“I have come to bring fire on the earth, and how I wish it were already kindled! But I have a baptism to undergo, and what constraint I am under until it is completed! Do you think I came to bring peace on earth? No, I tell you, but division. From now on there will be five in one family divided against each other, three against two and two against three. They will be divided, father against son and son against father, mother against daughter and daughter against mother, mother-in-law against daughter-in-law and daughter-in-law against mother-in-law."
He said to the crowd: “When you see a cloud rising in the west, immediately you say, 'It's going to rain,' and it does. And when the south wind blows, you say, 'It's going to be hot,' and it is. Hypocrites! You know how to interpret the appearance of the earth and the sky. How is it that you don't know how to interpret this present time?
“Why don't you judge for yourselves what is right? As you are going with your adversary to the magistrate, try hard to be reconciled on the way, or your adversary may drag you off to the judge, and the judge turn you over to the officer, and the officer throw you into prison. I tell you, you will not get out until you have paid the last penny."
Hi,
thank you Greg for this powerful word of God. I have a question. Are you somehow endorsing the idea of purgatory? Because if we can not enter directly because of our ungodliness than it seems the right thing to conclude? Secondly, why is it better to ‘burnt up’ now instead of later. Maybe because the fire is hotter, because we are closer to God?
God bless
Liban
Hi Liban,
Thanks for your message! You might want to check out Greg’s blog over at http://www.reknew.org. He’s written a couple times on the subject of purgatory. You might be interested in this post in particular:
http://reknew.org/2009/03/purgatory-and-the-judgment-seat-of-christ/
Let me know if there’s anything else I can do to help!
Good sermon but one question remains: how will Jesus bring division? By fire people get formed into the likeliness of Christ so the fruit will be connection to each other, not division, right?