Praise to the God of eternity Revelation 19v3.
"And again they said "Alleluia." And her smoke rose up for ever and ever".
Now a fresh cause for praise, the realisation that this is now a permanent state, and will last as long as God exists, and that is forever. The crushing of Babylon signals the end of sin and rebellion; sure there will be further uprisings from the kingdom of the beast(ch. 19), and from the millennium rebels(ch 20),but the end is nigh. The all-consuming destruction is symbolised in the phrase "her smoke rose up for ever and ever". This is similar to the comment on Sodom and Gomorrah in Genesis 19v28 "And he looked toward Sodom and Gomorrah, and toward all the land of the plain, and behold, and lo, the smoke of the country went up as the smoke of a furnace". This is confirmed in chapter 18 verses9-10 and 18 by the phrase "the smoke of her burning".
Babylon, the seventh great world empire, "utterly destroyed", burnt to cinders, never to rise again, her judgment sealed forever. Note the use of the past tense to describe the future, such is the certainty of her eternal destruction. Note also that the words "ever" are in the plural; literally "for the ages of the ages", in other words, never ending. This brings us to the truth of the eternal nature of God.
Solomon penned these words in Ecclesiastes 3v14-15, and we should not forget them "I know that whatsoever God doeth IT SHALL BE FOREVER: nothing can be put to it, nor anything taken from it; and God doeth it that men should fear before Him. That which has been is now; and that which is to be hath already been; and God requireth that which is past"
Now a fresh cause for praise, the realisation that this is now a permanent state, and will last as long as God exists, and that is forever. The crushing of Babylon signals the end of sin and rebellion; sure there will be further uprisings from the kingdom of the beast(ch. 19), and from the millennium rebels(ch 20),but the end is nigh. The all-consuming destruction is symbolised in the phrase "her smoke rose up for ever and ever". This is similar to the comment on Sodom and Gomorrah in Genesis 19v28 "And he looked toward Sodom and Gomorrah, and toward all the land of the plain, and behold, and lo, the smoke of the country went up as the smoke of a furnace". This is confirmed in chapter 18 verses9-10 and 18 by the phrase "the smoke of her burning".
Babylon, the seventh great world empire, "utterly destroyed", burnt to cinders, never to rise again, her judgment sealed forever. Note the use of the past tense to describe the future, such is the certainty of her eternal destruction. Note also that the words "ever" are in the plural; literally "for the ages of the ages", in other words, never ending. This brings us to the truth of the eternal nature of God.
Solomon penned these words in Ecclesiastes 3v14-15, and we should not forget them "I know that whatsoever God doeth IT SHALL BE FOREVER: nothing can be put to it, nor anything taken from it; and God doeth it that men should fear before Him. That which has been is now; and that which is to be hath already been; and God requireth that which is past"
The eternal nature of God means those who are blessed, are blessed forever; those who are cursed, are cursed forever!Throughout the never- ending ages of eternity all living creatures will either be blessed of God or cursed by Him and the decision, determined in this life, is irreversible. The issue is eternal bliss or eternal torment. Consider the following scriptures, solemn, as they are;
- Daniel 12v2 "And many of them that sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake, some to everlasting life, and some to shame and everlasting contempt".
- Matthew 25v46 "And these shall go away into everlasting punishment, but the righteous unto life eternal".
- 2 Thessalonians 1v9 "...who shall be punished with everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord, and from the glory of His power".
- Revelation 14v11 "And the smoke of their torment ascendeth up for ever and ever, and they have no rest day or night, which worship the beast and his image, and whosoever receiveth the mark of his name".
- Revelation 20v10 "And the devil that deceived them was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone where the beast and the false prophet are, and shall be tormented day and night forever and ever".
These, together with chapter19v3, should persuade us that Divine retribution against sin is eternal, and all outside of Christ will suffer it. Jesus, who came from the glory to tell us, spoke of hell and heaven; this He did to warn people of God's eternal opposition to sin and to flee from the wrath to come. As much as many, including so-called bible teachers, refuse this teaching, it is indeed an indisputable truth, the contradiction of which will not alter the facts. The Word of God clearly teaches eternal damnation and eternal blessing. The following scriptures are helpful in presenting the truth of eternal glory; Galatians 1v5; Philippians 4v20; 1Timothy 1v17; Hebrews 1v8; 13v21; 1Peter4v11; 5v11; Revelation 1v6; 4v10; 5v13; 5v14; 7v12; 10v6; 11v15; 15v7; 22v5.
God's judgment is eternal for good or bad.
Amazon bookshelf George Neilly
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