-Luke 12:47, Rev. 20:12-
Does God just send people to Hell ?
Or, are there various degrees of suffering in judgment ?
1. Some judgment is complete and final. (Most)
A. Babylon. (Jer. 51:10-11, 51:29)
B. The devil. (Rev. 20:10)
C. Sodom and Gomorrah. Gen. 19:24-25
D. The flood. Gen. 6:6-7, 6:13
E. Old Tyre. Isaiah 23:1, Ezekiel 26:14
– New Tyre to be different. Isaiah 23:15-18
2. Some judgment is of a lesser type. (A few.)
A. Miriam, Moses’ sister. Moses interceded for her. Num. 12:13-15
Do you intercede for your children, etc. ? Note Job’s efforts.
B. Elisha’s servant, Gehazi. 2 Kings 5:27
3. Some judgment can be avoided.
**(By not doing the sin to begin with !)
A. Nineveh and Jonah. Jonah 3:5-10
B. If Israel repented:
– Saves from natural results of sin. Ezek. 18:30
– Saves from direct judgment from God. Rev. 2:20
C. The church in the latter days. Rev. 3:19
D. Individual believers.
– The desire to repent comes from God. Rom. 2:4
– The demand to repent does, too. Rev. 2:5
When humiliating sinners doesn’t work, God then uses more serious methods to make His point.
1. Challenge to compare man’s power with God’s.
A. A challenge to power. Exodus 8:10
– (Jer. 51:14) Numerous as caterpillars.
– (Jer. 51:27-29) Numbers from all kingdoms.
B. A challenge to wisdom. (Jer. 10:7) James 1:5-8
– (Jer. 51:15) God’s wisdom made the earth.
– (Jer. 51:17-18) Theirs made powerless idols.
C. Challenge to words. 2 Pet. 3:5, Heb. 4:12
– (Jer. 51:16) God’s Word accomplishes what it says forever.
– (Jer. 51:55) Babylon’s will cease.
2. The fruitlessness of vanity. (“Emptiness, hollow, shallow, worthless”)
A. The work of man’s hands. (Jer. 51:17)
B. The work of man’s mind. Eph. 4:17
C. Vain words appeal to the flesh. *(Therefore, those who are influenced
by vain words are fleshly, not spiritual people.) 2 Pet. 2:18
3. God’s care even over His sinful people.
A. Considers them His flesh. (Jer. 51:35)
B. Identified with their tragedy. (Jer. 51:34) Ps. 56:8, Is. 63:9
C. Will defend them once they have suffered. (Jer. 51:36)
– Offers them the ultimate sacrifice. Is. 53:7