Everlasting Punishment; Vain Speech; Sheep, Goats and the Holy Spirit’s Doctrine of Prophecy

One of the modern ideas we have as to why there has been so much distortion in the Bible regarding changes to the name Yahweh into Lord (Adonai), stems from Exodus 20 and Leviticus 24. The commandment was to not take the name Yahweh in vain or call down curses on Yahweh. That meaning and idea became distorted to the end that superstition took the place over reason. Instead of teaching people the truth, some took it upon themselves to change the Bible so that no one would make a mistake. The problem with deciding to distort the written word is that no one has the original intended ideas any longer. Further, that decision led to many rifts and factions among people who all claim to believe in Yahweh, because everyone has a different idea of who Yahweh is. Not knowing who Yahweh is, makes all people susceptible to everlasting punishment. At the end of the age, there will be a separation of all those who were not harpazo’d and each will be judged according to their own works. We talked about the elementary thinking of many post moderns who cannot believe that a loving God would punish anyone, but Jesus was quite clear as to eternal punishment and what actions may lead to it. Therefore if we have intentionally misrepresented Yahweh to the world, we may be setting people up for judgment with the goats instead of the sheep.   

The idea of vain speech being a form of damnation is incorrect. The idea behind the consequence of speaking vainly regarding Yahweh is uncleanness. If one became unclean in the Old Testament administration, then one had to go through the process of being cleansed or atoned for. Today, Jesus is the only atonement, so even if one blasphemes Yahweh, he/she is forgiven.

Matt 12:31-32 Therefore I tell you, every sin and blasphemy (every evil, abusive, injurious speaking, or indignity against sacred things) can be forgiven men, but blasphemy against the [Holy] Spirit shall not and cannot be forgiven. 32 And whoever speaks a word against the Son of Man will be forgiven, but whoever speaks against the Spirit, the Holy One, will not be forgiven, either in this world and age or in the world and age to come.  AMP

Mark says the same thing; let’s look at the King James here.

Mark 3:28-29 Verily I say unto you, All sins shall be forgiven unto the sons of men, and blasphemies wherewith soever they shall blaspheme:29 But he that shall blaspheme against the Holy Ghost hath never forgiveness, but is in danger of eternal damnation: KJV

In this administration or dispensation, blasphemy is forgiven against Yahweh, Jesus, and everyone else except for the Holy Spirit. In both Matthew and Mark The Message says the same thing, which explains it a little better.

Mark 3:28-30 "Listen to this carefully. I'm warning you. There's nothing done or said that can't be forgiven. 29 But if you persist in your slanders against God's Holy Spirit, you are repudiating the very One who forgives, sawing off the branch on which you're sitting, severing by your own perversity all connection with the One who forgives." (from THE MESSAGE: The Bible in Contemporary Language © 2002 by Eugene H. Peterson. All rights reserved.)

In this time period of the age of the Holy Spirit, one does not have to be frightened of Exodus 20:7 and becoming unclean due to an infraction, or afraid of Leviticus 24:16 and being put to death. But the idea of vainly speaking of Yahweh is deeper and less severe than we have been led to believe. Firstly, we must take note of the three usages of Aleph Tav here, marking the AZ or Alpha Omega, who we know is Jesus. Take note also in the AP Polyglot, the ‘et #853 shows up as #3588 and is sometimes translated as “the”.

Ex 20:7

7

‏aý  ‎ not 3808 lœ°

‏aC*t!  ‎ Thou shalt take 5375 t¡i´´¹°

‏Áta#   ‎ 853 °e¾-

‏Á<v@  ‎ the name of 8034 š¢m-

‏hw`hy+  ‎ the Lord 3068 Y®hwâ

‏;yh#ýa$  ‎ thy God 430 °E_lœhey½¹

‏aw+V*l^  ‎ in vain; 7723 lašš¹w°

‏yK!  ‎ for 3588 kî

‏aý  ‎ not 3808 lœ°

‏hQ#n~y+  ‎ will hold him guiltless 5352 y®naqqeh

‏hw`hy+  ‎ the Lord 3068 Y®hwâ

‏ta@   ‎ 853 °¢¾

‏Árv#a&  ‎ that 834 °¦šer-

‏aC*y]  ‎ taketh 5375 yi´´¹°

‏Áta#   ‎ 853 °e¾-

‏omv=  ‎ his name 8034 š®mô

(Interlinear Transliterated Bible (TR Edition). Copyright © 2011 by Biblesoft, Inc. All rights reserved. [For more detail see the full copyright page.])

OT:7723 shav' (shawv); or shav (shav); from the same as OT:7722 in the sense of desolating; evil (as destructive), literally (ruin) or morally (especially guile); figuratively idolatry (as false, subjective), uselessness (as deceptive, objective; also adverbially, in vain): KJV - false (-ly), lie, lying, vain, vanity.(Biblesoft's New Exhaustive Strong's Numbers and Concordance with Expanded Greek-Hebrew Dictionary. Copyright © 1994, 2003, 2006 Biblesoft, Inc. and International Bible Translators, Inc.)

Vain speech is false speech, but it seems that the translators who translated the Bible from Greek back to Hebrew used a harsher word for vain due to their own religious ideas. There are several words the translators could have chosen yet they picked the harshest one. There is a list of correlating Hebrew words on the AP Polygot’s Greek word 3152 page. The older Greek texts use the word vain as in “empty or pointless”. It is not so overwhelmingly bad that it is evil, just pointless. Understand that by using this as a manipulation tactic we have misunderstood Yahweh and Elohim because we call Yahweh by the term Elohim as if it is a name, but Elohim is a title. Yahweh is an Elohim along with angels, the devil, and humans. Basically, according to the Jews, Jesus is the only one who is not an elohim, as the title elohim is used broadly and generally. Therefore we would have been better off to continue to call Yahweh, Yahweh, rather than confuse names and titles, unless we intend to use His name as a manipulation on others.  

 Exodus 20:7G3756You shall not G2983take G3588the G3686name G2962of the lord G3588 G2316your God G1473 G1909in G3152vain. G3756 G1063For G3361no way G2511shall the lord cleanse G2962 G3588the one G2983taking G3588 G3686his name G1473 G1909in G3152vain. http://studybible.info/ABP_Strongs/Exodus%2020

NT:3152 mataios (mat'-ah-yos); from the base of NT:3155; empty, i.e. (literally) profitless, or (specifically) an idol: KJV - vain, vanity.(Biblesoft's New Exhaustive Strong's Numbers and Concordance with Expanded Greek-Hebrew Dictionary. Copyright © 1994, 2003, 2006 Biblesoft, Inc. and International Bible Translators, Inc.)

NT:3152 mataios, mataia, mataion, useless, to no purpose, 1 Cor 15:17  (from Thayer's Greek Lexicon, Electronic Database. Copyright © 2000, 2003, 2006 by Biblesoft, Inc. All rights reserved.)

The reality is that one should not speak useless or pointless words about Yahweh because that would make that one unclean. We didn’t really have to go so far as to take out the name Yahweh and make it Adonai, or call Him Lord instead of Yahweh. However, the uncleanness is easy to fall into if one wants to use Yahweh as a manipulation over others. Saying Yahweh is doing something or going to do something is not what we should be speaking to others. We should instead let others have that relationship with Yahweh. We do not have to threaten people by saying that Yahweh will punish people or Yahweh will harm people unless Yahweh actually says that. The prophets are the ones who will hear from Yahweh and Yahweh will tell them what he wants people to know. However, false prophets use Yahweh’s name in all kinds of profit-less ways and it is our job to discern and not swallow everything. In other words, we should not forget to think and commune with Yahweh. Prophecy is the doctrine of the Holy Spirit, as we will see shortly. 

Now Leviticus 24 is a very interesting section because instead of inflaming this verse it seems the translators did the opposite by downplaying it. I’m not positive, but it seems that there are not very many people who have cursed Yahweh who have been stoned to death. Even though one is to die for this infraction, it does not indicate eternal punishment. In the old days before Jesus came everyone went to Hades, some to punishment and some to Abraham’s creek. In today’s administration men can curse Yahweh and not die. In context this is very strong. Do not imprecate Yahweh. That means do not call curses down on Yahweh.

Leviticus 24:15G2532And G3588to the G5207sons G*of Israel G2980speak! G2532And G2046you shall say G4314to G1473them, G444A man, G444a man G1437if G2672he should curse G2316God, G266[² the sin G2983¹ that one shall take]

16G3588[²the G3687³one naming G1161¹And] G3588the G3686name G2962of the lord, G2288to death G2289let him be put to death! G3037[⁷with stones G3036¹Let ⁵stone G1473⁶him G3956²all G3588³the G4864⁴congregation]. G1437Whether G5037 G4339a foreigner, G1437or whether G5037 G849.1native born G1722in G3588 G3687his naming G1473 G3588the G3686name G2962of the lord, G5053let him come to an end. http://studybible.info/ABP_Strongs/Leviticus%2024

NT:2672 kataraomai, kataroomai;  to curse, doom, imprecate evil on: Rom 12:14  (from Thayer's Greek Lexicon, Electronic Database. Copyright © 2000, 2003, 2006 by Biblesoft, Inc. All rights reserved.)

It is not something misspoken, this is severely intentional. This is written in a very creative way. There are several “double” words in different forms, such as man man (verse 15); naming name, death death, stones stone, and naming name (verse 16). The Holy Spirit had it written this way to make a strong point which is to not curse Yahweh because if one does so he/she should be stoned to death. This is prophecy given to Moses which is doctrine and we will look at that idea shortly. Let’s look at this in another Septuagint version.

Leviticus 24:15 And speak to the sons of Israel, and thou shalt say to them, Whosoever shall curse God shall bear his sin. 16 And he that names the name of the Lord, let him die the death: let all the congregation of Israel stone him with stones; whether he be a stranger or a native, let him die for naming the name of the Lord. http://ecmarsh.com/lxx/Leviticus/index.htm

Imprecating Yahweh’s name is a big deal, but not one that we should hide Yahweh’s name over. It is not something one accidently does, therefore people should have been taught correctly. Instead we have people who do curse Elohim. But again, Elohim is a title, so therefore technically one is allowed to call down curses on Elohim. It seems like a way around the command doesn’t it? Isn’t this exactly what the Pharisees were doing, finding ways to skirt around the laws and commands? Again, this is not a comparison to blaspheming the Holy Spirit, because that can cause one eternal damnation, but Leviticus and Exodus do not indicate eternal consequences. That is something to take note of and teach correctly as we have many people today maligning and slandering the Holy Spirit which has a more severe consequence than vain speech or imprecating Yahweh.   

In the case of speaking blasphemies against the Holy Spirit as in the New Testament, it is not just useless or purposeless speech it is vilification, or impious speech (Strong’s # 987, 988, 989). This is speaking evil and Jesus says that anyone doing this against the Holy Spirit is not forgiven. In this administration the Holy Spirit is our defense attorney, as well as the prosecuting attorney for the world. Speaking evil of the Holy Spirit is cutting one’s self off from the one who is judging this age. Blasphemy against the Holy Spirit puts one in danger of eternal damnation. Eternal is forever, and that is something to be concerned about. However, in this dispensation no one can remedy speaking evil of the Holy Spirit by changing the name of the Holy Spirit; instead, what people have done is simply attempt to erase the ministry of the Holy Spirit.

Think about what has happened regardless of the dispensation we live in. People have erased the name of Yahweh and distorted who he is, and erased the ministry of the Holy Spirit and denied the Holy Spirit’s function. It would seem to me that there has always been a plan to disregard the God Head, either by scaring people and making them fearful over the usage of the name of Yahweh or scaring people into believing the ministry of the Holy Spirit is evil. Even though there is a different administration, there is the same basic fear tactic promoted by those who seem to be religious and make themselves leaders over others. In order to make the Holy Spirit’s ministry useless, those who didn’t believe on the events of the Pentecost attempted to do away with some books about the Holy Spirt which were written before Jesus came, such as Solomon’s Book of Wisdom and Sirach’s Book Ecclesiasticus. The Holy Spirit, the Spirit of Wisdom deserves our understanding. The Holy Spirit speaks in Ecclesiasticus as in Proverbs 8 regarding Wisdom in creation. 

Ecclus 24:1-10 Wisdom shall praise herself, and shall glory in the midst of her people.2 In the congregation of the most High shall she open her mouth, and triumph before his power.3 I came out of the mouth of the most High, and covered the earth as a cloud.4 I dwelt in high places, and my throne is in a cloudy pillar.5 I alone compassed the circuit of heaven, and walked in the bottom of the deep.6 In the waves of the sea and in all the earth, and in every people and nation, I got a possession.7 With all these I sought rest: and in whose inheritance shall I abide?8 So the Creator of all things gave me a commandment, and he that made me caused my tabernacle to rest, and said, Let thy dwelling be in Jacob, and thine inheritance in Israel.9 He created me from the beginning before the world, and I shall never fail.10 In the holy tabernacle I served before him; and so was I established in Sion. KJV

The Holy Spirit was given rest among Jacob’s heirs and established in Zion. The Holy Spirit has an inheritance in Israel in that administration and an inheritance in all the ethnos, peoples, who believe on the Holy Spirit in our present administration.

Ecclus 24:18-20 I am the mother of fair love, and fear, and knowledge, and holy hope: I therefore, being eternal, am given to all my children which are named of him.19 Come unto me, all ye that be desirous of me, and fill yourselves with my fruits.20 For my memorial is sweeter than honey, and mine inheritance than the honeycomb. KJV

The Holy Spirit is eternal. Those who believe on Jesus are eternal. There are benefits on earth in knowing the Spirit of Wisdom. Here in verse 24 we see the idea of Yahweh being the mighty almighty Elohim, as we previously studied, which is the same phraseology as Jesus calling himself I AM.

Ecclus 24:21-24 They that eat me shall yet be hungry, and they that drink me shall yet be thirsty.22 He that obeyeth me shall never be confounded, and they that work by me shall not do amiss.23 All these things are the book of the covenant of the most high God, even the law which Moses commanded for an heritage unto the congregations of Jacob.24 Faint not to be strong in the Lord; that he may confirm you, cleave unto him: for the Lord Almighty is God alone, and beside him there is no other Saviour.

The Holy Spirit makes known Jesus as Savior. The Holy Spirit has doctrine and it’s called prophecy. Prophecy is given to prophets. There are false prophets among us and it is important to understand that prophecy is for all ages, which means the predictions of those claiming to be prophets who are extorting money from people are not prophets. It is not the PT Barnum effect. Prophecy is doctrine not predictions and guesses. Prophecy is not vague but specific. Prophecy requires action, not a “wait and see” approach. Moses said not to call curses down on Yahweh otherwise that one was to be stoned to death. That is doctrine from the Holy Spirit that is specific and requires action.  

Ecclus 24:32-34 I will yet make doctrine to shine as the morning, and will send forth her light afar off.33 I will yet pour out doctrine as prophecy, and leave it to all ages for ever.34 Behold that I have not laboured for myself only, but for all them that seek wisdom. KJV

Prophecy is given by the Holy Spirit for all ages. Thankfully someone thought to put some of the seventy books of the Septuagint back into our modern Bibles. The Holy Spirit is eternal, Yahweh is eternal. Therefore it is up to us to look to the eternal beings to understand what we are to do rather than change or erase or manipulate the Bible to our liking. This is not some PT Barnum false prophecy of “there will be storms in the south” this is instead direct; the consequence is death but not necessarily eternal punishment. Death in Hades has torment and punishment for some, and later when the dead are judged some will be found righteous by their works as we shall soon read. Therefore, we didn’t need to erase Yahweh’s name to make all people behave correctly, instead we simply needed to teach consequences to actions. And really, who calls down curses on Yahweh among the saved, no one. There is a group of people that may in fact call down curses on Yahweh who “hold on” to the devil. Solomon tells us something that helps us to understand this issue of erasing Yahweh or the Holy Spirit.

Wisdom 2:22-3:1 As for the mysteries of God, they knew them not: neither hoped they for the wages of righteousness, nor discerned a reward for blameless souls.23 For God created man to be immortal, and made him to be an image of his own eternity.24 Nevertheless through envy of the devil came death into the world: and they that do hold of his side do find it.3:1 But the souls of the righteous are in the hand of God, and there shall no torment touch them. KJV

We were created to be immortal but the devil caused death, and those people who hang onto the devil find death. However, the righteous do not end up in eternal damnation. Notice that there is eternal damnation for cursing the Holy Spirit, but not for cursing Yahweh. Yet the righteous have a reward and they do not suffer damnation. Why not let people who are bent on imprecating Yahweh do what they want? They are holding on to the devil’s side, not Yahweh’s hand. The summation here is speaking vain, useless words about Yahweh makes one unclean and imprecating Yahweh brings death. Everyone dies, so this is simply a sooner death rather than a later death. But imprecating or vilifying the Holy Spirit brings eternal punishment, which is not simply a sooner rather than later death, this is a forever problem.

When Jesus comes in his glory he will separate the sheep and the goats. When does Jesus come in his glory? At the beginning of his millennial reign. What comes before the sheep and goat judgment is: the harpazo; the first three and one half years of tribulation; Jesus’ coronation as King; the second three and one half years of tribulation; the Day of the Lord. Later after the millennial kingdom, we see everyone who has been in the grave being judged. Remember last week we discussed the place of weeping, wailing, and grinding of teeth.  

Matt 25:31-34 When the Son of Man comes in His glory (His majesty and splendor), and all the holy angels with Him, then He will sit on the throne of His glory. 32 All nations will be gathered before Him, and He will separate them [the people] from one another as a shepherd separates his sheep from the goats; [Ezek 34:17.] 33 And He will cause the sheep to stand at His right hand, but the goats at His left. 34 Then the King will say to those at His right hand, Come, you blessed of My Father [you favored of God and appointed to eternal salvation], inherit (receive as your own) the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world. AMP

The first group of people are sheep, those who by their works have been found righteous. This needs some clarification because many people mix this up. Today, during the administration of grace - the time of the Holy Spirit on earth, we are redeemed by our faith. Our rewards are based on our works, what things we did that were worthy of gold and not burned up at the bema judgment. Even if one does not have any rewards but believes on Jesus, that one is still redeemed. Many may not receive the rewards they thought they would because their actions were in error and when tried by fire there is nothing left. This is only for the people who are redeemed, those who had a relationship with Yahweh and believed the Messiah would come, those who believed on Jesus when he was on earth, and those who believed on Jesus as Messiah since his death. This group of sheep are not among the redeemed.

The sheep and goat judgment are for a different group of people. The redeemed are harpazo’d before the tribulation, they are caught up to heaven. The sheep and goat people are those who died before Jesus came and did not have a relationship with Yahweh or believe in the coming Messiah, as well as those who rejected Jesus when he was on earth and since his death. Those are the sheep and the goats. In other words all those who are the sheep and goats rejected Yahweh and/or rejected Jesus. They have all been waiting in hades (where there is weeping, wailing, and gnashing of teeth) for the King to come and judge them. Once King Jesus comes in his glory, and death and hell give up the dead, Jesus will separate them. Remember Solomon’s words, those that hold onto the devil’s side find death? There are intentionally evil people in this group at the end of the age as well as those who were not intentionally evil. Some people were simply rejecters of Yahweh and Jesus’ lordship while they lived on earth. While all these people, the sheep and the goats, rejected Jesus as Messiah, there will be some who, by their works, find the kingdom that had been prepared for them from the foundation of the world. What do they have to do to obtain the eternal kingdom? 

Matt 25:35-40 For I was hungry and you gave Me food, I was thirsty and you gave Me something to drink, I was a stranger and you brought Me together with yourselves and welcomed and entertained and lodged Me, 36 I was naked and you clothed Me, I was sick and you visited Me with help and ministering care, I was in prison and you came to see Me. [Isa 58:7.] 37 Then the just and upright will answer Him, Lord, when did we see You hungry and gave You food, or thirsty and gave You something to drink? 38 And when did we see You a stranger and welcomed and entertained You, or naked and clothed You? 39 And when did we see You sick or in prison and came to visit You? 40 And the King will reply to them, Truly I tell you, in so far as you did it for one of the least [in the estimation of men] of these My brethren, you did it for Me. [Prov 19:17.] AMP

Here is the key point to what Jesus was saying, like the story of the Good Samaritan, we are to take care of our fellow humans and not take advantage of other people. The point is that these people, the righteous, cared for others. Jesus looks at the works of the sheep as things they did to Jesus himself, but in their minds they were just helping people. Solomon said that humans were made in the image of God’s own eternity. Humans are precious to Jesus, but the devil persuades people away from Jesus, giving them death. The goats will go into eternal punishment.

Matt 25:41-46 Then He will say to those at His left hand, Begone from Me, you cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels! 42 For I was hungry and you gave Me no food, I was thirsty and you gave Me nothing to drink, 43 I was a stranger and you did not welcome Me and entertain Me, I was naked and you did not clothe Me, I was sick and in prison and you did not visit Me with help and ministering care. 44 Then they also [in their turn] will answer, Lord, when did we see You hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or sick or in prison, and did not minister to You? 45 And He will reply to them, Solemnly I declare to you, in so far as you failed to do it for the least [in the estimation of men] of these, you failed to do it for Me. [Prov 14:31; 17:5.] 46 Then they will go away into eternal punishment, but those who are just and upright and in right standing with God into eternal life. [Dan 12:2.] AMP

The place the goats go (those who hung on to the devil’s side) will be the same place prepared for the devil and his angels. At the end of the age, death and hell are thrown into the lake of fire. This is why the childlike understanding of the postmodern group is faulty and very dangerous. There is a place of eternal damnation, and it is for these people, along with the devil and his angels. These are people from the time of Adam until the end of the age that disregarded other humans, they did not help anyone else and while they also rejected Yahweh and/or Jesus, they lived for themselves. It is not Jesus’ choice where the sheep and the goats go, people have made that choice for themselves, and Jesus is just executing the judgment based on their own decisions. Certainly if one of these goats saw Jesus hungry, thirsty, or in prison, they would have helped him, knowing he would come back as King. But because they only saw humans, not Jesus, they did not care for them.

This is the condition of judgment for all those who have rejected Yahweh and/or Jesus and treated other humans poorly. Those who have blasphemed the Holy Spirit and led people into the rejection of Yahweh/Jesus by changing the words in the Bible, those who intentionally held onto the devil’s side, or those who have intentionally misled and mistreated the innocent will find eternal damnation. The people who are the religious leaders were not, and are not, teaching this to people. They are preventing many from entering the kingdom. Jesus had a few words for some of those people which is applicable to religious leaders today.  

Matt 23:13 But woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, pretenders (hypocrites)! For you shut the kingdom of heaven in men's faces; for you neither enter yourselves, nor do you allow those who are about to go in to do so. AMP

Matt 23:15 Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, pretenders (hypocrites)! For you travel over sea and land to make a single proselyte, and when he becomes one [a proselyte], you make him doubly as much a child of hell (Gehenna) as you are. AMP

Shame on all of us for not teaching the truth but instead teaching a fictional religion for people to follow. Tell the truth, vain speech of cursing Yahweh is not the same as cursing and vilifying the Holy Spirit. Woe to those religious leaders who, mock healings, miracles, and tongues! They have created a fictional religion that prevents them and their followers from entering the kingdom of heaven. Woe to those religious leaders who rally others under them as proselytes, converts, or followers, who blaspheme the works of the Holy Spirit, making them children of hell just like themselves.

The end of the Book of Revelation tells us when the end judgment comes. The first resurrection is the time of the martyrs, those who confessed Jesus as Lord and were beheaded. These people did not take the mark of the beast and they live for one thousand years with Jesus.

Rev 20:1-6 THEN I saw an angel descending from heaven; he was holding the key of the Abyss (the bottomless pit) and a great chain was in his hand. 2 And he gripped and overpowered the dragon, that old serpent [of primeval times], who is the devil and Satan, and [securely] bound him for a thousand years. 3 Then he hurled him into the Abyss (the bottomless pit) and closed it and sealed it above him, so that he should no longer lead astray and deceive and seduce the nations until the thousand years were at an end. After that he must be liberated for a short time. 4 Then I saw thrones, and sitting on them were those to whom authority to act as judges and to pass sentence was entrusted. Also I saw the souls of those who had been slain with axes [beheaded] for their witnessing to Jesus and [for preaching and testifying] for the Word of God, and who had refused to pay homage to the beast or his statue and had not accepted his mark or permitted it to be stamped on their foreheads or on their hands. And they lived again and ruled with Christ (the Messiah) a thousand years. [Dan 7:9,22,27.] 5 The remainder of the dead were not restored to life again until the thousand years were completed. This is the first resurrection. 6 Blessed (happy, to be envied) and holy (spiritually whole, of unimpaired innocence and proved virtue) is the person who takes part (shares) in the first resurrection! Over them the second death exerts no power or authority, but they shall be ministers of God and of Christ (the Messiah), and they shall rule along with Him a thousand years. AMP

The sheep and goat judgment happen before the one thousand year reign of Jesus Christ. That means anywhere from six thousand years to the Day of the Lord, there have been people in Hades waiting to be judged. It seems scary to hinge eternity on one’s works rather than on the acceptance of Jesus Christ.

Rev 20:11-15 Then I saw a great white throne and the One Who was seated upon it, from Whose presence and from the sight of Whose face earth and sky fled away, and no place was found for them. 12 I [also] saw the dead, great and small; they stood before the throne, and books were opened. Then another book was opened, which is [the Book] of Life. And the dead were judged (sentenced) by what they had done [their whole way of feeling and acting, their aims and endeavors] in accordance with what was recorded in the books. 13 And the sea delivered up the dead who were in it, death and Hades (the state of death or disembodied existence) surrendered the dead in them, and all were tried and their cases determined by what they had done [according to their motives, aims, and works]. 14 Then death and Hades (the state of death or disembodied existence) were thrown into the lake of fire. This is the second death, the lake of fire. 15 And if anyone's [name] was not found recorded in the Book of Life, he was hurled into the lake of fire. AMP

Their cases were determined by what they had done. There are two deaths, the first being Hades when their physical bodies died on earth. Remember the rich man who saw Abraham and Lazarus in Abraham’s bay or creek, he was in the first death. All those who die without Jesus are in the first death. Jesus rescued the redeemed from Abraham’s bay or creek and took them to Paradise. The redeemed are awaiting the harpazo when they will rise along with the redeemed of earth. The others in Hades stay in Hades until the white throne judgment. Recognize, some of those people have been in Hades for thousands of years, such as Cain and Nimrod, along with anyone else who rejected Yahweh or Jesus. They are judged according to their motives, aims, and works. The second death is where the goats go to eternal punishment.

We see that there is a plan that has been mapped out since the foundation of the world, a place of eternal life, even for those who rejected Yahweh or Jesus but who did do the right things for their fellow humans. Unfortunately, because of the envy of the devil there came death. There are those who reject Yahweh and/or Jesus and treat others poorly, and their final place is in the lake of fire. Eternity is forever.

Remembering Jesus’ words to the Pharisees, they were shutting the kingdom of heaven in men’s’ faces. The Pharisees weren’t going to enter into the kingdom of heaven and they were keeping others from entering. Not only did they keep others from entering the kingdom of heaven, they searched out disciples and made them sons of hell too. How did the Pharisees keep people from the kingdom of heaven? They changed the name of Yahweh to a title, then they scared people into thinking they would go to eternal damnation if they used Yahweh’s name improperly. Then they denied Jesus and the Holy Spirit, and the out-workings of the Holy Spirit. They said the things the Holy Spirit was doing on the earth, such as healings and miracles, were being done by demons. The religious leaders made people afraid of the name Yahweh, then they themselves were blaspheming the Holy Spirit which is unforgivable. This crazy behavior has the envy of the devil written all over it. 

Intentionally cursing Yahweh is worthy of death, going to Hades, but not necessarily eternally. Speaking vainly of Yahweh makes one unclean, not eternally punished. Speaking defamations regarding the Holy Spirit and the works of the Spirit does endanger one to eternal damnation. It is better for us to understand this correctly rather than throwing out names and changing meanings. The redeemed are not going to eternal punishment. Those who have been martyred for Christ are not going to eternal punishment. Those who are in danger of eternal punishment are those who rejected Yahweh and/or Jesus. Then from that group, those whose works are kind towards others are given the eternal kingdom that was prepared for them. Those whose works are unkind towards others are given eternal fire. The simplicity of the vetting process is to give everyone a chance to choose rightly. It is not the desire of Jesus to send people to the lake of fire but there are those who intentionally hang onto the devil, and those people do find death. It would be better to teach people about the choices they have based on the truth of the scripture rather than change the doctrine the Holy Spirit has given via prophecy, which is to be recorded for all ages. 

The Winepress of God’s Wrath; The Beast and Babylon; Eternal Punishment

There is a series of events that take place after Jesus is crowned and when the wrath of God is poured out. This time is called the “drinking of the wrath of God” and “the winepress of the wrath of God”. There are two events during the second half of the tribulation where blood is squeezed out, like in a wine press. The first time is the fall of Babylon. The second time is the Day of the Lord. Isaiah tells us about this time, the Day of the Lord, and corroborates nicely with Revelation. The punishments are different for these two events as well. One is to the reaping of the harvests, while the other is eternal damnation.

When God uses the word winepress, we are to get the picture in our minds of crushing grapes. When a grape is crushed, its flesh is flattened and all its juice is separated from the skin and flesh. This crushing is not a light matter, especially when used on humans. This is the picture we should have of the winepress of his wrath. Every bit of blood is squeezed out of those God’s wrath is poured out on. However, this fate is not poured out on everyone as we shall see. We must keep in mind some of our previous studies. The Church is not on the earth at this time. Neither are the 144,000. There are two main religious groups vying for supremacy at the midpoint of the tribulation. There are also those people who are martyred for Jesus. Isaiah’s prophecy is that the Lord is the one who will tread the winepress at the end of the tribulation.   

Isa 63:1-6 Who is this that cometh from Edom, with dyed garments from Bozrah? this that is glorious in his apparel, travelling in the greatness of his strength? I that speak in righteousness, mighty to save. 2 Wherefore art thou red in thine apparel, and thy garments like him that treadeth in the winefat? I have trodden the winepress [6331] alone; and of the people there was none with me: for I will tread them in mine anger [639], and trample them in my fury; and their blood shall be sprinkled upon my garments, and I will stain all my raiment.4 For the day of vengeance [5359] is in mine heart, and the year [8141] of my redeemed is come.5 And I looked, and there was none to help; and I wondered that there was none to uphold: therefore mine own arm brought salvation unto me; and my fury, it upheld me.6 And I will tread down the people in mine anger, and make them drunk in my fury, and I will bring down their strength to the earth.KJV

   

OT:6333 ‎puwrah (poo-raw'); from OT:6331; a wine-press (as crushing the grapes): KJV - winepress. (Biblesoft's New Exhaustive Strong's Numbers and Concordance with Expanded Greek-Hebrew Dictionary. Copyright © 1994, 2003, 2006 Biblesoft, Inc. and International Bible Translators, Inc.)

OT:6331 ‎puwr (poor); a primitive root; to crush: KJV - break, bring to nought, utterly take. (Biblesoft's New Exhaustive Strong's Numbers and Concordance with Expanded Greek-Hebrew Dictionary. Copyright © 1994, 2003, 2006 Biblesoft, Inc. and International Bible Translators, Inc.)   

OT:639 ‎'aph (af); from OT:599; properly, the nose or nostril; hence, the face, and occasionally a person; also (from the rapid breathing in passion) ire: KJV - anger (-gry), + before, countenance, face, + forebearing, forehead, + [long-] suffering, nose, nostril, snout, X worthy, wrath.(Biblesoft's New Exhaustive Strong's Numbers and Concordance with Expanded Greek-Hebrew Dictionary. Copyright © 1994, 2003, 2006 Biblesoft, Inc. and International Bible Translators, Inc.)

OT:5359 ‎naqam (naw-kawm'); from OT:5358; revenge: KJV - + avenged, quarrel, vengeance.(Biblesoft's New Exhaustive Strong's Numbers and Concordance with Expanded Greek-Hebrew Dictionary. Copyright © 1994, 2003, 2006 Biblesoft, Inc. and International Bible Translators, Inc.)

OT:5358 ‎naqam (naw-kam'); a primitive root; to grudge, i.e. avenge or punish: KJV - avenge (-rself,), punish, revenge (self),  surely, take vengeance.(Biblesoft's New Exhaustive Strong's Numbers and Concordance with Expanded Greek-Hebrew Dictionary. Copyright © 1994, 2003, 2006 Biblesoft, Inc. and International Bible Translators, Inc.)

OT:8141 ‎shaneh (in plural only), (shaw-neh'); or (feminine) shanah (shaw-naw'); from OT:8138; a year (as a revolution of time):KJV - whole age,  long, old, year (X -ly).(Biblesoft's New Exhaustive Strong's Numbers and Concordance with Expanded Greek-Hebrew Dictionary. Copyright © 1994, 2003, 2006 Biblesoft, Inc. and International Bible Translators, Inc.)

We see here that the wine press is for crushing. The Lord is angry, but not just mad, but breathing heavy. That is how angry the Lord is. This is the day of revenge, the day to avenge and punish. And this is the age of His redeemed. Let’s read the Amplified to round out the context.           

Isa 63:1-6 WHO IS this Who comes from Edom, with crimson-stained garments from Bozrah [in Edom]? This One Who is glorious in His apparel, striding triumphantly in the greatness of His might? It is I, [the One] Who speaks in righteousness [proclaiming vindication], mighty to save! 2 Why is Your apparel splashed with red, and Your garments like the one who treads in the winepress? 3 I have trodden the winepress alone, and of the peoples there was no one with Me. I trod them in My anger and trampled them in My wrath; and their lifeblood is sprinkled upon My garments, and I stained all My raiment. 4 For the day of vengeance was in My heart, and My year of redemption [the year of My redeemed] has come. 5 And I looked, but there was no one to help; I was amazed and appalled that there was no one to uphold [truth and right]. So My own arm brought Me victory, and My wrath upheld Me. 6 I trod down the peoples in My anger and made them drink of the cup of My wrath until they were intoxicated, and I spilled their lifeblood upon the earth. AMP

We see that this Lord who comes, who is mighty to save, also proclaims vindication. Compare this with Jesus, who is faithful and true, coming on a white horse with his armies.     

Rev 19:11-14  And I saw heaven opened, and behold a white horse; and he that sat upon him was called Faithful and True, and in righteousness he doth judge and make war.12 His eyes were as a flame of fire, and on his head were many crowns; and he had a name written, that no man knew, but he himself.13 And he was clothed with a vesture dipped in blood: and his name is called The Word of God.14 And the armies which were in heaven followed him upon white horses, clothed in fine linen, white and clean.KJV

His clothes are dipped in blood; he comes as the Word of God. By this time Jesus is wearing many crowns, but what happens before this. At first, after Jesus rescues the 144,000, Jesus is crowned with one crown. We should look at the details very closely because in these details we will learn something very interesting.

       

Rev 14:6-7 And I saw another angel fly in the midst of heaven, having the everlasting gospel to preach unto them that dwell on the earth, and to every nation, and kindred, and tongue, and people,7 Saying with a loud voice, Fear God, and give glory to him; for the hour of his judgment is come: and worship him that made heaven, and earth, and the sea, and the fountains of waters.KJV

As soon as the 144,000 are redeemed, the angel witnesses to the whole earth, saying, in essence, worship the Creator. The hour of judgment is come. It is time for Babylon’s judgment.  

Rev 14:8 And there followed another angel, saying, Babylon is fallen, is fallen, that great city, because she made all nations drink of the wine of the wrath of her fornication.KJV

The announcement of Babylon having fallen by the angel, is because the beast went out and killed all those who did not worship his image.     

Rev 13:15-18  And he had power to give life unto the image of the beast, that the image of the beast should both speak, and cause that as many as would not worship the image of the beast should be killed.16 And he causeth all, both small and great, rich and poor, free and bond, to receive a mark in their right hand, or in their foreheads:17 And that no man might buy or sell, save he that had the mark, or the name of the beast, or the number of his name.18 Here is wisdom. Let him that hath understanding count the number of the beast: for it is the number of a man; and his number is Six hundred threescore and six.KJV

If we remember, the Angel gives John the back story in chapter 17 of Revelation. The announcement is that Babylon is fallen. This means that the beast made war with Babylon and overtook her. Here is the back story.

   

Rev 17:16-18 And the ten horns which thou sawest upon the beast, these shall hate the whore, and shall make her desolate and naked, and shall eat her flesh, and burn her with fire.17 For God hath put in their hearts to fulfil his will, and to agree, and give their kingdom unto the beast, until the words of God shall be fulfilled.18 And the woman which thou sawest is that great city, which reigneth over the kings of the earth.KJV

The ten horns are ten kings who receive power, but then give their power back to the beast. They are religious people who hate the woman. As we have studied this before, the woman is a predominant religion that exalts a woman over Jesus. The beast is another religion that exalts a man, and does not believe God has a Son. The beast’s religion hates Babylon. If we remember, we looked at the predominant religions left on the earth after the church leaves earth. They are Catholicism and Islam. http://musingsofawinsomeheart.blogspot.com/2013/03/benchmarks-for-end-two-witnesses.html

There are individuals from all walks of life still left on earth who will change and believe in Jesus, who will be martyred by both the woman and the beast. The beast is created and financed by Babylon, the mother of all harlots, even today. This is how Babylon owns, buys, and sells men’s souls. Babylon, the harlot, supports other opposing religions as long as they bow to her. This is our world today, but it won’t last because the beast rises up to kill off Babylon. With that in mind, the next part of this series of events is fascinating. 

Rev  14:9-11 And the third angel followed them, saying with a loud voice, If any man worship the beast and his image, and receive his mark in his forehead, or in his hand,10 The same shall drink of the wine of the wrath of God, which is poured out without mixture into the cup of his indignation; and he shall be tormented with fire and brimstone in the presence of the holy angels, and in the presence of the Lamb:11 And the smoke of their torment ascendeth up for ever and ever: and they have no rest day nor night, who worship the beast and his image, and whosoever receiveth the mark of his name.KJV

The wrath of God will be poured out full strength on anyone who takes the mark of the beast. “Without mixture” means there is nothing to dilute that wine. Wait, the full strength of the wrath of God is poured out on those who take the mark of the beast? The winepress is the crushing of the beast, and the crushing of Babylon. Babylon is already desolate and naked; her flesh was eaten, burned, and crushed by the beast. Not only is the second winepress for the beast, but also the fire and brimstone. This is not a light matter. Isaiah told us that the Lord was breathing heavy in His anger. Here is what we have, some people will be of the woman, and many will be killed for not worshipping the beast. Some people will choose Jesus as Lord and Savior, and they will be killed by the beast. Some people will join the beast and take his mark, probably an arm band or head band declaring allegiance to him. The beast and his army will be those the wine of the wrath of God is poured out on, on the Day of the Lord.

The Angel then announces that those who die in the Lord from now on are blessed. Those martyred for taking a stand for Jesus are blessed. Therefore the winepress is not for them. They are not going to be crushed by the Lord’s anger because they make Jesus Lord. If we jump ahead to chapter 15 we see a sea of glass and those who had the victory over the beast by being martyred. Getting back to chapter 14, the next thing we see is Jesus, with one crown, and a sickle.

  

Rev 14:14-16 And I looked, and behold a white cloud, and upon the cloud one sat like unto the Son of man, having on his head a golden crown, and in his hand a sharp sickle.15 And another angel came out of the temple, crying with a loud voice to him that sat on the cloud, Thrust in thy sickle, and reap: for the time is come for thee to reap; for the harvest of the earth is ripe.16 And he that sat on the cloud thrust in his sickle on the earth; and the earth was reaped.KJV

This is the first time we see Jesus Crowned. Other beings have crowns, but Jesus, was just crowned at His coronation ceremony in Chapter 11. In Chapter 9, Appollyon/Abaddon/Gog the Locust King was loosed. Then in chapter 13, the beast from the sea and the beast from the earth are loosed. Now in Chapter 14 the reaper is coming on the earth, it is the judgment of Babylon for all she has done against the prophets and saints. As the beast has been given authority for the second half of the tribulation, Babylon is destroyed. Jesus is seated on a cloud; he is not participating in this event. He has participated from afar, thrusting in His sickle, because the beast is the one to fulfill the harlot’s destiny. After the harlot’s destruction, the bowl judgments come on the earth. The earth is ripe for harvest, meaning it is now time to see who stands for Jesus. This is the beginning of the second half of the tribulation. This is the wrath of God.   

Rev 14:19-20 And the angel thrust in his sickle into the earth, and gathered the vine of the earth, and cast it into the great winepress [3025] of the wrath of God.20 And the winepress was trodden without the city, and blood came out of the winepress, even unto the horse bridles, by the space of a thousand and six hundred furlongs.KJV

NT:3025 ‎lenos (lay-nos'); apparently a primary word; a trough, i.e. wine-vat: KJV - winepress. (Biblesoft's New Exhaustive Strong's Numbers and Concordance with Expanded Greek-Hebrew Dictionary. Copyright © 1994, 2003, 2006 Biblesoft, Inc. and International Bible Translators, Inc.)

NT:3025 leenou, hee Gen 30:38,41 1.a tub or trough-shaped receptacle, a vat, in which grapes are trodden Rev 14:20  2.the lower vat, dug in the ground, into which the must or new wine flowed from the press: Matt 21:33 (from Thayer's Greek Lexicon, Electronic Database. Copyright © 2000, 2003, 2006 by Biblesoft, Inc. All rights reserved.)

The winepress is a vat, a holding tank for all the grapes. This takes place outside the city, outside Jerusalem. The first half of the tribulation is called the wrath of the Lamb; the second half is called the wrath of God. The first half is “controlled” by Babylon; the second half is “controlled” by the beast. Let’s look at this in the Amplified. 

     

Rev 14:19-20 So the angel swung his scythe on the earth and stripped the grapes and gathered the vintage from the vines of the earth and cast it into the huge winepress of God's indignation and wrath. 20 And [the grapes in] the winepress were trodden outside the city, and blood poured from the winepress, [reaching] as high as horses' bridles, for a distance of 1,600 stadia (about 200 miles). [Joel 3:13.] AMP 

Joel 3:11-15  Assemble yourselves, and come, all ye heathen, and gather yourselves together round about: thither cause thy mighty ones to come down, O Lord .12 Let the heathen be wakened, and come up to the valley of Jehoshaphat: for there will I sit to judge all the heathen round about.13 Put ye in the sickle, for the harvest is ripe: come, get you down; for the press is full, the fats overflow; for their wickedness is great.14 Multitudes, multitudes in the valley of decision: for the day of the Lord  is near in the valley of decision.15 The sun and the moon shall be darkened, and the stars shall withdraw their shining.KJV    .

The Day of the Lord is near in the valley of decision. This is the day people are to make a choice in who they will serve; the beast, or the Lord. The Day of the Lord is very near from this point in time. After the harlot’s fall is when the beast begins to gather the world to make war with Jesus. If we go back to Chapter 17, we will see what the earthlings are doing. Remember we have the perspective of God and the perspective of people being told to us by John

  

Rev 17:12-14 And the ten horns which thou sawest are ten kings, which have received no kingdom as yet; but receive power as kings one hour with the beast.13 These have one mind, and shall give their power and strength unto the beast.14 These shall make war with the Lamb, and the Lamb shall overcome them: for he is Lord of lords, and King of kings: and they that are with him are called, and chosen, and faithful.KJV   

The ten kingdoms that emerge and give their kingdoms to the beast are all part of the group that kills off Babylon, and then tries to make war with the Lamb of God. Really, how fooled must people be to go along with this?

In Revelation 14, the Angel announced Babylon is fallen; Revelation 18 is the same announcement, but interestingly, in verse 4 of Chapter 18, a voice calls the Jews out of Babylon.   

           

Rev 18:3-4 For all nations have drunk of the wine of the wrath of her fornication, and the kings of the earth have committed fornication with her, and the merchants of the earth are waxed rich through the abundance of her delicacies.4 And I heard another voice from heaven, saying, Come out of her, my people, that ye be not partakers of her sins, and that ye receive not of her plagues.KJV

The Jews are in Babylon buying and selling, the harlot promotes commerce and trade. Sadly, this is the same merchandising Lucifer did, the buying and selling of men’s souls. The beast destroys Babylon and everyone mourns. That is the purpose of God.

   

Rev 18:8 Therefore shall her plagues come in one day, death, and mourning, and famine; and she shall be utterly burned with fire: for strong is the Lord God who judgeth her.KJV

Very quickly the harlot is destroyed.  The beast causes a lot of bloodshed, almost 200 miles wide, and as deep as horse’s bridles. Remember in Revelation Ch.13:5, the beast is given authority for three and one half years, or 42 months. That means Babylon is not in charge for the second half of the tribulation.

   

Rev 18:23-24 And the light of a candle shall shine no more at all in thee; and the voice of the bridegroom and of the bride shall be heard no more at all in thee: for thy merchants were the great men of the earth; for by thy sorceries were all nations deceived.24 And in her was found the blood of prophets, and of saints, and of all that were slain upon the earth.KJV

God puts it in the heart of the beast to fulfill his will because the woman killed the prophets and saints, but maybe not only directly. but indirectly too. Maybe she killed people in covert ways, since the woman controlled commerce and trade, as well as the buying and selling of men’s souls. When men become sold out to the woman’s system (and not necessarily her religion), the prophets and the saints who are of Jesus Christ become a hindrance to the system. There is also the religious aspect of Babylon, who exalts the woman over Jesus Christ. The harvest is the time to look for whoever stands for Jesus among Babylon.

  

Rev 17:17 For God hath put in their hearts to fulfil his will, and to agree, and give their kingdom unto the beast, until the words of God shall be fulfilled.KJV

Once the woman is destroyed by the beast, the beast will be destroyed by Jesus. The bowl judgments are poured out and then Jesus goes out with his armies to tread the winepress of the wrath of Almighty God.

Rev 19:15 And out of his mouth goeth a sharp sword, that with it he should smite the nations: and he shall rule them with a rod of iron: and he treadeth the winepress of the fierceness and wrath of Almighty God.KJV

This is the Day of the Lord. First the Lord directs the heart of the beast to fulfill His will, eliminating Babylon. This is the first winepress of the wrath of God. This shake up gives people the opportunity to either stand for Jesus, or stand with the beast. Once the beast, who has authority for 42 months, takes over the world system, the winepress is activated a second time, when Jesus comes to eliminate the beast.

    

Rev 19:19-21 And I saw the beast, and the kings of the earth, and their armies, gathered together to make war against him that sat on the horse, and against his army.20 And the beast was taken, and with him the false prophet that wrought miracles before him, with which he deceived them that had received the mark of the beast, and them that worshipped his image. These both were cast alive into a lake of fire burning with brimstone.21 And the remnant were slain with the sword of him that sat upon the horse, which sword proceeded out of his mouth: and all the fowls were filled with their flesh.KJV

At the ending of the first half of the tribulation, satan is thrown out of heaven. The two witnesses are killed by Apollyon/Abaddon/Gog the Locust King. Jesus is crowned, as the kingdoms of the world have now become the kingdoms of our Lord and Christ, and he, Jesus, shall reign forever. The saints are given their rewards. Jesus rescues the 144,000. The wrath of God starts as the beast is used to tread the winepress of the wrath of God to kill Babylon, the woman, the harlot. The bowl judgments are poured out. The beast tries to make war with the Lamb, but the Lamb comes with his armies as this is the Day of the Lord. And Jesus is the one treading the winepress of the fierceness of Almighty God’s wrath.  The first time in chronological order, the winepress is tread is on Babylon, by the beast. The second time the winepress is tread, it is on the beast; and it is Jesus himself treading for God Almighty. Like grapes, Babylon, and the Beast, will be crushed. But, whoever takes the mark of the beast will suffer forever, as opposed to Babylon. The punishment for those who take the mark of the beast is eternal.