NOTES ON THE GLORIOUS DESTINY OF GOD’S REMNANT VS. THE DESOLATIONS OF THOSE WHO PERVERT HIS CALL: HEAVEN OR HELL IN THE ERA OF TRUMP (WITH VIDEO)

THEOLOGY

SCRIPTURE. “Therefore you shall KEEP every commandment which I command you today, that you may be strong, and go in and possess the land which you cross over to possess, and that you may prolong your days in the land which the Lord swore to give your fathers, to them and their descendants, ‘a land flowing with milk and honey.’

For the land which you go to possess is not like the land of Egypt from which you have come, where you sowed your seed and watered it by foot, as a vegetable garden; but the land which you cross over to possess is a land of hills and valleys, which drinks water from the rain of heaven, a land for which the Lord your God cares; the eyes of the Lord your God are always on it, from the beginning of the year to the very end of the year …

Behold, I set before you today a BLESSING AND A CURSE: the blessing, if you obey the commandments of the Lord your God which I command you today; and the curse, if you do not obey the commandments of the Lord your God, but TURN ASIDE from the way which I command you today, to go after other gods which you have not known.” – DEUTERONOMY 11:8-12, 26-28, NKJV

KEY TERMS:

“KEEP.” ‘Shamar’ [וּשְׁמַרְתֶּם֙]: “A primitive root, ‘To hedge about as with thorns;’ i.e., to guard, protect, regard carefully, as with a watchman; to give heed.’’’ NOTE: “The verb occurs about 469 times across every major section of the Hebrew Canon—Torah, Prophets, Writings—‘Expresses the ideas of guarding, keeping, watching, preserving, observing, attending, or maintaining.’ Context determines whether the subject is a shepherd keeping sheep, a priest watching sacred space, a king protecting his realm, an individual obeying God, or God Himself preserving His people.”

“TURN ASIDE.” ‘Sur’ [וְסַרְתֶּ֣ם]: “From a primitive root, ‘To turn off;’ i.e., ‘to decline, to depart, eschew; grievously put away; to rebel [against God and Truth].’” NOTE: “The verb סוּר spans the breadth of Old Testament Revelation, appearing in almost every corpus—from Genesis through Malachi—‘Depicting the act of turning, departing, removing, or causing something or someone to turn.’ Whether it is a heart drifting from covenant loyalty, an idol lifted out of sacred space, or Yahweh’s wrath withdrawn, סוּר ‘portrays decisive change of position or direction, both physical and spiritual.’”

QUOTATION. “‘You never know how much you really believe anything until its Truth or Falsehood becomes a matter of Life and Death to you.’ It is easy to say you believe a rope to be strong and sound as long as you are merely using it to cord a box. But suppose you had to hang by that rope over a Precipice. Wouldn’t you then first discover how much you really trusted it?” – C.S. LEWIS, A Grief Observed, 1961; edited

COMMENTARY. “‘Moses sums up all the arguments for OBEDIENCE in two words, the Blessing and the Curse. He charged the people to CHOOSE which they would have.’ Moses then appointed a public and Solemn Proclamation of the Blessing and Curse, to be made upon the two mountains of Gerizim and Ebal.

[We must acknowledge that] we have broken The Law, and are under its Curse, without remedy from ourselves.’ In Mercy, the Gospel again sets before us a Blessing and a Curse. A Blessing, if we OBEY the Call to Repentance, to Faith in Christ, and Newness of Heart and Life through Him; an awful Curse, if we NEGLECT so great Salvation. Let us thankfully welcome these Glad Tidings of Great Joy; and let us not harden our hearts, but hear this Voice of God while it is called to-day, and while He invites us to come to Him upon a Mercy-Seat. ‘Let us be Diligent to make our Calling and Election SURE [by our OBEDIENCE!].’ – MATTHEW HENRY, Exposition of the Old and New Testaments, 6 vols., 1708-1710; edited

II. TEACHING

Spring 2020. [GOD]: “Son, I have a question I want you to answer.” [DK]: “Yes Sir, what is it?” [GOD]: “If I were to require it of you, would you be willing to literally lay down your life for Me?” [DK]: (After pausing). “Um, may I get back to You on that?”

THE TEST. “Now after these things, God TESTED [the faith and commitment of] Abraham and said to him, ‘Abraham!’ And he answered, ‘Here I am.’ God said, ‘Take now your son, your only son [of promise], whom you love, Isaac, and go to the region of Moriah, and offer him there as a burnt offering on one of the mountains of which I shall tell you.’ So Abraham got up early in the morning, saddled his donkey, and took two of his young men with him and his son Isaac; and he split the wood for the burnt offering, and then he got up and went to the place of which God had told him.

On the third day [of travel] Abraham looked up and saw the place in the distance. Abraham said to his servants, ‘Settle down and stay here with the donkey; the young man and I will go over there and worship [God], and we will come back to you.’ Then Abraham took the wood for the burnt offering and laid it on [the shoulders of] Isaac his son, and he took the fire (firepot) in his own hand and the [sacrificial] knife; and the two of them walked on together. And Isaac said to Abraham, ‘My father!’ And he said, ‘Here I am, my son.’ Isaac said, ‘Look, the fire and the wood, but where is the lamb for the burnt offering?’ Abraham said, ‘My son, God will provide for Himself a lamb for the burnt offering.’ So the two walked on together.

When they came to the place of which God had told him, Abraham built an altar there and arranged the wood, and bound Isaac his son and placed him on the altar, on top of the wood. Abraham reached out his hand and took the knife to kill his son. But the Angel of the Lord called to him from heaven and said, ‘Abraham, Abraham!’ He answered, ‘Here I am.’ The Lord said, ‘Do not reach out [with the knife in] your hand against the boy, and do nothing to [harm] him; for now I know that you fear God [with reverence and profound respect], since you have not withheld from Me your son, your only son [of promise].’

Then Abraham looked up and glanced around, and behold, behind him was a ram caught in a thicket by his horns. And Abraham went and took the ram and offered it up for a burnt offering (ascending sacrifice) instead of his son. So Abraham named that place The Lord Will Provide. And it is said to this day, ‘On the mountain of the Lord it will be seen and provided.

The Angel of the Lord called to Abraham from heaven a second time and said, ‘By Myself (on the basis of Who I Am) I have sworn [an oath],’ declares the Lord, ‘that since you have DONE this thing and have not withheld [from Me] your son, your only son [of promise], indeed I will greatly bless you, and I will greatly multiply your descendants like the stars of the heavens and like the sand on the seashore; and your seed shall possess the gate of their enemies [as conquerors]. Through your seed all the nations of the earth shall be blessed, because you have heard and obeyed My voice.” – GENESIS 22:1-18, AMP

THE LESSON. “God TESTED Abraham, not to trip him up and watch him fall, but to deepen his capacity to OBEY God and thus to develop his ‘Character.’ Just as fire refines ore to extract precious metals, God refines us through difficult circumstances. When we are tested, we can complain, or we can try to see how God is stretching us to develop in us the character necessary to be His followers.” – RONALD A. BEERS, Life Application Study Bible, 2022, p. 52; edited.

DK MAXIM: ‘One cannot become a disciple of Jesus Christ unless one fully DIES TO SELF by being willing to give over everything that is most valuable to him for the Cause of Christ.’ –(cf. Gal. 2:20; Mark 8:35; Col. 3:3).

TOTAL COMMITMENT. “And Jesus replied to him, ‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment. The second is like it, ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself [that is, unselfishly seek the best or higher good for others].’ The whole LAW and the [writings of the] PROPHETS depend on these two commandments.” – MATTHEW 22:37-40, AMP

DK NOTE. As we enter upon the Final Days (and Hours) of our Sojourn with Christ, a Final Sifting is beginning to end. Those who are completely ‘Completely In’ the Faith are being separated from those who are only in ‘Partially In.’

The DESTINY for each group is both Stunning and Final.

Here we confront head-on another Church Doctrine that has been relegated to Outer Darkness by most of the White Evangelical Church for the past two generations and more. Our FINAL DESTINATION is therefore now to be examined as if our lives depended on it, beloved.

Because they most assuredly do. Selah.

‘SOFT MAGIC.’ Alongside the decades long assault upon the Biblical Canon and Christian Gospel by such theological jackals as the Faith-Prosperity dogma, the Seeker Friendly mush, and the more recent Christian Nationalist perversion, this: ‘The Theology of Heaven and Hell has gone by the wayside. The Church is no longer interested in Accountability in favor of a maxed out human gospel of Hyper-Grace!’

In full Rejection of such rank Heresy, DEITRICH BONHOEFFER wrote:

“‘Cheap Grace’ means grace sold on the market like cheapjacks’ wares. The Sacraments, the Forgiveness of sin, and the Consolations of Religion are thrown away at cut prices. Grace is represented as the Church’s inexhaustible treasury, from which she showers blessings with generous hands, without asking questions or fixing limits. Grace without price; grace without cost! The essence of Grace, we suppose, is that the account has been paid in advance; and, because it has been paid, everything can be had for nothing. Since the cost was infinite, the possibilities of using and spending it are infinite. What would Grace be if it were not cheap? …Cheap Grace is the preaching of forgiveness without requiring repentance, baptism without church discipline, communion without confession, absolution without personal confession. Cheap Grace is grace without discipleship, grace without the Cross, grace without Jesus Christ, living and incarnate.

‘Costly Grace’ is the Treasure hidden in the field; for the sake of it a man will go and sell all that he has. It is the Pearl of Great Price to buy which the merchant will sell all his goods. It is the Kingly Rule of Christ, for whose sake a man will pluck out the eye which causes him to stumble; it is the Call of Jesus Christ at which the disciple leaves his nets and follows him!

Costly Grace is the Gospel which must be sought again and again, the Gift which must be asked for, the Door at which a man must knock.

Such Grace is Costly because it calls us to ‘Follow,’ and it is Grace because it calls us to Follow Jesus Christ. It is Costly because it costs a man his life, and it is Grace because it gives a man the only True Life. It is Costly because it condemns sin, and Grace because it justifies the sinner. Above all, it is Costly because it cost God the Life of His Son: ‘Ye were bought at a price,’ and what has cost God much cannot be cheap for us. Above all, it is Grace because God did not reckon His Son too dear a price to pay for our life, but delivered him up for us. ‘Costly Grace is the Incarnation of God!’” ― The Cost of Discipleship, 1937; edited

III. CHRISTIAN MARTYRDOM

When my beloved father, C.W. Kelly, Jr. finally passed on December 20, 2010, I had given him a book earlier that year by DR. RANDY ALCORN (Honorary Doctorate) with a very long title:

Heaven: A Comprehensive Guide to Everything the Bible Says About Our Eternal Home (Clear Answers to 44 Real Questions About the Afterlife, Angels, Resurrection, and the Kingdom of God), 2004. As a believing Christian later in his life, it gave him great comfort to know more about just where he was headed.

What further prompted this study was a recent video I viewed on YouTube (though I could not find the link) by a priest who proposed a controversial warning. Speaking in the violent context of President Trump’s clearly unconstitutional and brutal deployment of ICE Agents throughout the Nation, he grimly advised his parishioners:

“Get your house in order in preparation to meet the Lord.”

But he wasn’t talking about the Rapture, beloved, but of the possibility of being killed by the Immigration Forces. Now I would quickly amend that right statement somewhat by my reading of the Fifth (Martyrdom) Seal of Revelation 6:9-11 (AMP):

“When He (the Lamb) broke open the fifth seal, I saw underneath the altar the souls of those who had been slaughtered because of the word of God, and because of the testimony which they had maintained [out of loyalty to Christ]. They cried in a loud voice, saying, ‘O Lord, holy and true, how long now before You will sit in judgment and avenge our blood on those [unregenerate ones] who dwell on the earth?’

Then they were each given a white robe; and they were told to rest and wait quietly for a little while longer, until the number of their fellow servants and their brothers and sisters who were to be killed even as they had been, would be completed.”

NOTE. Importantly, this is clearly a reference to the CHRIST’S CHURCH, who are killed for their testimony during the entirety of the Church Age. Thus, two important contrasts: (1) This is not the Great Tribulation but rather part of the ‘Birth Pains’ that the Lord addresses in Matthew 24:8; the Era of God’s Wrath does not occur until the opening of the Sixth Seal of God’s Great Wrath (Rev. 6:12-17). (2) This limited number is in stark contradistinction from the TRIBULATION MARTYRS who come out of the Seven Year Tribulation that will number in the hundreds of millions.

After these things I looked, and this is what I saw: a VAST MULTITUDE which no one could count, [gathered] from every nation and from all the tribes and peoples and languages [of the earth], standing before the throne and before the Lamb (Christ), dressed in white robes, with palm branches in their hands; and in a loud voice they cried out, saying,

‘Salvation [belongs] to our God who is seated on the throne, and to the Lamb [our salvation is the Trinity’s to give, and to God the Trinity we owe our deliverance].’ And all the angels were standing around the throne and around the [twenty-four] elders and the four living creatures; and they fell to their faces before the throne and worshiped God,saying,

‘Amen! Blessing and glory and majesty and wisdom and thanksgiving and honor and power and might belong to our God forever and ever. Amen.’ Then one of the elders responded, saying to me, ‘These who are dressed in the long white robes—who are they, and from where did they come?’ said to him, ‘My lord, you know [the answer].’

And he said to me, ‘These are the people who come out of THE GREAT TRIBULATION (persecution), and they have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb [because of His atoning sacrifice]. For this reason, they are [standing] before the throne of God; and they serve Him [in worship] day and night IN HIS TEMPLE, and He who sits on the throne will spread His tabernacle over them and shelter and protect them [with His presence]. They will hunger no longer, nor thirst anymore; nor will the sun beat down on them, nor any [scorching] heat; for the Lamb who is in the center of the throne will be their Shepherd, and He will guide them to springs of the waters of life; and God will wipe every tear from their eyes [giving them eternal comfort].” – REVELATION 7:9-17, AMP

IN SUM. ‘The Church Martyrs of the New Testament (Church) Age constitute a much more limited number of Christ-followers who are slain for their testimony before the Great Tribulation begins.’ Thus they are part of the Bride of Christ who shall Co-reign with Him for all Eternity (cf. 1 Cor. 6:3; Romans 8:17;2 Tim. 2:12; Rev. 3:12). The Tribulation Martyrs, however, serve Christ in a special way remaining in His Temple forever (Rev. 7:15).

IV. HEAVEN OR HELL?

To address a matter that hardly any Christian Pulpits are addressing in recent years, given the OSAS Consensus preached in those years, I finish our conversation by returning to Dr. Randy Alcorn. In a sobering Summary Essay on these matters, he poses A QUESTION: “Is Heaven Our Default Destination …Or is Hell?” (Eternal Perspective Ministries, Mar. 29, 2010; edited).

He introduces us to his thoughts with a quotation from C.S. LEWIS: “Indeed the safest road to Hell is the Gradual One–the gentle slope, soft underfoot, without sudden turnings, without milestones, without signposts.” ― The Screwtape Letters, 1942; edited

OPEN. For every American [including Christians] who believes he’s going to Hell, there are 120 who believe they’re going to Heaven. This Optimism stands in stark contrast to Christ’s words in Matthew 7:13-14: “Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it.’”

DEFAULT. “What would keep us out of Heaven is Universal: ‘All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God’ (Romans 3:23). Sin separates us from a relationship with God (Isaiah 59:2). God is so Holy that he cannot allow Sin into His Presence: ‘Your eyes are too pure to look on evil; you cannot tolerate wrong’ (Habakkuk 1:13). Because we are sinners, we are not entitled to enter God’s Presence. We cannot enter Heaven as we are. ‘So, HEAVEN is not our default destination. No one goes there automatically. Unless our Sin Problem is resolved, the only place we will go is our True Default Destination…HELL.’”

HELLSCAPE. “‘Hell will be inhabited by people who haven’t received God’s gift of Redemption in Christ [‘and according to what they had DONE-‘ergon’(ἔργα)-‘works, moral conduct’]” (Revelation 20:12-15). After Christ Returns, there will be a Resurrection of Believers for Eternal Life in Heaven and a Resurrection of Unbelievers for Eternal Existence in Hell (John 5:28-29). The Unsaved—everyone whose name is not written in the Lamb’s Book of Life—will be judged by God according to ‘THE WORKS’ they have done, which have been recorded in Heaven’s Books (Revelation 20:12-15). Because those works include sin, people on their own, without Christ, cannot enter the Presence of a Holy and Just God and will be consigned to a Place of Everlasting Destruction [“to be burned in the fire”] (Matthew 13:40-42). Christ will say to those who are not covered by His Blood [and our obedience], ‘DEPART FROM ME, you who are cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels’ (Matthew 25:41).”

HEAVENSCAPE. “‘Heaven is both a Country and a City.’ A Country is typically a large territory of various geographies, with Citizens of diverse cultures and vocations, sometimes even languages, under one Government that provides a common identity. A City is a place of many residences in near proximity. A City’s inhabitants are subject to the Common Government. Cities usually have varied and bustling activity, community events, education, arts, and visitors. ‘Heaven is a place of Great Beauty, both Natural Created Beauty and Architecture, including streets of gold and buildings of pearls and emeralds and precious stones.’ Heaven will have the advantages we associate with earthly cities, without the disadvantages (e.g. crime, pollution, corruption). Heaven’s Gates are always open. People will travel in and out, some bringing treasures into the City. Travel outside the City shows that the City is not the whole of Heaven, but merely its Center [in ‘THE NEW JERUSALEM’]. The Great City is the Capital of an Endless Empire, called ‘a Heavenly Country.’ There’s a ‘Universe’ outside the City’s Gates, to which its Citizens have free access.” DK: ‘Forever to explore!’ – “Heaven,” EPM, Apr. 26, 2010; edited

THE POINT. Only the ‘Pompous Fool’ would presume upon the Lord’s Commands to ENDURE obediently “to the end, and thereby be saved” (Matthew 24:13). And only such a Fool would likewise presume that the insidious American Hyper-Grace Gospel will get him or her to Paradise.

Selah.

“And they overcame and conquered him [the Antichrist] because of the blood of the Lamb and because of the word of their testimony, for they did not love their life and renounce their faith even when faced with death.” – REVELATION 12:11, AMP

YOU GOOD?

Of all the theological treatises under my review, midst the crush of standardized, formulaic protocols for getting one’s house in proper order in preparation to Meet Christ, one Key Idea stood out to me by which to close this commentary. For true people of Christian Faith – and by extension – those who are not yet in The House, this shouts to us as PRIME DIRECTIVE:

‘Take your stand for Jesus Christ by standing against Antichrist!’

With the concomitant understanding that doing so will require Costly Grace, not Cheap Grace. It will involve “Dying to self,” and the price of suffering very likely. It could even cost you your life, beloved, for that ‘Chosen Few’ in this hour at the End of the Church Age.

Before Rapture. Before Wrath. Before Glorification.

THE PRAYER BREAKAST. I close with an some rich food for thought from the courageous journalist and Trinity Forum Fellow PETER WEHNER. His essay is titled, “The Evangelicals Who See Trump’s Viciousness as a Virtue,” published in The Atlantic just last week on February 6, 2026 (edited).

“The National Prayer Breakfast was founded in 1953, when President Dwight Eisenhower acceptedan invitation to join members of Congress to break bread together. Every President since has participated, regardless of party or religious persuasion. It offers an opportunity, according to its organizers, for political leaders to gather and pray collectively for our Nation ‘In the Spirit of Love and Reconciliation as Jesus of Nazareth taught 2,000 years ago.’

Donald Trump never got that memo—or, if he did, he’s found ways to ignore it.

In a rambling, 75-minute speech at the Prayer Breakfast yesterday, we saw the Quintessential Trump. His comments were grievance-filled, narcissistic, conspiratorial, factually false, divisive, and insulting. He referred to his critics as ‘lunatics.’ He engaged in projection, comparing them to ‘dictators’ and ‘the gestapo.’ He labeled Republican Representative Thomas Massie a ‘moron’ because he won’t cast legislative votes the way Trump wants. Joe Biden is ‘Crooked Joe,’ while Jacob Frey is ‘the horrible fake mayor’ of Minneapolis. Trump praised El Salvador’s authoritarian President Nayib Bukele—Bukele has referred to himself as ‘the world’s coolest dictator’—for his ‘very strong prisons.’ (The prison that Trump celebrates, Centro de Confinamiento del Terrorismo, known as CECOT, is notorious for its cruel and inhumane conditions.) Trump emphasized that Bukele—who also spoke at the National Prayer Breakfast—‘is one of my favorite people.’

WHERE ARE THE PASTORS? After 10.5 years and more, the American White Evangelical Shepherds remain in one of TWO CAMPS: (1) Silent Submission to the President’s egregious and I would argue demonic, anti-Christian conduct. Or (2) Active Submission by championing Trump as God’s man, a new Cyrus, sent by the Lord to Make America Great Again.

After penning over 400 thoroughly documented Commentaries and two books on these matters, I need not further cite the evidence of Trump’s abominable character and behavior. ‘So it falls TO US, beloved, we “Lower Magistrates” who must Stand in the Gap abandoned wholesale by our leaders.’

In the Spirit of the Great Apostle and the Great Confessor, I therefore conclude with the following Words of Fire:

“In conclusion, BE STRONG IN THE LORD [draw your strength from Him and be empowered through your union with Him] and in the power of His [boundless] might. Put on the full armor of God [for His precepts are like the splendid armor of a heavily-armed soldier], so that you may be able to [successfully] stand up against all the schemes and the strategies and the deceits of the devil. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood [contending only with physical opponents], but against the rulers, against the powers, against the world forces of this [present] darkness, against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly (supernatural) places.

Therefore, put on the complete armor of God, so that you will be able to [successfully] resist and stand your ground in the evil day [of danger], and having done everything [that the crisis demands], to STAND FIRM [in your place, fully prepared, immovable, victorious].” – EPHESIANS 6:10-13, AMP

The Words of our King to the Last Days Confessing Remnant, His True Bride, Eternal Companion, the truly Mighty Men and Women of the Age and the Endless Ages yet to come.

MEDIA

YOUTUBE: https://youtu.be/l_mPjZm1SiI