Hell's Population Crunch

[WebersHome]

23 hours ago, Flsnookman said:

2 Timothy 1:7  For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind.

Romans 8:15  For ye have not received the spirit of bondage again to fear; but ye have received the Spirit of adoption, whereby we cry, Abba, Father.

 

Christianity is sometimes criticized as a religion of fear. Well; that criticism is not entirely without merit.

 

● Luke 12:4-6 . . I tell you, my friends: do not be afraid of those who kill the body and after that can do no more. But I will show you whom you should fear: fear Him who, after the killing of the body, has power to throw you into hell. Yes, I tell you, fear Him.

 

I've always thought it curious that Christ didn't say that to his opponents, rather; to his disciples. (Luke 12:1)

 

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Edited August 27, 2016 by WebersHome

[WebersHome]

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Fiction can be defined as stories about people, places, and events that, though untrue; are plausible; viz: realistic.

 

Fantasy can be defined as stories about people, places, and events that are not only untrue; but implausible; viz: unrealistic.

 

For example: a story about a boy like Pinocchio is unrealistic; while a story about a boy with autism is realistic. The difference between Pinocchio and a boy with autism is that the one is compatible with normal reality; while the other is far removed from normal reality.

 

I have yet to read even one of Jesus Christ's parables that could not possibly be a real-life story. They're all actually quite believable-- farmers sowing seed, women losing coins, sons leaving home, wineskins bursting, tares among the wheat, leavened bread, barren fig trees, the blind leading the blind, et al.

 

Now; if he had told one that alleged the moon was made of green cheese; we would have good reason to believe that at least that one was fantasy; but none of them are like that. At best; Christ's parables might qualify as fiction; but never fantasy because none of them are so far removed from normal reality that there is no possible chance of it ever being a real-life story.

 

Luke 16:19-31 is commonly alleged to be a parable; which of course implies that the story is fiction; and some would even say fantasy. But the parable theory has a fatal flaw.

 

Abraham, Moses, and the prophets are real-life persons; they are neither fiction nor fantasy.

 

Abraham is especially notable because he's held in very high esteem by at least three of the world's prominent religions: Judaism, Christianity, and Islam.

 

Abraham is also the friend of God (2Chrn 20:27, Isa 41:8). I simply cannot believe that Jesus Christ-- a man famous among Christians for his honesty and integrity --would say something untrue about a famous real-life man; especially one of his Father's buddies.

 

And on top of that, the story quotes Abraham a number of times. Well; if the story is fiction, then Jesus Christ is on record testifying that Abraham said things that he didn't really say; which is a clear violation of the commandment that prohibits bearing false witness.

 

There is something else to consider.

 

Luke 16:19:31 didn't originate with Jesus Christ. No, it originated higher up. In other words: Jesus Christ was micro managed.

 

● John 3:34 . . He is sent by God. He speaks God's words

 

● John 8:26 . . He that sent me is true; and I speak to the world those things which I have heard of Him.

 

● John 8:28 . . I do nothing on my own initiative, but I speak these things as the Father taught me.

 

● John 12:49 . . I have not spoken of myself; but the Father which sent me, He gave me a commandment, what I should say, and what I should speak.

 

● John 14:24 . .The word which you hear is not mine, but the Father's who sent me.

 

When people allege that Luke 16:19-31 is not true to life; they insinuate that God is a person of marginal integrity who can't be trusted to tell the truth about people, not even about His own friends, which is ridiculous seeing as how Titus 1:2 and Heb 6:18 testify that God cannot lie.

 

His impeccable character is what makes that narrative all the more terrifying. Unless somebody can prove, beyond a shadow of sensible doubt, that Christ's Father is a tale-spinner; I pretty much have to assume the narrative was drawn from real-life; and if not drawn from real life, then at least based upon real life.

 

CRUNCH UPDATE: 24 days have elapsed since beginning the thread. If the figures in post #1 are within reason, then something like 1,339,440 new arrivals have checked into the fiery sector of hades since Aug 4, 2016.

 

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Edited September 9, 2016 by WebersHome

[Flsnookman]

On 8/27/2016 at 9:42 AM, WebersHome said:

 

Christianity is sometimes criticized as a religion of fear. Well; that criticism is not entirely without merit.

 

● Luke 12:4-6 . . I tell you, my friends: do not be afraid of those who kill the body and after that can do no more. But I will show you whom you should fear: fear Him who, after the killing of the body, has power to throw you into hell. Yes, I tell you, fear Him.

 

I've always thought it curious that Christ didn't say that to his opponents, rather; to his disciples. (Luke 12:1)

 

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Well, everything changed at the cross. Again, be afraid if you want to but I will have boldness in the day of judgement (1 John 4:17)  and I shall approach the throne of Grace with confidence (Heb 4:16).

[RustyAngeL]

On 8/6/2016 at 8:29 AM, Out of the Shadows said:

Doent that part bother you just a little bit.  I am not saying that you are not correct, but the concept still just sticks in the craw.   I think about my own children, who are now grown adults, but from the moment I first held them in my arms God said they deserved to burn in hell for all eternity, and they had committed no transgressions yet.  Something about it just does not seem right.

I do not believe God sends innocent children to hell.  There is an age of accountability. New borns, young children are still innocent in God's sight, even though they are like us born into sin.

Blessings, RustyAngeL

[WebersHome]

On ‎8‎/‎27‎/‎2016 at 6:42 AM, WebersHome said:

I've always thought it curious that Christ didn't say that to his opponents, rather; to his disciples. (Luke 12:1)

 

The koiné Greek word for "disciples" is mathetes (math-ay-tes') which essentially identifies a learner; viz: pupils and students.

 

Jesus had at least seventy students (Luke 10:1) and quite possibly more that aren't mentioned.

 

Anyway, point being, Christ's students weren't accomplished. They didn't really have it all down pat.

 

All over the world there are people in the process of learning about Christ in Sunday schools, sermons and lectures, books, crusades like Louis Palau's, and from radio and television programs.

 

Christ was not shy about informing his learners as to the grim possibility of their going to hell; and Christian teachers today really ought to be following his example and not leave their students with the false impression that there's nothing to worry about ignoring Christ's teachings.

 

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Edited August 29, 2016 by WebersHome

[WebersHome]

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● Luke 9:35 . . A voice came from the cloud, saying: This is my son, whom I have chosen; listen to him.

 

The chosen son referred to in that verse isn't Solomon; it's Jesus Christ. So then, it was the voice's command that the three apostles who accompanied the Son listen to him rather than listen to anybody else.

 

Now, that's very important because Jesus Christ testified that people continue to exist after they die; while Solomon wrote just the opposite.

 

Solomon spoke of death; but there's no textual evidence in the book of Ecclesiastes indicating that he had ever seen beyond death for himself to know what he was talking about. In contrast, there is an abundance of textual evidence indicating that Jesus Christ not only spoke of death, but he had seen beyond death for himself to know what he was talking about. (e.g. John 3:13, John 3:31-32, John 6:33, John 6:38, and 1John 1:1-3) So in my estimation, Christ's eye-witness reports carry far more weight than Solomon's opinions.

 

When people insist that we listen to Solomon instead of listening to Jesus Christ, they are insinuating that the voice in the cloud steered the apostles in the wrong direction. That's a terrible thing to insinuate seeing as how the speaker was God.

 

● 2Pet 1:17-18 . . For he received honor and glory from God the Father when the voice came to him from the Majestic Glory, saying: This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased. We ourselves heard this voice that came from heaven when we were with him on the sacred mountain.

 

Can you just imagine how insulted Jesus Christ's Father must feel when people choose Solomon over His son; especially when it's a matter of record that God wasn't "well pleased" with Solomon?

 

● Luke 11:31 . . At the judgment the queen of the south will rise with the men of this generation and she will condemn them, because she came from the ends of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon, and there is something greater than Solomon here.

 

You know, if I was going to interpret somebody's teachings about the afterlife as figurative language; it wouldn't be the teachings of something greater than Solomon's; no, it would be somebody's else's in order to avoid insulting Christ's Father. Better to err on the safe side.

 

CRUNCH UPDATE: 26 days have elapsed since beginning the thread. If the figures in post #1 are within reason, then something like 1,451,060 new arrivals have checked into the fiery sector of hades since Aug 4, 2016.

 

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[WebersHome]

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COMPLAINT: The Christian hell doesn't make sense that a loving God would torment people in a fiery prison forever and ever.

 

RESPONSE: The human common sense is produced by a 3-pound lump of flabby organic tissue; and not even all three of those pounds are devoted to cognitive processes. On top of that, those three pounds are 60% fat. That fatty, flabby, organic tissue can alter one's personality with little more than an aneurism or a blow to the head. Just how sensible can a fatty, flabby, organic sense really be compared to the sense of a supernatural being with enough intelligence to invent, design, and construct a fully functioning cosmos with all of its forms of life, matter, and energy? A fatty, flabby, organic sense isn't even a dunce in comparison: it's a sub dunce; if even that.

 

CRUNCH UPDATE: 28 days have elapsed since beginning the thread. If the figures in post #1 are within reason, then something like 1,562,680 new arrivals have checked into the fiery sector of hades since Aug 4, 2016.

 

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[WebersHome]

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Human life is fragile; so much so that even something as thin as the air can snuff it out.

 

● Isa 40:6-7 . . All flesh is grass, and all its grace is like the blossom of the field. The grass shall dry out, the blossom shall wilt, for a wind from the Lord has blown upon it; behold the people is grass.

 

According to a report released on March 25, 2014 by the World Health Organization; air pollution kills, on average, seven million people per annum; and is linked to one in eight deaths (12.5%) world-wide. Think of it. That percentage represents approximately 910.2 million deaths linked to air pollution per annum out of a currently estimated 7.282 billion people.

 

An estimated 4.3 million people died in 2012 as a result of indoor air pollution, mostly from cooking inside with coal or wood stoves in developing countries, according to a report by the public health agency of the United Nations.

 

Air pollution is so lethal because it exacerbates other conditions like cardio vascular diseases, cancer, and respiratory illnesses. Were people with those conditions permitted to breathe clean air free of hazardous chemicals and toxic particulates, they would live longer.

 

CRUNCH UPDATE: 30 days have elapsed since beginning the thread. If the figures in post #1 are within reason, then something like 1,674,300 new arrivals have checked into the fiery sector of hades since Aug 4, 2016.

 

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[WebersHome]

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The wrath of God is interesting. For example:

 

● Isa 13:9 . . Behold, the day of Christ comes-- cruel; with both wrath and fierce anger

 

The Hebrew word for "wrath" in that statement is 'ebrah (eb-raw') which indicates an outburst of passion. In other words: the wrath of God won't be weeping big wet crocodile tears while it's slamming the dead at the Great White Throne event depicted at Rev 20:11-15; no, they will be terminated with extreme prejudice; viz: their judgment will be administered with choler. (cf. Isa 63:1-6, Rev 19:15)

 

Webster's defines "fierce" as a behavior exhibited by humans and animals that inspires terror because of the wild and menacing aspect of fury in attack. Ferocity is an aspect commonly seen among roaring, snarling lions savagely attacking prey. There's neither sportsmanship nor sympathy in ferocity; only sheer terror, brutality, and blood lust.

 

"cruel" is defined as: disposed to inflict pain or suffering; viz: devoid of humane feelings

 

● Heb 10:27 . . A certain fearful expectation of . . . fiery indignation

 

"fiery indignation" is quite a bit more severe than ordinary indignation. It speaks of someone who is seriously ticked off; and so angry that they're actually red in the face.

 

There are people out there in pews all around the world who have been so coddled by sappy versions of Christianity that they have no concept of the magnitude of the lethal tsunami of rage and violence coming their way to get them.

 

Another interesting aspect of the wrath of God is the person appointed to administer it-- none other than the sweet little baby away in a manger.

 

● John 5:22-23 . .The Father judges no one, but has committed all judgment to the Son, that all should honor the Son just as they honor the Father.

 

● Acts 17:31 . . For God has set a day when he will judge the world with justice by the man he has appointed. He has given proof of this to all men by raising him from the dead.

 

● Rev 19:15 . . He shall rule them with a rod of iron: and he treads the winepress of the fierceness and wrath of Almighty God.

 

You know all those horrors depicted in the book of Revelation? Jesus Christ has been designated to supervise every one of them.

 

● Rev 1:1 . .The revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave him to show his servants.

 

CRUNCH UPDATE: 32 days have elapsed since beginning the thread. If the figures in post #1 are within reason, then something like 1,785,920 new arrivals have checked into the fiery sector of hades since Aug 4, 2016.

 

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[forGod1]

I think i'm going to hell the more i study. not good.