GRACEINFOCUS www.faithalone.org MARCH/APRIL 2017 Clearing up Confusion about Heaven and Hell REVELATION 20:11–21:4 Social Media / Scattered Seed / Three Tragic Consequences of a Two-Party System PLUS Not Willing to Believe / Who Is the Elder Brother? / Islam and Calvinism AND MORE MARCH/APRIL 2017 CONTENTS 3 From the Editor 4 Clearing up Confusion about Heaven and Hell (Revelation 20:11–21:4) BY BOB WILKIN 12 Social Media BY STAFF 14 Scattered Seed (Acts 8:1-8) BY ZANE C. HODGES 17 Three Tragic Consequences of a Two- Party System BY BRAD BELL superheroes, easter eggs, and 19 Not Willing to Believe (John 5:40) BY KEN YATES biblical literacy, p. 44 22 The Mailbag 47 Staff Bio 23 The Bookstore 31 Interpreting the Bible and the Sciences GRACE IN FOCUS BY BRAD DOSKOCIL Volume 32, Number 2 GRACE IN FOCUS is a free, 33 John’s Gospel: Evangelistic or Not? © 2017 by Grace bimonthly magazine about Evangelical Society the gospel, assurance, and BY JOHN H. NIEMELÄ related issues. For your EDITOR-IN-CHIEF free U.S. subscription 36 Islam and Calvinism: Robert N. Wilkin, Ph.D. sign up on our website An Uncomfortable Camparison EDITOR AND DESIGN or send your name and BY PHIL CONGDON Shawn C. Lazar address to P.O. Box 1308, Denton, TX 76202. If SOCIAL MEDIA you would like to make a 41 Survey Brad Bell tax-deductible donation to BY YOU OFFICE MANAGER offset the costs of printing Bethany Taylor and postage, it would be 43 Q&A: Who Is the Elder Brother? CIRCULATION greatly appreciated. BY KEN YATES Mark “The Streak” Gray Address changes? Comments? Prayer requests? Testimonies? Send them to [email protected]. Theological questions? Send them to ques- [email protected]. Or write to Grace in Focus, P.O. Box 1308, Denton, TX 76202. 2 MARCH/APRIL 2017 faithalone.org MARCH/APRIL 2017 FROM THE EDITOR he “society” in Grace Evangelical Society means you. We exist to not only reach the lost with the promise of life but also to build Tup believers like you with sound doctrine and Bible studies. That’s why we publish Grace in Focus, as well as our books, journal, and blog. But in order to serve and minister to you better, we need to know more about you. You support this ministry financially, so we want your input on what we should be doing. As a small ministry, we often change things based on what we Well, That’s Your Opinion hear from our supporters. So we came up with a survey (see pp. 41-42) that I hope you will fill out and return to us. You already Shawn Lazar, EDITOR bless us with your generous donations, and I pray you also bless us with your considered opinions. You can also fill out the survey online, by going to our website, Brad Doskocil gives an example of why you should faithalone.org. trust God’s Word when it appears to conflict with the In this issue of Grace in Focus there are a number of sciences. thought-provoking articles I trust you will enjoy. To And Bob makes some observations about heaven give you just a few highlights— and hell, in order to bring the traditional beliefs about Ken Yates shows that the real problem with sinners the location of our eternal destiny, and the nature of is not that they are unable to believe, but that they are suffering in hell, more in line with Scripture. unwilling. I trust you’ll find all the articles in this issue to be Phil Congdon offers a provocative comparison helpful and I hope to hear from you soon. between the beliefs of Islam and Calvinism. John Niemelä defends the evangelistic nature of Warmly, John’s Gospel against the objection that it was written so disciples would continue to believe, instead of being written so unbelievers would come to believe for the first time. faithalone.org MARCH/APRIL 2017 3 Clearing up Confusion about Heaven and Hell REVELATION 20:11–21:4 By Bob Wilkin ost people think that they know a lot about heaven and hell. But most popular ideas about heaven and hell do not actually come from Mthe Bible, but from Greek philosophy, especially Plato, and from medi- eval writings like Dante’s Inferno. Part 1: Heaven Isn’t What Most People Suppose We sing many songs about heaven, like “When We All Get to Heaven” and “Heaven Is a Wonderful Place.” But what are we thinking about when we sing such songs? Are we thinking about where we will be if we die before the Rapture? That is not what these songs are about. These songs are about where we will spend eternity. The reason we sing about heaven as our eternal home is because most pas- tors and theologians believe it will be our eternal home. As a result, many churchgoers believe that as well. Most people in Christianity think that heaven will be the eternal home of Christians. Most Fail to Recognize That There Are Three Heavens, Not One Heaven The Greek word which is often translated as heaven is ouranos. Yes, it sometimes refers to the place where believers who have died are now. But more often it refers to the place where the birds fly. It is sometimes translated as sky, sometimes as air, and sometimes as heaven when what is meant is the atmosphere around the earth. See Matt 6:26; 8:20; 13:32; Mark 4:4, 32; Luke 13:19; Acts 10:12; 11:6. In Scripture that is the first heaven. It also often refers to the place where the stars and the planets outside our solar system are. Outer space is often called the heavens. When God created “the heavens and the earth,” the heavens there refers to all the planets and the stars outside of earth. See Heb 1:10-11; 2 Pet 3:7, 10, 12; 21:1. faithalone.org MARCH/APRIL 2017 5 LIGHTSTOCK In Scripture that is the second heaven. will spend eternity on the new earth. The third heaven Occasionally, but not often—except in the Book wasn’t made for humans, and humans weren’t made of Revelation—the term ouranos refers to the place for the third heaven. See Revelation 21-22. where God’s glory is localized and where departed believers await Christ’s return. See 2 Cor 12:2-4; Rev Most Fail to Carefully Read the 4:1-11; 8:1-6; 16:11. First Three Chapters in the Bible That is called the third heaven in Scripture. One simple way we know this is by reading the opening chapters of Genesis. If Adam and Eve had The Lord Jesus and His not sinned, then there is no question but Adam and Apostles Said That the Current Eve and all their descendants would have lived on Heavens Will Be Destroyed earth at least until they filled it. Think about that for a When the Scriptures say that “heaven will pass moment. God’s design for human beings was not that away,” they do not mean the third heaven will pass they live in the third heaven forever. He didn’t design away. That refers to the first and second heavens. us for the third heaven. He gave us bodies and a planet The entire universe, except for the third heaven, on which to use those bodies. While angels arguably will be destroyed and the taint of sin were designed to spend at least some completely eliminated. Sin, I believe, of their time in the third heaven, is why we will get a new universe. “If your aim has humans were not. I’m not sure if the fall, and possibly been to spend The first and last chapters of the the flood, resulted in change in the Bible make it clear that God has come universe. Were asteroids and meteors eternity in heaven, to dwell with us on earth. If your aim part of the original design? Will they I hope you will has been to spend eternity in heaven, be part of the new heavens and the I hope you will give up on that ambi- new earth? give up on that tion. That isn’t for you. Were all planets originally inhabit- ambition. That isn’t able? Will all planets be inhabitable What Will the New in the eternal state? for you.” Earth Be Like? The Bible does not answer these Revelation 21-22 tells us that it will questions. But what it does say is that be beautiful, with streets and build- the first and second heavens will be destroyed and ings of gold. It will have lots of precious stones. The new untainted ones created. See Matt 5:18; 24:35; 2 Pet world capital, the New Jerusalem, will be bigger than 3:10; Rev 21:1-3. most countries today. Surely the new earth will be better than this earth Most Fail to Read the and better even than the earth before the flood. Bible to the Very End Remember, before the flood people lived 900+ years When I was on staff with Campus Crusade for even on a fallen world. The new earth will be perfect. Christ we used to sing a song called, “Heaven Is a And the people there will be perfect. No more sin. It Wonderful Place.” We’d sing about how wonderful will be an amazing place to live. heaven is, how it is filled with glory and grace.