sin and the suffering they cause. He will reestablish heaven as a place of His rest purged of anything that could defile and destroy. This is why, “that though there are a million roads into Hell there is not one road out.’ (Ravenhill)

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Robert Wurtz II