The
Choices we Make
A study by: Timothy Youngblood
Copyright © The
Master's Table
Eternal Life - Eternal Death
"I call heaven and earth as witnesses today against you, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing; therefore choose life, that both you and your descendants may live; Deut 30:19.
Ever wonder why?
Ever wonder why God placed a poison tree in His perfect
garden of Eden that was forbidden for humans? Ever wonder why God took Adam
to the forbidden tree and showed him the fruit stating, he could eat of every
tree except this tree's fruit? (Its also noteworthy that Eve was not yet created
when Adam received this warning.) Ever wonder why God allowed Satan to remain
in the garden after he became God's enemy by attempting to overthrow the Kingdom
of God? Ever wonder why the forbidden tree was within a short walking distance
for Adam and Eve? If the forbidden fruit was poison to anyone that would partake
of its fruit then why not put it on the other side of the world if it had
to be on earth at all?
Another question is did Adam and Eve have the mind of grown adults at the time they disobeyed God's clear command not to eat of this one tree? We find in scripture that Adam and Eve were created as grown adults in the physical fashion, however, they were in reality children in mind and emotion. God did walk with, and teach them, but they were not mature because they could not at this time understand what one would learn in life's experience. They had not by experience learned the consequence of their actions. It would be accurate to say that to place something before them that was forbidden and allow the tempter to speak to them, would invite sure failure on their part, so we might ask, why would God do such a thing knowing they like any child would fail? As we go through this study you will find that the answer is very simple in itself, but yet very complex in application. The answer in short is "Free Will Choice" but we need to not just let it go there. We need to look at the complexity of Free will choice to understand why God had to make this part of our process of growth towards our greatest destiny.
Let's look at the term "free will choice" so we can get a good understanding of the meaning because this is the very key to our existence. Free choice is the freedom to choose without external forces whether physical or divine, and is the real God given right all humans should have. So we see by the term free will choice we must be able to choose without even God preventing us from that choice. It may shock you; however, even if God was watching Eve reach for the forbidden fruit, He could not intervene if He intended for us to have free will choice! There are those that teach we don't have free will choice but we can clear this up by asking one question. Why did God allow Eve, then Adam to choose to eat of this tree if God controls our every move? Now for the question most would ask. What would be the point of intentionally giving us free will choice? Let's start answering this question by first defining what God had placed in the garden. "And out of the ground the LORD God made every tree grow that is pleasant to the sight and good for food. The tree of life was also in the midst of the garden, and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil." Gen 2:9. Notice that there was a tree called the tree of LIFE and the second tree was called the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. We could also say the tree of life and the tree of death because by partaking of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, God stated they shall surely DIE.
Why would the knowledge of good and
evil cause death?
Let's go back to that time before Eve took of the fruit and caused death to
come upon us all so we can understand. On this tree was fruit and within this
fruit was something that was forbidden for mankind. It was as if God had programmed
something in this fruit that if never touched would set there as harmless
as a butterfly, but if violated, as deadly as a serpent! Why would this fruit
cause death, and was it the fruit itself that was poison? No, the truth is
that it was because God stated that they should not eat of it. It could have
been anything that God commanded for them not to do. When they partook of
it after they had been commanded not too, they became disloyal to God and
became in violation of His confidence. They gained the knowledge of Good
and Evil by disobedience; but what else entered into our first parents
when they disobeyed? What else was added that would place the curse on anyone
that followed in their steps? It was the conscience that was added
and that is the reason each person is liable for their own sins. It is our
conscience that tells us what is or is not sin! Remember the very important
telling sign was that Adam and Eve did not know they were naked until they
ate of the forbidden fruit? This is where many people come to believe the
fall of mankind had to do with sex, however the fact they understood they
were naked only meant that they had lost their innocence. We find in Gen.
1: 27-28 (before mankind sinned) God commanded them to "Be fruitful and
multiply; fill the earth and subdue it." which denotes to have sex and
reproduce.
Eve must have thought about the tree after Adam had showed it to her because
she went back to the tree and then saw that its fruit
was pleasant to the eyes and good for food. So she became tempted by her own
desires and when the deceiver came to her it was not hard to get her to sin.
She resisted his first attempts by stating that she was commanded not to eat
of it, and if she did she would die. I can almost hear Satan's thoughts at
this point, ("Then why are you here?") Satan (The great deceiver)
told her that she would not die but she would become as God, knowing both
good and evil. This was as any believable lie because it was mixed with
some truth. We do become like God when we know both good and evil, however
Satan failed to tell her that we, unlike God, are physical and can't control
the aspects of good and evil. Satan's particular method of reasoning or argumentation
convinced her she needed to take of it because of two reasons. 1) Because
she had already played with the thought in her mind seeing that it was good
and would make her wise and 2) Satan made it sound like God was holding
her back from becoming like Him for not allowing her to have it and told her
what she wanted to hear…That she would not die!
Once more, why would God intentionally place the knowledge of evil there for the taking? He knew that humans would not be able to deal with good and evil. Let's ask a question to answer this one. God can create anything He desires, right? Yes He can, but can He create all things by command alone? By fiat? The truth is, No! Like the experience of climbing a mountain can only be gained by climbing a mountain and gaining wisdom and knowledge in life only comes from age and experience. So what we find God doing here by allowing us to have the knowledge of good and evil, or put the other way, to live in a state of lost innocence, is that God is creating the greatest creation He could ever achieve which is for mankind to develop righteous character, by choice. This character must be part of those that will become His children, and holy character must come, first by the knowledge of, and then experiencing good and evil, and then after experiencing the lust of the flesh and its ill effects we then must have free will choice to choose good over evil. This process can't come about in a day and in many cases some lessons takes a lifetime. Many factors enter in throughout the lives of us all, but the one thing we can't claim is that we did not know it was right or wrong!
The Greatest Gift:
What is the greatest gift God could give mankind in this life if it's
not being able to bring children into this world? Not only do we bring children
into this world, but they in most cases look and act just like we do. Many
fathers and mothers learn a great deal about themselves during the course
of rearing their children because they are so much like them! How many parents
have desired to prevent their children from making the same mistakes they
made in their teen years? Although children do learn a great deal from their
parents, they in many cases learn by their own experience after they leave
home. It's as if each person must try life out for themselves and although
many are guided by loving instruction from loving parents, they still want
to do it their way. We can read in Gen 1:26. how God ('el-o-heem')
The Hebrew word here is plural, made man in their image. Let's read the account
when the One whom became the Son of God was talking with the Holy Father during
the creation of mankind. "Then God ('el-o-heem');
said, "Let Us (Notice the plural) make man in Our image,
according to Our likeness; let them have dominion over the fish of
the sea, over the birds of the air, and over the cattle, over all the earth
and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth." Gen 1:26.
So we see from scripture that we are made in the very image of the God family just like our children are made in the image of our family or the family of mankind. Because of this we are the only ones on earth that can create by using our own reason. We are the only ones on earth that can reason and learn higher and higher by way of building knowledge. We are the only ones on earth that can say I would like to fly and figure out a way to do it. We even looked beyond our home we call earth and figured out a way to reach the stars. We are the only ones on earth that sets up rules of right and wrong with rewards for right behavior and punishment for wrong behavior. We can even judge the complex outcome for punishment of stealing vs. murder, or a simple infraction such as a lie to the rewards for good conduct of running well in track, or to saving a life. Regardless of what some teach, we humans know by design the difference between right and wrong, good and evil just like we know the difference between light and darkness. We know because we have within us the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, but my friend, most importantly we not only gained the knowledge of good and evil when our first parents partook of the forbidden fruit, we "became" both good and evil, and along with this great responsibility of knowing good and evil and having the same type of knowledge as our Holy Father and creator comes rewards and punishment. Eternal life or eternal death. Yes, Jesus died for our sins, however we must believe in, and follow Him. There is a good quote by Dietrich Bonhoeffer that goes like this, "Cheap grace is the theology that expects the benefits of grace without the sacrifice of obedience."
Another Tree:
Let's not forget that there was another tree in the garden we were supposed
to partake of called the tree of LIFE. What could this mean, the tree of life,
if mankind never took of it yet we have life? Of course it means eternal
life. There is temporary life and temporary death just as there is eternal
life and eternal death. (For a more detailed study on life and death, please
see our mini study titled, "What happens after death" at the end
of this study.) as I will not be going into that in detail here in order to
stay on the subject at hand. After Adam and Eve disobeyed God and sinned they
were cast out of the garden and God had a very good reason for quickly removing
them from the garden. Let's read in Gen 3:22-24. "Then the LORD God said,
"Behold, the man has become like one of Us,
to know good and evil. And now, lest he put out his hand and take also of
the tree of life, and eat, and live forever"-- therefore the LORD
God sent him out of the garden of Eden to till the ground from which he was
taken. So He drove out the man; and He placed cherubim at the east of the
garden of Eden, and a flaming sword which turned every way,
to guard the way to the tree of life." So we see the reason God
cast them out was so they could not partake of the tree of LIFE also and live
forever. You see if they had of taken of the tree of life first and then came
upon the tree of knowledge of good and evil they would not have partook of
it. Notice what is said of those in the
Final result can be Eternal death:
We see that there's not only rewards in this life for good works, but
punishment for evil works, and there's eternal life for the righteous,
and eternal death for the unrighteous. Just as the sin of our first parents
brought death to the flesh, continued sin, or a love for sin, can result in
eternal death. Let's go through some scriptures to see what thay have to say
about this subject by starting with the event where John the Baptist was out
baptizing people with the water of repentance. The Pharisees and Sadducees
came to his baptism and John said, "Brood of vipers! Who warned you to
flee from the wrath to come? Therefore bear fruits worthy of repentance,"
Matt 3:7-8. Then he said on down in verse ten "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."
The ax is laid to the root of the trees denotes that judgment is already at work in the lives of mankind because they can accept or reject the messiah Jesus as the Son of God. Let's compare this statement with what Jesus said in John 15:4-6 "Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in Me. I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing. If anyone does not abide in Me, he is cast out as a branch and is withered; and they gather them and throw them into the fire, and they are burned." So we see in both of these statements the comparison between trees, vines, fruit, and axes cutting down the bad, and the bad fruit being cast into the fire. How does this compare with the fate of the wicked or evil person? "These are spots in your love feasts, while they feast with you without fear, serving only themselves. They are clouds without water, carried about by the winds; late autumn trees without fruit, twice dead, pulled up by the roots; raging waves of the sea, foaming up their own shame; wandering stars for whom is reserved the blackness of darkness forever." Jude 1:12-13. Notice that they are described as fruit that is twice dead and they are pulled up by their roots showing that their death is eternal as is also denoted by..."reserved the blackness of darkness forever." When a person is dead they are in the blackness of darkness, and to be in the blackness of darkness "forever" is eternal death. (Again check out our article "What happens after death" at the end of this study. I think you will be surprised by the truth instead of the error that has been taught for years.)
Repentance and change from within:
As I alluded to above the one thing that we must develop before we can
become Spirit begotten Children of God is holy righteous character and this
can't come about except through choice. Remember, we must experience good
and evil and come to desire the good over evil if we are to become like God.
What we MUST come to understand is that there's a reason for eternal life
and a reason for eternal death. I have not found in our research through the
scriptures that the angels that fell with Satan can repent and return to God.
It seems to be because they are spirit, and they can't be destroyed or changed
after sin enters them so they must live in the painful state of being cut
off from God forever. From our research it seems that the great truth is that
God created us physical so we could not live forever if we choose the way
of evil. By being physical we can be completely destroyed if we fail to accept
Jesus as the only true Son of God or if we choose to become evil. What is
all this about? The fact is that God wants a family that's concerned for the
good of all the creation just as He is. God wants a family that has His mind
and desires to fulfill His will by our own choice. God wants a spirit family
that will love Him and trust all He commands knowing He loves us. This love
from God is a true love, which is the type of love that goes away from the
self, and outward towards others. It is a love greater than what Adam and
Eve had. It is the type of love good parents love their children with; loving
them more than loving themselves. We must receive this love by submitting
to God before He will ever entrust us with becoming eternal and having His
power.
A new and wrong kind of love being accepted:
There is a new kind of love being taught in many churches today. This
new love that is being preached by those who follow the ways of this world
is just the opposite of God's love. Their brand of love is inward toward the
self. They teach that we must look inside ourselves to find God. That to bring
out what is deep within will connect us to our "higher power" or
our spirit within allowing us to fulfill our greatest needs and desires. Satan
wants us to concentrate on the inner spirit because it is in reality, the
spirit of the self, and promotes only what the individual desires with no
concern for others. To allow Satan to convince us that we should promote the
self for success in life is to bring the very fruits of destruction, and is
the very thing Paul warned us about saying. "But know this, that in
the last days perilous times will come: For men will be lovers of themselves,
lovers of money, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents,
unthankful, unholy, unloving, unforgiving, slanderers, without self-control,
brutal, despisers of good, traitors, headstrong, haughty, lovers of pleasure
rather than lovers of God, having a form of godliness but denying its power.
And from such people turn away!" 2 Tim 3:1-5. Think of the type
of world we would have to endure if these fruits were in most people.
When Hitler was ruling the people of
All mankind is given, or will be given the opportunity to know and accept or reject the salvation of The Messiah and no one will have an excuse for not knowing the truth because like stated before, we have the tree of the knowledge of good and evil within us. We also have another way to know if we are doing right or wrong and can't be denied or covered up except by pure self denial. If we think we can get away with sin because we state we are deceived so it's not our fault then let's read what was inspired by God. "Do not be deceived, God is not mocked; for whatever a man sows, that he will also reap. For he who sows to his flesh will of the flesh reap corruption, ("phthora" to perish), but he who sows to the Spirit will of the Spirit reap everlasting life." Gal 6:7-8. This is a law God has set in motion just like the law of action and reaction, so what we do to others WILL happen to us. It's like throwing a bucket of slop against a 50 mile an hour wind; if you don't want it on YOU, don't throw it! The law of action and reaction is sure and does not discriminate for, or against, the rich, poor, or against any sex or race. If a person can't or won't believe what God states is right or wrong then they will live their life learning by this law. If they do evil, then they will always live in sorrow and pain, but if they do well they will live their life pleased and content with blessings from God. Does this mean those that work hard will never have trials? Not at all. Does this mean that we have a choice in all aspects of our lives? Not at all. One would never choose to be hit by a drunk driver and loose their legs for the rest of their lives, but it does happen because of the sins of others not because of God. We all have trials just being human, and we all are different with different back grounds, genetics, and opportunities that help us through doors that may be locked to others. God does involve Himself in some human affairs but we all must learn what ever God may determine we learn is good for us and no man has the right to reply against God to say why! We must understand that God is God and the fact He has ALL rights over us is what makes Him God. Be grateful that He has compassion and is very merciful, and do your best to obey Him and pray for His love, compassion, and mercy.
Measuring Righteousness:
How should we measure if we, or others are in God's good grace? Some people
equate having riches with doing good works, or being in the grace of God,
but is success the way to measure our standing with God? Although one can
be successful if they follow the laws of wisdom in finances, we can't measure
anyone's righteousness or unrighteousness by what they possess. I'm sure you
would agree that many today and down through time have had great power and
riches but were very evil. The righteous, and unrighteous, the rich and poor
go through trials and testing and in the process we all learn what God is
teaching and in many cases are humbled. Trials are there because either we
caused it ourselves, or someone else caused it. We just need to determine
what we need to learn in any trial. There is an old saying that states..."Success
is acquired on the building blocks of our failures." If we continue to
ignore the trial and never come to understand why the same type of things
continue to happen to us, we are in many cases doomed to continue to repeat
it until we do. We should not ask why things continue to happen, but what
do we need to learn from it. The bottom line is that no one gets away with
anything even if they are not found out by the law. All good and bad deeds
are rewarded by God in His time, either now or after Jesus returns. The truth
is that the act of sin is going against God and to do so is in fact a direct
violation of ourselves which results in a lack of inner happiness and well
being. If you are depressed then ask why you have so much anger because depression
is just anger turned inward.
Does God punish?
Although the book of Revelation is studied in depth by most Christians, many
don’t understand what the reason and point for the great tribulation is. The
reason they miss the real point is because they are trying to interpret its
writings. Many just want to be able to so-say predict the future. The true
reason for its writing and future fulfillment is 1) The result of man's disobedience
to the laws of God, and, 2) A warning from God about Him punishing the wicked
for the purpose of reform. God never punishes for the sake of revenge
or because He wants to see suffering. God takes absolutely no pleasure in
the pain or suffering of anyone at all, but notice He always let's the punishment
fit the infraction, and within the trial are lessons, as well as a plea from
God for repentance. If we reject His plea and continue on then the next state
of that person can become much worse and then over time the heart can become
more hardened towards repentance, and the next plea from God could very well
be more severe. As this continues in time the person can become reprobate
which is a person that is rejected by God because
they have rejected Him and then will have no hope for salvation. Let’s read
what was inspired by God recorded in Rom 1:18-19. "For the wrath of God
is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men,
who suppress the truth in unrighteousness, because what may be known of
God is manifest in them, for God has shown it to them." Notice that
God shows it to them and that they had no excuse for their unrighteousness
because God has shown what may be known of God is manifest in them. Question:
Does this mean that these people are fallen Christians that at one time
lived a life with God and have received His Holy Spirit?
Let's read on into the next verse. Rom. 20 "For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even His eternal power and Godhead, so that they are without excuse, because, although they knew God, they did not glorify Him as God, nor were thankful, but became futile in their thoughts, and their foolish hearts were darkened." Here it states that all mankind can know God by what is clearly seen, which are those things He has made. All we need to do is look at the world and see all that God has made to see God and His great love He has for His creation. All we need to do is listen to the fruit of the tree of knowledge of good and evil within us, or what is happening to us as a result of what we are doing to others in order to know right from wrong. Let's look at another scripture that proves God is showing all mankind the truth concerning right or wrong. Rom 2:11-15 "For there is no partiality with God. For as many as have sinned without law will also perish without law, and as many as have sinned in the law will be judged by the law, (for not the hearers of the law are just in the sight of God, but the doers of the law will be justified; for when Gentiles, who do not have the law, by nature do the things in the law, these, although not having the law, are a law to themselves, who show the work of the law written in their hearts, their conscience also bearing witness, and between themselves their thoughts accusing or else excusing them)"
How plain can God get on this subject? Paul states that the doers will be justified and that by nature (that fruit within us) even the Gentiles kept the law. These were those that never heard of the truth because notice, they are those without the law. What was it that helped them to know they were sinning? Was it because they belonged to the Church and were baptized, receiving the Holy Spirit? No! It was for the same reason that all people know when they do wrong. "Their "conscience" also bearing witness, and between themselves "their thoughts" accusing or else excusing them"
There are those who teach that the world is deceived and are not held accountable for their actions until God opens their minds to the truth. Is this true? Are we to believe that these people don't know that murder is wrong? Are we to believe that these people don't know stealing, lying, adultery, or homosexuality is wrong? Are we to believe that these people don't know that being proud, a blasphemer, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, unloving, unforgiving, being a slanderer, brutal, despisers of good, being a traitor, headstrong, haughty, and loving pleasure is wrong? I'm not referring to what people "believe", but to what they know in their heart is wrong. Christian ministers and elders are teaching people today that they are saved just because they stated with their mouth and believe in their heart that Jesus died for their sins and that is all there is to it. Is that all there is to it? No! We must also work on our human nature as best as we can. We must think about the consequence of our actions. If we believe otherwise we will become complacent in our attitude towards sin thinking we don't have anything to worry about. That's why Satan wants you to believe you can't do anything about it and what's truly so bad about this attitude is that it's what we WANT to believe just like Eve wanted to believe that she would not die and all would be fine. We can convince ourselves that we are not accountable for our sins because we are just deceived, but we will still receive the punishment God has set up for those who choose sin for a season; which can result in eternal death! We must not only accept Jesus' blood sacrifice but we must also learn about the agenda of the true Son of God that has the power to forgive and Who has overcame Satan, death and the grave!
We have what is called legal voluntary abortion in the United States and is used my thousands of women every day. When women believe they can murder their child because it's her body and she has a right to do with her body as she pleases; she is still committing M-U-R-D-E-R and will be judged by the great God of heaven for the murder of her innocent child. I just wish these women could hear the cry of their child as it's being murdered! Yes, you women can continue to believe the doctors who receives great riches for their crimes, but you will not be able to claim you were just deceived. If you believe that God will just punish the Ministers, or Doctors that lie and not those who follow them you are gambling with your eternal life. The question is if those that want to be justified by claiming they were just deceived then I must ask...Will the world during the great tribulation be deceived and therefore not be guilty? We can read in II Th 2:9-12 where God will allow the people of this world to receive the truth, but they will reject it and receive condemnation. "The coming of the lawless one is according to the working of Satan, with all power, signs, and lying wonders, and with all unrighteous deception among those who perish, because they did not "receive" the love of the truth, that they might be saved. And for this reason God will send them strong delusion, that they should believe the lie, that they all may be condemned who did not believe the truth but had pleasure in unrighteousness."
Notice "they did not receive the love of the truth, that they might be saved." It did not say they did not receive "the truth" but the LOVE of the truth. This denotes that they know the truth but will reject it. The word "receive" in the Greek here is "dechomai" and means to accept, or take. They would have had to been presented with the truth for them to reject it. The fact is that the world will not have an excuse because the two great witnesses will be teaching the truth in great power to ALL the world during this time. Also notice that those who will reject the truth, will reject it because they will have pleasure in unrighteousness. They choose evil over God and that will be their choice.
Why is it that people choose to go along with traditions of men when they know it is wrong? Why was it that the many German soldiers who were just family men choose to go along with so much murder during the Second World War? Why is it that a crowd will go with the flow of a lynch mob while not even knowing all the facts? The reason people will go along with the traditions of men, and even to the point of murdering thousands like occurred during World War Two, and voluntary abortion today is because people for the most part want the easy way out. People who are not seeking God and loving Him will like water take the path of least resistance. The point that God wants us to get is that we all need to choose right from wrong even if it cost us in the end. What did Jesus say about this in Matt 10:37-39. "He who loves father or mother more than Me is not worthy of Me. And he who loves son or daughter more than Me is not worthy of Me. And he who does not take his burden and follow after Me is not worthy of Me. He who finds his life will lose it, and he who loses his life for My sake will find it." And in Luke 14:33 we read, "So likewise, whoever of you does not forsake all that he has cannot be My disciple."
Wouldn't this mean that we should be willing to go against those that are evil and fight for the truth and all that is good in God's sight? What we should never forget is that God always judges the heart. If it is in our heart to stand up for all that is right and true, then we will have the strength and courage necessary to go against those that do harm to others. Yes it is a great struggle and it's easier to just go along and blend in, but how will you answer God in the resurrection? Even the struggle of the butterfly is what makes it what it becomes and if you helped it out of the cocoon it would either be deformed or die. In the same way if we don't struggle in this life we too can die for ever. Our Loving Father wants us to live in peace and joy, with great prosperity for all, and the laws of God are for that purpose. They are laws of love; first our love for God and then our love for mankind. If we reject Jesus and the law of God we will be judged and cast into the lake of fire, but if we accept Jesus and the Law of God we will be judged and brought into His glory to live forever. If we accept the mark of the beast we will not be in the book of life, and if we are not in the book of life at the Great White Throne Judgment we will be cast into the lake of fire to be destroyed forever. Rev. 14:9-11.
We can be influenced by others when their deception is what we want to do, or when their deception is easier then following what we in our hearts know is right. Just like Eve in the garden was deceived because Satan presented what she wanted to do in a way that made it seem right. Just like women accepting the murder doctors particular method of reasoning or argumentation to convince them to murder the very one they are to protect and love. Just like people worshipping idols such as the Cross, Madonna, and the Trinity in the name of Christianity. The fact is that they already want to worship them so all Satan has to do is justify it for them. Let's read an example of how wording can be translated in such a way so people will accept the deception of worshipping idols although the word of God according to scripture is clear stating it is an abomination. This example below is from the Catholic Church. Notice how they even admit that the first Commandment condemns idolatry.
“The Church's acceptance of images is not contrary to the first commandment which condemns idols. Indeed, they say, the honor rendered to an image passes to its prototype and whoever accepts an image accepts the person portrayed in it. The honor paid to sacred images is a respectful acceptance of the person portrayed. They teach that they are not worshipping the image itself, but under their distinctive aspects as images they are leading us on to God.”
We can be deceived by others brethren, but please never believe that this frees anyone from the penalty God has declared. All it means to be deceived is that the deceived will go into perdition with those that deceived them! May God open all our minds to this truth so we can prepare for the coming of Christ and be ready to meet Him without fear of His coming judgments! It's your choice and God will not take that from you!
You might want to read these companion studies titled...
(See "What
happens after death")
(See By Their Fruits)
(See Resurrection/Judgments)
In Jesus' service
Timothy Youngblood