I have faith first make the leap and if it’s correctly placed it’s confirmed by random circumstance.
My faith in The fidelity of my wife is confirmed by passing the difficult situations. My faith is confirmed by the chord not breaking.
Faith should always be confirmed. Preach what you learned and God will confirm but if I teach lies I’ll be disciplined. So please let me know if I’ve presented any falsehoods I will pray on the matter.
You do have a point about the Angry God Sermon. This blog entry needed a better intro. This conversation has resulted in adding an intro.
Thanks!
I think the intro is a good addition. I still think you have a pretty nasty view of God, but at least you're upfront about it.
I'd still like to hear you answer the question how it's not torture if God is the one keeping the souls alive forever in Hell. I think we both agree that life is a gift of God, right? And that life only continues because God wills it? (Again, from Hebrews 1 among other verses)
It’s based on my belief the soul is eternal and the second death doesn’t result in the actual extinction of the accumulated intelligence of the soul. Is he keeping the intelligence alive to be tortured? No. It’s dead in the sense of being exiled from God but still aware of their fates.
It sounds like you’re suggesting God will euthanize those souls who don’t commit to him? If so, any scripture on that?
Seriously? I have to find a scripture that defines death as death? No, I don't think so. The straight forward reading of the passages is death.
To quote Edward Fudge, "what does death mean? Death. What does death mean? Death. What does death mean? Death."
The wages of sin is death. the gift of God is eternal life. What does death mean? Death.
Then death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire. The lake of fire is the second death. What does death mean? Death.
For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. What does perish mean? Perish.
The onus is on you to find scripture that defined death as something other than death. Think it through, man.
God is our only father in the sense that he’s the creator of the universe and everything in it. For a simple analogy of George Washington being the Father of the US. Not literally any of ours father. Except Got Begat Jesus Christ in the Flesh.
There is more than one death. The Bible speaks of the second death therefore the first one wasn’t really death. Therefore we have multiple meanings of death.
But You’re making an assertion that God won’t torture an errant soul for eternity; that he will eventually euthanize it out of existence.... Is that not an accurate understanding of your opinion? If so any scripture in that?
Your analogy fails on multiple levels. First, George Washington didn't actually create people. He was instrumental in starting a nation, true, but the Bible says God created us. It also says that God keeps everything in existence by the will of His power. Heb 1:3, Col 1:17 It would be better if you used the analogy Jesus used, it's called the Prodigal son. Luke 15:11-32. What does the parable tell us about God?
The Bible says it is appointed for man to die, then face judgment. Hebrews 9:27. Jesus said there will be a resurrection of all people,
Reiterated in Acts 24:15
There is nothing in there that suggests anything besides death. You using the term Euthanasia doesn't redefine the passage. What does death mean? Death.
What about John 3:16? Romans 6:23? I've posted them several times and you haven't responded to them. I know you know them, they are literally the most famous verses in the whole bible. What more do I need to do? Must I find the term Euthanasia in the Bible? That's preposterous!
ALL of the verses I posted say that God will destroy the wicked. You have posted ZERO scripture to back up your claims... Care to explain why?
Here is the back up better than anything I could write.
“Jesus plainly sets this forth in His message on the sheep and goats: “And these will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life” (Matt. 25:46; italics added). The punishment of the lost in hell is coextensive to the bliss of the righteous in heaven—both are everlasting.”
https://www.ligonier.org/learn/articles/annihilation-or-eternal-punishment/
Either way this conversation is moot. Whether souls be Annihilated or into Eternal Punishment; makes no difference to me. I want no part of either. I choose the Hand of Christ rather than disappoint my God.
But thank you for bringing me to the debate of Eternal Torture in Hell vs the Annihilation of the souls which I was calling euthanasia. In the end though it’s not Pertinent to the purpose of the blog entry so I edited it again to leave the question open.
Check out the Rapture in 2nd Thessalonians. 1:9-10 it’s the rapture.
Oh, I think it's pertinent. That's why I commented. You blog is a fear tactic, and that's not something I think Jesus would do, nor should His followers.
Again, I've studied prophecy until my eyes bled... (That's figurative) I disagree with the interpretation you are working with, and I understand it very well. I'm not interested in it. I think it's pointless and counterproductive. I don't think Jesus came just to save our souls, I think He came to teach us how to live as well. It's important how we live, and the rapture doctrine gives people excuses to not follow Jesus' commands because, after all, we're not going to be here for much longer, right? I also think it's unwise to assume that Christians won't be around for tribulation. Seriously, don't you think the Christians living in Syria think they're seeing Great Tribulation? How about the Armenian Genocide? Diocletian persecution?