Second Death

Four places in the book of Revelation the Bible refers to the second death. Both the first death and the second death are the result of sin, but the first is temporary and occurs by means of physical causes, such as disease or tragedy or old age. We are all too familiar with the first death. The second death however, does not occur on merely a physical level, but on the psychological level as well, due to the lethal power of one’s guilt. It is complete and final.

Revelation 2:11 says, "He who overcomes shall not be hurt by the second death.” Those who overcome don’t experience the second death. We could say that another way. Those who do not overcome will experience the second death.

Revelation 20 mentions the second death two times. Revelation 20:6 states, "Blessed and holy is he who has part in the first resurrection. Over such the second death has no power, but they shall be priests of God and of Christ, and shall reign with Him a thousand years." The second death has no power over those who reign with Christ.

Revelation 20:13-15 is very specific about what the second death is, "The sea gave up the dead who were in it, and Death and Hades delivered up the dead who were in them. And they were judged, each one according to his works. Then Death and Hades were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death. And anyone not found written in the Book of Life was cast into the lake of fire." Being cast into the lake of fire is the second death.

Revelation 21:7,8 confirms this, "But the cowardly, unbelieving, abominable, murderers, sexually immoral, sorcerers, idolaters, and all liars shall have their part in the lake which burns with fire and brimstone, which is the second death.”

Hell is equivalent to the second death. God will not subject the wicked to eternal torture in the flames of some underworld. They will be resurrected to face the record of their lives in one final reckoning, then they will be eternally annihilated “as though they had never been” (Obadiah 16).

When we understand the nature of the second death as opposed to the first death, we can understand what Jesus endured for us as He agonized in Gethsemane and died on the cross. As Jesus and His disciples enter the Garden of Gethsemane, Jesus is staggering under the weight of some invisible burden. The disciples can see that something is wrong. Jesus explains what’s happening to Him: “My soul is exceedingly sorrowful, even to death” (Matthew 26:38).

Jesus has suffered no physical abuse and yet He is dying. No blood has yet been spilled from His body by violence and yet He is bleeding. Luke tells us in Luke 22:44, “And being in agony, He prayed more earnestly. Then His sweat became like great drops of blood falling down to the ground” He is bleeding through His pores due to the intense internal stress the shame of our sin is imposing on Him.

Jesus took it all of our sin and shame into His own conscience as if He were the guilty party instead of us. From Gethsemane, Jesus is taken to the cross and nails were hammered through His hands and feet. His body was tortured and yet He never uttered a word about the physical pain, because His mental suffering was so intense that it nearly eclipsed His physical pain.

In the book Desire of Ages, author Ellen White gives us this deeper insight: “The Savior could not see through the portals of the tomb. Hope did not present to Him His coming forth from the grave a conqueror, or tell Him of the Father’s acceptance of the sacrifice. He feared that sin was so offensive to God that their separation was to be eternal”

For a sustained period of time, as our guilt immersed Him in impenetrable emotional darkness, Jesus could not see life for Himself beyond the grave. Jesus faced the prospect of eternal death, and yet, because He loved you and me, He was literally willing to die for ever and never be reunited to His Father to save us.

The wonderful thing is that no one needs to experience the second death, because Jesus experienced it for all of us—and conquered it. He tasted the second death for every person and He alone could not be held in it because He alone was sinless.

Jesus never sinned. Under the fiercest temptations to save Himself, He kept on loving all of us at any cost to Himself. That selfless love was in perfect harmony with the law of God. By love alone, Jesus triumphed over the second death. Therefore, it was impossible for the second death to hold Him. His resurrection is proof of His victory over our sin, our guilt, and our death.

What an amazing love. Is it really true that the creator of the universe loves me so much that He was willing to endure the second death in my place? Is this really what God is like? The answer is YES! "God is love." 1 John 4:8

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Portions of this blog post were inspired by Ty Gibson of Light Bearers Ministries.

My Little Rambler

My An Arkie's Faith column from the March 16, 2016 issue of The Mena Star.

A few weeks ago I purchased a 1960 Rambler American. I have always loved these little cars. They are very simple with a small flathead six cylinder engine that produces 90 horsepower. If you are old enough you may remember the song, “Beep Beep.” “While riding in my Cadillac, what to my surprise. A little Nash Rambler was following me, about one third my size. The guy must have wanted to pass me up as he kept on tooting his horn. I'll show him that a Cadillac is not a car to scorn. Beep beep, beep beep, his horn went beep beep beep.” The song, popularized by The Playmates, featured a Rambler like mine.



When I bought the car the previous owner told me he had cleaned out the gas tank and rebuilt the carburetor. He assured me that it was drivable. The first time I drove the little Rambler it quit running. I was able to pull over to the side of the road. Just as I got out of the car to see what was wrong, a friend of mine stopped to see if I needed help. He pushed me back to my shop with his 1961 Pontiac. I can only imagine what the passers by thought seeing an old Pontiac pushing the little Rambler down the road.

Since the gas gauge didn’t work I thought that it might just be out of gas. I put several gallons in the tank and the little Rambler started right up. That night I was driving it home and once again the little Rambler quit running. With the help of some other motorists I was able to push it to the side of the road. I was able to get the engine started again and headed to the gas station. After filling the tank I started out again but the little Rambler just didn’t want to run. I had to call my Dad and have him help me pull the car back to my shop. When I told my wife about the days experience she told me, “You need to get rid of that car.”

The next morning I determined that the fuel pump wasn’t working. After replacing the pump the little Rambler fired up and ran smoothly. I was ready for another drive. This time it ran perfectly, but when I returned to my shop I noticed a stream of coolant running out from under the front end of the car. After checking out the leak I found that I needed a new water pump. I had also noticed that the steering was loose. When I had replaced the water pump and a tie rod end, the little Rambler was ready to drive.

Did I still love the little Rambler? She had given me a lot of trouble. I had yet to take a drive in her that didn’t end badly. I didn’t get upset with the little car when things went wrong. I knew it wasn’t a new car when I bought it. My first drive after the repairs was to Cossatot River State Park, which is eighty miles round trip. The little Rambler rambled right along without any trouble. There were rattles, creaks and groans, but the engine ran fine. It was a beautiful afternoon and I loved driving the little Rambler.

The Bible tells us in Romans 5:8(NLT) that, “God showed his great love for us by sending Christ to die for us while we were still sinners.” God loves us in our broken down imperfect state. Sometimes we feel that we have to become good before God can love us. But we learn in Isaiah 64:6 (AMPC) that, “our best deeds of rightness and justice are like filthy rags or a polluted garment.” We can never become good enough to deserve God’s love. Just like I loved my little Rambler even when she wasn’t running, God loves us in our sinful condition. The Apostle Paul said, “Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners. And I am the worst of those sinners.” 1 Timothy 1:15 (ICB)

Because God loves us He wants better things for us. Peter explains the process in 2 Peter 1:5-7 (NCV), “Because you have these blessings, do your best to add these things to your lives: to your faith, add goodness; and to your goodness, add knowledge; and to your knowledge, add self-control; and to your self-control, add patience; and to your patience, add service for God; and to your service for God, add kindness for your brothers and sisters in Christ; and to this kindness, add love.”

Even though I didn’t get rid of the little Rambler when it seemed that I would never be able to drive it without a break down, I did want to improve it. Gentle Reader, God is the same way with us. He tells us that “nothing can ever separate us from His love” Romans 8:38 (NLT), but Jesus came to “save His people from their sins.” Matthew 1:21 (ESV) He wants a relationship with us. He wants to improve us.

Theology in the Raw

I recently started listening to a podcast called Theology in the Raw. It is a daily radio show hosted by Preston Sprinkle. He is a professor at Eternity Bible College in Boise, Idaho. Each weekday he does his best to take a fresh look at what the Bible really says. Putting down his own opinions and traditions, Preston tries to address each issue by looking at what scripture truly has to say about each topic.

In talking about his teaching style he says, “rather than telling students what to believe, I point them to study scripture to form their beliefs. I mean, really comb through the text and soak themselves in the biblical narrative to gain the massive view of God that Scripture beautifully sets forth.”

For several weeks the podcast has been doing an in depth study on the doctrine of hell. The majority of the time has been spent looking into the question, is annihilation a biblical view of hell?

Just to give you a bit of background, Eternity Bible College is the educational arm of Cornerstone Community Church in Wildomar, California. Eternity Bible College’s statement of beliefs says, “We believe that after death, the souls of unbelievers remain in conscious misery until the Second Resurrection when they shall appear at the Great White Throne Judgment and shall be cast into the Lake of Fire, not to be annihilated, but to suffer everlasting, conscious punishment.”

After reading the statement of belief I was surprised by the recurring theme of the podcasts on hell: Without a doubt the annihilation view of hell is an evangelical option.

In the podcast Preston asked for dialog via e-mail. I sent him the following e-mail. “I recently started listening to your podcast, Theology in the Raw. I enjoy the way that you really dig into the scriptures. I appreciate your insistence that the weight of evidence; i.e. the number of verses that talk about an end to the wicked vs. those that seem to indicate something eternal. It seems to me that the white elephant in the room when Christians discuss this topic is something that you alluded to but then seemed to pass right over. That is conditional immortality. If man's immortality is conditional then Eternal Torment cannot be what the Bible teaches. If man's soul is immortal then annihilation cannot be correct. I would love to hear you delve into this topic with the thoroughness that I have heard in your podcasts on hell.

One comment you made in the podcast was that our emotions shouldn't come into play when we study the topic of hell. I would like to respectfully disagree. The subject of Eternal Torment is also wrapped up into the character of God. We all have slightly different views on the character of God depending on our background and our experience but my view of His character does affect how I discern scripture. Eternal Torment doesn't fit with my view of God's character and I think that if most Christians really thought about their view of His character they would realize that Eternal Torment isn't compatible with their view of God either.

I appreciate a fresh voice that actually studies the scriptures instead of totally relying in thus says church tradition.”

On the February 29,2016 podcast Preston referred to my e-mail and answered the question,  “What role do emotions play in interpreting the Bible?”

He stated, “The reason why I try to stay clear from emotions when interpreting the text is primarily because the annihilation view often gets accused of being built on emotional arguments only. I’ve seen a lot of people say, ‘well it's obviously not in the Bible, people just want that view because they can't stomach eternal conscious torment.’ Let’s try to set our emotions aside and look at what the biblical text says apart from emotions. I don't like the fact that people write off annihilation without even looking at the Bible. So that's my main point in saying that it shouldn’t be based on emotions. I do agree though that whether you like it or not your emotions do play a role in interpreting scripture. That’s just a fact. Human emotions and background and baggage and culture and gender; all these things go into interpretation. They shouldn't dictate your interpretation but they do contribute to it and shape it. I don't want to say that no, we just read the Bible with no emotions.  I don't think that’s possible.  We're human beings that have emotions. I just don’t think our views should be dictated purely by emotions.

This commenter said something really interesting, and I agree with this, that if our view of hell is incompatible with the character of God, then that should mean something. If my emotions regarding the nature of hell, say the eternal conscious torment view, stem from my view of God. I look in Scripture and see the character of Christ, the character of God and the Holy Spirit and that shapes my emotions and therefore my emotions have sort of an allergic reaction against eternal conscious torment; not because of just my emotions but because that view conflicts with what I know about the character of God, then I do think that that should be considered. That's different. I would call those theological emotions. These aren’t just raw emotions like, I don’t like that I will dismiss it, I like that I will take it. We can’t just pick and choose what we want to believe based on emotions but I do think that as we reflect on the character of God certain doctrines should line up with what we know about God.

I would put the burden of proof on those who would say that the character of God in the Bible, the character of God revealed in Jesus Christ, necessitates that He would keep people alive for billions and billions and billions and billions and billions and billions of years so that He can torment them and then He is just getting started. That doesn't make sense to me when I look at the character of God.  But again I need biblical support specifically for why the view is or isn't correct."

For more information from Evangelical Christians who believe the Bible is the final authority for Christian beliefs and strive to understand what it teaches concerning Hell go to Rethinking Hell, www.rethinkinghell.com/welcome

You can purchase the recently released book, Four Views on Hell, edited by Preston Sprinkle on Amazon. The book highlights why the church still needs to wrestle with the doctrine of hell. It uses the familiar counterpoints format, as four leading scholars introduce the current views on eternal judgment.

March is Colon Cancer Awareness Month

March is Colon Cancer Awareness Month. Over the past few decades, more people have been surviving colon cancer, and fewer people have been dying from it. This is thanks to improvements in colon cancer screening. Screening can find colon cancer early before symptoms develop, when it’s easier to treat. Screening can also find growths called polyps so they can be removed before they turn into cancer.

For the past 9 years I have been a volunteer for the American Cancer Society. One of the things that ACS talks a lot about is early detection. Colon cancer is the third leading cause of cancer-related deaths in the United States among men and women, and is expected to cause about 50,000 deaths during 2016. The fact is that colon cancer is highly treatable. If it’s found and treated early, the 5-year survival rate is about 90%. Because many people are not getting tested, only about 40 % are diagnosed at this early stage when treatment is most likely to be successful.

The American Cancer Society recommends regular colon cancer screening for most people starting at age 50. People with a family history of the disease or other risk factors should talk with their doctor about beginning screening at a younger age.  Regular screening is one of the most powerful weapons for preventing colon cancer. If polyps are found during colon screening, they can usually be removed before they have the chance to turn into cancer. Screening can also result in finding cancer early, when it is easier to treat and more likely to be curable.

The American Cancer Society currently funds nearly 100 grants to help find more and better ways to prevent and treat colon and rectal cancer. Money raised by our local Relay For Life volunteers is used for these important research projects.

March may be colorectal cancer awareness month, but many of us are aware of the disease every day. Approximately 1 in 20 Americans will be diagnosed with cancer of the colon or rectum in his or her lifetime, according to Colorectal Cancer Facts & Figures 2014-2016. My Uncle Delbert lost his battle with colon cancer several years ago. I lost not only an uncle, but a friend and someone who was willing to help anytime. I will never know if his outcome would have been different if he had been screened for colon cancer. By the time his cancer was found it was in advanced stages. I feel certain that screening would have prolonged his life. Along with my uncle, the majority of Americans do not receive the American Cancer Society recommended colon cancer screening.  How many lives would be saved if more people were screened?

If you haven't been screened for colon cancer please talk to your doctor. If you think that a colonoscopy will be unpleasant, just talk to someone who had colon cancer. Go ahead and do it. The life you save may be your own.

Happy Baron Bliss Day

I'm wishing a happy Baron Bliss Day to all of my friends in Belize.

March 9th is Baron Bliss Day in the Central American country of Belize. We have visited Belize several times.  On one of our visits to Belize, we were in Caye Caulker and there were many Belizeans swimming and enjoying themselves at the area they call The Split. I asked someone about it and they told me it was Baron Bliss Day and it was a holiday for many people.

I later found out that every year, on the 9th March, wreaths are placed on the tomb of Baron Bliss in his memory. The day is celebrated as a public and bank holiday, and a harbor regatta is held in remembrance of a man who loved Belize.

The fourth Baron Bliss of the Kingdom of Portugal, Henry Edward Ernest Victor Bliss, was an Englishman by birth. In 1926, he sailed in his yacht Sea King to Belize and fell in love with the green Caribbean Sea, the cayes and balmy climate.

When he was younger he had contracted polio and decided to travel the world in a luxury yacht. After spells in the Bahamas, Trinidad, and Jamaica, he arrived in Belize harbor, where he found a climate which suited him. He was extremely fond of the local people. When he arrived in British Honduras, as Belize was called then, his health was poor.  He spent some months off the coast of Belize aboard the Sea King, attempting to recover from this illness. Fishermen and colonial administrators treated him kindly and taught him about Belize. The Baron died of food poisoning, but not before he changed his will.  He loved British Honduras and wrote a will that revoked any former will in order to leave the bulk of his fortune for the benefit of the people of British Honduras. The will set up a trust fund that is used for the benefit of Belizeans and has made possible the building of the Bliss Institute Library and Museum in Belize City, health clinics and markets around the country, and has helped with the Belize City water supply system. The Baron is considered Belize's greatest benefactor.

Over the decades, the Baron Bliss Fund has used money from the savings accumulated on many projects for the benefit of Belize. The projects completed have benefited all parts of Belize. Some projects completed in the past century with the help of the Fund were The Baron Bliss Institute and Promenade, The Bliss School of Nursing, Belize City Water Supply System, Intransit Lounge at Belize International Airport, the Corozal Town Hall and the purchase of land for the building of the capital city of Belmopan.

The many projects realized by the Baron Bliss Trust have benefited thousands of citizens and were all completed in conformity with the desires of the will of Baron Bliss. It is safe to say that there will be many more ways and projects through which the practical kindness and affection of Baron Bliss will continue to aid Belize, for years and years to come.

Kermit the Snake

My An Arkie's Faith column from the March 9, 2016 issue of The Mena Star.

Recently my wife and I along with friends spent the afternoon at Cossatot River State Park. The park stretches for 12 miles along the scenic Cossatot River. The visitor information center is located on U.S. 278 east of Wickes where the highway crosses the Cossatot River. The center is beautiful and features an exhibit gallery, a lovely sitting room with a wildlife viewing area, and a gift shop.

One of the park interpreters is a longtime friend. She grew up in the area and loves the outdoors. We were able to spend some time with her during our visit to the park. One of her duties is to care for the reptiles that are onsite at the visitor’s center. While we were there she removed the resident rough green snake from its enclosure. Rough snakes are docile and nonvenomous. They live in grassy fields and forests, preferably close to water sources. The rough green snake has a bright green back and a yellow underbelly, with rough scales covering its very thin body. They can grow to be between three and four feet long.

The park interpreter introduced the snake to us and told us its name was Kermit. She offered to let my wife hold Kermit. She was hesitant at first but we encouraged her. She was instructed to hold her hands out palms up. Kermit was placed in her hands and after smelling the air and investigating a bit, he wrapped himself around her arm and settled in.  The snake appeared to be very comfortable. The park interpreter explained that the snake likes the warmth of a person’s skin. Kermit and my wife became very comfortable with each other.

When a friend that was with us was given the opportunity to hold Kermit, her response was a forceful no! She said that just like the Bible stated, she had a lot of enmity for snakes. Is there a biblical reason that so many people have a fear of snakes? I’m sure you remember the story of Eve’s encounter with the serpent in the Garden of Eden. The serpent convinced Eve to disregard God’s command and eat fruit from the one tree that was forbidden. Because of her and her husband Adam’s decision to disregard God’s command everything changed.

When God came to walk in the garden in the cool of the day, He asked Eve, “Did you eat fruit from the tree from which I commanded you not to eat?” She answered, “The serpent deceived me, and I ate.” So the Lord God said to the serpent: “Because you have done this, you are cursed more than all cattle, and more than every beast of the field; on your belly you shall go, and you shall eat dust all the days of your life. And I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your seed and her seed.” Genesis 3:13-15 (NKJV)

As I read this passage in different versions I found these variants; “I will make you and the woman enemies” (NCV), “I will cause hostility between you and the woman” (NLT), “I’m declaring war between you and the woman” (MSG), “I will put animosity between you and the woman” (TLV), and “I will make you and the woman hate each other.”(NLV) Even if we no longer commonly use the word enmity, I think that we get the idea that there is a problem between the snake and the woman.

The Bible tells us that the snake is Satan. Revelation 12:9 (NCV) says, “The giant dragon was thrown down out of heaven. He is that old snake called the devil or Satan, who tricks the whole world.” I hope that you have enmity with Satan. Even though God placed hostility towards Satan in humans, not everyone feels that way. The Bible tells us in James 4:4 (NKJV), “Do you not know that friendship with the world is enmity with God? Whoever therefore wants to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God.”

Too often Christians become comfortable with the snake. Just like my wife at first was hesitant about holding Kermit the snake but after a while became comfortable, as we put ourselves in compromising situations we lose our enmity towards Satan. How do we keep that from happening? 1 John 2:15,16 (NLT) says, “Do not love this world nor the things it offers you, for when you love the world, you do not have the love of the Father in you. For the world offers only a craving for physical pleasure, a craving for everything we see, and pride in our achievements and possessions. These are not from the Father, but are from this world.”

Sometimes the things that the world offers us seem so enticing just like the fruit of the forbidden tree did to Eve. Gentle Reader, don’t let the love of this world make you an enemy of God. Your enemy is Satan. “Stay alert! Watch out for your great enemy, the devil. He prowls around like a roaring lion, looking for someone to devour.” 1 Peter 5:8 (NLT)

The Blustery Day - 3/02/16

My An Arkie's Faith column from the March 2, 2016 issue of The Mena Star.

When they were young my children enjoyed the Winnie the Pooh movies. I’m pretty sure that they still do. One of their favorites was Winnie the Pooh and the Blustery Day.

The movie begins with Winnie the Pooh on his way to his thoughtful spot. It is a very windy day. While Pooh is thinking, Gopher shows up and tells Pooh that he needs to leave because it is "Winds-day.” Pooh, doesn’t understand the warning, but goes through the Hundred Acre Wood wishing everyone a happy Winds-day. Pooh first visits his friend Piglet who lives in a beech tree. Piglet had gone outside to rake leaves but the wind was too strong. Piglet is almost blown away but Pooh grabs on to him by his scarf, like a kite on a string. Pooh hangs on to the scarf as Piglet is blown away. They go past Kanga and Roo, and Pooh wishes them both a happy Winds-day. Pooh ends up destroying Eeyore’s house as he struggles to hang on to Piglet in the heavy wind and is drug through the house. When the wind carries Piglet over Rabbit’s garden, Pooh inadvertently harvests the carrots as he is drug by.

The howling wind finally blows Pooh and Piglet over to Owl's tree house. Owl invites them in. Pooh wishes Owl a happy Winds-day, but Owl tells him that the wind is due to "a mild spring zephyr" and not because it is Winds-day.

A few weeks ago there was a day that I’m pretty sure was a Winds-day. At the very least it was a mild spring zephyr. The wind blew strong all day. It came from the north and had a sharp bite to it. The wind was so strong that our old shop building where my business is located creaked and groaned. As the day progressed some of the sheet metal on the roof became loose and started banging and making a horrible noise.

My Dad climbed up on a ladder to fasten the sheet metal. The ladder wasn’t on firm ground and it slipped. My Dad fell from the ladder and as he fell grabbed at the sheet metal, slicing his hand open. He wasn’t badly injured from the fall but he had to go to the doctor to have his hand sewed up. I feel very fortunate that he wasn’t hurt worse. If only I had been there to steady the ladder he wouldn’t have fallen.

In our spiritual lives God has promised to keep us from falling. The Psalmist wrote in Psalms 116:8 (NKJV), “For You have delivered my soul from death, my eyes from tears, and my feet from falling.” If we ask God to steady the ladder of our life we can trust Him to keep us from falling. In fact He is the only one who can keep us from falling. In Jude 24 (CEV) the Bible tells us that “only God can keep you from falling and make you pure and joyful in his glorious presence."

Before God can keep us from falling, we have to put our trust in Him. It is fairly easy to say the words “I trust you” but it is more difficult to show by our actions that we trust someone.

Charles Blondin is considered to be one of the greatest tightrope-walkers of all time. He was the first man ever to cross Niagara Falls by tightrope. In 1860 the Prince of Wales saw Blondin cross the Niagara Falls tightrope on stilts, and again blindfolded. After that Blondin stopped halfway across and cooked and ate an omelet. Next he wheeled a wheelbarrow from one side to the other, and returned with a sack of potatoes in it. Then Blondin approached the Prince of Wales and asked, "Do you believe I could take a man across the tightrope in this wheelbarrow?" "Yes, I do", said the Prince. "Hop in", replied Blondin. The Prince declined Blondin's challenge. He might have believed Blondin could do it, but he wasn't about to trust him with his life.

When it comes to our relationship with God, this kind of trust doesn't do much good.  God doesn't want us to say "Lord I believe in you, but not enough to put my life in your hands."  Belief has to come with trust.  Proverbs 3:5,6 (NLT) tells us to “trust in the Lord with all your heart;  do not depend on your own understanding. Seek His will in all you do, and He will show you which path to take.

The Prince of Wales believed that Blondin could walk a man across the tightrope in a wheelbarrow, but he didn't trust him enough to get in. Do you believe in God? Do you trust him with your life?

Gentle Reader, trust God with all your heart, and if he asks you to get in the wheelbarrow, do it! Only God can keep you from falling. But for Him to be able to keep you from falling you have to put your trust in Him. You can’t depend on our own understanding. “There is a way that seems right to a man, but its end is the way of death.” Proverbs 14:12 (NKJV)