The Third Fire
- By Joseph Mattera
- Published 10/2/2008
Joseph Mattera
Joseph Mattera has been in full-time ministry since 1980 and is currently the overseeing Bishop of Resurrection Church in New York.
Known as “a leader’s leader,” Joseph is also a virtuoso on the guitar. He has received formal education in Kingsborough Community College, Elohim Bible Institute, received ministerial training from The International Christian Center, and has received an honorary diploma from Zion Bible Institute. Joseph earned a Doctor of Divinity from the Christian Leadership Seminary, participated in BILD (Biblical Institute for Leadership Development), successfully completed a one-year certificate program with the Wilberforce Forum, and has earned a Doctor of Ministry from Bakke Graduate University, with a concentration in Biblical Worldview and Urban Ministry.
He serves as a consultant and mentor to numerous political, business and church leaders and has worked extensively with the NYPD, the local community board and numerous other service agencies. In 1989 he formed a grassroots organization that successfully closed down a pornographic store and has since helped lead the charge in his community against the proliferation of pornography. In addition, he has helped formulate and facilitate a prayer movement in the New York metropolitan area and has launched numerous citywide initiatives for unity, reconciliation and reformation. Recently, he also served as a vice chair for the final Billy Graham Crusade in New York City (June 2005).
Joseph and his wife Joyce founded Resurrection Church in 1984. A multiethnic congregation of 40 nationalities, Resurrection Church has developed and sent out high-impact leadership and numerous non-profit corporations that have greatly impacted nations and the New York region, such as Children of the City (COC regularly ministers to more than 2,000 at-risk children with counseling, after school programs, tutoring, mentoring, and other holistic ministries) and The Ekklesia Leadership Institute (which held intensive monthly seminars and week-long summits with a focus of raising up the next generation of leadership with a Christian world and life view).
Resurrection Church has a goal of “advocating for the powerless and speaking to the powerful.”
Joseph’s driving passion is his jealousy to see the Lordship of Christ manifest over every realm of society so the church can fulfill the cultural mandate in Genesis 1:28. This passion has resulted in extensive ministry nationally and internationally, reaching out to many nations of the world including the former Soviet Union, Turkey, Puerto Rico, Dominican Republic, Honduras, Holland, Ukraine, Bulgaria, Canada, Mexico and Cuba.
In November 1999 he started City Covenant Coalition, a network of clergy and marketplace ministries. They have come together to build the Body of Christ and work for citywide, national and global transformation (CCC has since become one of the largest and most influential clergy groups in the greater New York region). In 2004 CCC led the charge for traditional marriage in the New York region. CCC’s efforts for traditional marriage in 2004 positively influenced the social/political landscape of New York and included possibly the largest ever assembly of clergy for a press conference on the steps of New York City Hall. CCC incited another event at City Hall in which thousands of citizens renewed their vows and opposed same-sex unions and marriages. This event received extensive media coverage including network television news, radio and major local and national newspapers. These political and social events have given birth to City Action Coalition and American Action Coalition, local and national clergy led non-profit organizations that educate and activate the Body of Christ in regards to engaging the culture by applying the biblical worldview to culture and public policy.
Joseph also has hosted his own radio show “Light Your City” and a weekly cable television programs “The Ekklesia.” He is a regular contributor to Christian newspapers, and through the years has given numerous radio and television interviews and press conferences, including guest appearances on TBN. His first published book Ruling in the Gates was released in April 2003 and has already had international acclaim.
In recognition of his years of faithful service and significant influence, numerous local and national bishops and apostolic leaders consecrated Joseph to the Office of Bishop on April 29, 2006.
Joseph, his wife, Joyce and their five children live in Brooklyn, New York.
I. Introduction
a. The Bible teaches that fire is a metaphor describing three types of purging people can experience:
• The fires of testing
• The fires of evaluation
• The fires of damnation
b. The third fire is for anyone who refuses to allow themselves to go through the first two fires.
c. This is not a popular message that is preached often in today’s pulpits.
d. The justice of God must be satisfied before sinners can come into His presence.
e. Romans 3:19-26.
f. For example, if I was to ask 100 Christians why Jesus died on the cross for them, many would say because He loves them. This is only partially true; the most important reason according to this passage in Romans is to satisfy God’s righteousness that He might be just. The Father is not able to bring us into fellowship with Himself even though He loves us without first compromising His righteousness, unless an innocent human being was punished vicariously for the sins of humanity.
g. If God brought us in our sings into heaven with Himself it would send the whole universe into chaos in the same way judicial systems and law enforcement break down if judges are legally allowed to pardon their friends and relatives of crimes they were proven guilty of committing.
II. What the Scriptures really teach regarding the eternal fire for unbelievers
a. Unbelievers are thrown into the fire: Revelation 20:11-15
• Jesus spoke about a place called hell: Matthew 23:33
• John the Baptist warned people to flee from the wrath to come: Luke 3:7-9
• Paul the Apostle warned of the judgment to come: 2 Corinthians 5:10-11; 1 Corinthians 6:9-11
• Felix did not want to make a decision to follow Christ but sent Paul away when he spoke about self-control and the judgment to come (Acts 24:24-25)
III. Hell is not annihilation
The Jehovah’s Witness cult and the Seventh Day Adventists and others teach that when a person is cast into hell his/her soul is annihilated and they cease to have a conscious existence. Thus they teach there is no eternal punishment. This does not comport with the clear teaching of Scripture as the following will show.
a. Proverbs 9:18 “The dead are there.”
b. Mark 9:47, 49 “Their worm does not die”
c. John 3:16: The Greek word for perish is apollumi which means to ruin or mar, not to cease to exist! This same Greek word is found when the wineskins are ruined in Mark 2:22.
d. Revelation 14:9-11; 20:11. The devil, the false prophet, and those with his image on their forehead are tormented day and night and have no rest forever and ever.
e. Isaiah 14:12-17 teaches that the people in hell were still conscious and stirred up and came to meet the king of Babylon when he came down to hell. The people of the earth in hell were shocked to see such a famous powerful person being judged in hell, brought down to being as weak as they were.
f. Luke 16:19-31:
• This is not a parable. Jesus said “There was a rich man”
• Jesus never mentions the names of real people in parables. In this passage he mentions Abraham.
• He spoke about Moses and the prophets in this passage.
• He spoke about the man in hell being in torment while having a conversation with Abraham. Note: he was not annihilated but was in conscious torment.
• Jesus said the way to avoid hell was to listen to Moses and the prophets.
• Also, if people did not believe the Scriptures neither would they believe if someone were to rise from the dead.
Joseph G. Mattera