Dr.
Gary VanDeWalker
Evangelical
Free Church
Of Mount Shasta
Fall 2009
Week
Four:
Tough
Questions about Eternity:
Pets,
Babies,
and Hell
The Hundred
Dresses….what is real?
1.
Will animals
inhabit the new earth?
A.
They were important to the first
creation, Genesis 1:25
B.
God rescued animals from the flood,
Gen. 9:9-17
C.
The flood is like the new creation, 2
Peter 3:5-7
D.
God listens to the suffering of
animals, Romans 8:21-23
E.
God could:
-create
all new animals
-bring
back old animals
-do a
combination of both
F.
God is generous and could bring our
pets back.
G.
Poem by John Piper:
And
as I knelt beside the brook
To
drink eternal life, I took
a
glance across the golden grass,
And
saw my dog, old Blackie, fast
As she
could come. She
leaped the stream
Almost
and what a happy gleam
Was
in her eye. I knelt
to drink
And
knew that I was on the brink
Of
endless joy. And
everywhere
I
turned I saw a wonder there.
H.
It is alright to grieve the death of
pets, they are taken by the curse.
I.
We can pray for God to bring them to
heaven. It will be
His choice to answer.
1.
Children
a.
Everyone
has sinned, Romans 5:12
b.
We are born sinners Psalm 51:5
c.
Children are not born saved, they are
born lost.
d.
God has a special place in his heart
for children
Matthew
19:13-14
Ezk
16:21…my children
Matthew
18:10..angels are assigned to them
e.
God seems to touch children in a
special way
Luke
1:15 John the
Baptist had the Holy Spirit
2
Samuel 12:23 David
will go to his son
f.
I believe God has made provision for
children, however…
g.
Why doesn’t God tell us directly
We
would forget our responsibility
There
is nothing about an age of accountability in the Bible
2.
Hell
a.
Is
it loving to talk about?
What
is more compassionate in this, truth or lie?
b.
There is an intermediate and a future
hell
c.
Hell is not a pleasant place
Matthew 18:40-42
d.
Jesus gives us most of the Scriptures
understanding of Hell
Matthew
8:12
Matthew
25:46, Jesus indicates by grammar, hell is conscious
and
eternal
e.
Don’t play games with Jesus’ words for
personal wants
f.
To reject Hell, is to reject Christ
g.
Hell is not the opposite of Heaven
2
Thes. 1:9; Luke
16:22-23, there is
no company or party in hell
h.
Mark 8:36-37 The
soul is valuable, don’t give it up to
Hell
4.
Why is earth's
redemption essential to God's plan?
A.
Isaiah 65:17; Isaiah 66:22; 2 Peter
3:13; Revelation 21:1
E.
God intends to return the earth to its
original condition
F.
God sacrifices His son for redemption
G.
Acts 3:21
5.
What will it
mean for the curse to be lifted?
A.
Heaven and earth are reconciled. Ephesians
1:10; Revelation
21:3
B.
We will rule on the new earth. Revelation
22:5; 1 Cor. 15:28
C.
The curse of sin will be gone
Revelation
22:3; Genesis 3:17;
Romans 8:2; 1 Cor.
15:22, 45; Romans 5:15-19
D.
Christ became the curse, Gal. 3:13
E.
Christ restores creation, Romans
8:19-21; Isaiah 25:7-8
G.
The curse is real, but only temporary