The Pathfinder
#276.16
I AM BECOME
THE SECOND DEATH
THE DESTROYER OF WORLDS
(Part 1)
THE SECOND DEATH
BEWARE OF THE SECOND DEATH
It was noticed previously some things about the world's first atomic bomb, technology that revolutionized the world forever. It was detonated July 16, 1945 just north of Alamogordo, New Mexico that left a crater in the desert floor 10 feet deep and 1100 feet in diameter. There were about 240 people on the project watching the blast from a "safe" distance. Perhaps not so safe. Those living downwind from the test, called the "Downwinders," which were residents of Carrizozo, Roswell, Tularosa, Alamogordo, and the Sacramento Mountains are still suffering from its effect (see PBS report at: https://www.godfire.net/Elwin/downwinders.htm . Rare forms of cancer have hit more than 30,000 people living in the surrounding areas since that infamous day, including at least two in our own family.
Notwithstanding, it was said of that bomb, the early morning dawn was lit up brighter than full daylight and even at a distance of 10 miles away the wave of heat rolled over them that was as hot as an oven. The shock wave was felt up to 100 miles away. The enormous mushroom cloud was almost 8 miles high. Chief physicist of the Manhattan project, Robert Oppenheimer, said that he knew the world would never be the same. A few people nervously laughed, a few cried, but most were silent, as he remembered the line from an ancient text--"Now I am become Death, the destroyer of worlds."
The heat was so intense that it vaporized the 100 foot steel tower holding the bomb and melted the sand underneath forming the Trinitite that is found nowhere else on earth and gets its name from the place the bomb was detonated--Trinity Site.
That first bomb, along with the two succeeding it, were used for mass destruction; but spiritually speaking, there will be a much greater explosion, the manifestation of the Sons of God. It will also be used for mass destruction and called Death, the destroyer of worlds. That is, THE LAKE OF FIRE. "And death and hell were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death." Revelation 20:14. However, the good thing about this Second Death, it will put to death the first death. It will be the destroyer of that 6,000 year old world.
Please remember Hebrews 12: 29, 1:7 and Jeremiah 23:29 that God is a consuming fire, His ministers are flames of fire, and His word is fire. They who are flames of fire like their Father will surely destroy men's worlds, but, of course, they will not leave them as such. For their calling is not only to conquer worlds, they will rebuild them. Like our friend, Gary Gatlin ministered in times past, they will be more than mere conquerors. They will reconstruct that which is destroyed. There will be a restitution of all things (Acts 3:21); however, translated properly the word should be reconstitution. The world of the old man, Adam, will not be restored to its former state; but it will be reconstituted, fused with that which was left out, or removed when he was placed as the first man of the earth. And that which was lacking in him was the Spirit of Christ. Being fused with the Spirit from above (reconstituted), he will be a new creation. For him to be merely restored to what he was would sell him short of the glory he will have in Jesus from the nuclear fusion of the untouchable, flaming manifestation of the sons of God. His Peculiar People of great wealth cannot be encroached upon. Only God can enter their domain. They remain intact, undisturbed. Outside influences cannot affect them; but when they are called forth, they will affect the entire world with such a fusion that no one will be left the same.
Considering spiritual matters, and as it was with Jerusalem in 70 A.D., the explosion of God's Glory will cause the heavens of man's religious and secular powers to pass away with a great noise, the elements of all their works will melt with fervent heat, the foundation of their earth will be burned up (2 Peter 3:10). The fire of God's Sons shall be a plague to the people that have fought against Him and His own. Their carnal ways will consume away while they stand upon their feet. Their lusting eyes will vanish, and their false tongues will consume away in their mouths (Zechariah 14:12). In their place will come a new heaven and a new earth. There will be no more the unsettled sea of nations; but in its place will be Trinitite, a sea of glass mingled with God's fire.
Whether the sea of glass in the book of Revelation is symbolic of those who have been transformed by fire and are ruled over by those who gained victory over the beast, or the sea speaks of the overcomers themselves, the thought is the same. A great blast of fire that changes the elements has been imposed upon a people that settles them into a new and different realm that glorifies God.
As for the nations at large, instead of standing on the shifting sands of time and unstable men, their foundation will be the Rock, the Lord their God. It will be Him in whom they trust. Their works will all be of Christ. The sockets of their eyes will be filled with the single eye of righteousness. And their words will be pure words, tried in the furnace of fire seven times (Psalm 12:6).
This, dear friends, we can expect when the Lord comes as a thief in the night and ignites the heavens and earth with His holy fire of brimstone. It won't be as a nuclear test in the middle of a natural desert. No not at all. It will be in the midst of the world's desert which is teaming with billions.
This foundational change is not for a select few, but for ALL! It is the time of Jubilee wherein everyone will be made free. Until this jubilee sweeps over the earth, things will continue as before; but when it comes--ALL will be made FREE! We will hear the groaning of the prisoner and loose those that are appointed to death. We will declare the name of the LORD in Zion, and His praise in Jerusalem; When the people are gathered together, and the kingdoms, serve the LORD. Psalm 102:20-22.
It is becoming more clear that God is fine-tuning and adjusting His Peculiar People in order to become Death, the destroyer of worlds. No doubt, there are times that we may feel as if we are not hearing and seeing as we should; but His word in each of us is being made ready. And there is no mistaking what the Spirit is saying. It is as Habakkuk was told: "And the Lord answered me, and said, Write the vision, and MAKE IT PLAIN upon tables, that he may run that readeth it," Habakkuk 2:2. This is what is taking place, not only throughout His body in many different venues and ways, but also in the words of these few pages. Why else could it be that we are understanding so clearly what is written herein?
During this time of preparation, as it was with the test of the first atomic bomb, the steel towers of ironclad, rigid, religious creeds and doctrines that are set in concrete will also be vaporized. At the brightness of Christ's appearing they will all disappear from men's minds and lives. They will have no part with His chosen who He has in reserve nor those to which God's atomic flames are applied.
They, like Moses, Abraham, Joseph, David, Elijah, and many others, are shut up, sealed, and reserved in Him for a season. They are acquisitions of high value, and He is making them around Himself, arraying Himself with the priceless jewels of His Kingdom. But let us be patient, for He is not doing it in the open for the whole world to see. It is not yet the heralding hour for them to be unveiled in blazing glory. Oh, but when the hour comes for each member to be joined together as one, the true mansion and city of God, will descend from the heavens for all to see. The clouds of you and me that once hid Him will rain His majesty upon every soul. No longer will the Peculiar Ones be held back from a world that anxiously awaits their appearing. Yet, for a little time we shall wait while the Weaver's shuttle pounds, compacts, and joins us all together as His flaming robe of righteousness.
It is then that We become flaming Death, the Second Death, the Destroyer of Men's Worlds, but remember, not as mere conquerors, but as more than conquerors (Romans 8:37). After utterly destroying their worlds, we build them up in Christ Jesus, making them better than they were before the Last Adamic Bomb came into their lives.
When we find ourselves in the presence of God's fire, and His voice thunders its sound, we turn and joyfully strip ourselves of every vestige, parcel, and post. Praise the name of the Lord for Sinai, for Mount Horeb the Mountain of God, for the Mount of Desolation--as we become the Lake of Fire THE SECOND DEATH, THE DESTROYER OF WORLDS! And death and hell were cast into the lake of fire, this is the second death.
THE SECOND DEATH
"And I saw a great white throne, and Him that sat on it...And I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God; and the books were opened: and another book was opened, which is the book of life: and the dead were judged out of those things which were written in the books, according to their works. And the sea gave up the dead which were in it; and death and hell delivered up the dead which were in them: and they were judged every man according to their works. And death and hell were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death. And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire." Revelation 20:11-15.
Before venturing further into the wonderful aspects of the Second Death we will notice a few beliefs from history as well as touching some present-day ideas that are not so wonderful. The first to consider is the resurrection of damnation as the King James Version of the Bible has it in John 5:29. It is commonly taught with a very negative tone, one of fearful warning, and dreadful dismay for most all who are called to this resurrection.
Over the centuries the church has embraced various doctrines about the resurrection of damnation and the second death. With the ravaging of time and the influence of religious councils, some of the views have changed over the centuries, often evolving beyond any semblance of their origin, with a few growing more grotesque while the others fade to having little meaning at all.
During the fourth century when Christendom was integrated by many of the world's religions, the meaning of the Second Death began to change. Traditions established by pagan prophets, poets, and artists served as very real elements of this change.
The Second Death has received a wide scope of speculation which ranges from the willingly ignorant, to the extreme liberal side of the scale, to the ultra conservative views. The willingly ignorant simply ignores the thought and hopes for the best, and this view, or no view, is becoming a fairly popular approach. They suggest that 'God is all love,' and no one shall suffer any recourse for their sin. The other perspective harbors the archaic school of thought and is very contrary to the liberal view. This one enfolds graphic "R" rated scenarios of cavorting demons and naked flesh writhing in the flames of boiling sulfur throughout eternity. This stand speaks of the hordes of unsaved men, women, and teenagers being raised from the seas, from their graves, even out of the depths of hell to be judged. They will then receive, as it has been believed, their just dues of "eternal damnation."
We have wondered, if people really believe this, why do they continue having children, and if they already have them, why they don't have them euthanized before reaching the age of supposed "accountability?" For instance, wouldn't they think it is better for their babies to live only a short time now and be guaranteed eternity in paradise, rather than to live a little longer and possibly abide in hell forever? Moreover, if they really believe the doctrine of eternal torment for the lost, and there is no guarantee their children will be saved, it is a reckless shame that they would still bring them into the world of such uncertainty.
Notwithstanding, after Rome's emperor, Constantine, established the State Church, Augustine, Jerome, Ambrose, and other post-Nicaean Church leaders were largely responsible for initially instituting the doctrine of "eternal damnation." Dante Alighieri, the disgruntled Italian poet had a lot to do with it. He had been exiled for life from his home town of Florence by the politicians who were in league with Pope Boniface VIII. This shame and heartbreak were great factors that helped to form his mind-set for his notable book, which furnished religious leaders with ample fodder for countless hair-singeing sermons over the centuries. His epic poem, The Divine Comedy, also called The Inferno, although seldom read or consciously considered as a major source of doctrine, seems to have been a sacred scroll to the church at large. His detailed lyrics, coupled with the works of other poets and various paintings of the master artists of the past ages, helped to rivet these graphic images into the pliable minds of the masses. Among them is Virgil's poem, The Odyssey, of which Dante was greatly influenced. It went hand-in-hand with The Divine Comedy, and was a major contributing factor of this concept of hell in the western world. Until a decade ago The Odyssey was required reading in all the European and American schools. For the sake of art and literary education our nations have influenced the minds of countless millions that helped to form today's accepted traditions. Hopefully we are beginning to see, at least in part, where the roots of these macabre teachings and traditions are anchored.
Tradition is almost impossible to overcome and has played a major role in the featured play of the misrepresented "Second Death," but listen to what Jesus and Paul said about men's sacred traditions:
"Why do Thy disciples transgress the tradition of the elders? for they wash not their hands when they eat bread. But He answered and said unto them, Why do ye also transgress the commandment of God by your tradition?" "And He said unto them, Full well ye reject the commandment of God, that ye may keep your own tradition; Making the word of God of none effect through your tradition, which ye have delivered: and many such like things do ye." Matthew 15:2-3, Mark 7:9,13.
"And profited in the Jews' religion above many my equals in mine own nation, being more exceedingly zealous of the traditions of my fathers. But when it pleased God, who separated me from my mother's womb (of Jewish religious traditions), and called me by His grace, To reveal His son in me, that I might preach Him among the heathen." "Beware lest any man spoil you through philosophy and vain deceit, after the tradition of men...and not after Christ." Galatians 1:14-16, Colossians 2:8.
Regardless of a person's sentiments of "eternal damnation," or convincing arguments from ill-treated portions of the Bible, the doctrine is not founded in truth. It is nothing more than a product of men that has become mere tradition, plain and simple. Be not deceived, brethren, into assuming that everything you learned in school, were taught in church, or have read from your English translated Bibles are necessarily true. Just because a respected elder has told you, or it is written in a book, does not make it so. Appearances and persuasions can be misleading. It matters not how heavily the pages of your Bible are lined with lustrous gold-leafing, or how it is bound and covered with the finest leather, or how sacred the columned printing appears to be, or how passionately that letter of the word is sanctioned by the clergy and propped up by tradition-- not one of the translations is inerrant nor infallibly true. Along with the many truths found between the covers, they contain errors. Both sweet and bitter waters flow from their pages. But lest we run with pride and fall with those before us, let us always be aware that we can also err, especially should we rely on the letter and intellect alone.
We should have learned by now that our reliance on a library of study guides that are at our disposal is not always reliable, and we should likewise know that the carnal reasoning of human intellect is far from being the solution to sound doctrine. Surely we know that Christ only is the answer and is our Life.
Once the Spirit of revelation makes truth known, the scriptures explode with brilliant, dazzling life. We catch the wind of His Spirit and are carried from the depths of the seas into the heights of His heavens. It is with this illumined Spirit of revelation that we desire today as we notice some of the words John penned many centuries ago. They are words dead and buried in the earth of religious minds, but raised to life and understanding in the hearts of many who are now peering beyond that shrouding veil and into His priceless mysteries.
And it pleases me to say that there are those who know some of the mysteries of His will. One mystery that the apostle so clearly wrote about is found in Ephesians 1:9-11; namely, that ALL in the heavens and the earth shall be gathered together in Christ at the dispensation of the fulness of times. Beyond the veil of carnal reasoning they are seeing some things that are instrumental in this gathering, including death and hell coming to nought in the fiery presence of the Lamb's wrath, more accurately, passion. They are hearing the Voice of the Son of God and are rising victoriously to the occasion of truth! They are seeing much of the plan of God as the Book opens; of which, a portion of that plan is THE LAKE OF FIRE--THE SECOND DEATH--THE DESTROYER OF WORLDS!
BEWARE OF THE SECOND DEATH
THE SECOND DEATH--what is it exactly? The term is found nowhere in Bible except in the book of Revelation, and in this book of symbols, it is used only four times. One would think that since it is one of the foundational doctrines of most church organizations, we could find it sown like a blazing ribbon throughout the tapestry of the Bible. We would expect to see many warnings to its readers and telling them to FEAR and BEWARE of the SECOND DEATH; but God strangely omits the warning of a supposed danger that awaits most of the world. For thousands of years He said nothing about the "Second Death." Moses didn't mention it; the apostles did not bring it to our attention. Except for the four instances John used the term in the book of Revelation, it is nowhere to be found, and then it is not as a dreadful woe to be feared. Jesus never referred to it. Some say that Paul hints at it in his letter to the Hebrews (if he was its author), but Paul was not one to hint about anything. He was probably the most straightforward and outspoken of all the apostles. Alluding to truths was not one of his attributes, but just the opposite. He boldly stated that he shunned not to declare the WHOLE COUNSEL of God (Acts 20:27). He spoke often of the consequences of sin, but never suggested there was a place wherein the sinner would go to never return, and neither did he ever say they would be annihilated completely from existence. He said that certain sinners would not "inherit" the Kingdom of God, but he did not say they would never enter "into" His Kingdom as citizens. If either thought, eternal damnation or annihilation, was a part of God's counsel and the foundation of His truth to the Church, it is odd that they never surfaced in Paul's or any of the other foundational teachings in the Bible. A few scriptures can be misconstrued as referring to annihilation, that once a person dies he is dead forever, but such thoughts do not have the substantial foundation to stand in the presence of truth. This, however, does not keep people from embracing that hopeless scenario.
One would suppose if such a dreadful penalty of eternal torment stood with gaping jaws awaiting the majority of hapless humanity, God would have made it plain and would have clearly established it in every book of the Bible. But it is not to be found. What is found, however, is the answer to sin and death--JESUS CHRIST! This is the ribbon we see sown throughout the scriptures--THE PROMISE OF ETERNAL LIFE rather than THE THREAT OF ETERNAL DAMNATION! The truth is, the Second Death is a BENEFICIAL AGENT; for it is the very thing that DESTROYS man's greatest enemies--SIN, DEATH, HELL, AND THE GRAVE. Anything that is contrary to the Kingdom of God, and separates men from Christ, finds its place in THE LAKE OF FIRE--THEY WHO BECOME THE SECOND DEATH, THE DESTROYER OF DEAD WORLDS!
To be continued...
Elwin R. Roach
The Pathfinder PO Box 4004 Alamogordo NM 88311-4004