Contents
Chapter One: Good God—Who is He really?
Chapter Two: Words Have Meaning—Grammar Matters
Chapter Three: Behold, I make All Things New
Chapter Four: Eternal Mortal Life
Chapter Five: Second Death Mercy
Chapter One:
Good God—Who is He really?
Will the real God please sit on the throne?
At the heart of this study is a simple question: What is the true nature of God?
Immediately, this leads to other, more pointed questions. Is He capricious, like the demon-god of Islam? Is He all fluffy and soft, like a teddy bear? Is He vengeful and harsh? Does He have horrible mood swings that rip us apart in His thrashing? Is He all mystery with no reveal of Who He really is? We’re going to go there and look Him in the face. We will do this by examining His words as given in the Bible. We will do our best to determine His real nature—Who He truly is.
As you can tell by my use of capital letters for any pronoun that has to do with this God, I have a bias. I actually have a deep respect and love for my Creator. So I am not coming at this without my own opinions. If I were, I might not be of any use to you or God. I do have a bias. Of course I do. We all do. Even when our minds are not made up and we are agnostic, we still have a certain bent one way or the other.
Is He Vengeful?
The Bible is full of messaging and stories that show the “darker side” of God’s personality. If it were not there, we would not be asking about it. We can all tell when anger, wrath, vengeance, or retaliation are in place. It’s obvious to anyone.
And we all have a deep sense of morality that has been imprinted into our innermost parts. We call it our conscience. And we learn that it was God (the Creator) Who put it there. It’s been built into our code, so to speak.
So, here’s the big question: Is vengeance something evil? Does killing a human always come out as being morally bad? I think it depends. And who decides what is moral and what is immoral, anyway? Do we fallen people make up the rules, or do we turn to the Creator of the cosmos to get His take on it? For me, I turn to Him.
And when we turn to His input on this we quickly find out something profound. Vengeance is His to wield, not ours. Like it or not, there are things that He can do that we cannot. Don’t agree with this? No problem. Go ahead and create life. Go on. I’ll not hold my breath though. I know that you are like me. And I cannot create life. So neither can you. Oh, sure, I can plant my seed into a female and together we get to see life spring up in her from that union. But we are not doing the creating, are we? That is just operating within the framework created by the Creator.
And this is what He is always reminding us of: We must do things his way. Sometimes, we have no choice. We must breathe in air, for example. That is His way. That is how He made us. If we do not breathe in air, we cease to live in this world. But not all of His rules are that consequential with immediate results. Some things are less immediate or obvious.
Take, for example, morals. He programmed them into our makeup like everything else. But according to His plan we can ignore those rules. This is called our choice. We can choose to ignore His ways for us in this. And boy do we!
I find it funny that not only do we choose to ignore His moral code but we turn it right back onto Him, as if it applies to Him as much as it does to us. Why is this funny? Does He have to breathe in and out the same air that we do? No? Then why does He have to follow the rules that He programmed into our makeup? Can we not simply allow Him to be Him and us to be us, while being completely different on certain levels?
Here’s what I think trips us up. He told us right up front that we are made in His likeness. I think that partially means that we have the same kind of take on these deeper issues. I mean, we can tell the difference between right and wrong since He gave us that ability that He has. If He did not, we would not have it and we would not be able to judge the Judge.
So, when we get into the heavy items, like murder of humans, we begin to take this seriously. After all, it might impact us deeply. And if this same Being Who can generate life decides to remove it, what can we do about it but fear Him? Is judging Him really the best option at that point? I don’t think so. After all, He did tell us that having fear of Him is the beginning of wisdom. And I want some wisdom in my life. So I fear Him Who can remove my life.
Does He use vengeance against us when we break His rules for us? Uh huh. Can we judge Him over that? Nuh uh. It is not for us creatures, with our very limited understanding compared to Him, to judge Him. Doing so will only infuriate Him further. And I’d rather not go down that path, personally. But hey, you have every opportunity to do so if that’s what you want. He won’t stop you and neither will I.
Vengeance is His to wield, not mine. And I couldn’t stop Him if I wanted to. So I’ll not judge the Judge, while not doing what He said not to do. And I’ll accept the premise that His rules are for us but not for Him. Like it or not.
As we go through this study, I’m going to try to convince you that God is not a big mean ogre Who kills people indiscriminately just because He can. That He is not a bully Who cannot be stopped. If that is your opinion of Him, I don’t know if I can help you with that or not, honestly. But I will try. If you do not want to be convinced, then either keep reading or do not. Your call.
Is God Good?
What is goodness? Do you know? Can you write it up in a poem or a song or a book? I’ll bet you could give at least a cursory explanation to a child (who probably gets it as much as you do, if not better). The knowledge of good and evil entered our makeup as soon as the first humans found out what the alternative was—evil. Goodness was their natural state, until they corrupted it with evil. But now we all know the difference between good and evil.
I guess that will make this a quick section for you then. Still, for the sake of completeness and following the Bible’s lead, I’ll share what it says about it.
Love is good. But what is love? Well, it isn’t boastful or proud. It isn’t self-seeking, rude, or judgmental. It doesn’t keep a record of all the wrongs against it. It’s gentle, kind, patient and giving (generously). It takes care of those in need and leaves others alone when they want to be left alone. It provides, nurtures, and tends to the needs of others. That’s the way of goodness.
Does God do these things for us? Yep. All the time. Continuously, actually. For everyone. In fact, the patience of God is measured in lifetimes, not minutes. For Him, a millennium is like a single day. That’s because He is outside of His created time and cosmos. (But being out does not mean He cannot be in at the same time.) We call God’s care for us His Providence. He provides all that we need, all the time. Not necessarily what we want, but what we need. And that is an expression of His goodness toward us.
And more than that, this habitat we live in has an effect on our happiness. He programmed us with the ability to enjoy the world (as broken up as it is currently). Sunrises and sunsets, for example, just hit a soft spot in the brain and heart. Beauty of all kinds surrounds us everywhere. Food that we must eat can be very pleasing. Procreating with each other for continued existence can be rewarding too. That’s just God’s design in action. This means that His goodness is apparent to everyone all the time.
So, yes, God is good. And I’ll have a lot more to say about this as we go on.
Is God Evil?
I guess the first question becomes, how would we even know? I mean, if He did not allow us to have the ability to understand the difference between good and evil, judging Him would never even come up.
And here’s a funny thing to ponder: when the first two people were made by Him they had no evil in them at all. Evil was possible, but not inherent. They had to actually do something to introduce evil into their makeup. But before that, the concept was not even in them.
And to really crank up the irony, God knew about evil, but did not do anything that was evil. But our kind had to experience it to know it. Do you get it? He knew it without ever using it; we had to use it to know it. Funny.
But because He gave us our rules about these things, so we could understand, we now have the opportunity to try to turn it back on Him. Unfortunately for us, that does not work. We are still very far from truly understanding Him and His nature. All we can do is take Him at His word. That would be a good idea. And since true wisdom comes from fearing His unlimited power and righteousness (judgment), it would behoove us to be wise enough to not judge Him as if He were one of us—working according to human rules, or rules for humanity.
It’s just a way of life. God’s rules for us do not always apply to Him. Like it or not.
And not only is God not evil, but there is not even a hint or a trace of it in Him and there never was or will be.
This is going to matter a whole lot as we go forward with this study. It is something that those who claim Him as Lord seem to have forgotten about.
How do we know God is good? We look at His actions. We read His Word. We see His heart.
Did He create us with the ability to enjoy life? Did He hold anything back that we need for life? Is He permissive or harsh? Is the world beautiful to us?
Clearly, He has provided for us in a way that shows us the beauty of His creation, which tells us of His good nature.
The Bad News
Just as clearly as seeing good in the world, we can also see that it is not all great. Bad things are here too. Things like illness, death, hardship, evil, enemies…the list is just as long as the one for the good things. But even the bad can have a silver lining.
Death is not great. But it is necessary. It is a consequence. A remedy, if you will. A gift. You see, if we were to be immortal in this condition of having evil in us, then we would always have misery, since evil brings misery. But luckily for us, God’s providence includes a remedy for our condition.
What is death? It is separation. You see, we as humans are triune in our being, like God is. We are a soul that has a spirit, that lives in a body. Death is the separation of the eternal part of us from the temporary part of us. Upon death, the soul and spirit leave the physical body and go to a separate place I call the spirit realm. The physical body stays here in the physical realm and returns to the basic building blocks by breaking down through decay. The body’s structure decomposes to the atoms that it is comprised of. From those molecules and atoms (called “dust” in the Bible) the body was first formed by God. Then, upon death, just as He said, the body returns to that dust.
Entropy is the same thing for all matter. It is a breaking down of the structure, form, and function of God’s creation. This is His response to our injection of evil into our makeup.
All we can see with our physical eyeballs is how death brings decay. We can’t see the soul and spirit of a person ascend into the heavenly realm. So, in our ignorance, we just think that death is a bad thing. We may have loved that person in that body that is now decaying. It hurts. A lot. So we might curse God for giving us death, while not realizing what it is there for.
Therefore, what we see as bad news is actually good news. Why is it good? Because, through death we get to lose the flesh that is not good. And there is even more good news than that. You see, God needed to give us death as humans so that He could provide a way for our evil to be atoned. That is why Jesus is so important to the story of mankind. He is actually the Creator, dressed in the same outfit that we all are—humanity.
If you don’t know, God decreed and declared that evil must pay a price—since we are the ones who brought it into our bodies. And He said that the price is a sacrifice of blood (the lifeforce of the body). Why this is, I have no idea. I just know that it is what He has declared. And thank God for it. But the sacrifice has to be perfect. Hmm. That one point makes it impossible for us to pay the price, since none of us is good and perfect. So it forces us to depend on His providence. Not a bad thing. Just know that it is the thing. The one thing.
The Good News
So with all of this hanging over our heads, we need to listen to Him and what His solution is for our inner pollution—the issue with the tissue.
He didn’t leave us hanging. He stepped into the same kind of envirosuit that our souls have—a human body. A perfect one with the knowledge of evil but not the use of it. His body had to be free from any kind of evil at all, just like Him.
And that’s what He did. He placed a perfect little embryo into the womb of a young lady and came out as a perfect little baby boy, inhabiting that body. He bypassed the problem with the DNA (Depraved Nature of Adam) we all have been born with by not using her egg or a man’s sperm. (Sorry Catholics, Mary was just as sinful as anyone else.) And then He did the most amazing thing. He declared His perfect body to be the payment (through death) to atone for our own evil. Amazing.
The way for that act to pay for you personally is to receive it by believing it will be enough. We call it faith. And that faith must be accompanied by the understanding that you need it. You must admit that you have an evil inside of you that nothing else can remedy. And if you don’t want it, then it won’t work. That is called repentance. The deeper part of it says that you hate that evil in you and want it gone.
Unfortunately, you will continue to have that evil nature until the body dies (separates from your soul/spirit). And for this reason, many don’t see that it is effective or even helpful. But fortunately, as you give yourself over to God, that evil nature begins to lose its influence over you. And hopefully, His influence takes root and you grow into a better human being. But alas, it is not guaranteed and so again people lose faith. That’s what makes the whole thing so iffy for most people.
If you have received the faith in what God did for you (the death of Jesus on the cross) then don’t give up on that faith for as long as you walk and chew gum. Then, when your soul leaves this physical realm and your own little habitat (your body), you will be welcomed into a new kind of life. That’s the plan. Follow it and live. I call it life support.
There is a lot more to this—and why the book doesn’t end here. Stick with me while we go through it so that you will see the bigger hope we can latch onto going forward.
God’s Nature in the Bible
Here are some verses from God’s Word that describe His nature. See if it sounds like He is good or evil.
John 3:16 — For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son, that everyone who believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life.
Deuteronomy 32:4 — He is the Rock, His work is perfect; all His ways are just. A God of faithfulness without injustice, righteous and upright is He.
Malachi 3:6 — I am the LORD, and I do not change. That is why you descendants of Jacob are not already destroyed.
Hebrews 13:8 — Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever.
Colossians 1:17 — He is before all things, and in Him all things hold together.
1 John 1:5 — “God is light, and there is no darkness in him at all.”
John 14:6 — Jesus told him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life”.
Psalm 86:15 — “But you, O Lord, are a God of compassion and mercy, slow to get angry and filled with unfailing love and faithfulness.”
Lamentations 3:22-23 — Because of the loving devotion of the LORD we are not consumed, for His mercies never fail. They are new every morning; great is Your faithfulness!
God’s Balancing Act
Those were all verses that describe His loving side. But He also has a righteous, or just side. That is the part of His nature that punishes evil. And I will just say flatly that any judge who does not punish evil is no judge worth having in the seat (or on the throne—in heaven or Earth).
And this is why we are to fear Him. We don’t fear His loving side; we fear His side that punishes evil. Why? Because we are all evil at our core from conception. I respected my father because he was not afraid to use his belt on my butt when I disobeyed him or did something wrong. If he did not ever use the belt, I may have not had the respect for him that I did.
A good man is not always a nice guy. (Remember this you young men.) A good man says “no” when he needs to. He fights evil when it comes to his house. He protects his family from those who would bring harm to them. And he corrects his children for their own good. If you do not agree, then you have never been attacked or put in danger, or had an unruly and dangerous teen. This is why policemen carry guns and other weapons. This is why we have a military. This is why we have prisons and jails. And it is why God has a severe side.
He is only harsh to people because they deserve it. Do we always understand His judgments? No, we don’t. But we trust in His nature that tells us (shows us) that His ways are right.
When He destroyed the entire world in a “flood” (it was much more than just a flood) it was because all the people were out of control, being completely evil.
When He destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah, it was because they were completely evil, doing disgusting things to and with each other.
When His people were entering into the land that God gave them, there were people groups there that were against Him and His ways. And because those people would have affected His own people’s hearts and minds He told His people to utterly wipe them out. Like all the others, they did horrible things, such as child sacrifices to idols and demons. And if they had not been destroyed, they would have become a cancer to the people of God. Their ways would have been destructive to the ways of God for His people. He knows all things—we do not.
From the Tower of Babel, where He confused their language into the many we have now, to the plagues of Egypt when Pharaoh would not let His people go, to the Red Sea escape and Egypt’s army perishing in the waters, to the Israelites’ dead bodies being strewn across the desert, to individuals who opposed Him and His will, to many wars and battles and even up to the wrath He will unleash when Jesus returns, God will act according to His righteousness. He will have justice. And every time it is just. It is deserved. It is right. We do not know the hearts of men, women, and children, but He does.
We are all evil. He is all good. We cannot therefore judge His righteous acts. We can only trust that He is good and will always do what is right.
This is why I both fear Him and love Him.
Matthew 10:28 — “Do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather, fear Him who can destroy both soul and body in hell.”
Not that He will destroy your soul. Not that hell lasts forever, but the point is clear — He is to be feared because of His awesome power, complete knowledge of every thought in every heart and mind, and His perfect righteousness that demands justice.
You may certainly judge Him. He will let you. In fact, He is permissive enough to give you all the rope you need to hang yourself. And I will add that we always, without exception have brought this upon ourselves. As a race, as nations, as individuals. Mankind is always to blame for God’s acts of vengeance against us.
When people go to hell or the Lake of Fire (not the same thing, by the way), it is always because their actions put them there. We tend to think that because He is permissive and we get away with things we should not have that there will never be a reckoning. But this is folly and false. He will repay all evil. All of it. And the more you stack up against yourself, the worse it will be for you.
It won’t be lightning coming down, necessarily, it might be solitary confinement in hell for a thousand years. Whatever the shape of it, it will be deserved. For He is just.
Coming Wrath
I laugh when I hear people talk about the God of the Old Testament being one kind and the God of the New Testament being another kind. Like, vengeful versus loving. I guess they never read the book of Revelation.
As one who has studied the End Times for over 30 years, I can tell you without a doubt that the return of Jesus will be very frightful for all on Earth. Well, some might be happy to see Him finally showing up in the sky. I see myself being one of those if I’m here. And I might be here. We are closer to His return than ever. In my own studies of the current age of the world and His return, I think it could be as soon as ten years from now (this is 2026). But that’s not the point.
The point is that when the loving Savior returns, Who gave us all the great teachings on love, it will be in anger and vengeance. Then, after meting out God’s wrath, He will sit on His throne over the earth and rule with an iron rod. That means that He will execute justice upon those who need it. And justice goes both ways: Great for the victims and horrible for the perpetrators.
So remember this: God is the same, yesterday (the past), today (the current time), and forever (the future). He will not let evil go unpunished (with one exception). If we repent (show sorrow) for our evil and turn from it and receive His Son in faith, we can then be pardoned and not receive His wrath. That is it. No other escape route exists. I highly recommend that plan.
Group Discussion and Reflection
In all of my books, I offer some questions at the end of each chapter for group study or individual reflection.
Questions
- What’s your own take on God’s personality? Is he good or evil?
- Do you think that it is possible to both fear God and love Him?
- Whose fault is it that there is suffering in the world, mankind’s or God’s?
- When Jesus returns, He will execute fiery death upon the world. Few will survive. Does this make you want to not follow Him?
Answers
These are all questions that do not have a solid, right or wrong answer. You must come up with your own. But I’ll share my own answers with you anyway. These are my answers. You will have your own. And be gracious with others who have their own.
- God is good in all things all the time.
- I do both. I have for decades.
- I see it as man’s fallen nature causing the rift with us and God, forcing His hand against us.
- I can’t wait for Jesus to return. He will do what He needs to do. I never judge the Judge.
