DO THE 5 MONTHS CONTAIN ALL
OF THE STRIPES OF HELL?
Updated - 2/10/11
There
are many verses in the Bible that speak of conscious affliction that the
unsaved must endure as payment for their sins. Many of these verses can be
found in studies on this website: www.isannihilationtrue.com
. Yet, it is argued that only the unsaved here on May 21, 2011 will receive
“stripes” or conscious affliction for their sins. Does this teaching agree with
the Bible?
One
passage that talks about the fact that those that knew more of the Bible will
receive more “stripes”, or conscious affliction, as punishment for sin is found
in Luke 12:47-48. We read there:
47 And that servant, which knew his lord’s will,
and prepared not himself, neither did according to his will, shall be
beaten with many stripes.
48 But he that knew not, and did commit things
worthy of stripes, shall be beaten with few stripes. For unto whomsoever
much is given, of him shall be much required: and to whom men have committed
much, of him they will ask the more.
Some
people argue that the context of this passage only applies to those here at the
Rapture. However, a careful study of the context shows that it applies to all
of the unsaved throughout time. This study is contained in the link below:
THE SERVANT THAT KNEW
HIS LORD’S WILL SHALL BE BEATEN WITH MANY STRIPES
In
the above link there is a lot of information to help understand Luke 12:47-48
that goes along with the material in this study.
In
Luke 12:47-48, God talks about the “lord’s will”. What is the “lord’s
will”?
The
Bible itself defines the “lord’s will”. The “Lord” in these verses of course refers to God. To understand what
God means by the “lord’s will” in
Luke 12:47-48 we examine other passages that use the word “will” to see how God defines this word:
Matthew 6:10 Thy kingdom come. Thy will <2307> be done in earth, as it is in heaven.
This is the Lord’s prayer. The prayer is that the Lord’s “will” would be done on earth. The “Lord’s will” is the whole Bible. We
pray that everything that God has declared in the Bible will come to pass.
Matthew 7:21 Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord,
shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will <2307> of my Father which is in heaven.
Matthew 7:21 is describing the character of the true believer. He is one
that “doeth the will of my Father”.
The “will of my Father” is the whole
Bible. The true believer is endeavoring to follow the whole Bible.
Matthew 12:50 For whosoever shall do the will <2307> of my Father which is in heaven, the same is my brother,
and sister, and mother.
Matthew 12:50 is talking about the true believers who are part of the
family of God, as represented by the titles “brother, and sister, and mother” of the Lord Jesus. The “will” to which God refers in this verse
is the whole Bible. That is what the true believers do.
Romans 2:18 And knowest his will <2307>, and approvest the things that are more excellent, being
instructed out of the law;
In Romans 2:18 God is talking about the Jews and their knowledge of the
Old Testament which was the Bible that was available in their time. God talks
about how they knew His “will”. The
Jews knew the Old Testament. Notice that God adds at the end of the verse that
they were “instructed out of the law”.
The “law” refers to the whole Bible,
which was the Old Testament for the Jews since that was all that was available
in their time. In Romans 2:18 God identifies the “will” of God with the “law”
of God, which is the whole Bible.
These are a few verses in which God defines
what the “Lord’s will” is. Without doubt, the “Lord’s will” is the whole Bible.
God
defines terms by how He uses them in the Bible. No where does the Bible teach
that the “Lord’s will” is limited to some new teachings coming today. Rather,
the Bible defines the “Lord’s will” as the whole Bible.
Every
human being is the servant of God, both the saved and the unsaved. Luke
12:47-48 is focused upon the unsaved servants. We see here that every unsaved
servant is "beaten" with some "stripes". The two Greek
words translated “beaten” and “stripes” in these verses always signify
conscious affliction. Below are verses that use this same Greek word translated
“stripes”:
Luke
10:30 And Jesus answering said, A
certain man went down from Jerusalem to Jericho, and fell among thieves,
which stripped him of his raiment, and wounded <4127>
him, and departed, leaving him half dead.
Acts
16:23 And when they had laid many
stripes <4127> upon them, they
cast them into prison, charging the jailor to keep them safely:
Acts
16:33 And he took them the same hour of
the night, and washed their stripes <4127>;
and was baptized, he and all his, straightway.
2
Corinthians 6:5 In stripes <4127>, in imprisonments, in tumults, in
labours, in watchings, in fastings;
2
Corinthians 11:23 Are they ministers of
Christ? (I speak as a fool) I am more; in labours more abundant, in
stripes <4127> above measure, in
prisons more frequent, in deaths oft.
This
word “stripes” identifies with conscious suffering. So, all the unsaved will experience
"stripes", a conscious affliction, from God as payment for their
sins.
In
connection with the payment for sin God also talks about the unsaved servants
being "beaten". Even the servant that did not know the master's will
was still "beaten". The servant that knew the master's will was
"beaten" more.
God
is indicating that the payment for sin, hell, involves being "beaten",
a conscious affliction. Below are verses with this word "beaten":
Matthew
21:35 And the husbandmen took his
servants, and beat <1194> one,
and killed another, and stoned another.
Mark
12:3 And they caught him, and
beat <1194> him, and sent him
away empty.
Mark
12:5 And again he sent another; and him
they killed, and many others; beating some <1194>,
and killing some.
Mark
13:9 But take heed to yourselves: for
they shall deliver you up to councils; and in the synagogues ye shall be beaten
<1194>: and ye shall be brought
before rulers and kings for my sake, for a testimony against them.
Luke
20:10 And at the season he sent a
servant to the husbandmen, that they should give him of the fruit of the
vineyard: but the husbandmen beat <1194>
him, and sent him away empty.
Luke
20:11 And again he sent another servant:
and they beat <1194> him also,
and entreated him shamefully, and sent him away empty.
Luke
22:63 And the men that held Jesus mocked
him, and smote <1194> him.
John
18:23 Jesus answered him, If I have
spoken evil, bear witness of the evil: but if well, why smitest <1194> thou me?
Acts
5:40 And to him they agreed: and when
they had called the apostles, and beaten <1194>
them, they commanded that they should not speak in the name of Jesus,
and let them go.
Acts
16:37 But Paul said unto them, They have
beaten <1194> us openly
uncondemned, being Romans, and have cast us into prison; and now do they
thrust us out privily? nay verily; but let them come themselves and fetch us
out.
Acts
22:19 And I said, Lord, they know that I
imprisoned and beat <1194> in
every synagogue them that believed on thee:
2
Corinthians 11:20 For ye suffer, if a
man bring you into bondage, if a man devour you, if a man take of you,
if a man exalt himself, if a man smite <1194>
you on the face.
God defines words by how He uses them in
the Bible. We see that God defines both of these words, “stripes” and “beaten”,
found in Luke 12:47-48 as identifying with conscious affliction. Thus we can
know that this passage talks about a payment for sin of conscious affliction.
The beating with stripes
does not refer to suffering in this world.
Several
passages in the Bible indicate that the unsaved can pass through their sojourn
in this world without noteworthy suffering or stripes. For example we read:
We
read in Psalm 73:1-12:
1
¶ <<A Psalm of Asaph.>> Truly God is good to
2 But as for me, my feet were almost gone; my
steps had well nigh slipped.
3 For I was envious at the foolish, when
I saw the prosperity of the wicked.
4 For there are no bands in their death:
but their strength is firm.
5 They are not in trouble as other
men; neither are they plagued like other men.
6 Therefore pride compasseth them about as a
chain; violence covereth them as a garment.
7 Their eyes stand out with fatness: they have
more than heart could wish.
8 They are corrupt, and speak wickedly concerning
oppression: they speak loftily.
9 They set their mouth against the heavens, and
their tongue walketh through the earth.
10 Therefore his people return hither: and
waters of a full cup are wrung out to them.
11 And they say, How doth God know? and is there
knowledge in the most High?
12 Behold, these are the ungodly, who
prosper in the world; they increase in riches.
Notice
how in Psalm 73:1-12 that God says that unsaved people can enjoy this world
very much and have very few problems. Also, as indicated in verse 4, the
unsaved can die from this world without suffering.
We
read in Job 21:7-15:
7
¶ Wherefore do the wicked live, become old, yea, are mighty in power?
8 Their seed is established in their sight with
them, and their offspring before their eyes.
9 Their houses are safe from fear,
neither is the rod of God upon them.
10 Their bull gendereth, and faileth not; their
cow calveth, and casteth not her calf.
11 They send forth their little ones like a
flock, and their children dance.
12 They take the timbrel and harp, and rejoice
at the sound of the organ.
13 They spend their days in wealth, and in a
moment go down to the grave.
14 Therefore they say unto God, Depart from us;
for we desire not the knowledge of thy ways.
15 What is the Almighty, that we should
serve him? and what profit should we have, if we pray unto him?
Job
21:7-15 has a similar theme as Psalm 73:1-12. We read in Job 21 that the
unsaved can have many blessings in this world. As a result, they do not care
about God. This is shown in verses 14 & 15. In verse 13 God says that the
unsaved can die from this world peacefully.
We
read in Luke 16:19-22:
19
¶ There was a certain rich man, which was clothed in purple and fine linen, and
fared sumptuously every day:
20 And there was a certain beggar named Lazarus,
which was laid at his gate, full of sores,
21 And desiring to be fed with the crumbs which
fell from the rich man’s table: moreover the dogs came and licked his sores.
22 And it came to pass, that the beggar died,
and was carried by the angels into Abraham’s bosom: the rich man also died, and
was buried;
This
rich man enjoys his sojourn in this world without any statement of
difficulties.
In
addition, John 9:1-3, Exodus 4:10-11 and Luke 13:1-5 teach that disabilities,
hardships or sufferings in this world are not a payment for sin but rather are
a part of God’s plan for mankind and a part of God’s curse on this world. God
makes us with various strengths and weaknesses and that is not because of any
specific sin that we have committed. Because of blindness someone can have a
very difficult time in this world and suffer greatly, yet that has nothing to
do with specific sin that he or his parents have committed. It is part of the
general curse of God upon this world.
Thus, we know from several passages that
the “stripes” and “beating” of Luke 12:47-48 are not fulfilled in this world.
Luke 12:47-48 says that all unsaved
servants receive some stripes and since the Bible teaches that they are not
fulfilled in this world, a conscious awaking at Judgment Day is required for
their fulfillment.
Notice
the last part of Luke 12:48. It uses the words "much" and
"more". These words broaden the application of this verse from just
the person who didn't know any of the master's will and the person who knew all
of the master's will (which is not possible). That is Luke 12:47-48 covers the
whole range of unsaved mankind from those that never heard about the Bible all
the way to the unsaved person with the most knowledge of the Bible.
God gives specific application of Luke 12:47-48 to
people who have lived and died in the past, confirming that this passage does
not just apply to people here at the Rapture.
We
read in Matthew 11:20-24:
20
Then began he to upbraid the cities wherein most of his mighty works
were done, because they repented not:
21
Woe unto thee, Chorazin! woe unto thee, Bethsaida! for if the mighty
works, which were done in you, had been done in Tyre and Sidon, they would have
repented long ago in sackcloth and ashes.
22 But I say unto you, It shall be more
tolerable <414> for Tyre and Sidon at the day of judgment, than for you.
23
And thou, Capernaum, which art exalted unto heaven, shalt be brought
down to hell: for if the mighty works, which have been done in thee, had been
done in Sodom, it would have remained until this day.
24 But I say unto you, That it shall be more
tolerable <414> for the land of Sodom in the day of judgment, than for
thee.
Luke 10:13-14:
13 Woe unto thee, Chorazin! woe unto thee,
Bethsaida! for if the mighty works had been done in Tyre and Sidon, which have
been done in you, they had a great while ago repented, sitting in sackcloth and
ashes.
14 But it shall be more tolerable <414> for Tyre and Sidon at the judgment, than for you.
In
these passages, Jesus faults those people to whom He had spent much time
preaching. Jesus had even done “mighty
works” to show these people that He was from God. But, the people did not
listen. They “repented not” as verse
20 indicates.
Jesus
compares these people to Tyre and Sidon and Sodom. The people of these three
cities did not receive very much or any preaching of the Gospel. Jesus also
indicates that if the people in those three cities had seen the “mighty works” that Jesus did in the
regions of Galilee, those people would have repented. But, the people in Tyre
and Sidon and Sodom were never exposed to the preaching of the Gospel nor had
they seen the “mighty works” that
Jesus was doing for the people in Chorazin, Bethsaida and Capernaum.
As
a result of not receiving as much of the Gospel, Judgment Day will be “more tolerable”
for Tyre, Sidon and Sodom, than it will be for the cities of Galilee that
reached much Gospel preaching, yet repented not.
We
remember that God defines words by how He uses them in the Bible. This Greek
word translated “tolerable” is always used to indicate conscious experience.
This Greek word is examined carefully in the study at the link below in the
section titled “Six verses declare that judgment day will be more “tolerable” ”
TEN PROOFS OF THE
CONSCIOUS AWAKING OF THE UNSAVED
Each
usage of this Greek word translated “tolerable” indicates conscious experience. By this, God is
defining that this Greek word signifies conscious experience.
The Greek word translated “tolerable” in these verses is always used to indicate conscious
experience. God is teaching that the non-repentant people of Galilee will
receive more conscious affliction at Judgment Day than those of Tyre, Sidon and
Sodom.
This confirms that those people, who
died from this world about 2,000 years ago, will awake to consciousness at
Judgment Day.
Matthew
11:20-24 and Luke 10:13-14 also follow the law of Luke 12:47-48 that teaches
that those who knew less of the Gospel will receive less stripes that those heard
more of the Gospel and yet turned away from it.
Judgment
Day for the people of Tyre, Sidon and Sodom will be “more tolerable” than for those people of Galilee who saw many of
the “mighty works” of the Lord Jesus
yet repented not. Judgment Day will be “more
tolerable” for them because they will receive less stripes.
Matthew 11:20-24 and Luke 10:13-14
confirm the teaching of Luke 12:47-48 for people who have lived and died from
this world during the days of Jesus.
Let
us consider another application of the law of Luke 12:47-48 to those that have
previously died.
We now consider three verses from passages in which Jesus is instructing
the true believers about bringing the Gospel throughout the New Testament era.
We read the following 3 verses from those passages:
Matthew 10:15 Verily I say unto you, It shall be more
tolerable <414> for the land of Sodom and Gomorrha in the day of
judgment, than for that city.
Mark 6:11 And whosoever shall not receive you, nor hear
you, when ye depart thence, shake off the dust under your feet for a testimony
against them. Verily I say unto you, It shall be more tolerable <414> for Sodom and Gomorrha in the day of judgment, than for
that city.
Luke 10:12: But I
say unto you, that it shall be more tolerable <414> in that day for Sodom, than for that city.
Each
of these passages talks about the true believers bringing the Gospel throughout
the New Testament era. Three times, we see the Greek word translated “tolerable”. As
shown in the referenced study, this Greek word always signifies conscious
experience. God is giving a warning to mankind through the approximate 2,000
years of the New Testament era of what will happen to him if he rejects the
Gospel. Specifically, that he will experience conscious affliction as part of
the punishment for sin.
God
compares those people that hear the Gospel throughout the New Testament era to
those of the cities of Sodom and Gomorrha, Tyre and Sidon. In this way, the comparison
here is similar to that made in Matthew 11:20-24 and Luke 10:13-14 that we just
studied. The people of Sodom and Gomorrha, Tyre and Sidon heard very little of
the Gospel. They knew very little of the Lord’s will and these verses are
saying that Judgment Day will be “more tolerable” for
them that those people in the New Testament that heard more of the Gospel
message and turned away from it. That is equivalent to saying that they will
receive few stripes.
This
agrees with the principle of Luke 12:47-48 that the unsaved servant who knew
less of the Lord’s will, like those of Sodom and Gomorrha, Tyre and Sidon, will
receive less stripes. Judgment Day will be “more tolerable” for them.
These
verses involve conscious suffering. God is teaching us in these passages that
the payment for sin involves conscious suffering. From the least guilty to the
most guilty, there is conscious suffering. For those that lived and died
thousands of years ago, and those that live until the end, there is conscious
suffering.
THERE
ARE MANY PROBLEMS RECONCILING THE TEACHINGS OF THE BIBLE WITH THE TEACHING THAT
ONLY THE UNSAVED LEFT BEHIND ON MAY 21, 2011 WILL EXPERIENCE ANY “STRIPES” (OR
CONSCIOUS AFFLICTION) OF THE WRATH OF GOD.
We
will now examine some of those problems.
1. The bible teaches that there will be people that
will not hear about May 21, 2011, and yet will be left behind to receive many
stripes.
Let’s
consider two passages that talk about conditions at the time of the Rapture.
First, we read in Matthew 24:37-39:
37 But as the days of Noe were, so shall
also the coming of the Son of man be.
38 For as in the days that were before the flood
they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day
that Noe entered into the ark,
39 And knew not until the flood came, and took
them all away; so shall also the coming of the Son of man be.
In
Matthew 24:37-39 God is likening the days before the Rapture to the days before
the flood. God says that “as the days of Noe were, so shall also the
coming of the Son of man be.” The conditions before the Rapture will be the
same to those in the days of Noah in the respect that God describes in Matthew
24:37-39.
God
says “For as in the days that were before the flood they were eating and
drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noe entered into
the ark”. This is the language of “business as usual”. People are eating
and drinking, a necessary thing in this world. Also, people are continuing with
their future plans, a big part of which is marriage.
Then,
God indicates that there were people who did not know that the flood was about
to come. God says that they “knew not until the flood came, and took them
all away; so shall also the coming of the Son of man be.”
God
says that there were people who did not know about the coming of the flood and
that the same conditions will occur at the Rapture. There will be people who do
not know about the coming of the Rapture as we read in the language, “so
shall also the coming of the Son of man be.”
God is teaching in Mathew 24:37-39 that
there will be people who do not hear about the Rapture coming on May 21, 2011.
Yes,
Noah was a “preacher of righteousness”
as we read about in 2 Peter 2:5. The mere fact that he was building the large
ark on dry ground was proclaiming or preaching that judgment is coming. Also,
he would have told anyone near him that would listen.
However,
over the about 6,000 years since creation, people would have spread out to find
new and better farming lands, so there would have been people many miles away,
perhaps hundreds of miles away. There was no method of communication beside
word of mouth. Also, people were pretty busy growing enough food and raising
their families, so most people would not have traveled much. Thus, many people
who were far from Noah would never had heard about the ark or the proclamations
of Noah. They are the ones that “knew not until the flood came”.
People
can argue that everyone knew about the flood of Noah’s day, but we simply have
to listen to God and we can know that there were people who “knew not until
the flood came”. Jesus says that it will be the same way at the Rapture.
There will be people that do not know.
In
Luke 17:28-30 God likens the coming of the Rapture to the destruction of Sodom
and Gomorrah. We read there:
28 Likewise also as it was in the days of
29 But the same day that Lot went out of
30 Even thus shall it be in the day when the Son
of man is revealed.
Verse
28 says that the people of Sodom and Gomorrah went along with business as
usual. They did not know that the next day God was going to rain fire and
brimstone down from heaven upon them. Verse 29 indicates that this judgment
came upon them the “same day” that Lot went out of Sodom. This is
important because Genesis 19:23-24 indicates that when the sun was risen God
rained fire and brimstone down upon Sodom and Gomorrah. In other words, the
judgment came at the first light of morning. The two visitors came to Lot in
the evening, and by the time the sun came up, Lot was out of Sodom and the
judgment fell upon them. People could not travel at night back then. Therefore
the people of Gomorrah could not have received any warning of the coming
judgment. They did not know that the judgment was coming. God is saying that it
will be the same way at the time of the Rapture.
A careful reading of Luke 17:28-30 and
the accounts of Genesis 18 and 19 show that the people of Gomorrah could not
have known about the coming judgment. There was no way to communicate a message
to another city at night time. Jesus says that it will be the same way for some
people at the time of the Rapture.
Nowhere in the Bible does it say that
everyone will know when the Rapture is coming. Rather, the Bible specifically
teaches in Luke 17:26-30 and Matthew 24:37-39 that not everyone will know.
For
more information on this subject, please see the study at the link below:
WILL EVERYONE HEAR ABOUT
MAY 21, 2011?
2. Since the Bible teaches that there will be those
left behind that did not know about the Rapture, there will be those that “knew
not”, yet they will receive more stripes.
As
indicated by the verses cited above, the Bible teaches that there will be
people who do not hear about May 21, 2011. Yet, these people will be left behind
to “be beaten with many stripes”. They will suffer the
“stripes” of the 5 months.
In
fact, these people will not know that there are 5 months of “many stripes” and, after that, the
destruction of the universe. If they knew that information, they could commit
suicide on May 22, 2011 and avoid much of the stripes. However, because they
knew less of the “lord’s will”, they
will be subjected to “many stripes”.
This is the opposite of what Luke
12:47-48 teaches and thus gives further indication that the teaching of
annihilation does not agree with the Bible.
3. More than 1,000,000 people die each week and as we
get closer to May 21, 2011, an increasing percentage of them will have heard
about May 21, 2011. Yet they will die before that date without receiving any
stripes.
Each
week more than 1,000,000 people die worldwide. In a year that is more than 50
million people. Over the past few years, the message about May 21, 2011 has
been broadcast world-wide, and is now reaching people in more than 50
languages.
As
time has gone on, an increasing percentage of people will know about May 21,
2011. Yet, every week one million them die. As we draw closer to May 21, 2011
the percentage of those that know about May 21, 2011 who die will be continuing
to increase.
There
are people very close to the big source of the proclamation about May 21, 2011
and the details of Judgment Day who have heard many details about the coming of
Judgment Day. Many of these people have rejected the new teachings and yet
these people have already died. They have received none of the “stripes”
promised by Luke 12:47-48 that are promised to the unsaved, even though they
were quite knowledgeable about the new teachings.
About
1/3 of those 1 million people dying per week will be church people. Many of
whom have had a lot of exposure to the Bible and many of whom had heard a lot
of the new teachings, and have rejected them. Yet, they will escape with no
stripes. This does not agree with Luke 12:47-48.
We
remember the statement of Luke 12:47-48:
47 And that servant, which knew his lord’s will,
and prepared not himself, neither did according to his will, shall be
beaten with many stripes.
48 But he that knew not, and did commit things
worthy of stripes, shall be beaten with few stripes. For unto whomsoever
much is given, of him shall be much required: and to whom men have committed
much, of him they will ask the more.
God
talks about those that knew more of the Lord’s will and who will receive more
stripes. It is argued that these verses only apply to the knowledge of the Rapture
on May 21, 2011 and some other new teachings. Yet, there are people who were
very close to the source of these new teachings, who strongly disagreed with
them, and they have already died without any “stripes”. There is no fulfillment
of Luke 12:47-48 for them.
But
this does not fit the description of Luke 12:47-48 that says that the servant
that knew the Lord’s will shall be beaten with many stripes. There will be a
number of these knowledgeable servants that will escape the 5 months and the
many stripes by reason of death.
Let's
consider 3 verses from Revelation 18 speaking about the torments of the wrath
of God coming upon the unsaved in the churches at the end:
Revelation
18:7 How much she hath glorified
herself, and lived deliciously, so much torment and sorrow give her: for
she saith in her heart, I sit a queen, and am no widow, and shall see no
sorrow.
Revelation
18:10 Standing afar off for the fear of
her torment, saying, Alas, alas, that great city Babylon, that mighty
city! for in one hour is thy judgment come.
Revelation
18:15 The merchants of these things,
which were made rich by her, shall stand afar off for the fear of her torment,
weeping and wailing,
These
verses indicate that a part of the wrath of God coming upon the unsaved in the
churches at the end is torment, which the Bible defines as conscious suffering.
The "she" or Babylon in this passages comprises the unsaved church
people. However, the actual wrath of God comes upon individuals and not
collectively on a church or denomination.
Each
unsaved person must receive the wrath of God appropriate for their sin,
including the "torments" talked about here.
Notice
the suffering is in portion to how much someone “glorified” himself
according to verse 7. There are many unsaved church people who have died over
the centuries that have “glorified” themselves and yet have received no
stripes.
Also,
there will be a percentage of those unsaved church people here on May 21, 2011 that
will escape suffering the due "torments" because they will commit
suicide. Knowledgeable unsaved church people will be able to commit suicide
when they see that the proclamation of Judgment Day on May 21, 2011 was
correct. We know that a percentage of people will commit suicide if their
circumstances get bad enough. That was seen during the Great Depression and is
seen in suicide statistics.
Others
will die before May 21, 2011 even though they had heard many of the new
teachings.
How
can the justice of God be satisfied, which includes appropriate suffering for
the unsaved church people at the end, if they are able to escape that torment by
committing suicide?
4. Those people mentioned in Matthew 24:38-39 that
knew not about the Rapture and Judgment Day will be left behind to suffer many
“stripes” while people very knowledge will die a few weeks before May 21, 2011
and will not receive any stripes.
We
just saw how the Matthew 24:38-39 and Luke 17:28-30 teach that there will be
those left behind at the Rapture who did not know that the Rapture was coming
on May 21, 2011. These people knew less of the Lord’s Will, especially the
important truth of the timing of Judgment Day. Yet these people will receive
more stripes.
On
the other hand, there are more than 1,000,000 people that die each week. A
growing percentage of those people will hear about May 21, 2011. They will know
more of the Lord’s will. Yet, they will avoid all of the stripes of the 5
months by dying a few weeks before that date.
This
is the opposite of the teaching of Luke 12:47-48.
5. Two people with similar knowledge of the new
teachings concerning May 21, 2011 and Judgment Day receive different amounts of
stripes.
Consider
two unsaved people that have very similar knowledge of May 21, 2011 and the
other new teachings. Yet one of them is part of the 3,000,000 people that will
die in May 2011 before we reach the 21st. They both had about the
same knowledge of the new teachings, yet the one who dies before May 21, 2011
escapes all of the stripes. However, the other man who had the same knowledge,
enters Judgment Day to receive the extra stripes.
6. The information about May 21, 2011 and Judgment
Day have been published worldwide for more than 3 years. During that time more
than 150 million people have died without any of the stripes.
During
the past 3 years the information about May 21, 2011 and Judgment Day has been
published worldwide in more than 25 languages, growing to more than 50
languages. This message has reached many people throughout the world as it has
been broadcast worldwide for more than 3 years.
During
those past 3 years more than 150,000,000 people have died without any of the
stripes of the 5 months. The argument is that the stripes of Luke 12:47-48
focus upon those hearing about May 21, 2011 and the details of Judgment Day.
This message has been published worldwide for the past 3 years. So, a good
number of the 150,000,000 people that have died during that time have heard
that message. They have known these details of the Lord’s will. Yet, the
escaped the stripes of the 5 months. However, the people of Matthew 24:39 who
will know about Judgment Day will have to suffer the stripes of the 5 months.
This does not agree with Luke 12:47-48.
7. A unsaved person who is very KNOWLEDGEABLE
concerning May 21, 2011 and the other new teachings can escape the stripes.
How
can an unsaved person who is very knowledgeable about May 21, 2011 and the
other new teachings escape most all of the stripes?
If
the Rapture comes on May 21, 2011, he can commit suicide. He is an unsaved
person, so he does not really trust the Bible and therefore does not really
believe that a horrible earthquake will happen on May 21, 2011. However, he has
heard a lot of the teaching and the teaching seems somewhat credible, so that
he thinks it might happen. Therefore, he makes preparation in case that it does
happen. He could obtain a gun in advance or prepare a means to hang himself or
one of many other means to kill himself.
He
will be ready on May 21, 2011. If the Rapture occurs along with the big earthquake,
he can quickly kill himself and avoid basically all of the stripes.
Committing
suicide has been used by people throughout history to escape bad situations.
For example, we have heard about investors who jumped out of the windows of
tall buildings after the stock market crash of 1929. The same principle applies
to those that know much of the “Lord’s will”. They know a lot about May 21,
2011 and about other new teachings. So, because of their greater knowledge,
they can commit suicide and receive fewer stripes, just the opposite of the law
laid down in Luke 12:47-48.
During
the 5 months, many knowledgeable people in the Bible will be able to find a
solution to receive "minimal stripes", the opposite of what Luke
12:47-48 says
When
the world enters the final 5 months, there will be people who knew very little
about the Bible. There will also be church people who knew a whole lot of the
new teachings.
It
will be possible for many church people, knowledgeable in the new teachings, to
receive less stripes than those that knew very little about the Bible; just the
opposite of Luke 12:47-48.
How?
Today, there are a lot of church people that have heard about May 21, 2011 and
the final 5 months, but they don't believe it. They don't think it's going to
happen. However, because they are listening to the new teachings, they will be
learning that suicide will be an escape from the pain and suffering.
When
the Rapture comes on May 21, 2011, they will realize that those proclaiming May
21, 2011 were correct. They will have heard that there is no salvation possible
at this point. They will also know that the world will be destroyed in 5
months; so there is no point to try to struggle through this time. They will
realize that this new teaching was correct and that everything will be
destroyed in 5 months. Because of their greater knowledge of the new teachings,
they will know that the world will not recover from this situation, but will
only be destroyed. Therefore, suicide is the logical escape. For a percentage
of them, they will make that choice and kill themselves, escaping the majority
of the suffering. There is always a percentage of people that will choose
suicide to get out of a big disaster. We just have to recall the accounts of
business men that jumped out of building windows after the 1929 stock market
crash.
Because
of their knowledge of new teachings, they will be able to avoid the majority of
the suffering.
Whereas,
those who don't know much about the Bible or the new teachings, will not know
what this all means right away. They may think that God still has some plans of
future blessing for this world. There will be a percentage of them that will
continue to struggle until the end of the 5 months; not knowing that everything
is going to be destroyed.
In
the above two cases, the more knowledgeable church person will receive less
stripes than the less knowledgeable person of the world, the opposite of Luke
12:47-48 declares.
Those
with more knowledge of the new teachings will be able to frustrate the
declaration of Luke 12:47-48
By committing suicide on May 22, 2011,
unsaved servants who knew much of the Lord’s will about May 21, 2011 can
receive fewer stripes because of their greater knowledge.
8. Luke 12:48 lays down a general principle of the
law of God as we read “For unto whomsoever much is given, of him shall be much
required: and to whom men have committed much, of him they will ask the more.”
The
statement, “For unto whomsoever much is
given, of him shall be much required: and to whom men have committed much, of
him they will ask the more.” in verse 48 is laying down a general principle
of the Kingdom of God. It is not written in a way to refer to only people here
on May 21, 2011. It is written in a way to refer to all mankind throughout
time.
Why
would God establish the law, “For unto
whomsoever much is given, of him shall be much required: and to whom men have
committed much, of him they will ask the more.” and apply it only to people
here on May 21, 2011 and not to people who were here on May 1, 2011?
How
is it that someone here on May 21, 2011, to whom “much is given”, that God insists that “of him shall be much required” and yet another person that died on
May 20, 2011 to whom “much is given”,
but of him nothing shall be required? Remember the “required” of Luke 12:47-48 are the “stripes” of the wrath of God.
9. God is precise in His justice
As
we consider the above situations that will violate the declaration of Luke
12:47-48 which promises more stripes to those that knew more of the Lord’s
will, some people might be inclined to think along the lines that the
implementation of this declaration is a little “fuzzy”. That is, there maybe
some cases where people who knew a lot of the “Lord’s will” will be able to
escape the stripes of the 5 months. In a similar way, people in this world are
able to escape man’s justice frequently. For example, many people break the
speed limit and are never caught for that violation. They are never subjected
to the punishment of man’s justice for that violation. Whereas, some people who
do break the same law are subjected to man’s justice because the police officer
saw the violation.
We
can tend to think of the “stripes” of the 5 months in the same way. Someone who
was very knowledgeable of the new teachings, but yet is unsaved, can make
preparation. He is ready to commit suicide when the earthquake comes. He
escapes most all the “stripes” of the 5 months. Perhaps we think that the
implementation of the law of Luke 12:47-48 is a little “fuzzy”. Some people
will escape this law.
However,
this is not possible. The law of God and God Himself are not “fuzzy”. God
precisely carries out His Law for all mankind exactly perfectly.
God and His Law are very precise. The
law of God must be carried out exactly as it is written for every person. No
one can escape the law of Luke 12:47-48. It must be carried out exactly for
every unsaved person.
Summary:
This study has shown that the teachings
that all of the “stripes” of the wrath of God are confined only to the 5 months
beginning on May 21, 2011 and that there is no conscious resurrection of the
unsaved do not agree with Luke 12:47-48 and other verses.
During
the proposed 5 months, there would be great suffering or “stripes” endured by
people that knew very little of the master’s will. Yet, there will be those
that knew a whole lot about the new teachings and the Bible, but escaped and
received no stripes by dying a few weeks or years before the end, or by
committing suicide immediately after the Rapture.
But,
this does not agree with Luke 12:47-48.