{"id":79694,"date":"2019-03-27T12:24:09","date_gmt":"2019-03-27T16:24:09","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/kendallharmon.net\/?p=79694"},"modified":"2019-03-27T17:27:38","modified_gmt":"2019-03-27T21:27:38","slug":"that-other-side-of-jesus","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/kendallharmon.net\/?p=79694","title":{"rendered":"(1st Things) Glenn Stanton–That Other Side Of Jesus"},"content":{"rendered":"

Let\u2019s start with the first point. In this scientific age, we think it\u2019s silly to believe that an actual devil, demons, and hell exist. But Jesus is old-school. He spoke of a literal Adam and Eve, Noah\u2019s Ark, Jonah in the belly of the great fish, and the destruction of Sodom\u2014all as actual fact. He talks quite often in the Gospels about Satan and demonic possession. Doing exorcisms was all in a day\u2019s work. He once dropped a bomb on a group of everyday folks, declaring that they were not the children of Abraham<\/a>, but \u201cof your father the devil.\u201d That\u2019s rough stuff, telling folks they\u2019re sons of the devil. He spoke this way because He believed it.<\/p>\n

Second, Jesus believed in the reality of sin, the need for repentance, and a real hell where people weep and gnash their teeth. He spoke of these things regularly, and not conceptually or metaphorically. He personalized this bad news for actual people in vibrant ways. He likened some folks to weeds and said He would<\/a> \u201csend His angels, and they will gather out of His kingdom all causes of sin and all law-breakers, and throw them into the fiery furnace,\u201d where \u201cthere will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.\u201d<\/p>\n

He explains how the final judgment will work. One group, those who do His will, will be welcomed into His Kingdom. To the other, He will say, \u201cDepart from me<\/a>, you cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels.\u201d If we were Jesus\u2019s tour manager, we might be inclined to remind Him that honey attracts more flies. He would remind us that He\u2019s got this, only doing what His Father does<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Jesus is not shy about telling us that He can be a harsh judge. He came into the world<\/a> to judge and is eager (eager!) to cast fire upon the earth<\/a>. It wasn\u2019t only the hypocritical religious leaders of the day who received this message. He warned some everyday folks that if they didn\u2019t repent, they would all perish in unspeakable ways<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Read it all<\/a>.<\/p>\n

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It is important that we know and appreciate the not-just-meek-and-mild Jesus as we sojourn through Lent this year. From the archives:https:\/\/t.co\/edqP57mwuh<\/a><\/p>\n

\u2014 First Things (@firstthingsmag) March 27, 2019<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n