The Son of Man Came Not to Destroy – Does God Destroy

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Luke 9:56 For the Son of man is not come to destroy men’s lives, but to save [them]. And they went to another village.

There is a very seductive theory that is leading many to be partial in the word of God. This verse is frequently used to teach a doctrine called “God Doesn’t Kill/Destroy”. But was that Jesus’ point in this verse? Did Jesus come to save all men? Yes. Does everyone get saved? No. Some might paint this in an evil light by framing it “If you don’t accept, then I’ll kill you.” No, its not evil. He did come to save, however. He paid the price, and this world and the inhabitants in it are bought by that price. This world is owned by that Kingdom, and the government of that Kingdom must uphold the law.

Jesus didn’t say “God won’t destroy”. In fact he said the opposite:

Mat 10:28 And fear not them which kill the body, but are not able to kill the soul: but rather fear him which is able to destroy both soul and body in hell.

What that means, is that only the Father can truly kill/destroy. And He will uphold His law in justice. Jesus didn’t say “God doesn’t destroy”. That is a misuse of Jesus words in the book of Luke to say “God won’t destroy”. And we should never frame doctrine on one verse anyway.

What about His Disciples:

James:
James 4:12 There is one lawgiver, who is able to save and to destroy: who art thou that judgest another?

Paul, the most prolific writer in the New Testament understood that Jesus was coming again to punish with destruction at the second coming.

Paul:
2 Thessalonians 1:7-9 And to you who are troubled rest with us, when the Lord Jesus shall be revealed from heaven with his mighty angels, (8) In flaming fire taking vengeance on them that know not God, and that obey not the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ: (9) Who shall be punished with everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord, and from the glory of his power;

Vengeance is his, and he will uphold the law and the government of heaven. Would we dare call His judgments unrighteous? Some have been saying that this is schizophrenic. Where does that leave them? Judging the lawgiver? I pray that through the cross they see the mercy that has been offered to them.

1Co 3:17 “him shall God destroy;

It is very plain that God will destroy the sinner. Who will say that God won’t do what He says He will do? Where did questioning the plain word originate? Who wants us to distrust the word? Satan. “Hath God said” (Gen 3:2) “Surely you don’t believe that do you? That is an evil God that would do something like that.” This is the Great Controversy friends, and the devil and his angels are making war with the plainest statements in the word of God while framing God as unjust.

How about the apostles Jude and John the Revelator.

Jude:
Jud 1:7 Even as Sodom and Gomorrha, and the cities about them in like manner, giving themselves over to fornication, and going after strange flesh, are set forth for an example, suffering the vengeance of eternal fire.

John:
Rev 20:9 And they went up on the breadth of the earth, and compassed the camp of the saints about, and the beloved city: and fire came down from God out of heaven, and devoured them.

Now some are saying that they are dead before the fire consumes them. I understand that they suffer just as did Sodom and Gomorrah. Were they alive in Sodom when the fire came down? Ellen White put it like this:

“Satan rushes into the midst of his followers and tries to stir up the multitude to action. But fire from God out of heaven is rained upon them, and the great men, and mighty men, the noble, the poor and miserable, are all consumed together. I saw that some were quickly destroyed, while others suffered longer. They were punished according to the deeds done in the body. Some were many days consuming, and just as long as there was a portion of them unconsumed, all the sense of suffering remained.” { EW 294.1}

If they are suffering, they must surely still be alive. A person who is dead first would not suffer.

Peter:
2 Peter 2:4-6 For if God spared not the angels that sinned, but cast them down to hell, and delivered them into chains of darkness, to be reserved unto judgment; (5) And spared not the old world, but saved Noah the eighth person, a preacher of righteousness, bringing in the flood upon the world of the ungodly; (6) And turning the cities of Sodom and Gomorrha into ashes condemned them with an overthrow, making them an ensample unto those that after should live ungodly;

Did the Apostle Peter understand that God would Destroy? Peter says that he was not just telling fables here. He believed the plain statements. Peter spoke of the Judgment of angels and the flood. Who destroyed all flesh at the flood?

Genesis 6:17 And, behold, I, even I, do bring a flood of waters upon the earth, to destroy all flesh, wherein is the breath of life, from under heaven; and every thing that is in the earth shall die.

Do we speak according to this word? God destroys. Although He doesn’t want to destroy, and that was not what Jesus came to do when he came the first time as the son of man. These are jus a small sample from the New Testament. Testimonies that include Jesus own words. There is a lot of the New Testament and the Old Testament that needs to be thrown away in order for us to believe that God won’t destroy sinners. What is the basis of this misunderstanding? Quite simply:

1. A misunderstanding of LOVE
2. A misunderstanding of JUSTICE
3. A misunderstanding of the Sixth Commandment.

God’s love is represented in our day as being of such **a character as would forbid His destroying the sinner.** Men reason from their own low standard of right and justice….

The plea may be made that a loving Father would not see His children suffering the punishment of God by fire while He had the power to relieve them. But God would, for the good of His subjects and for their safety, punish the transgressor. God does not work on the plan of man. He can do infinite justice that man has no right to do before his fellow man. Noah would have displeased God to have drowned one of the scoffers and mockers that harassed him, but God drowned the vast world. Lot would have had no right to inflict punishment on his sons-in-law, but God would do it in strict justice.
Who will say God will not do what He says He will do?”—Ellen White Manuscript Releases 12:207-209;

The doctrine that God won’t destroy the sinner is contrary to much of the Bible. Many in trying to uphold this doctrine have been discarding several of the plainest statements in scripture and we need to be aware of what is being used to do this. Some will take a verse like Luke 9:56 and build doctrine on it trying to make it say something it doesn’t.

soph·ist·ry n – the use of fallacious arguments, especially with the intention of deceiving.

If a person knows these verses are in the Bible and the Spirit of Prophecy and is still proposing that it is against the character of God to destroy and professing to believe the Bible then we need to ask them if they really believe the Bible or does their faith come from another source outside of the Bible.

People are losing faith in the Bible with this teaching by the dozens. It is a sad sophistry of Satan.

“But none need be deceived by the lying claims of spiritualism. God has given the world sufficient light to enable them to discover the snare. As already shown, the theory which forms the very foundation of spiritualism is at war with the plainest statements of Scripture.” (Great Controversy 556)

Faith comes by the word of God. What are you going to base your faith on? This book, or something that seems to look good to the eyes, and might even taste good in the mouth? Isn’t that what Eve did? Maybe it is the fruit you were warned about?

I sincerely care about those who are being misled by these teachings. But the word must increase and we must decrease. Much love. David

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