I 100% understand what you mean Charles, however it can no longer be a “misunderstanding” because God has established Life and Death to the whole world. It’s about you as His son seeking the Truth. Which is Jesus. I hope you now feel encouraged. God bless! :)
I appreciate your taking the time to respond to my (sacrilegious?) statement. I am the result of 300 years of Mennonite preachers (on my father's side) and dozens of Free Methodist preachers on my mother's side. I've become a Taoist.
The misunderstanding I am suggesting occurs when people misinterpret the Bible or take offense at the church'es decision to change the Sabbath from Saturday to Sunday. Jesus' original disciples took offense at the Pharisee Saul - as he took the teachings of Jesus and created a new religion from them.
Faith without Works is dead.
And, of course, there are those countless billions who never had any awareness of the existence of Jesus Christ.
I suspect our Heavenly father would have pity on his children. After all, he made us with all our quirks and questions. Why would he set up so many for eternal punishment?
I hear you. However, I do think that we can wind up in a bout of depression and anxiety thinking about the whole world and how many people who just don’t know. This is why Jesus stresses relationship over religion so that we can come to know Him personally, rather than collating worship with the world. What I can say is God is in control. And in believing that He is not only Lord over all but a GOOD Lord who doesn’t act unjustly, will be the only thing to help you answer that question. We do not know the lives of the billions and whether or not they hadn’t the opportunity of encounter Jesus or God, we’re not omnipresent. If we knew everything, Charles, God wouldn’t be God. You sound like a worrier and that you have a sensitive heart for people just like me and what I’ve found best is just being a light. Light brings clarity, lest we forget. We be a light for people and bring them to Jesus so that He can take over. It’s not our responsibility to control or understand what happens after, and that can be difficult to accept. Matthew 11:28, God will give us rest, not just in the life after death which we like to fixate on, but from CURRENT problems and questions and queries we have as of now. Get to know Him and you will get to know everything you need to know. God bless and keep you, Charles.
I appreciate your concern for my soul. As I rush to life's finish line, I am confident that YHWH is a just and reasonable god. I have no fear of the afterlife - only curiosity about it. I have always been receptive to new ideas and I remain a believer in Herbert Armstrong and the now-defunct Worldwide Church of God (it continues to send free literature from its tiny mobile home headquarters). The New Age belief in the Law of Attraction strikes me as true and I am seriously meditating on Ivan Antic's concept that consciousness = existence.
The God who created the universe and who is continuing to spread it over the trackless wastes of eternity is good. I don't believe he will trick me or trap me by blinding my mind with seemingly contradictory words.
It is sad that so many people have bought into the lie that Hell doesn't exist... when it clearly does. It has to exist because God is just!
I agree with every word, sister.
An on-time message, thanks.
I have always found it impossible to believe that our "loving" spiritual father will torture us for eternity because of a misunderstanding.
I 100% understand what you mean Charles, however it can no longer be a “misunderstanding” because God has established Life and Death to the whole world. It’s about you as His son seeking the Truth. Which is Jesus. I hope you now feel encouraged. God bless! :)
I appreciate your taking the time to respond to my (sacrilegious?) statement. I am the result of 300 years of Mennonite preachers (on my father's side) and dozens of Free Methodist preachers on my mother's side. I've become a Taoist.
The misunderstanding I am suggesting occurs when people misinterpret the Bible or take offense at the church'es decision to change the Sabbath from Saturday to Sunday. Jesus' original disciples took offense at the Pharisee Saul - as he took the teachings of Jesus and created a new religion from them.
Faith without Works is dead.
And, of course, there are those countless billions who never had any awareness of the existence of Jesus Christ.
I suspect our Heavenly father would have pity on his children. After all, he made us with all our quirks and questions. Why would he set up so many for eternal punishment?
I hear you. However, I do think that we can wind up in a bout of depression and anxiety thinking about the whole world and how many people who just don’t know. This is why Jesus stresses relationship over religion so that we can come to know Him personally, rather than collating worship with the world. What I can say is God is in control. And in believing that He is not only Lord over all but a GOOD Lord who doesn’t act unjustly, will be the only thing to help you answer that question. We do not know the lives of the billions and whether or not they hadn’t the opportunity of encounter Jesus or God, we’re not omnipresent. If we knew everything, Charles, God wouldn’t be God. You sound like a worrier and that you have a sensitive heart for people just like me and what I’ve found best is just being a light. Light brings clarity, lest we forget. We be a light for people and bring them to Jesus so that He can take over. It’s not our responsibility to control or understand what happens after, and that can be difficult to accept. Matthew 11:28, God will give us rest, not just in the life after death which we like to fixate on, but from CURRENT problems and questions and queries we have as of now. Get to know Him and you will get to know everything you need to know. God bless and keep you, Charles.
I appreciate your concern for my soul. As I rush to life's finish line, I am confident that YHWH is a just and reasonable god. I have no fear of the afterlife - only curiosity about it. I have always been receptive to new ideas and I remain a believer in Herbert Armstrong and the now-defunct Worldwide Church of God (it continues to send free literature from its tiny mobile home headquarters). The New Age belief in the Law of Attraction strikes me as true and I am seriously meditating on Ivan Antic's concept that consciousness = existence.
The God who created the universe and who is continuing to spread it over the trackless wastes of eternity is good. I don't believe he will trick me or trap me by blinding my mind with seemingly contradictory words.
God bless you Sarah.
🙏🏾❤️