Wednesday, May 21, 2025

PT-3 “Scripture Provides Instruction For Salvation” (2 Timothy 3:15)

SPIRITUAL DIARY FOR 5/21/2025 9:31 AM

 

My Worship Time                             Focus:  PT-3 “Scripture Provides Instruction For Salvation”

 

Bible Reading & Meditation                                                   Reference:  2 Timothy 3:15

 

            Message of the verse:  “and that from childhood you have known the sacred writings which are able to give you the wisdom that leads to salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus.”

 

            I continue looking at the 9th chapter of John MacArthur’s commentary on 2 Timothy.  He entitles this ninth chapter “The Work of the Word” and it covers 2 Timothy 3:15-17.  He writes the following short introduction to these verses:  “No other passage in the New Testament speaks so concisely of the nature and work of God’s Word in salvation and sanctification.  In this text, the spiritually transforming power of divine revelation is delineated.”

 

            I want to begin this SD by talking about how the people in Old Testament times became believer.  Now even before it occurred, the death of Jesus Christ provided the satisfaction of divine justice by which God could forgive the repenting people.  How could this happen?  Well God knew that at the perfect time He would send His Son to earth in order to die and pay for the sins for all time, and so as we look at a section in the New Testament that talks about the rich man and Lazarus we find that when the rich man died he went to a place where unbelievers went.  Here is the story of the rich man and Lazarus found in Luke 16:19-31:  “19 "Now there was a rich man, and he habitually dressed in purple and fine linen, joyously living in splendor every day. 20 “And a poor man named Lazarus was laid at his gate, covered with sores, 21 and longing to be fed with the crumbs which were falling from the rich man’s table; besides, even the dogs were coming and licking his sores. 22 “Now the poor man died and was carried away by the angels to Abraham’s bosom; and the rich man also died and was buried. 23 “In Hades he lifted up his eyes, being in torment, and saw Abraham far away and Lazarus in his bosom. 24 “And he cried out and said, ‘Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus so that he may dip the tip of his finger in water and cool off my tongue, for I am in agony in this flame.’ 25 "But Abraham said, ‘Child, remember that during your life you received your good things, and likewise Lazarus bad things; but now he is being comforted here, and you are in agony. 26 ‘And besides all this, between us and you there is a great chasm fixed, so that those who wish to come over from here to you will not be able, and that none may cross over from there to us.’ 27 "And he said, ‘Then I beg you, father, that you send him to my father’s house —  28 for I have five brothers — in order that he may warn them, so that they will not also come to this place of torment.’ 29 “But Abraham said, ‘They have Moses and the Prophets; let them hear them.’ 30 “But he said, ‘No, father Abraham, but if someone goes to them from the dead, they will repent!’ 31 "But he said to him, ‘If they do not listen to Moses and the Prophets, they will not be persuaded even if someone rises from the dead.’"

 

            I believe that this place Abraham’s bosom, was a place where all those who died in the Old Testament times went and then when the Lord Jesus Christ died on the cross in order to pay for the sins, all sins for all time, that He went there after He died and took those OT believers to heaven, and this could only be done because He had paid for their sins in full.  Hades now since that time has only unbelievers in it as this is the place where all who die without Christ’s forgiveness go, but this is not hell.  Now I want to move to the 19th chapter of the book of Revelation where beginning with verse 11 we see the return of the Lord Jesus Christ to earth along with all of the raptured saints.  I will begin at Revelation 19:19-21.  “19 And I saw the beast and the kings of the earth and their armies assembled to make war against Him who sat on the horse and against His army. 20 And the beast was seized, and with him the false prophet who performed the signs in his presence, by which he deceived those who had received the mark of the beast and those who worshiped his image; these two were thrown alive into the lake of fire which burns with brimstone. 21 And the rest were killed with the sword which came from the mouth of Him who sat on the horse, and all the birds were filled with their flesh.”

 

            If I understand this correctly these are the first to go into what the Bible calls Hell.  The following verses show where Satan will go, “the abyss.”1 Then I saw an angel coming down from heaven, holding the key of the abyss and a great chain in his hand. 2 And he laid hold of the dragon, the serpent of old, who is the devil and Satan, and bound him for a thousand years; 3 and he threw him into the abyss, and shut it and sealed it over him, so that he would not deceive the nations any longer, until the thousand years were completed; after these things he must be released for a short time” (Rev. 20:1-3). 

 

            As we move further into the 20th chapter of Revelation we see that at the end of the millennial kingdom Satan will be let out for a short time to begin a war, which he will lose very rapidly, (Rev. 20:7-10). 

 

            In the remaining verses of Revelation 20 we see what is called “The Great White Throne Judgment.”   In this judgment there will only be unbelievers who if I understand this correctly they will be given a chance to give reasons why they should not go into hell.  The reason they will go into hell is that they did not believe in the salvation that can only come from the death, burial and resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ.  Those reading this Spiritual Diary who have not trusted the Lord Jesus Christ for salvation can see what will happen from the Word of God.  Ask the Lord Jesus to save you from your sins with a prayer that like this:  “Lord Jesus I realize that I am a sinner, I was born with Adam’s sin and because of that I sin.  I repent of my sins and ask you to come into my heart to save me, and it is my desire to live for you all the remaining days of my life.

 

            It was not my purpose to write all that I have written in this SD on 2 Timothy, but I have to do what the Lord leads me to do and He put this in my heart to write what I have written.

 

5/21/2025 10:19 AM 

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