Page 57 - Gods Plan of the Ages

Himself. Jonah wanteds Nineveh to be destroyed, so he fled from Yahweh. Yahweh
prevailed over Jonah and the prophet proclaimed judgment against Nineveh. The entire city
repented. Even the king donned sackcloth and proclaimed a period of fasting and prayer to
Yahweh. Yahweh relented of the judgment, but Jonah was displeased. Yahweh spoke to
Jonah the following words:

Jonah 4:11
"Should I not have compassion on Nineveh, the great city in which there are more than
120,000 persons who do not know the difference between their right and left hand, as well
as many animals?"

Should not God also have compassion on Sodom, on Egypt, on Assyria, and on those
who perished in the flood of Noah?

I Peter 3:19-20
He went and made proclamation to the spirits now in prison, who once were disobedient,
when the patience of God kept waiting in the days of Noah, during the construction of the
ark...

As Christians, we need to cast off the false doctrine that states that the mercy of God
does not pass beyond the grave. Christ's work of reconciling "all things" to the Father will
not be thwarted by something as inferior to Him as death. Christ is Lord of both the living
and the dead.

Romans 14:9
For to this end Christ died and lived again, that He might be Lord both of the dead and
of the living.

Acts 10:42
And He ordered us to preach to the people, and solemnly to testify that this is the One
who has been appointed by God as Judge of the living and the dead.

(See also II Timothy 4:1, I Peter 4:5)

Yahshua told those Jews gathered together to hear Him what must be heard even by
those who had died.

John 5:28
"Do not marvel at this; for an hour is coming, in which all who are in the tombs will hear
His voice..."

In this account from John's gospel Christ is speaking of the resurrections to come. He
states that some will be resurrected to life, others to judgment. It is this judgment that
Christ referenced when He said that some would receive few stripes, and others many.
Those who are resurrected to judgment must experience the lake of fire. As we have seen
in previous chapters, the lake of fire is also called "the second death." It cannot continue
forever, for "the last enemy to be destroyed is death." When the wrath of God has been fully
spent; when every enemy has repented and sworn allegiance to Yahweh; when even Egypt,
Assyria, and Sodom have become worshipers of Yahweh, then death will be no more.