Sulphur is for Pure Praise

 Hello All,

Both the prophet Jeremiah and Jesus himself warned Israel about the coming destruction by Babylon and Rome, respectively. Faith placed in military might is not well founded and this was the problem of Jews in the times of Jeremiah and Jesus and it is also one of our problems today. All too quickly we assume that God is on our side, and this belief is part of a vicious cycle that also creates an "us versus them" mentality. It also feeds and is fed by our desire that evil doers and unbelievers would be punished and ultimately rejected by God (of course, we're never included in *that* number, are we, because we'll *always* be faithful, right???). However, for those with faith in God's goodness and peace toward all humanity, there is a subversive undercurrent of promise throughout Scripture that all humanity will be healed, redeemed, and restored. Isaiah announces it, and Paul later expounds upon it.  Isaiah (45:22-26) writes:

22 Turn to me and be safe,

    all you ends of the earth,

    for I am God; there is no other!

23 By myself I swear,

    uttering my just decree,

    a word that will not return:

To me every knee shall bend;

    by me every tongue shall swear,

24 Saying, “Only in the Lord

    are just deeds and power.

Before him in shame shall come

    all who vent their anger against him.

25 In the Lord all the descendants of Israel

    shall have vindication and glory.”

Paul writes later (Phil. 2:10-11):

10 that at the name of Jesus

    every knee should bend,

    of those in heaven and on earth and under the earth,

11 and every tongue [joyfully] confess that

    Jesus Christ is Lord,

    to the glory of God the Father.

Of course, now you're going to say to me "Ha! It says that people must turn first in order to be safe. What if someone doesn't turn?"

To which I would respond, "And it also reveals that his word WILL be true, since ALL will come before him, even those who come in shame. Moreover, every knee will bow and every tongue will JOYFULLY confess (exomologeō)."

And what's more, some will come in shame, but that is not the same as saying they'll be condemned and cast into eternal damnation.

Something strange happens in Paul's reference in Philippians. Paul, who is obviously quoting from the Isaiah passage, blatantly omits the part about Israel being vindicated and instead writes that EVERYONE will JOYFULLY confess Jesus' Lordship (isn't that how one is "saved" according to Romans???) and this all is not to Israel's glory, an ethnic group, but rather to the glory of the Father.

When we see the Father we'll realize that he has been working to redeem and restore EVERYONE.

EVERYONE, even Christians, will need to be salted with fire (sulphur is used for purification, not damnation). It's just that some will come having believed, and some not. But ALL WILL JOYFULLY confess Jesus is Lord and give the Father glory.

I didn't say it; Paul did--and it's completely fine and normal for Paul to modify an Old Testament prophet's understanding of God, as he so often does.

Grace=Peace,

Jeremy