Hi Mike,

I started watching your message on ‘all is one’- it is excellent! I’m going to show them to another family that believes in these truths, to get a preview of what the conference is like.

You have a real gift to communicate these truths. There was one thing I’ve been wondering as I’ve studied about the second resurrection. Since only the ‘elect’, ‘chosen’ saints will partake of the ‘first’ ressurection, what advantage does the ‘nonovercoming’ christian have over the sinner since they both go through the lake of fire? Is it that they receive less judgment?

Thanks a lot Mike!!

M____

Hi M____,

You ask if a called but not chosen Christian will have an advantage over an uncalled sinner. I see no scripture that would indicate that anyone who is called and then does “not receive a love of the Truth” has any advantage over an uncalled sinner.

Judas, though no doubt an extreme example, typifies someone who was close to Christ and refused to go on to maturity. Look at what we are told of Judas:

Mar 14:21 The Son of man indeed goeth, as it is written of him: but woe to that man by whom the Son of man is betrayed! good were it for that man if he had never been born.

‘Never’, of course, is the Greek word ‘ou’ meaning ‘not.’ it has nothing necessarily to do with any particular length of time.

Judas will come up in White throne judgment, be judged, purified in God’s spiritual ‘lake of fire’ and be saved. But it would have been better for him if he had not been born in this age. Of course, someone else would have had to accomplish his task of betraying our Savior and the same thing could be said of that person. It is better never to have had truth, than to have truth given to you and then to simply bury it, or refuse to go on to maturity. That is the whole point of the parable of the talents. The lake of fire is harder on those who “knew and did not do.” Here are the scriptures:

Luk 12:47 And that servant, which knew his lord’s will, and prepared not himself, neither did according to his will [ the very person you are asking about, the called but not chosen Christian], shall be beaten with many stripes.
Luk 12:48 But he that knew not [ the uncalled sinner], and did commit things worthy of stripes, shall be beaten with few stripes. For unto whomsoever much is given, of him shall be much required: and to whom men have committed much, of him they will ask the more.
Mat 25:24 Then he which had received the one talent came and said, Lord, I knew thee that thou art an hard man, reaping where thou hast not sown, and gathering where thou hast not strawed:
Mat 25:25 And I was afraid, and went and hid thy talent in the earth: lo, there thou hast that is thine.
Mat 25:26 His lord answered and said unto him, Thou wicked and slothful servant, thou knewest that I reap where I sowed not, and gather where I have not strawed:

Of course God does not reap where He has never sown, but in the lake of fire, there will be those who believe that he “is a hard man,” and just as Joseph with his brothers, at first he will show himself just as they imagined Him to be:

Psa 18:26 With the pure thou wilt shew thyself pure; and with the froward thou wilt shew thyself froward.

No, there is no advantage at all to being called and not chosen. “Israel according to the flesh,” is the very best type of the called but not chosen, and look at what happens to them.

Eze 16:53 When I shall bring again their captivity, the captivity of Sodom and her daughters, and the captivity of Samaria and her daughters, then will I bring again the captivity of thy captives in the midst of them:
Eze 16:54 That thou mayest bear thine own shame, and mayest be confounded in all that thou hast done, in that thou art a comfort unto them.
Eze 16:55 When thy sisters, Sodom and her daughters, shall return to their former estate, and Samaria and her daughters shall return to their former estate, then thou and thy daughters shall return to your former estate.

Here are some more of Christ’s thoughts on this subject:

Mat 10:14 And whosoever shall not receive you, nor hear your words [ the called but not chosen], when ye depart out of that house or city, shake off the dust of your feet.
Mat 10:15 Verily I say unto you, It shall be more tolerable for the land of Sodom and Gomorrha in the day of judgment, than for that city.

And finally there are these verses in Isaiah:

Isa 33:14 The sinners in Zion are afraid [ the called but not chosen]; fearfulness hath surprised the hypocrites. Who among us shall dwell with the devouring fire? who among us shall dwell with everlasting burnings?
Isa 33:15 He that walketh righteously, and speaketh uprightly; he that despiseth the gain of oppressions, that shaketh his hands from holding of bribes, that stoppeth his ears from hearing of blood, and shutteth his eyes from seeing evil;

Now that I see all these scriptures together, I feel confident in saying that to be called but not chosen is a distinct dis advantage in the judgment.

I hope this answers your question,

Mike