She won’t answer questions she can’t answer with ambiguous platitudes, so scorn is pretty much all we have left. She’s had every opportunity to give even the smallest bit of evidence for her claims, but instead chooses to repeat the same empty gibberish over and over. She’s just another religious mouthpiece, no listening or comprehension, just broadcasting her message and expecting blind adoration.
**Absolutely, but we sow the seeds of truth only, and the ‘soil’ upon which they fall ranges from fertile (receptive) to barren (hostile). When we see a seed sprout, we then nourish and tend it until it reaches maturity.
Soil that is barren at one time my be fertile later, indeed this is often the case. No missionary ever gives up on another human being, even if years must pass before they cross paths again. The Apostle Paul was one of the worst persecutors of Christians, until Jesus stopped him on the road to Damascus and point blank asked him, ‘Why are you persecuting Me.’ (Notice, Christ makes no distinction between Himself and the rest of the Body of Christ - AKA - believers.)
The ‘Jews’ will all be ‘unveiled’ in due time, but those who ‘harden their hearts’ repeatedly and voluntarily have quite a different destiny.
The Will of God, however, is that ALL soil (people’s hearts) should become fertile.
“YHWH is patient with you because He desires that none should be destroyed, but that all should attain to repentance.” (2 Peter 3:9)
“For God so loved that world that He sent His Only Begotten Son, so that everyone exercising faith in Him might notbe destroyed, but have everlating life.” (John 3:16)
There are those who refuse to accept the free gift of everlasting life through Jesus Christ, and God has stayed his hand, and continues to, in order for all to have had the opportunity to be reconciled to Him through Christ. He will not stay His hand much longer. Whatever else Christians disagree about they all agree on this point. The ‘day and the hour’ we don’t know, and for good reason, but we know that the SEASON is HERE. It’s unmistakable.
Re: Muslims. Ishmael (Abraham’s first son) was blessed by God, but it was through Isaac, Abraham’s second son that the Nation of Israel was founded. The Bible tells us that at the end of the age (coming to a neighborhood near you - SOON), Ishmael and Isaac will ‘join hands’ again, as they did at the grave of their natural father (Abraham) when they’d buried him - an act they performed together.
GOD doesn’t tell us everything - not nearly everthing as a matter of fact, but He has told us what we need to know to prepare for His Kingdom and He has given us the history of the human race. We know all we need to know, but GOD doesn’t always tell us HOW He’s going to do this or that, but only that He will. Of ALL the things GOD has ever said He would do, not one of them has failed to come about - not one.
People on this forum ask for ‘proof’ of GOD’s existence. Proof is available in abundance - if they would only look. ‘SEEK the Kingdom,’ Jesus said. It’s not that it’s difficult to find, but that it will take effort on our part to enter therin.
If a baseball player was batting a thousand, d’you think they would question his talent, or would his track record PROVE that he was indeed a baseball player?
Warm Agape Love - Jesse.**
Are you saying we’ll be smited? Really? As in “no goddy love?”
Warm agape mouth – Kalhoun
Nope. There is a broad path and a narrow path and we all get to choose. Some people wouldn’t like life in God’s Kingdom, what with all the required subservience and all. The loving thing for God to do would be to grant them their heart’s desire. No worship, no subservience, no belief required, no love required. Oblivion awaits those who don’t want to be in God’s Kingdom anyway. So, atheists get what they want, courtesy of the Love of God, of course.
Jesse.
Here that, atheist people? It’s only through God’s love and acquiescence that you know not of God.
So, Jesse, can we agree then that it’s pointless to bring the word of God to those who God is allowing to ignore it? You no longer need to meddle in the lives of others, atheists are happy, God is happy. Everyone jumps on the peace train. Cheers!
Damn, Silly me. So God is making it possible for me to think he/she/it doesn’t exist. I feel so stupid for not knowing.
Now I’m confused. First you say that the only way to God is through Christ. Now you say it’s possible that other ways may be open to people. Which is it?
When I asked you this question early today you seemed so certain! I asked:
And you responded:
That seems pretty clear. The only way to God is through Jesus. Devout Jews who pray to God but who don’t believe in the New Testament cannot come to God. Right?
If I’m misunderstanding your message, please tell me what my error is!
For a forum that’s trying to outrun ignorance we have a dreadful reading comprehension problem here. I did not say that God made you not believe in Him. I said that atheists will get what they want - oblivion, and won’t have to lower themselves to worship GOD. My short post was a tongue-in-cheek response to Kalhoun, but it does apply to the atheist argument perfectly.
Jesse.
I tried to delete the post. I didn’t want to get into a discussion. I was too late.
I’d like that in writing from the big guy. I’d rather spend eternity in the lake of fire than be subjected to his perverted concept of love forever.
That’s not a very convincing argument for christianity. Once we’re dead, we’re all relegated to the dustbin. There is no alternative to “nothingness.” We will join those before us in unconscious non-existence. It will feel exactly the way it felt before we were born. I find that rather comforting!
As I said earlier, the ‘Jews’ will all be unveiled. THEN they’ll come to GOD through Christ. I suspect (but don’t know, since GOD doesn’t say) that the children of Ishmael (Muslims) will have a similar experience. Still, NO ONE will come to GOD in any other way than through Christ.
Total clarity many not be afforded all until the Great White Throne Judgment. GOD doesn’t tell us His timing for either occurrence (well, we can see that the inveiling of the Jews has been progessing for some time), and we don’t require to know it. What we need to know isn’t a mystery. We’ll find out the rest in due time.
Agape - Jesse.
The ‘Lake of fire’ = The second death. Oblivion. If you stay on your present course that’s what awaits you - as I understand the Scriptures.
Some people believe that ALL will be ‘saved’ (Universalists) regardless, but it’ll take centuries of remedial teaching by GOD. Wouldn’t that be a bummer! I can’t find any Biblical evidence for Universalim, but it has many adherents. I’d vote for it if it were on a ballot, it is the Will of God (as posted above) after all, and I don’t want to see anyone destroyed either.
Agape - Jesse.
P.S. I thought you didn’t believe in The Big Guy!
Ah, so a devout Jew who believes that he has a relationship with God right now is mistaken, right?
At some point in the future the truth of Christ will be unveiled to him, but right now if he feels at one with God … he’s mistaken.
Am I understanding you correctly?
No. Please go back and read my original response to you again. I told you I couldn’t comment on what GOD permits Jews and Muslims (or anyone other than Christians) in terms of a relationship with Him because GOD doesn’t tell us that and we don’t need to know.
Those you refer to as Jews were blinded by GOD, so perhaps GOD does interact with them, He doesn’t say. He does say that He doesn’t listen to the prayers of those who are antiChrist - defined in the Bible as those who deny that Christ is the Son of God.
Does this help?
Jesse.
Well you did say they’d all become magic christians, so evidently god figured we need to know that he interacts with them. After all, he told YOU, didn’t he?
Or maybe there’s…ANOTHER GOD…and the two of them are going to have a cage match. Winner gets the jews and muslims!
I see. So if a devout Jew prays to God and feels as though God is listening to him … he’s mistaken. The same is true of a devout Muslim. They may feel like they’re communing with a higher power, but they’re wrong. Is that correct?
Good thing you don’t subscribe to this view: it’s pointless and inane.
Atheists are atheists because they can’t see any way in which god(s) could be real. Show him to us (although *after we’re dead *seems to be a little on the late side, no pun intended) and we’d immediately accept we were wrong.
I cannot think why it’d take centuries of remedial teaching.
[ul]
[li]We’re atheist, not stupid. [/li][li]We’re atheist, not evil.[/li][/ul]
I really think we could get the whole ‘belief’ thing down pat pretty much instantaneously if we actually saw he/she/it existed.
Of course if the point of the ‘remedial education’ is just that god wants to gloat for a couple of hundred years, then he can go fuck himself and I’ll take oblivion, thanks.
I believe I’ve already said that I cannot comment on what God allows or does not allow on an individual basis. We just don’t know, Pochacco. Perhaps GOD has revealed this information to another of His servants. I can only shine with the Light I have been given, and I have told you what the Bible says and my understanding of these Scriptures.
Understand too that there are other ‘higher powers’ who are not YAHWEH. I know of many sincere persons who are communicating with fallen angels (demons) masquerading as GOD. The Bible warns us that there are false spirits and shows us how to test them.
It may be worthy of note that GOD doesn’t listen to the prayers of Christians who are behaving badly either. We may all be grafted into The True Vine, but we’ll soon be pruned off if we yield no fruit, as in faith and good works. Following Jesus is a 24/7, 365.25 days a year undertaking which requires love, diligence, focus, and effort on our part. Sunday morning, and other nominal Christians won’t get far on their spiritual journey.
None of us ‘has it made’ so to speak. Even the Apostle Paul spoke of having 'The hope of Heaven. He didn’t think he ‘had it made’ anymore than the rest of us do. It’s a daily struggle, an ongoing battle with the forces arrayed against us. Thankfully, GOD teaches how to win those battles too. We don’t fight alone and we’re not alone - ever.
Agape - Jesse.
**GOD doesn’t gloat. His remedial instruction is always restorative. We don’t have to die to find that out, God works with us every day to show us what we’re doing all right on and what we need to improve upon.
If Universalism (the Will of God) is correct, oblivion won’t be an option**.
Agape - Jesse.