GRAPES FROM THORNBUSHES - Trash is debris from plant materials, something worth little or nothing, and something thrown away. Trash is an excellent symbol for individuals who make a commitment to Jesus; then, quit living a Christian life because worldly cares choke their commitment. God’s judgment will fall on people who treat God and his laws as worthless, i.e., as if they are trash. If individuals want to be something thrown away like trash, God will allow them to be this way. God will give them over to a reprobate mind. - In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus averred that a man can’t gather grapes from thorn bushes. The second time that Jesus spoke of thorns in gospels was in the familiar parable of the sower and the seed. In the first century many farmers, scattered (broadcast) seed on top of the soil rather than plow soil, scattered seeds, then re-plowed soil to cover seeds. The challenge with broadcasting seed is that seed falls various places, i.e., on a pathway, in thin soil, among thorns. Seeds sprouted and grew; but, thorns can surround good seedlings and choke their growth. First century Palestine contained several types of thorns and thorn bushes. In Israel, buckthorns grow in wood, shrub-lands, and the mountain vegetation of Mount Hermon. The buckthorn is a slow-growing shrub, rarely reaching a height of six feet. The Palestine buckthorn is evergreen. It grows with a many-branched, tangled form, and velvety thorns.

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Grapes from Thornbushes

Trash is debris from plant materials, something worth little or nothing, and something thrown away. 

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Trash is an excellent symbol for individuals who make a commitment to Jesus; then, quit living a Christian life because worldly cares choke their commitment. God’s judgment will fall on people who treat God and his laws as worthless, i.e., as if they are trash. If individuals want to be something thrown away like trash, God will allow them to be this way. God will give them over to a reprobate mind.

Carolyn Roth Ministry

 

In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus averred that a man can’t gather grapes from thorn bushes.

The second time that Jesus spoke of thorns in gospels was in the familiar parable of the sower and the seed.

Most of us can recite this parable:

“A sower went out to sow. And as he sowed, some seeds fell along the path, and the birds came and devoured them.  Other seeds fell on rocky ground, where they did not have much soil, and immediately they sprang up, since they had no depth of soil, but when the sun rose they were scorched. And since they had no root, they withered away. Other seeds fell among thorns, and the thorns grew up and choked them.  Other seeds fell on good soil and produced grain, some a hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty” - (Matthew 13.3-8 ESV).

In the first century many farmers, scattered (broadcast) seed on top of the soil rather than plow soil, scattered seeds, then re-plowed soil to cover seeds.  

The challenge with broadcasting seed is that seed falls various places, i.e., on a pathway, in thin soil, among thorns.

Seeds sprouted and grew; but, thorns can surround good seedlings and choke their growth.

Jesus’s interpretation of seed which fell among thorns is: “As for what was sown among thorns, this is the one who hears the word, but the cares of the world and the deceitfulness of riches choke the word, and it proves unfruitful” (Matthew 13.22 ESV).  

Thornbush

First century Palestine contained several types of thorns and thorn bushes.

The Bible names several to them, i.e., Jotham’s thorn tree in Judges, crackling thorn bushes in Ecclesiastes, and Isaiah’s buckthorn (Rhamnus lycioides, R. palaestinus). 

In Israel, buckthorns grow in wood, shrub-lands, and the mountain vegetation of Mount Hermon. The buckthorn is a slow-growing shrub, rarely reaching a height of six feet.

The Palestine buckthorn is evergreen. It grows with a many-branched, tangled form, and velvety thorns. 

Young stems are green; with maturity, bark turns gray.

The buckthorn fruit is a small (1/4 inch), oval berry.

Initially, the berry is green, but, turns black when ripe. Berries are poisonous to humans, but a good source of food for birds.

Symbolism: Trash

A Hebrew word for thorn is shayith which translates as trash, scrub, and thorn. 

Trash is debris from plant materials, something worth little or nothing, and something thrown away.

Trash is an excellent symbol for individuals who make a commitment to Jesus; then, quit living a Christian life because worldly cares choke their commitment.

God’s judgment will fall on people who treat God and his laws as worthless, i.e., as if they are trash. 

If individuals want to be something thrown away like trash, God will allow them to be this way (Romans 1.28). 

God will give them over to a reprobate mind.

Reflection: How do you behave in a “trashy” manner?

Carolyn Roth Ministry (CarolynRothMinistry.com) offers research, education, and consultation to individuals and organizations who want to deepen their understanding of the Bible.

Welcome to godasagardener.com

As the site editor, participants should know I am a spiritual woman with a deep belief in God. Many friends would describe my Christian perspective as orthodox. I believe in the inspired, written word of God. I live in Roanoke, Virginia.  I am a Virginia Master Gardener and a Tree Steward.

This website/blog glorifies God within the context of earth as His garden, describes Bible  and other growing plants, and applies them to our Christian walk in the 21st century. On Creation day 3, God created vegetation, e.g., trees, herbs, flowers. On this site, the word plant will be used to encompass all types of vegetation.  God created plants right after He created the heavens (Day 2) and before He created the sun, moon, and stars (Day 4). This creative order demonstrates that God valued and had a purpose for the varied flora in our world. Our response to this creative process should first be love for the Creator and second a reverence for this earthly garden.

https://godasagardener.com/2019/02/20/grapes-from-thornbushes/

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Are You Choking on Thorns?

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NEW HEAVENS - In Revelation 21:2 we see God’s dwelling place isn’t replaced but relocated when the New Jerusalem is brought down to the New Earth. The new heavens will surely be superior to the old heavens, which themselves are filled with untold billions of stars and perhaps trillions of planets. God’s light casts the shadows we know as stars, the lesser lights that point to God’s substance. As the source is greater than the tributary, God, the Light, is infinitely greater than those little light-bearers we know as stars. The Bible’s final two chapters make clear that every aspect of the new creation will be greater than the old. No part of the present creation — including the earth and the celestial heavens — is as great as it will be in the new creation. The stars will be destroyed, yet they will last forever. Based on the redemptive work of Christ, God will resurrect them. The fact that they are part of the first universe and that God called them “very good” means they will be part of the resurrected universe.

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"New Heavens"

What Does the Bible Mean by the Term "New Heavens"?

BY RANDY ALCORN  

Question from a reader:

What does the Bible mean by the term new heavens? And why is it referred to heavens (plural) but then switches to heaven (singular)?

Answer from Randy Alcorn:

The Old Testament uses no single word for universe or cosmos.

When Genesis 1:1 speaks of God’s creating “the heavens and the earth,” the words are synonymous with what we mean by universe.

Heavens refers to the realms above the earth: atmosphere, sun, moon, and stars, and all that’s in outer space.

Then in Isaiah, God says, “Behold, I will create new heavens and a new earth” (Isaiah 65:17).

This corresponds to Genesis 1:1, indicating a complete renewal of the same physical universe God first created.

Revelation 21:1-2 says, “I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away. . . I saw the Holy City, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God.”

Because “new heaven” (singular) is used here, some think it’s God’s dwelling place that passes away and is renewed.

But the present Heaven is described as unshakable in ways the physical universe isn’t (Hebrews 12:26-28).

The “new heaven” in Revelation 21:1 apparently refers to exactly the same atmospheric and celestial heavens as “heavens” does in Genesis 1:1.

It also corresponds to the “new heaven(s)” of Isaiah 65:17, Isaiah 66:22, and 2 Peter 3:13.

In Revelation 21:2 we see God’s dwelling place isn’t replaced but relocated when the New Jerusalem is brought down to the New Earth.

The new heavens will surely be superior to the old heavens, which themselves are filled with untold billions of stars and perhaps trillions of planets.

God’s light casts the shadows we know as stars, the lesser lights that point to God’s substance.

As the source is greater than the tributary, God, the Light, is infinitely greater than those little light-bearers we know as stars.

The Bible’s final two chapters make clear that every aspect of the new creation will be greater than the old.

Just as the present Jerusalem isn’t nearly as great as the New Jerusalem, no part of the present creation — including the earth and the celestial heavens — is as great as it will be in the new creation.

While some passages suggest that the universe will wear out and the stars will be destroyed, others indicate that the stars will exist forever (Psalm 148:3-6).

Is this a contradiction? No. We too will be destroyed by death, yet we will last forever.

The earth will be destroyed in God’s judgment, yet it will last forever.

In exactly the same way, the stars will be destroyed, yet they will last forever. Based on the redemptive work of Christ, God will resurrect them.

Earth is the first domain of mankind’s stewardship, but it is not the only domain.

Because the whole universe fell under mankind’s sin, we can conclude that the whole universe was intended to be under mankind’s dominion.

If so, then the entire new universe will be ours to travel to, inhabit, and rule — to God’s glory.

Do I seriously believe the new heavens will include new galaxies, planets, moons, white dwarf stars, neutron stars, black holes, and quasars? Yes.

The fact that they are part of the first universe and that God called them “very good” means they will be part of the resurrected universe.

When I look at the Horsehead Nebula and ask myself what it’s like there, I think that one day I’ll know.

Just as I believe this “self-same body” — as the Westminster Confession put it — will be raised and the “self-same” Earth will be raised, I believe the “self-same” Horsehead Nebula will be raised.

Why? Because as part of the present heavens, it will be raised as part of the new heavens.

Will the new planets be mere ornaments, or does God intend for us to reach them one day?

Even under the Curse, we’ve been able to explore the moon, and we have the technology to land on Mars.

What will we be able to accomplish for God’s glory when we have resurrected minds, unlimited resources, complete scientific cooperation, and no more death?

Will the far reaches of our galaxy be within reach? And what about other galaxies, which are plentiful as blades of grass in a meadow?

We will expand the borders of righteous mankind’s Christ-centered dominion, not as conquerors who seize what belongs to others, but as faithful stewards who will occupy and manage the full extent of God’s physical creation.

For more information on the subject of Heaven, see Randy Alcorn’s book Heaven.

Randy Alcorn (@randyalcorn) is the author of fifty-some books and the founder and director of Eternal Perspective Ministries. 

https://www.epm.org/resources/2010/Feb/4/what-does-bible-mean-term-new-heavens/

THE GREAT WHITE THRONE JUDGMENT - The small and the great are there: the king stands among slaves; rich with poor; religious zealots with atheists. No doubt all religions are represented: Protestants, Catholics, Hindus, Muslims, etc.

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Is God Unfair?

The Great White Throne Judgment.

When Terrified Multitudes Stand Before God Unprepared

By Dr. Erwin W. Lutzer  

There is no topic as terrifying as the Great White Throne Judgment … but what do we really know about it?

Let’s look at Revelation 20:11-15 together.

Who is on this majestic throne?

We can be sure that Jesus is sitting on this throne, for God has “committed all judgment unto the Son” (John 5:22).

Jesus is now the Judge of all the unredeemed. His throne is great, majestic, and being white, signifies His holy justice and impartiality.

Who are the defendants standing in line?

John continues, “I saw the dead, small and great stand before God.”

They were summoned from all parts of the world, raised from the dead to give an account to God. John explains, “and the sea gave up the dead who were in it …”

The ancients believed that if you died at sea or were cremated and your ashes thrown into the sea, the gods could never find you so you need not fear an afterlife. But God knows every particle of matter in the universe and thus summons all bodies, regardless of circumstances, to appear before Him.

John writes, “Death and Hades gave up the dead who were in them…” Hades is the abode of the souls of all unbelievers who have died and who will die in the future.

The souls in Hades are joined with their resurrected bodies that are fitted for eternity—bodies, I might say, fitted for the lake of fire.

The small and the great are there: the king stands among slaves; rich with poor; religious zealots with atheists. No doubt all religions are represented: Protestants, Catholics, Hindus, Muslims, etc.

On what basis are they judged?
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A book is opened that details all their works. 
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The basic principle: they will be judged for what they did with what they knew.

To the pagan who has never heard of Christ, God will never say, “you will be thrown into the lake of fire because you did not believe in Jesus.”

As M.R. DeHann wrote, “Hell for the pagan headhunter who has never heard the word of God is going to be heaven compared to what it will be for those who have heard the pleading of the gospel and rejected it.”

But all who are at this judgment will fall short, for all lack the one requirement needed to enter heaven. Since their names are not found in the Book of Life (that is, the Book of the Redeemed), they are cast into the lake of fire.

Is God’s Judgment Really Fair?

God’s judgment of unbelievers—especially those who have never heard the Gospel—is one of the most controversial doctrines in Christianity today.

In fact, even many Christians have rejected the idea, choosing to believe that “everyone finds their own way to God.” So can a loving God condemn people to hell?

Pastor Lutzer explains.

Q: You said that all the people at the Great White Throne Judgment lack the one requirement needed for entry in to heaven. I assume you mean belief in the Gospel?

A: Yes, and more specifically, they lack not only the forgiveness of God, but the gift of righteousness whereby we are declared to be as perfect/holy as God. The only person qualified to give us this gift is Christ; therefore only those who trust Him come under the shelter of His protection and are welcomed into heaven.

Q: Could you clarify what standard is used in this judgment?

A: Paul taught that those who do not know the Gospel will be judged by their own conscience and the light gleaned from nature. This judgment will show that no one has lived up to what they intuitively and rationally knew to be right.

Now, as for those who have heard the Gospel, that is a different story. Jesus said that it will be more tolerable in the day of judgment for Sodom and Gomorrah than for those cities that rejected Him when He was on Earth.

Clearly, those who heard the Gospel and rejected it—or those who had access to the Gospel as we do in America—will be more strictly judged.

Also, those who did evil will be given a lesser punishment than those who not only did evil but also influenced others to do the same. For example, Jesus said of the person who causes a little child to stumble, it would be better for him if he had a stone tied around his neck and drowned.

It is one thing for a man to be immoral; it is quite another when he publishes a pornographic magazine read by millions that entices people to be immoral. Judgment for such people will be immeasurably severe.

Q: Is the lake of fine the same as hell?

A: Yes.

Q: Do you believe in a literal fire in hell?

A: We can’t be sure because hell is both spoken of as a lake of fire and also a place of “outer darkness.” Perhaps those two ideas seem incompatible to us. The point is that even if these are figures of speech, what they represent is frightful and terrifying.

Q: It seems that eternal punishment is profoundly unjust. Okay, so these people knowingly did wrong, but after all, they were born sinners along with the rest of us. Temporary punishment yes, but eternal punishment sounds like overkill. Doesn’t eternal punishment fly in the face of common human compassion and fairness?

A: You have stated the dilemma exactly! I’m not sure I have an entirely satisfying answer to this question, but let me give some perspective. What if, as Jonathan Edwards said, the greatness of a sin is determined by the greatness of the being against whom it is committed? To throw a snowball at a mailman is one thing; to throw one at a policeman is another. And if you throw a snowball at the President of the United States, you will be arrested. Using that analogy, think of the infinite crime of sinning against an infinite God. Sin is much more serious to God than it is to us.

Also, because we are eternal beings, those who are in the lake of fire bear the consequences of their personal guilt forever.

Q: What do you say to the person who has a spouse or a son or daughter who has died as an unbeliever?

A: It comes down to this: God is repeatedly described in the Scriptures as meticulously just. We honor Him by believing and trusting in His justice, knowing that someday we will agree with all of His decisions and forever sing, “Just and true are thy ways, thou King of Saints!”

I have no doubt that those who are in the lake of fire will agree that they are being justly punished.

After all, the sin they committed on Earth will be present to their mind and consciences. This in itself would be a form of hell.

Difficult doctrine to be sure, but God is more incomprehensible than we generally believe Him to be.

Are you struggling with a big decision or wondering how your eternal future will play out?

Why not talk to the God of the universe and let Him work in your behalf?

He says, “I will instruct you and teach you the way you should go; I will counsel you with my eye upon you" (Psalm 32:8).

Ask God to show you what to do. Pray the following prayer:

“Heavenly Father,

I admit that I am a sinner and my sins have separated me from You. I now want to turn away from my past sinful life and begin a new life with You.

Please forgive me. I now receive your Son, Jesus Christ as my Savior, my Master and my Lord. I believe and confess that Jesus Christ died for my sins, was buried, and rose from the dead.

I want to receive all that Jesus Christ has provided for me as my Savior. Your Word says, ‘Whosoever shall call on the name of the Lord shall be saved’ (Romans 10:13).

I believe and confess that Jesus Christ is the Way, the Truth, and the Life, and no man comes unto the Father, but by Him.

Lord Jesus, I pray and ask You, to come into my heart and be Lord of my life. I thank You that you have given me eternal life, and according to Your Word, I am born again.

Heavenly Father, thank You for the gift of the Holy Spirit Who is in me now. I surrender my life to You. I promise to study Your Word – the Bible.

Use me for Your glory.

In Jesus’ Name. Amen.”

Erwin W. Lutzer is Pastor Emeritus of The Moody Church where he served as the Senior Pastor for 36 years. He earned a B.Th. from Winnipeg Bible College, a Th.M. from Dallas Theological Seminary, a M.A. in Philosophy from Loyola University, and an honorary LL.D. from the Simon Greenleaf School of Law.

A clear expositor of the Bible, he is the featured speaker on three radio programs that are heard on more than 1,000 outlets in the United States and around the world:

·   Running to Win—a daily Bible-teaching broadcast;

·   Moody Church Hour—The Moody Church’s Sunday morning worship service;

·   Songs in the Night—an evening program that’s been airing since 1943.

Dr. Lutzer is also an award-winning author of numerous books including: The Church In Babylon, Rescuing The Gospel, He Will Be The Preacher, The Cross In The Shadow Of The Crescent, One Minute After You Die, When A Nation Forgets God, and Christian Bookseller’s Gold Medallion Award winner, Hitler’s Cross.

He and his wife Rebecca have co-written the books: Life-Changing Bible Verses You Should Know and Jesus, Lover Of A Woman’s Soul.

His speaking engagements include Bible conferences and seminars, both domestically and internationally, including: Russia, the Republic of Belarus, Germany, Scotland, Guatemala, and Japan. He also leads tours to Israel and the cities of the Protestant Reformation in Europe.

Dr. Lutzer and Rebecca live in the Chicago area. They have three grown children and eight grandchildren.

https://www.moodymedia.org/articles/god-unfair/

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Is There A Hell? 
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If there is a hell where is it located? 
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Worms don’t die in hell but never stops causing torment.
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Oh Lord, You're Beautiful