But are we not still thinking naturally? I'm not saying that one can do whatever one wants and not pay the consequences, which can manifest in countless ways that our limited minds most certainly haven't even imagined. Yet none of us have ever fully crossed over "from" this realm into the other to be able to come back and say "this is how it's gonna be on the other side . . ." And yet the discussions come across as though that's the case. Many times the reason I do push back a bit is to try to get all of us to actually "hear" what it is we're saying. This is one of those times.
Time . . . we don't know what it's like to be beyond it's measure. The realm in which we live is measured and governed by it, but the spirit is not. It's "outside" of the measurement of time. Even when there are spiritual, prophetic time frames given, it's not because it's measured in heaven, but it's patterned after the length of time on earth . .time, times and half of time . . .very mysterious in our eyes because we don't know what it's like not to measure time. So when we look at judgment, we expect there will be a "time" of that as well. But this judgment . . .is it natural or spiritual? If it's natural, that's where I see the consequences of our actions coming into play . . .but if it's spiritual . . . that's a whole other matter because there's no length to spiritual, it's instantaneous. It's FINISHED works reality.
That's only one aspect. That's only looking at it logistically.
Spiritually, does our view of judgment come into the alignment of the nature and essence of Jesus? If someone hits you, justice says you can hit them back, grace says turn the other cheek. "Yeah, cuz God is going to judge them in the end . . ." Really? Doesn't Scripture tell us that WE HAVE THE POWER to release and to bind??? If we forgive someone on earth, they are forgiven in heaven? Does our forgiveness only become effective if they ask for it? The soldiers that killed Jesus, and even to the extension of those that put him on the cross, what did Jesus pray? Did he pray that God would judge them? That his justice would manifest in them? Or that God would forgive them?
If we do release forgiveness, how then can they still be judged? If judgment happens, forgiveness never took effect. Old Covenant emphasized judgment. New Covenant fulfilled the need for judgment and the emphasis became one of grace. As I stated before, the insistence of judgment doesn't carry with it any of the characteristics of the fruit of the spirit . . .I think that's more than a coincidence. The judgment Jesus passed on to the woman caught in adultery was in the form of forgiveness. If he can forgive her, she didn't know him, she didn't ask for his forgiveness and yet that was the judgment he rendered to her, and if he can forgive her, why is there such a struggle in thinking that this same forgiveness will be rendered to everyone else as well?
If we have the light of truth in us, our message, interest and focus should be on things that illuminate and bring life to us and others . . .this persistence that judgment is yet to come to those who don't have a relationship with God in the next realm really seems to be distracting the message of life to one of death and I for one want to be resurrected from that rather than try to reinforce it's message with others.
I "am" challenging you to think differently on this. I'm not condemning you if you don't by any means. But I believe that love has already brought judgment to sin and I don't think another judgment is still awaiting for those that didn't ask for forgiveness from the first judgment. I believe love has already over come. But it's so incomprehensible to our natural logic that we can't even fathom the affects of it's reaches. I think "UR" is merely our way of scratching the surface leading to the depths of just how great the affects of the cross really has been.
We continue to revert to the Scripture as the final word . . .even if our interpretation contradicts the nature of Jesus himself. We hold to our conclusions because that's the only thing we can grasp. We can't grasp what we can't see. yet the only way into the kingdom is by seeing what can't be seen. Faith. It changes everything. Scripture "does" support these things. But only when you can read what can't be seen. Follow the nature of Christ, it leads to ALL truths. His nature was not to bring judgment, but redemption. The law has already judged us and we've been found wanting. But Christ fulfilled the law and THROUGH HIM, "MAN" has been redeemed.
When men come into that awareness, the things of this world can no longer hold them to it's bondages. Men who don't come into this awareness, their bondages are the evidence that judgment still is holding them in debt. But again, when we pass from this realm bound by time, into the spirit realm free from time's influence, judgment no longer is in effect.
Can you imagine the look on the Pharisee's faces when they would hear things like what Jesus said in Matthew 5? "You have heard it said . . .BUT I SAY.
38Ye have heard that it hath been said, An eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth:
39But I say unto you, That ye resist not evil: but whosoever shall smite thee on thy right cheek, turn to him the other also.
40And if any man will sue thee at the law, and take away thy coat, let him have thy cloak also.
And again . ..
43Ye have heard that it hath been said, Thou shalt love thy neighbour, and hate thine enemy.
44But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you;
45That ye may be the children of your Father which is in heaven: for he maketh his sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and sendeth rain on the just and on the unjust.
Know why these things he was sharing were the opposite from what they've been taught? Because he's giving them spiritual principles over their natural justices. Grace trumps justice. Let my message be one of grace, not one of judgment. That I may be the child of the Father which is in heaven . . . the principles of God work against the principles of men because men operate in man in the name of God, rather than operating in the nature of God against the logic of man.
If I start my interpretation of Scripture from knowing the nature of God first, the verses of judgment that appear to be destructive in nature become something all together different. That's why I brought up the adulterous woman . . .her judgment was, forgiveness. That's the kind of judgment I want to pass on to others. Put them in a furnace of fire after they die if you want, but if Jesus showed how he passes judgement when he was here on earth, why would I think that he's going to be any different in passing judgment on us after death?
