To Be Least
"For he who is least among you all--he is the greatest." (Luke 9:48)Friday, September 24, 2004
Weeping in Heaven?
Many "reformed" Christians hold to the idea of rewards based on your faithfulnesses and obedience. I came across this quote of Stanley about Matthew 25:30 where it says, "And throw that worthless servant outside, into the darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth."
Read this, and I will respond to it:
The final verse of this parable is so severe that many commentators assume it is a description of hell. It is not . . . The point of this parable is that in God's future kingdom, those who were faithful in this life will be rewarded and those who were not will lose any potential reward . . . Before we can understand the full impact of this parable, we must first determine what the "outer darkness" refers to in the context of the parable. It certainly does not mean hell in the parable. How could a master throw a slave into hell? . . . But what actual place was Jesus referring to in the parable? He gave us only one hint: "In that place there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth." . . . To be in the "outer darkness" is to be in the kingdom of God but outside the circle of men and women whose faithfulness on this earth earned them a special rank or position of authority.
So, according to Stanley, heaven will "have weeping and gnashing of teeth" in a section of heaven. Lets compare that with scripture.
And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, "Now the dwelling of God is with men, and he will live with them. They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God. He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away." (Rev. 21:3-4)
So the Bible says that heaven will have no more tears, no mourning, crying, and pain. Stanley says that some will experience weeping in heaven. They are in conflict with each other. They both can not be right. Who is right? Stanley is wrong, God's Word is right. There will be NO crying, tears, mourning and pain. Matthew 25:30 is not talking about a place for the unfaithful in heaven, it is talking about hell.
Read this, and I will respond to it:
The final verse of this parable is so severe that many commentators assume it is a description of hell. It is not . . . The point of this parable is that in God's future kingdom, those who were faithful in this life will be rewarded and those who were not will lose any potential reward . . . Before we can understand the full impact of this parable, we must first determine what the "outer darkness" refers to in the context of the parable. It certainly does not mean hell in the parable. How could a master throw a slave into hell? . . . But what actual place was Jesus referring to in the parable? He gave us only one hint: "In that place there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth." . . . To be in the "outer darkness" is to be in the kingdom of God but outside the circle of men and women whose faithfulness on this earth earned them a special rank or position of authority.
So, according to Stanley, heaven will "have weeping and gnashing of teeth" in a section of heaven. Lets compare that with scripture.
And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, "Now the dwelling of God is with men, and he will live with them. They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God. He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away." (Rev. 21:3-4)
So the Bible says that heaven will have no more tears, no mourning, crying, and pain. Stanley says that some will experience weeping in heaven. They are in conflict with each other. They both can not be right. Who is right? Stanley is wrong, God's Word is right. There will be NO crying, tears, mourning and pain. Matthew 25:30 is not talking about a place for the unfaithful in heaven, it is talking about hell.
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