Part 1
Unlike Paul, as well as others who have come along with “new” revelations that have started new religions, I do not claim to have been given any “divine revelation” of any new truth. What I believe to be the truth may appear new to most Christians, but the debate itself is far from new. It’s as old as Paul himself. The record in Acts 21 states that Paul’s own contemporaries vehemently accused him of teaching against God’s Law. As the head of the first Messianic assembly in Jerusalem, James (the brother of Yeshua) began the inquiry into Paul’s teachings, but because the narative in Acts takes an abrupt turn to follow and focus on Paul after he was arrested in the temple, we never hear from James again. The issue between James and Paul was never settled in the record of Acts. I merely take up where the story left off. Because Christian teaching has typically paid little attention to the details of this story, it will undoubtedly appear new to most Christians.
When someone comes along with what appears to be a new doctrine, one question that naturally arises is the issue of salvation and how it fits with this new picture. It is an important question because many religious institutions today act as though they have cornered the market on heaven and eternal life. These institutions have a notorious reputation for effectively communicating to their followers that if one doesn’t embrace their particular doctrine, they will not go to heaven, but will instead end up tormented for all eternity in the lake of fire. The exclusive doctrines of salvation taught by these institutions have done far more harm than good when it comes to the truth concerning the kingdom of God.
Because the issue of eternal life is very important and of interest to everyone, I will first address what is at stake concerning eternal life, and I will address the issue of Paul’s doctrines and his supposed credentials to teach them afterward.
More than one book of life!
Have you ever read Yeshua’s words and noticed that at one moment he appeared to imply eternal life is relatively easy to attain, and then in another place he made it sound virtually impossible? I have, and it kept my emotions on a virtual roller coaster ride for a long time. The reason for this apparent difference is that we haven’t noticed that there are two distinct levels of eternal life that will divide all those who have been saved from the “second death”. That’s right, there is a general large group and a smaller more specific group. It is the general group that is relatively easy to be part of, but the smaller one is the more difficult one to enter.
In the last two chapters of Revelation, there is a picture prophecy of the new heavens and the new earth. I had been puzzled for some time by a couple of things in this passage that didn’t seem to make sense, but instead of trying to reconcile them, I simply brushed over them …ignoring the problem for a while. I had read these chapters many times, but then one day the truth suddenly jumped out at me.
The scene must be set for these last two chapters of Revelation by the last 5 verses of chapter 20.
Then I saw a great white throne and Him who sat on it, from whose face the earth and the heaven fled away. And there was found no place for them. And I saw the dead, small and great, standing before God and books were opened. And another book was opened, which is the Book of Life. And the dead were judged according to their works, by the things which were written in the books. 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.
Revelation 20:11-15 NKJV
This picture is typically all most Christians know of judgment day. It is an all-or-nothing picture. There is only one of two possibilities portrayed here. It is important to understand that this takes place after the 1000 year Messianic reign of Yeshua on earth (Revelation 20:4-6), and it is important to note that the first heaven and earth have passed away when the dead in them are judged. It is also very important to notice from this passage that Hell is not the same as the lake of fire. There is an obvious difference in geographical location. In the end, Hell itself is thrown into the lake of fire. Many Christians believe that Hell and the lake of fire are one and the same place …and they use the terms interchangeably. This passage clearly states they are not.
Now, after this, John begins to describe the “new heavens” and the “new earth“. When you read this, notice that there are three distinct places mentioned; the new heaven, the new earth, and on the new earth is a city… the New Jerusalem. Just as Christianity has often confused hell and the lake of fire as the same thing, Christian theologians have wrongly portrayed this entire area of the new heavens and new earth as “heaven” …assuming it’s all the place of God’s throne and eternal bliss. The error is in the fact that whenever the word “heaven” is used in conjunction with “earth” as it is here, it always refers to the expanse, or sky above the earth, and not what we would typically picture as God’s dwelling place. This is important to remember. It will be seen that our classic picture of God’s dwelling place and the location of eternal bliss is only in the city of New Jerusalem. As you read the following, notice that New Jerusalem descends from the sky… “heaven”. Also, notice how it stands out as the centerpiece and main subject of the passage.
And I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away. Also there was no more sea. Then I, John, saw the holy city, New Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband.
Revelation 21:1,2 NKJV
Then John records what is said about the city.
And I heard a loud voice from heaven saying, “Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and He will dwell with them, and they shall be His people, and God Himself will be with them and be their God. And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes; there shall be no more death, nor sorrow, nor crying; and there shall be no more pain, for the former things have passed away.” Then He who sat on the throne said, “Behold, I make all things new.” And He said to me, “Write, for these words are true and faithful.”
Revelation 21:3-5 NKJV
This passage describes the condition of things inside the new city and not necessarily everywhere outside it on the new earth. This difference will be established in a moment. Now John records these words.
And He said to me, “It is done! I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End, I will give of the fountain of the water of life freely to him who thirsts. He who overcomes shall inherit all things, and I will be his God and he shall be My son. 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.”
Revelation 21:6-8 NKJV
Take special notice of the list of evildoers here. There are eight described, starting with the “cowardly” and “unbelieving”. These are the ones whose names are not in the”Book of Life” and therefore end up in the lake of fire. We will come back to this list in a moment. Up to this point, John has been given a broad overview of events to come. Now he is taken back and shown more detail of the New Jerusalem, and this time, the city is called the “Lamb’s Wife”!
…”Come, I will show you the bride, the Lamb’s wife.” And he carried me away in the Spirit to a great and high mountain , and showed me the great city, the holy Jerusalem, descending out of heaven from God, having the glory of God. And her light was like a most precious stone, like a jasper stone, clear as crystal.
Revelation 21:9b-11 NKJV
Again, the subject and centerpiece continue to be the New Jerusalem. John continues in the next 10 verses to describe the city in greater detail. He describes the pearly gates, the foundation stones, the streets of gold, and the size of the city. According to some estimates, John was looking at a city as large as 1,380 miles square! He continues, and once again, it is the city that is being described.
But I saw no temple in it, for the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb are its temple. And the city had no need of the sun or of the moon to shine in it, for the glory of God illuminated it, and the Lamb is its light.
Revelation 21:22,23 NKJV
Now, the next verse is very important to remember. I will reference it again in a moment.
And the nations of those who are saved shall walk in its (the city’s) light, and the kings of the earth bring their glory and honor into it.
Revelation 21:24 NKJV
Let’s summarize the picture so far. There is a new heaven and a new earth on which live all those who are saved and have eternal life. They have eternal life because they drink freely of the water of life. These are those whose names were written in the Book of life. There is also a new city, the New Jerusalem, which is the crowning glory of all that has been created anew. There is no more pain or suffering of any kind in the city. The city itself gives light to the new earth, and this light is the glory of the presence of God and the Lamb. Now in the last verse of this chapter, there is one of those statements that had me confused for some time. It is important to hear all that is being said here.
But there shall by no means enter it anything that defiles, or causes an abomination or a lie, but only those who are written in the Lamb’s book of life.
Revelation 21:27 NKJV
“It”, is again, unquestionably in reference to the New Jerusalem and not the new earth in general. The fact that lies, abominations, and things that defile are not permitted to enter the city suggests that these things exist outside of it. If this deduction appears tenuous …sounding like a weak argument from absence, read on.
But first, there is another important observation to be made here. There is mention of a Lamb’s Book of Life. This Lamb’s Book of Life is not the same book as the Book of Life mentioned earlier! This is where it starts getting really good. Notice that the new city itself is called “the Lamb’s wife”. Would it not make perfect sense that the only ones allowed to enter what is referred to as the “Lamb’s wife” are those whose names are written in the “Lamb’s Book of Life”? Yes, there are indeed two books of life! All the names that are written in the smaller “Lamb’s Book of Life” would no doubt be listed in the general “Book of Life”, but not all names in the general Book of Life are in the smaller Lamb’s Book of Life. At one time, I thought as most Christians do, that there was only one Book of Life and everyone whose name was written in it got to live in New Jerusalem… but not anymore. There are two more passages in the 22nd chapter of Revelation that cannot be reconciled any other way with what we’ve read so far unless there are in fact two books of life!
And he showed me a pure river of water of life, clear as crystal, proceeding from the throne of God and of the Lamb. In the middle of its street, and on either side of the river, was the tree of life, which bore twelve fruits, each tree yielding its fruit every month. And the leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations. And there shall be no more curse, but the throne of God and of the Lamb shall be in it, and His servants shall serve Him. They shall see His face, and His name shall be on their foreheads.
Revelation 22:1-4 NKJV
O.K. There is one point of particular interest here that I have highlighted in bold print. This entire passage is, again, concerning what is inside the city. The word “it” couldn’t possibly be in reference to anything other than the city. But here we have in the middle of this passage a reference to “leaves” for “the healing of the nations”! Let’s look at the subject of the leaves first. We just read in the previous sentence about the tree of life yielding fruit, and not just one variety, but twelve! My question is: With all this fruit available, who would want leaves? Then secondly comes the picture of “healing”. Now if our typical picture of heaven were correct, where all trouble ceases to exist… no pain or sorrow at all, who would need healing? I would figure all healing that could be done had already been accomplished! And thirdly, who are these “nations” who desire the leaves for their healing? The answer is …these are “the nations of those who are saved” and “walk in the light” of the city outside it. Remember the verse quoted above? Here it is again.
And the nations of those who are saved shall walk in its (the city’s) light, and the kings of the earth bring their glory and honorinto it.
Revelation 21:24 NKJV
These are the ones who have eternal life and are “saved”, but are outside the city and have no access to the city or the fruit which is inside the city. If all this still sounds like a stretch, there is one more passage to consider.
Blessed are those who do his commandments, that they may have the right to the tree of life, and may enter through the gates into the city. But outside are dogs and sorcerers and sexually immoral and murderers and idolaters, and whoever loves and practices a lie.
Revelation 22:14,15 NKJV
Could it possibly be stated more clearly? Not everyone on the new earth has the right to enter the city, known as the “Lamb’s wife”. Read it again if necessary. As mentioned before, it is obviously only those who have their names written in the Lamb’s Book of Life who will have access to the city. In this passage, we also find out how one gets their name written in the Lamb’s Book of Life. It says, “Blessed are those who do his commandments.” These are the ones who will have the right to enter the city where the fruit of the tree of life is. Then it says, “But outside…” Question: Outside what? Answer: The city! The city is the obvious subject of the passage. This is not “outside” the new heavens and new earth. Those who have no eternal life at all are not “outside” something. They found their end in the lake of fire. But outside the city are what are described as “dogs and sorcerers and sexually immoral and murderers and idolaters, and whoever loves and practices a lie.” Clearly, outside the city is a different matter and conditions are not as good as they are inside.
Remember the list of eight crimes that those who were sent to the lake of fire were guilty of in Revelation 21:8? Notice the similar list here in Revelation 22:15 has shrunk to six. Except for the two missing categories, this second list is basically identical. The first list begins with the two crimes that are missing in the second… the “cowardly and unbelieving”. By the absence of these two in the second list, we may conclude that the difference between them is that those who managed to stay out of the lake of fire took courage and believed. I believe what this picture is describing here is the courage and faith it takes to repent! Repentance is the issue. The first group that was destroyed in the lake of fire remained defiant. They are described in the following:
But the rest of mankind, who were not killed by these plagues, did not repent of the works of their hands that they should not worship demons, and idols of gold, silver, brass, stone, and wood, which can neither see nor hear nor walk, and they did not repent of their murders or their sorceries of their sexual immorality or their thefts.
Revelation 9:20,21 NKJV
Yeshua said that hating one’s own life was required to gain it back again, acknowledging one’s wrongdoing, and tearing down that glorious self-image is an unnatural and difficult sacrifice that takes an immense amount of courage. And it can only happen when a person believes the truth concerning God’s righteousness and man’s sin. Those from the first list who found their end in the lake of fire should be seen as cowards who refused to repent because they refused to believe they were wrong. Again, they remained defiant. The “believing” that the courageous ones of the second list did, was not the same as the “faith alone” preached today by protestant denominations. The Greek word John used and is translated as “believe” carries the same picture that James portrays in his epistle. It is a pro-active faith that demonstrates itself through “works”. It is not a mere mental acknowledgment. One cannot separate what one believes from what one does. These saved individuals outside the city had demonstrated faith and courage by first doing the difficult work of truly repenting. But because they never walked in all of God’s commandments they had not earned their citizenship by proving themselves to be law-abiding citizens of the kingdom. Therefore, they were not permitted access to the city …but they didn’t find their end in the lake of fire either! They remained outside the city, and therefore have no access to the fruit of the tree of life and are those who need the leaves of the tree of life for healing.
Leaves of the tree of life
The leaves of the Tree of Life are for the healing of the nations who were saved. The nations who have been saved from the lake of fire will need the healing power of the leaves from the tree of life. But the Trees of Life are located in the city from which they have been banned from entering! I wondered for some time how this logistical problem gets worked out. Then one day a sweet picture came to mind. This may not be how it will happen, but all the necessary pieces of the picture are there in the passage for it to work out this way. I pictured the Tree of Life growing all along the River of Life in the city as is described, and every month they shed their leaves in preparation for the next growth cycle and crop of fruit. The leaves, which nobody in the city has any interest in since they have all the fruit they want, would fall into the River of Life which flows from the throne, through the city, and out under the wall to the rest of the new earth giving eternal life to all those who are saved. Outside the city wall would be all kinds of people harvesting the leaves as they float out of the city on the river. Outside the city, they are very valuable and highly prized for their healing qualities. Now reread Revelation 21:22-27 and 22:1-2 with this picture in mind.
Challenge
Here is the challenge to those who continue to believe there is only one book of life and only two possible destinations …walk the streets of gold or burn in the lake of fire forever. Explain who those are who live outside the city, who are not in the lake of fire, and are referred to as “the nations of those who are saved”, who also walk in the light of the city, but are forbidden from entering it? These passages have been glossed over and ignored far too long. The truth of this is an inconvenient one for many Christian institutions that use the scare-tactic threat of eternal torment in fire to hold on to their flocks. Of course, there are many members of these various institutions who believe in these doctrines and genuinely care about the eternal well-being of others. These good-hearted people certainly cannot be faulted for their motives when they attempt to convert others. But it is a regrettable case of the blind leading the blind. The worst part is that they are motivating people through fear and terror, …not love. God wants to be loved. It is His desire and the very reason for which He created man. The greatest commandment is to love the Lord your God with all your heart.
It is important to point out that contrary to the fear-mongering doctrines of these various branches of Christianity, God is not looking for some loop-hole-excuse to send the majority of mankind to be tormented in the lake of fire. On the contrary, it is obvious that God is good and looking for any justifiable reason to salvage as many as possible from it as He can. It wouldn’t surprise me at all to find that many many humans will have been spared the second death. Some of them may be forced to live at a distance from the city where the light from the city is dim… a place known as “outer darkness” where there is severe regret, weeping and even gnashing of teeth for not having achieved better, but only the very worst who continue to defy God to His face will end up in the lake of fire where they will experience the second death and cease to exist. Conversely, only the very best will live in the city, the Lamb’s wife. These are the ones God is looking for… the cream of the crop as it were, and the very purpose for which He created this world. It should start to become obvious that right from the start of creation, the Father, with the son alongside, embarked on this risky romantic venture with the very intention of bringing into existence a worthy bride for the son. Yeshua used the picture of him as the bridegroom in a number of parables for a reason.
Someone might ask: Didn’t Yeshua say in Matthew 7:13-14 that the road to life is narrow and there are “few” who find it? Yes, he did. The answer is in understanding what Yeshua meant by his use of the word “life”. It’s a matter of perspective. From his point of view, “Life” with a capital “L” is found when one gets his name in the Lamb’s Book of Life and can eat from the tree of life. Outside the city, conditions are not nearly as good as they are inside the city. It is a kind of half-life… bitter-sweet truth. While we can have great hope that we will again see our deceased loved ones who were essentially good and decent individuals in a place far better than this world, there is the fact that there will be much disappointment, heartache, and weeping by many who thought they were going to walk the streets of gold when they discover they are banned from the city and all they can get from the tree of life are its leaves. God is good, just, and righteous, and every man will be rewarded according to what he has done with what he was given. Like it or not, it is an issue of merit through works. Denying it won’t change the facts.
“And behold, I am coming quickly, and my reward is with me, to give to every one according to his work.”
Revelation 22:12 NKJV
There is also no reason to conclude that if a person attains citizenship to New Jerusalem, that loved ones outside the city can’t benefit from that fact in some way. The text implies that the citizens of the kingdom are free to come and go as they wish. They might be permitted to take leaves from the tree of life outside the city to whomever they desire! This could very well be another way the leaves are dispersed to the saved outside the city.
The classic Christian doctrines of all-or-nothing salvation are simply wrong. The Protestant evangelical notion that a man can live an honorable, good, and loving life… and still spend eternity in the torments of the lake of fire if he never “accepts Jesus as his savior”… even if he never heard the name, Jesus, while at the same time an evil man like Hitler could have said the words “Jesus come into my heart” on his death bed and spend eternity walking the streets of gold… is as repulsive and evil a doctrine as there can be because it makes God out to be pathologically unrighteous. The same can be said for Catholic doctrine that asserts one must convert and take part in the “eucharist” before there is any hope of salvation. It too is a convenient institution-serving misunderstanding of Yeshua’s words in John 6. More on all of these Christian doctrines later. No religious institution on earth, Christian, Jewish, Islamic, or otherwise, has cornered the market on eternal life. None are God’s official representatives on the earth, and none will be judging mankind. Only after the one to whom the Father has committed all judgment to has returned will God’s official representative institution finally be established on earth. At that time there will not be left a trace of any Christian institution. There are many who believe that when Yeshua returns, he will establish a worldwide version of their particular form of Christianity. These same people see the absurdity of the Muslim doctrine which says that Yeshua is returning to establish Islam, but they have no idea they are in for at least as big of a surprise! As Israel’s Messiah, Yeshua will do the same as when he was here the first time. He will give official sanction to and establish the Law of God as given through Moses… with nothing added, and nothing taken away. It will be the purest form of observance that would be misleading to call Judaism. More on this later.
There are a number of passages where Yeshua spoke of eternal life and the kingdom of God that need to be looked at in light of this picture of two books of life. But first, let’s look at something Moses said that fits well with the two-book picture.
Moses and the Book of Life
In Exodus, we read about an interesting discussion between God and Moses. Moses said,
“Yet now, if You will forgive their sin… but if not, I pray, blot me out of Your book which You have written.” And the Lord said to Moses, “Whoever has sinned against Me, I will blot him out of My book.”
Exodus 32:32-33 NKJV
Before considering which book Moses and God are speaking of, I’d like to make the following observation. It should be painfully obvious to those who believe in eternal security that God has indicated in no uncertain terms that names once in this book are capable of being blotted out of it because of sin!
In the passage above, there is an apparent inside-understanding between God and Moses about a certain “book”. No doubt God had given Moses knowledge of this book. The question is, what book are God and Moses talking about? Moses appears to be offering to sacrifice his name in this book for the sake of those who have sinned against God and are apparently about to be blotted from it. If indeed there are the two books of life… the general “book” and the “Lamb’s book”, which one was Moses likely offering to have his name removed from? If ever there was a person who did God’s commandments and was therefore worthy to have his name written in the Lamb’s book, would it not have been Moses? God had told Moses about this special book and the fact that his name was written in it because Moses speaks as though he knows his name was in it.
There is also the flip side of this to consider. If there is only one book of life and anyone whose name is not written in it is doomed to the lake of fire, I have a hard time imagining anyone offering to make that kind of eternal sacrifice. So I submit that Moses was offering to be left out of the Lamb’s book of life and the New Jerusalem as opposed to offering to be thrown in the lake of fire. This makes far better sense, and I see it as support for the second book of Life.
Yeshua and the Kingdom of Heaven
If indeed there are those who are saved from the lake of fire and have eternal life, yet have no access to the city, who are they? As we have seen in Revelation, John records that they are those who took courage and believed… but did not do all his commandments. Yeshua portrayed the very same picture in Matthew.
“Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,‘ shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven. “Many will say to Me in that day, ‘Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Your name, cast out demons in Your name, and done many wonders in Your name?’ And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice Law-less-ness!’
Matthew 7:21-23 NKJV
Yeshua’s use of the term “the kingdom of heaven” can be a specific reference to the city of New Jerusalem, or it can have a broader meaning of the entire new heavens and earth over which the city rules. In this text, the “kingdom of heaven” is a clear reference to the city, the New Jerusalem. Remember, this city is 1,380 miles across. It by itself is a city and kingdom in one. It is a Kingdom of (over) kingdoms just as Yeshua is King of kings and Lord of lords. The most important truth to be gleaned from the above passage is the identity of those who say “Lord, Lord”, and why they were denied access to the kingdom. I will answer that question in a moment, but first, I’d like to point out that Yeshua said nothing about these people ending up in punishment or fire as he did in other places. He said these people were to “depart” from him. A paraphrased equivalent would be, “go away from me… keep your distance, and stay out of my city”. Take a look at the following passages and notice the similar picture.
“And throw this useless servant into the darkness outside, where there will be wailing and grinding of teeth.”
“And there will be wailing and grinding of teeth when you see Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob and all the prophets in the kingdom of God and you yourselves cast out.”
Matthew 25:30 NKJV, and Luke 13:28 NKJV respectively
Though these people have been “saved” from the lake of fire, they are still in distress. Notice that instead of fire and torment, what is described “outside” the city is serious disappointment and regret. Notice also that those “outside” the kingdom/city are in a position to know what they are missing out on and what is going on inside the kingdom. Those who found their end in the lake of fire would not be in that position.
Now to the issue of the identity of those who said, “Lord, Lord”, and why they were denied entrance to the kingdom. These people actually called Yeshua “Lord,” twice! It is a passionate cry! And it cannot be over-stated that Yeshua said there would be many of them! These same people also claimed to have done much in his name! They said they prophesied, cast out demons, and even worked miracles. The fact that Yeshua never challenges their claims should haunt every Christian. No Jew, Muslim, atheist, or anything other than a Christian could possibly make such claims. These people had done everything they said they did, but this fact was meaningless to Yeshua. The issue now was that they were also workers of “Law-less-ness”. This word in Matthew 7:23 translated as “lawlessness”, is a bit misleading. The Greek word is anomia, and it has another more-applicable meaning in this context.
In Greek, anomia is a feminine noun, related to the adjective a-nomos. Nomos is the Greek word to identify the Law or Torah, i.e., the Five Books of Moses. (Strong’s #3551.) The prefix is a negative particle in Greek. Putting the parts together, it should mean the negation of the Law (Torah). Do the lexicons agree? What does anomia precisely mean in Matthew 7:23? The best lexicon of the ancient Greek (which is free online) is Henry George Liddell’s and Robert Scott’s A Greek-English Lexicon. It defines anomia as one of two meanings:
* “the negation of the law:
* “lawlessness, lawless conduct.”
The common rendering of Matthew 7:23 opts for the second meaning. (See ALT, KJV, and ASV translations.) These texts ignore entirely the first option. These translations do not reveal these workers practiced the “negation of the Law.” Yet, this is the meaning Jesus intended in this context. Jesus is talking about workers of the negation of the Law because He is paraphrasing Deuteronomy 13:1-5.
Jesus’ Words Only, by Doug DelTondo, pages 60,61
DelTondo is right. Yeshua was repainting the picture from Deuteronomy as you will see in a moment. Remember, those who said “Lord, Lord” are Christians, and claimed to have done many works and even miracles in his name… but that point is meaningless to him. Notice in this passage from Deuteronomy that the working of signs and miracles (wonders) proves nothing, but keeping God’s Law is everything.
“If there arises among you a prophet or a dreamer of dreams, and he gives you a sign or a wonder, and the sign or the wonder comes to pass, of which he spoke to you, saying, “Let us go after other gods which you have not known, and let us serve them.’ you shall not listen to the words of that prophet or that dreamer of dreams, for the Lord your God is testing you to know whether you love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul. You shall walk after the Lord your God and fear Him, and keep His commandments and obey His voice, and you shall serve Him and hold fast to Him.”
Deuteronomy 13:1-4 NKJV
Even the working of miracles is meaningless to the judge if God’s Laws are cast aside. Does this not describe Christianity today? Christianity considers the Law of Moses the Old (obsolete) Testament. Only Christians will be saying “Lord, Lord”, and Yeshua said that these will be sent away from him to “outer-darkness.”
From the perspective of looking at the city from a great distance, one would notice that the further he looked to the sides of the city, the darker it would be. The city itself is what shines as a light to the new earth. That ever-deepening darkness would come to be complete at some point if the new earth were spherical like the current earth. The prophecy doesn’t indicate one way or the other what the shape of the new earth is. Even though the city gives light to the world, it is darker outside the city, and the further one is from the city the darker it becomes much the way the further a planet is away from the sun the darker it is. Therefore, this area outside the city is rightly termed, the “outer darkness”. It is the darkness outside the city. This doesn’t mean total darkness. Those who live there have eternal life with some light that is much better than what this world ever had to offer. But when those there hear of what is going on in the extremely brilliantly lit city, there will be lamenting and regret by those who thought for sure they were going to be there.
The pictures portrayed in Revelation and Matthew are identical. The only way a person can have his name written in the Lamb’s Book of Life and have access to the kingdom of God, the New Jerusalem, is to become a Law-abiding citizen of the Kingdom. One must prove themselves worthy of citizenship by obeying God’s Law here …in the “testing” grounds of this life before citizenship is granted.
“Blessed are those who do his commandments that they may have the right to the tree of life, and may enter through the gates into the city.”
“But there shall by no means enter it anything that defiles, or causes an abomination or a lie, but only those who are written in the Lamb’s Book of Life.”
“…depart from Me, you who practice Law-less-ness!’
Revelation 22:14 NKJV, Revelation 21:27 NKJV, and Matthew 7:21-23 NKJV respectively
Two books, two judgments
If there are two books of life, then it logically flows that there must be two judgments. The first judgment would be to determine who has won eternal life and been saved from permanent death lake of fire, and the second to determine which of those who are saved have won citizenship in the New Jerusalem. The Matthew 7 passage, where the people say “Lord, Lord…”, is a portrayal of the second judgment which concerns those whose names are not found in the Lamb’s book of life. In Matthew 25 we have an account of the first judgment. As you read this passage below, notice that Yeshua could not be speaking of the same group of people as he was in chapter 7. There, the people passionately called him “Lord, Lord” and claimed to have done much in his name. Again, only Christians could possibly make that claim. In the following passage, the people also call Yeshua “Lord”, but there are some fundamental differences between them and those who say “Lord, Lord…”. For one, they do not claim to have done any, let alone “many”, works in the Lord’s name. Also, this group is not described as being just “many”, but as “ALL the nations”. This is everyone! The fact that all of them call Yeshua “Lord” in this case is not at all indicative of them having been Christians. When everyone is gathered before the great white throne, the fact that Yeshua is Lord of lords will be the ultimate no-brainer. Even Paul, when he was not a believer and on his way to destroy Christians, instantly called Yeshua “Lord” when he was confronted by his glory. Likewise, such is to be expected in a scene like the following. Notice too, that this passage is also one of those places where Yeshua makes achieving eternal life sound relatively easy.
When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the holy angels with him, then he will sit on the throne of his glory. All the nations will be gathered before him, and he will separate them one from another, as a shepherd divides his sheep from the goats. And he will set the sheep on his right hand, but the goats on the left. Then the King will say to those on his right hand, ‘Come you blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world: for I was hungry and you gave Me drink; I was a stranger and you took me in; I was naked and you clothed me; I was sick and you visited me; I was in prison and you came to me.’ Then the righteous will answer him, saying, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you drink? When did we see you a stranger and take you in, or naked and clothe you. Or when did we see you sick or in prison, and come to you.’ And the King will answer and say to them, ‘Assuredly, I say to you, inasmuch as you did it to one of the least of these my brethren, you did it to me.’ Then he will also say to those on the left hand, ‘Depart from me, you cursed, into the everlasting fire prepared for the devil and his angels: for I was hungry and you gave me no food; I was thirsty and you gave me no drink; I was a stranger and you did not take me in, naked and you did not clothe me, sick and in prison and you did not visit me.’ Then they also will answer him, saying, ‘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?’ Then he will answer them, saying, ‘Assuredly, I say to you, inasmuch as you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it to me.’ And these will go away to everlasting punishment (More accurately translated: ‘permanent destruction‘. i.e. the “second death” from which there is no reasurection), but the righteous into eternal life.”
Matthew 25:31-46 NKJV
Here is the passage from Revelation that parallels this.
Then I saw a great white throne and Him who sat on it, from whose face the earth and the heaven fled away. And there was found no place for them. And I saw the dead, small and great, standing before the throne and books were opened. And another book was opened, which is the Book of Life. And the dead were judged according to their works, by the things which were written in the books. 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.
Revelation 20:11-15 NKJV
Here is another from the Gospel of John:
Most assuredly, I say to you, the hour is coming, and now is, when the dead will hear the voice of the son of God; and those who hear will live. For as the Father has life in Himself, so He has granted the son to have life in himself, and has given him authority to execute judgment also, because he is the son of man. Do not marvel at this; for the hour is coming in which all who are in the graves will hear his voice and come forth–those who have done good, to a resurrection of life, and those who have done evil, to a resurrection of condemnation.
John 5:25-29 NKJV
According to these three passages, it should be clearly evident that salvation from the lake of fire depends on good works. According to the first passage, these are the works of charity towards others, most particularly Yeshua’s brethren… Israel. The astounding thing is there is nothing in these passages concerning a person’s faith or religion. The deciding factor is works of charity and good alone! In fact, according to the Matthew 25 account, it could be argued that there will be those who don’t even know about Yeshua before that day because they say, “When did we see you…?”. Christians are very familiar with this passage and already know the answer to the question… therefore they won’t be the ones asking it! So this could even include those who were more agnostic in life. The only criterion these people met was that they had been charitable to others in life, therefore they were spared by the judge! Doesn’t this sound so right? The bottom line for salvation from the lake of fire is simply treating others, especially the descendants of Israel, the way one would like to be treated themselves! It is the fulfillment of the second greatest commandment, love your neighbor as yourself. That’s it! It’s not an issue of faith, formula, or being a member of any particular religious institution. If an individual could be described as a life-giver in any way, then God will proportionately repay that person with life. This includes all men of all faiths–or lack thereof–since Adam. This is righteousness on God’s part that even a child instinctively understands. It is so good and right! Only those who are “educated” in the doctrines of religious institutions can stand this simple truth on its head and claim what is obvious unrighteous behavior is righteous if God does it. How can God want us to understand that He is righteous if we are unable to comprehend righteousness? Righteousness is a standard that God holds Himself to, and it is a standard that any person can comprehend. Abraham knew what righteousness was and that God held Himself to it. That is why he was shocked when he thought he heard God say He was about to do something that he knew was unrighteous. When God told Abraham that He was about to destroy Sodom and Gomorrah, Abraham respectfully confronted God and said:
“Would You also destroy the righteous with the wicked? Far be it from You to do such a thing as this, to slay the righteous with the wicked, so that the righteous should be as the wicked; far be it from You! Shall not the Judge of all the earth do right?”
Genesis 18:23,25 NKJV
God then confirmed that Abraham’s understanding of righteousness was indeed accurate and that He had absolutely no intention of destroying any righteous people with the wicked.
Yeshua’s commandments/The will of the Father
“Blessed are those who do his commandments, that they may have the right to the tree of life” which grows inside the city limits of New Jerusalem. In Matthew 7, Yeshua said that the only ones who will enter the Kingdom of Heaven, are those who “do the will of my Father in Heaven”, and then he reiterates the same principle by condemning those who do just the opposite and work to negate God’s Law.
“Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of my Father in heaven. “Many will say to me in that day, ‘Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Your name, cast out demons in Your name, and done many wonders in Your name?’ And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from me, you who practice the negation of The Law!’
Matthew 7:21-23 NKJV
It should be evident that the will of the Father is His Law. Not surprisingly, Yeshua’s own commandments are to keep God’s Law. He told his disciples to keep the Law and teach all nations to do likewise.
“Do not think that I have come to destroy (annul, render vain Strong’s 2647) the Law or the Prophets. I did not come to destroy, but to fulfill (ratify, give official sanction to Strong’s 4137). For assuredly, I say to you, till heaven and earth pass away, one jot or one tittle will by no means pass from the Law till all is fulfilled (“heaven and earth” comes to pass Strong’s 1096). Whoever therefore breaks one of the least of these commandments, and teaches men so, shall be called least in the kingdom of heaven; but whoever does and teaches them, he shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven.”
“Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations,… teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you.”
Matthew 5:17-19 NKJV, and Matthew 28:19,20 respectively
In today’s Christianity, Matthew 5:17-19 never ceases to be abused because it is used to accomplish the very thing Yeshua spoke these words to prevent. Thanks to Paul’s doctrines, and the doctrines of the book of Hebrews, Christianity teaches that all the Law was “fulfilled” on the cross. Therefore it has passed away. But the Greek words that were translated “fulfill” and “fulfilled” are not the same word, nor is their meaning even similar. This has been done to bend Yeshua’s meaning to conform with Pauline doctrine. The current heavens and earth have not yet passed away. Yeshua said that until they do, every jot and tittle of the Law stands. There are many prophecies concerning the 1000-year Messianic kingdom yet to come on this earth that clearly indicate every jot and tittle of the Law will be in effect even then. I deal more directly with this fact, the doctrines of Paul, and errors of the book of Hebrews later.
Notice that in Matthew 5 Yeshua appears to be saying that getting to heaven is very difficult. That’s because we haven’t understood there are two books of life and the fact that the “kingdom of heaven” of which he speaks is in this case synonymous with the New Jerusalem.
“Whoever therefore breaks one of the least of these commandments, and teaches men so, shall be called least in the kingdom of heaven; but whoever does and teaches them, he shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven.”
Matthew 5:19 NKJV
Could Yeshua have stated it more clearly? Having the right to enter the city requires keeping his commandments… God’s Laws! This is the will of the Father. He said that breaking the least commandment and leading others to do the same, will cause one to be least in the New Jerusalem. He didn’t say that breaking the greatest will cause one to be least. He said the least commandment! Breaking any more than the least and teaching others to do the same will apparently cause one not to enter the Kingdom/City at all. This fits perfectly with what has been established thus far.
There’s room for much hope
This may sound like it’s hopelessly too late for nearly all of us to find our way into the Lamb’s Book of Life. We’ve all done more than break the least of God’s commandments, and many of us have in the past encouraged others to do the same. At this point, I would expect some in evangelical Christianity to state that breaking God’s Law is unavoidable because God made His Law impossible to obey for the very purpose of proving to man that he couldn’t do it and thus keep him humble and reliant on God’s grace! This utter nonsense is Pauline doctrine at its worst from Romans 3:19,27. It is quite literally as non-sensical as doctrines get… even to the point of being blasphemous. Again, because it makes God out to be some kind of psychopathic tyrant! What kind of ruler tells his subjects to do something under the threat of torture, knowing full well they are incapable of doing it, just so he can keep them humiliated and begging for mercy? Only an evil psychopathic tyrant does that kind of thing. John said, “His commandments are not burdensome.” 1John 5:3 He said they are observable, and they aren’t even a burden!
Concerning the issue of God’s Law, no one is more reliant on the grace of God than a person who believes the Law actually stands and he is guilty of breaking it! After all, who needs grace if there is no Law to be guilty of breaking?!! Removing the Law is not grace. That’s the principle of anomia… working against the Law… the very thing that God hates. It is only after having broken a real valid Law that grace can be grace. If we change our minds, repent, and start doing God’s will, He is gracious and will forgive and begin to restore. God’s grace is not something new that came along with the “New Testament.” The Psalms are replete with praise and thanksgiving to God for His tender mercies, loving-kindness, and willingness to forgive. God is not looking for some excuse to condemn. He is hoping that man will change so He can forgive him.
“But if a wicked man turns from all his sins which he has committed, keeps all My statutes and does what is lawful and right, he shall surely live; he shall not die. None of the transgressions which he has committed shall be remembered against him; because of the righteousness which he has done, he shall live. Do I have any pleasure at all that the wicked should die? says the Lord God, ” and not that he should turn from his ways and live?”
Ezekiel 18:21-23 NKJV
This world and life are the testing grounds for our placement in eternity. Citizenship in the kingdom of New Jerusalem must be earned here. God has done an incredibly awesome and risky thing in creating such a high being with a free will. Man does not lose his free will after he dies… therefore God wants to know who He can trust to do righteously, and loyally continue to walk uprightly before Him as a Law-abiding citizen of the Kingdom. I believe God has determined He is not going to repeat what He has had to deal with in Lucifer/Satan again. This time, He is permitting Satan to test these new free-will agents for a time first… before they are allowed to come near Him. As long as we are in these bodies we can make the big changes and pass the tests that declare our loyalties and which book our names are written in. Here in this short life is where it is determined what our long-term reward will be.
The rich young ruler
One day, a young man came to Yeshua and asked him what was required of a man to gain eternal life. It’s the story of the Rich Young Ruler. This story is recorded in all three of the synoptic gospels, but each account is a little different. Each account gives us information that the other two left out. If we didn’t have Matthew’s account, we wouldn’t know the man was young, and if we didn’t have Luke’s account, we wouldn’t know he was a ruler. All accounts note that he was wealthy, and by putting these three facts together we have what is known today as the story of the Rich/Young/Ruler… hereafter referred to as RYR. This principle of putting all the facts together into one account is something I have taken to a new level for the entire story. Before, when I read each account by itself, it seemed like something was missing. When I realized that what was missing could be found in the other accounts, and saw where the pieces fit with each other, I did a parallel comparison and put all the information together. This parallel comparison can be found in the Appendix of this book. The complete story with all the information put together is printed below. Everything in this story is found in at least one of the synoptic accounts. It is only after putting it all together that an interesting new aspect of the story emerges. It becomes obvious that Yeshua speaks of a two-stage advancement that perfectly fits with the picture of two books of life.
But first, there is one important insight that needs to be kept in mind when reading Yeshua’s answer to someone’s question. We need to understand that he tended to answer a question directly without a lot of added input and clarification, and he tended to do this even if the question was premised on a misunderstanding. Sometimes we have to be careful we don’t interpret Yeshua’s answer as sanctioning the erroneous presupposition of a question. The principle that Yeshua apparently worked by is that he met people where they were. This is true not just in this example of the RYR, but throughout the Gospels. Knowing this can help us better understand a number of things he said. When you read the story below, notice that the first question the RYR asks is concerning eternal life. Yeshua’s answer is the same again. It is doing the works of treating others as one would want to be treated. This is the same requirement he indicated was necessary for eternal life in the story of the sheep from the goats. Once it becomes apparent the RYR has met that requirement and already has eternal life waiting for him, his next question concerns what more there might be. This question is what causes Yeshua to “love him”, and now his answer goes beyond just eternal life and he offers the RYR perfection, which he later refers to as the “Kingdom of Heaven”. We have established that this is synonymous with having one’s name in the Lamb’s Book of Life.
Now as He was going out on the road, a certain ruler came running, knelt before Him, and asked Him, saying, “Good Teacher, what good thing shall I do that I may inherit eternal life?” So Yeshua said to him, “Why do you call me good? No one is good but One, that is, God. But if you want to enter into life, keep the commandments.” He said to Him, “Which ones?” Yeshua said, “You shall not murder,’ ‘You shall not commit adultery,’ ‘You shall not steal,’ ‘You shall not bear false witness,’ ‘Do not defraud,’ ‘Honor your father and your mother,’ and, ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” And the young man answered and said, “Teacher, all these things I have kept from my youth. What do I still lack?” So when Yeshua heard these things, looking at him, loved him, and said to him, “If you want to be perfect, you still lack one thing. Go your way, sell whatever you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, take up the cross, and follow Me.” But when the young man heard that saying, he became very sorrowful, and went away grieved, for he had great possessions. And when Yeshua saw that he became very sorrowful, He looked around and said to His disciples, “Assuredly, I say to you that it is hard for those who have riches to enter the Kingdom of Heaven. And the disciples were astonished at His words. But Yeshua answered again and said to them, “Children, how hard it is for those who trust in riches to enter the Kingdom of Heaven! And again I say to you, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the Kingdom of God.” And when His disciples heard it, they were astonished beyond measure, saying among themselves, “Who then can be saved?” But Yeshua looked at them and said to them, “With men it is impossible, but not with God; for with God, all things are possible.”
Rich Youn Ruler Combined from Synoptics by Scott Nelson
Notice how the picture Yeshua paints here parallels the two greatest commandments …you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, your soul, and strength, and you shall love your neighbor as yourself. If a person does the second greatest commandment and treats others as he would want to be treated, he will get his name in the general book of life and have eternal life in the new heavens and new earth. If a person does the greatest commandment and loves the Lord God with all his being, Yeshua will “love him” and he will have his name in the Lamb’s Book of Life and live with him and the Father in the Kingdom of Heaven, the New Jerusalem forever! The two great commandments correspond to the two books of life! This is precisely why Yeshua desires that people do more than just attain eternal life by coming to know and love him.
At the end of the RYR story, it says that the disciples asked, “Who then can be saved?” It wasn’t unlike the disciples to occasionally display a defeatist attitude when Yeshua said something that sounded difficult. (example, Matthew 19:9,10) I believe this is one of those questions that was asked based on an erroneous presupposition. It was the assumption that Yeshua was still talking about being saved from eternal death and inheriting eternal life. Yeshua simply answered their question directly with a broad “…ALL things are possible” and was in no way endorsing the error of their presupposition. He had simply said all he was going to say about the Kingdom of Heaven in that scene and wasn’t going to expound on it any further.
Other passages that portray two books:
The parable of the wedding feast
Notice how the following parable portrays Yeshua as the bridegroom. Also, notice there are two judgments. The first judgment corresponds to the general Book of Life where the king destroys the evil ones and burns their cities. The second corresponds to the second judgment and the Lamb’s Book of Life, where one is found unworthy and thrown out into the “outer darkness”.
The kingdom of heaven is like a certain king who arranged a marriage for his son, and sent out his servants to call those who were invited to the wedding; and they were not willing to come. And again, he sent out other servants, saying, “Tell those who are invited, ‘See, I have prepared my dinner; my oxen and fatted cattle are killed, and all things are ready. Come to the wedding.”‘ But they made light of it and went their ways, one to his own farm, another to his business. And the rest seized his servants, treated them spitefully, and killed them. But when the king heard about it, he was furious. And he sent out his armies, destroyed those murderers, and burned up their city. Then he said to his servants, “The wedding is ready, but those who were invited were not worthy. Therefore go into the highways, and as many as you find invite to the wedding.” So those servants went out into the highways and gathered together all whom they found, both bad and good. And the wedding hall was filled with guests. But when the king came in to see the guests, he saw a man there who did not have on a wedding garment. So he said to him, “Friend, how did you come in here without a wedding garment?” And he was speechless. Then the king said to the servants, “Bind him hand and foot, take him away, and cast him into outer darkness; there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.” For many are called, but few are chosen.
Matthew 22:1-4 NKJV
The wise and foolish virgins
Again, the picture of a wedding and some get left out.
“Then the kingdom of heaven shall be likened to ten virgins who took their lamps and went out to meet the bridegroom. Now five of them were wise, and five were foolish. Those who were foolish took their lamps and took no oil with them, but the wise took oil in their vessels with their lamps. But while the bridegroom was delayed, they all slumbered and slept. And at midnight a cry was heard: ‘Behold, the bridegroom is coming; go out to meet him!’ Then all those virgins arose and trimmed their lamps. And the foolish said to the wise, ‘Give us some of your oil, for our lamps are going out.’ But the wise answered, saying, ‘No, lest there should not be enough for us and you; but go rather to those who sell, and buy for yourselves.’ And while they went to buy, the bridegroom came, and those who were ready went in with him to the wedding; and the door was shut. Afterward the other virgins came also, saying, ‘Lord, Lord, open to us!’ But he answered and said, ‘Assuredly, I say to you, I do not know you.’ Watch therefore, for you know neither the day nor the hour in which the Son of Man is coming.”
Matthew 25:1-13 NKJV
The phrase “I do not know you” is the same as when Yeshua said “I never knew you” in Matthew 7:23, to those who had claimed to have done much in his name. Notice that these unwise virgins also said, “Lord, Lord…” yet they were forced to be separated from him.
The parable of the lazy servant
Here, the lazy unprofitable servant is sent to “outer darkness” as opposed to the lake of fire. This again is of the second–Lamb’s Book of Life–judgment.
“For the kingdom of heaven is like a man traveling to a far country, who called his own servants and delivered his goods to them. And to one he gave five talents, to another two, and to another one, to each according to his own ability; and immediately he went on a journey. Then he who had received the five talents went and traded with them, and made another five talents. And likewise he who had received two gained two more also. But he who had received one went and dug in the ground, and hid his lord’s money. After a long time the lord of those servants came and settled accounts with them. So he who had received five talents came and brought five other talents, saying, ‘Lord, you delivered to me five talents; look, I have gained five more talents besides them.’ His lord said to him, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant; you were faithful over a few things, I will make you ruler over many things. Enter in the joy of your lord.’ He also who had received two talents came and said, ‘Lord, you delivered to me two talents; look, I have gained two more talents besides them.’ His lord said to him. ‘Well done, good and faithful servant; you have been faithful over a few things, I will make you ruler over many things, Enter into the joy of your lord.’ Then he who had received the one talent came and said, ‘Lord, I know you to be a hard man, reaping where you have not sown, and gathering where you have not scattered seed. And I was afraid, and went and hid your talent in the ground, Look, there you have what is yours.’ But his lord answered and said to him, ‘You wicked and lazy servant, you know that I reap where I have not sown, and gather where I have not scattered seed. Therefore you ought to have deposited my money with the bankers, and at my coming I would have received back my own with interest. Therefore take the talent from him, and give it to him who has ten talents. For to everyone who has, more will be given, and he will have abundance; but from him who does not have, even what he has will be taken away. And cast the unprofitable servant into the outer darkness. There will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.”
Matthew 25:14-30 NKJV
One seldom hears these passages in faith-alone evangelical churches, and it’s not hard to understand why. Yeshua constantly made works the pivotal determining factor in a person’s salvation and degree of reward.
The parable of the unforgiving servant
Notice that here, the moral of the parable is to treat others the way you want to be treated or you will suffer not just regret, but “torture”. Treating others the way you would like to be treated is the minimum requirement to stay out of hell and the lake of fire. I believe this parallels the first judgment and concerns those whose names are not in the general Book of Life.
“Therefore the kingdom of heaven is like a certain king who wanted to settle accounts with his servants. And when he had begun to settle accounts, one was brought to him who owed him ten thousand talents. But as he was not able to pay, his master commanded that he be sold, with his wife and children and all that he had, and that payment be made. The servant therefore fell down before him, saying, “Master, have patience with me, and I will pay you all.’ Then the master of that servant was moved with compassion, released him, and forgave him the debt. But that servant went out and found one of his fellow servants who owed him a hundred denarii; and he laid hands on him and took him by the throat, saying, ‘Pay me what you owe!’ So his fellow servant fell down at his feet and begged him, saying, “Have patience with me, and I will pay you all.’ And he would not, but went and threw him into prison till he should pay the debt. So when his fellow servants saw what had been done, they were very grieved, and came and told their master all that had been done. Then his master, after he had called him, said to him, “You wicked servant! I forgave you all that debt because you begged me. Should you not also have had compassion on your fellow servant, just as I had pity on you?’ And his master was angry, and delivered him to the torturers until he should pay all that was due him. So my heavenly Father also will do to you if each of you, from his heart, does not forgive his brother his trespasses.”
Matthew 18:23-35 NKJV
The parable of the tares
In Matthew 13:24-30 Yeshua tells the parable of the wheat and the tares. The story is too long to print here, but in verse 36 Yeshua begins to explain the meaning of the parable to his disciples. Here again, is a picture of the first judgment where those names aren’t even in the general Book of Life because they were guilty of practicing Law-nullification to the limits. These apparently even nullified God’s second greatest command to treat others as they would want to be treated. They are sent to the furnace of fire.
“He who sows the good seed is the Son of Man. The field is the world, the good seeds are the sons of the kingdom, but the tares are the sons of the wicked one. The enemy who sowed them is the devil, the harvest is the end of the age, and the reapers are the angels. Therefore as the tares are gathered and burned in the fire, so it will be at the end of this age. The Son of Man will send out his angels, and they will gather out of his kingdom ALL things that offend, and those who practice Law-less-ness (nullifying the Law), and will cast them into the furnace of fire. There will be wailing and gnashing of teeth.
Matthew 13:37-42 NKJV
The practice of nullifying the Law is a degrading principle. To the extent that one does not obey the greatest commandment to love God with all his heart will be the extent to which he is refused entrance to the city. And to the extent that one does not even obey the second greatest commandment to love others as one’s self will be the extent to which he is refused any eternal life. Conversely, love is the upgrading principle. To the extent that an individual loves his neighbor and does good to him, will be the extent to which he will be rewarded with life in the new heavens and new earth. And to the extent that a person loves God and demonstrates that love by obeying His commands, will be the extent to which he is rewarded with life in the city the New Jerusalem. Notice how Yeshua clearly stated these principles in this passage from John’s gospel.
“For the Father judges no one, but has given all judgment to the son.” “For even as the Father has life in Himself, so He gave also to the son to have life in himself. And He gave authority to him to also execute judgment, for he is the Son of Man. Do not marvel at this; for an hour is coming in which all those in the tombs will hear his voice. And they will come out, the ones having done good into a resurrection of life, and the ones having practiced evil into a resurrection of judgment.”
John 5:22, 26-29 KJIIV
Zacchaeus
The story of Zacchaeus the tax collector is also telling. Notice what he did, and what it earned for him.
Now behold, there was a man named Zacchaeus who was a chief tax collector, and he was rich. And he sought to see who Yeshua was, but could not because of the crowd, for he was of short stature. So he ran ahead and climbed up into a sycamore tree to see him, for he was going to pass that way. And when Yeshua came to the place, he looked up and saw him, and said to him, “Zacchaeus, make haste and come down, for today I must stay at your house.” So he made haste and came down, and received him joyfully. But when they saw it, they all murmured, saying, “He has gone to be a guest with a man who is a sinner.” Then Zacchaeus stood and said to the Lord. “Look, Lord, I give half of my goods to the poor, and if I have taken anything from anyone by false accusation, I restore fourfold.” And Yeshua said to him, “Today salvation has come to this house, because he also is a son of Abraham; for the Son of Man has come to seek and to save that which was lost.”
Luke 19:2-10 NKJV
It was his acts of repentance, charity, and making things right with those he had cheated that earned him “salvation”. The case for works-alone is established here again!
I have yet to find anyone who has put together the picture that Zacchaeus was almost certainly under the influence of John the Baptist’s teaching and had undoubtedly been baptized by him. Yeshua knew this, and it was the reason why he called Zacchaeus by name and said, “today I must stay at your house”. Remember, John had come to prepare the way for Yeshua. Notice what John had taught concerning staying out of judgment and fire, as well as what he said to certain “tax collectors”.
Then he said to the multitudes that came out to be baptized by him, “Brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the wrath to come? Therefore bear fruits worthy of repentance, and do not begin to say to yourselves, ‘We have Abraham as our father.’ For I say to you that God is able to raise up children to Abraham from these stones. And even now the ax is laid to the root of the trees, Therefore every tree which does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. “So the people asked him, saying, “What shall we do then?” He answered and said to them, “He who has two tunics, let him give to him who has none; and he who has food, let him do likewise.” Then tax collectors also came to be baptized, and said to him, “Teacher, what shall we do?” And he said to them, “Collect no more than what is appointed for you.”
Luke 3:7-13 NKJV
I firmly believe Zacchaeus was one of those tax collectors there that day. What John had said that day could be interpreted to mean he instructed those who had possessions to give half to the poor. “He who has two… give to him who has none.” This is exactly what Zacchaeus told Yeshua he had done. And since Zacchaeus had already defrauded others and collected more than what was appropriate, he went and made it right with them by going over and above the requirements of the Law as found in Leviticus 6:1-5, where everything that was stolen was to be restored plus one fifth. Zacchaeus restored what he had taken as though he had stolen sheep, which was a “fourfold” requirement (Exodus 22:1, and 2 Samuel 12:6). One might even surmise from this that Zacchaeus had made a practice of collecting the excess charge in sheep! Whatever the case, he had made it right. The point to be made is that both Yeshua and John the Baptist made it very clear that salvation was a matter of works. It was the loving of others through charity, as well as treating others the way he would want to be treated, that won “salvation” for Zacchaeus.
There are numerous other parables, stories, and teachings of Yeshua that fit perfectly with the picture of two books, as well as the issue of works of obedience to God’s Laws being the critical deciding factor.
To reiterate, the two great commandments on which hang all of God’s Laws are; love the Lord your God with all your heart, and love your neighbor as yourself. Having compassion on one’s neighbors and loving them by treating them as one would want to be treated will save a person from the lake of fire and win for them eternal life… no matter what they believe. And loving God with all one’s heart… demonstrated by works of obedience to all His Laws… will win for a person their name in the Lamb’s Book of Life, citizenship to the New Jerusalem, and access to the fruit of the Tree of Life.
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