enoob57 Posted December 1, 2011 Group: Worthy Ministers Followers: 35 Topic Count: 100 Topics Per Day: 0.02 Content Count: 41,420 Content Per Day: 8.00 Reputation: 21,577 Days Won: 76 Joined: 03/13/2010 Status: Offline Birthday: 07/27/1957 Share Posted December 1, 2011 You have correctly identified the narrow way ... Heb 11:1-2 A deeper meditation of the why is to understand "God hates sin" and "God is Love" ... we are to continue in the Eternities in a Love relationship as magnified by the Marriage supper of the Lamb! The hell is also the entirety of God's hatred placed in it's... it is why God finds no pleasure in His created being there- there are no words but lake of fire that burns forever! Love, Steven Mk 10:14-16 14 But when Jesus saw it, He was greatly displeased and said to them, "Let the little children come to Me, and do not forbid them; for of such is the kingdom of God. 15 Assuredly, I say to you, whoever does not receive the kingdom of God as a little child will by no means enter it." 16 And He took them up in His arms, laid His hands on them, and blessed them. NKJV Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JohnD Posted December 1, 2011 Group: Worthy Ministers Followers: 0 Topic Count: 909 Topics Per Day: 0.19 Content Count: 9,657 Content Per Day: 2.02 Reputation: 5,839 Days Won: 9 Joined: 04/07/2011 Status: Offline Share Posted December 1, 2011 I've heard many atheists say that Christians are naive or are deluding themselves by thinking that life exists after death. That Christians (unlike atheists) are too afraid and immature to face the total annihilation of consciousness that awaits us after death. Some of them have seemed almost gleeful to me in anticipation of this, simply to prove that they were right and we were wrong. This has always bothered me, not because of the (implied or overt) insults, but because of the way they seem to await their demise. If it were true, that death was the final end, why would this be something that anyone would look forward to? Nothing you would have ever done in your life would mean anything. Indeed all of human existence would mean nothing. There would be no point to morality, lawfulness, mercy, or charity. The only point would be hedonism. Moreover, even if there was no other call to believe in an afterlife other than a fifty-fifty chance of it existing or no, with no indications either way, why would you choose to look forward to oblivion rather than something that would provide meaning and purpose? If a group of people was exploring a cave and a collapse occurred, stranding them in the dark, they would surely look forward to the hope of rescue even though they may not have better than a fifty-fifty chance of making it out alive. In this case such an outlook is called optimism, but in the case of an afterlife it's termed childish fantasy. Why? The truth is I do take great comfort in the belief of a life everlasting. If that makes me childish, well, I can live with that if the alternative is eagerly awaiting my destruction just to prove a point. We have no concept of true oblivion because we have nothing comparable, even nothing is something. Maybe that is why people aren't afraid of it. I don't want to not-exist though. I want to exist, I want to be. I guess I also just wanted to know I'm not alone. Take courage, my friend. For if they are correct, when they die, they'll never know they were right. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JohnD Posted December 1, 2011 Group: Worthy Ministers Followers: 0 Topic Count: 909 Topics Per Day: 0.19 Content Count: 9,657 Content Per Day: 2.02 Reputation: 5,839 Days Won: 9 Joined: 04/07/2011 Status: Offline Share Posted December 1, 2011 That was a tongue in cheek point. We have the recorded testimony of him who created all things from nothing, who authenticated that record by his omniscience (namely, telling historic events before they happened), and who died and rose from the grave (or who died and lived to tell about it). And he says we will live longer after we die than we did before... throughout eternity in fact. The smugness of ignorance is nothing to be bothered with. It's sad. But it's nothing to be bothered with. You can only tell people so often that the bridge ahead is out... some have to learn it the hard way. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
enoob57 Posted December 1, 2011 Group: Worthy Ministers Followers: 35 Topic Count: 100 Topics Per Day: 0.02 Content Count: 41,420 Content Per Day: 8.00 Reputation: 21,577 Days Won: 76 Joined: 03/13/2010 Status: Offline Birthday: 07/27/1957 Share Posted December 1, 2011 I've heard many atheists say that Christians are naive or are deluding themselves by thinking that life exists after death. That Christians (unlike atheists) are too afraid and immature to face the total annihilation of consciousness that awaits us after death. Some of them have seemed almost gleeful to me in anticipation of this, simply to prove that they were right and we were wrong. This has always bothered me, not because of the (implied or overt) insults, but because of the way they seem to await their demise. If it were true, that death was the final end, why would this be something that anyone would look forward to? Nothing you would have ever done in your life would mean anything. Indeed all of human existence would mean nothing. There would be no point to morality, lawfulness, mercy, or charity. The only point would be hedonism. Moreover, even if there was no other call to believe in an afterlife other than a fifty-fifty chance of it existing or no, with no indications either way, why would you choose to look forward to oblivion rather than something that would provide meaning and purpose? If a group of people was exploring a cave and a collapse occurred, stranding them in the dark, they would surely look forward to the hope of rescue even though they may not have better than a fifty-fifty chance of making it out alive. In this case such an outlook is called optimism, but in the case of an afterlife it's termed childish fantasy. Why? The truth is I do take great comfort in the belief of a life everlasting. If that makes me childish, well, I can live with that if the alternative is eagerly awaiting my destruction just to prove a point. We have no concept of true oblivion because we have nothing comparable, even nothing is something. Maybe that is why people aren't afraid of it. I don't want to not-exist though. I want to exist, I want to be. I guess I also just wanted to know I'm not alone. Take courage, my friend. For if they are correct, when they die, they'll never know they were right. That's and end of game reality Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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