Do not be like Cain, who belonged to the evil one and murdered his brother.
In 1 John 1, the apostle John says the blood of Christ cleanses us from all sin, but then he goes on to say in chapter 3, “You know that eternal life does not reside in a murderer.”
Some believers say that anyone, no matter what they’ve done, even commit first-degree murder, can be saved, that Christ’s blood cleanses us from all sin. They believe that because God let Cain live after he killed Abel, this is evidence that murderers can be saved. God knew that Cain was going to kill Abel, and before it happened, God told him to do what is right, “But if you refuse to do what is right, sin is crouching at your door; it desires you, but you must rule over it.”
Unfortunately, sin ruled over Cain, and after he killed Abel and was cursed and banished by God, Cain said to God, “My punishment is greater than I can bear!” This prefigures hell. Being out of God’s presence in eternity will be unbearable. But like a coward, Cain is worried about his own life. So, God puts a mark on him, so he won’t be killed. This mark can also prefigure the mark of the beast during the final week of human history. People who take the mark during the reign of the antichrist won’t die either, here on earth or in eternity. They’ll preserve their lives here but spend forever in the lake of fire. They’ll be warned not to take the mark of the beast, like God warned Cain, but sin will rule over them. They will make a conscious, free will decision to take the mark. Let’s continue.
Ye know that no murderer hath eternal life abiding in him.
Let’s go to the law of God to back up this scripture from 1 John 3:15, and let’s remember, the Law is upheld by faith.
Whoever strikes and kills a man must surely be put to death. If, however, he did not lie in wait, but God allowed it to happen, then I will appoint for you a place where he may flee. (Exodus 21:12-13)
Some murderers lie in wait, such as serial killers or assassins. They act deliberately and even desire to carry out their plan. Let’s read the next verse:
But if a man schemes and acts willfully against his neighbor to kill him, you must take him away from My altar to be put to death. (Exodus 21:14)
If we’re taken away from God’s altar and put to death, are we still saved? Let’s remember that life and death in the Law of Moses is applied to eternal life and death, heaven and hell, in the time of Christ. In the Torah, a ransom was the price paid to secure a person’s freedom, and we know that Jesus gave himself as a ransom for many, but let’s read the following scripture:
You are not to accept a ransom for the life of a murderer who deserves to die; he must surely be put to death. (Numbers 35:31)
So, some people deserve to die, that is, go to hell. Those who lie in wait to kill someone deserve to die because they acted willfully. In degrees of homicide, there is a difference between accidents, acting out of ignorance, self-defense, passion, and deliberately stalking someone to brutally murder them. Let’s use Matthew 18 as an example of varying degrees of homicide by using the mirror image in the Old Testament:
Then Peter came to Jesus and asked, “Lord, how many times shall I forgive my brother or sister who sins against me? Up to seven times?” (Matthew 18:21)
Now, let’s go back to Genesis and compare this verse to what Cain’s great-great-great-grandson Lamech says:
Lamech said to his wives, “Adah and Zillah, listen to me; wives of Lamech, hear my words. I have killed a man for wounding me, a young man for injuring me. If Cain is avenged seven times, then Lamech seventy-seven times.” (Genesis 4:23-24)
Now, let’s go back to Matthew 18 and listen to Jesus’s response to Peter:
Jesus answered, “I tell you, not seven times, but seventy-seven times. (Matthew 18:22)
With that said, Cain would be avenged 7 times over if anyone killed him, but Lamech would be avenged 77 times over if anyone killed him. Lamech killed a man for wounding him, which would be equivalent to voluntary manslaughter. Cain had the greater sin because he committed the equivalent of first-degree murder. So, Cain would be avenged less than Lamech.
Let’s listen to the apostle Paul from 1 Timothy:
I was formerly a blasphemer, a persecutor, and a violent man; yet because I had acted in ignorance and unbelief, I was shown mercy.
Paul didn’t say he was a murderer, he says he was a violent man. He tortured Christians to try and get them to blaspheme God, as we read in Acts 26, and he was complicit in the stoning of Stephen. So, what happened to Paul? God allowed him to be stoned to death (see Acts 14). But God sent him back from the third heaven and he and the brothers who were with him went into the city where it can be certain that no one bothered them again. Let’s continue in 1 Timothy:
Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, of whom I am the worst. But for this very reason I was shown mercy, so that in me, the worst of sinners, Christ Jesus might display His perfect patience as an example to those who would believe in Him for eternal life.
Paul says twice that he’s the worst of sinners. Is Paul exaggerating or speaking figuratively? We can say with confidence that he is speaking literally because he repeats that he’s the worst of sinners. So, can we be worse than Paul and expect to be saved? Paul is our example of the worst of sinners.
Murderers belong to the evil one, and a fear of hell and turning to Jesus Christ while in prison to save their souls won’t do any good. Believing that first-degree murderers can be saved can be compared to hyper-grace. Ultimately, God will judge. We have to rightly divide the word of God and accept the truth whether it’s pleasant or unpleasant.
The infinite God has promised eternal life for those saved in Jesus Christ. When we accept Christ as Lord and savior, we turn from evil and do good. We accept the ransom paid by Christ crucified on the cross, which frees us from slavery to sin and death. Now, as slaves of God and righteousness, we continue to live our lives, doing the best we can, knowing that no matter how we meet our end in this dying world, we’ll live forever in the presence of God our savior.
Futile World 