(July 25, 2016 at 6:53 am)robvalue Wrote:To clarify the future and to increase the knowledge database: some may be interested, others not so much.(July 21, 2016 at 10:12 pm)mh.brewer Wrote: I'm just getting caught up here, kinda regretting it. This snowy is a POE, right?
I can't remember if he got around to telling us why we should care about any of this stuff he keeps going on about.
God literally gives a choice to every human being. Those that have looked at this, don’t understand who chooses eternal damnation and why they are so committed to reject eternal reward. You can go where you want for the rest of eternity: Can go to the lake-of-fire or the new creation. In the lake-of-fire (descriptive, not literal since fire consumes, and it’s not God tormenting - God can’t do anything outside of His nature [yes, there are lots of things God can’t do to answer all those ‘stumper’ question], the ‘torment’ is self-imposed).
If you go to that place, you will no longer have to deal with the authority of God, and can be autonomous for the rest of eternity; whereas, if you go the new creation, you’re not autonomous; you’re committed to the authority of the Creator of the universe. If you want that submission, that’s the place for you. If you don’t want that submission, here’s a place for you. In both cases, it’s an expression of God’s perfect love. God is committed to make the lake-of-fire as good as it can possibly be, given who is going there and the decisions those individual have made. Those individuals that have shown the greatest capacity for evil (an expression of sin against God), will be restraint* the most in their desire to commit evil and therefore will experience the most ‘torment’. God protects the inhabitants by imposing limits on evil.
One benefit that is generally not pointed out is that those who choose redemption, come back to the Earth for the 1000 year reign of Christ. That’s the period when righteousness rules** , and the desert blooms like a rose. Have you ever wonder what’s the purpose of some of Earth’s desolate terrine like between Barstow, CA and Las Vegas? It’s being reserved for the millennium kingdom. Crops, vegetation of all varieties will flourish with hardly any effort from those inhabiting the Earth during this 1000 year period.
*Precedents in scripture.
** Peace on earth and peace in the animal kingdom - “The wolf shall dwell with the lamb.” “Can turn the other cheek” since there will be swift and certain justice.
Atheist Credo: A universe by chance that also just happened to admit the observer by chance.