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All I know is that God is not as petty as His creation. If He were, then I would agree with the traditional belief of eternal hell for the vast majority of humans.
As it is, I think God was able to come up with something better.
God bless
God is love (1Jn.4:8, 16) and agape love seeks the best for others. Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things, and neverfails (1Cor.13:7, 8). God, in His omniscience knew that sin would infect the creation and knew that all would become sinners. God took care of this in that Jesus was the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world. God purposed for the salvation and restoration of all through the sacrifce of Jesus. Research shows that over the past 6,000 years approximately 160 billion people have lived on the earth. Most have never heard of Jesus. Eternal hell says that those who have not believed, who are lost are lost forever and are suffer forever in literal hell. Here we have God who sees all and knows all, bringing into existence the majority of people knowing the "choices" that they would make and knowing that they would end up in an eternity of hell. Most of the 160 billion people would then have no hope, their being brought into existence for the sole purpose of eternal suffering. This would mean that God’s purpose in creation was eternal suffering for some 144 billion people. Yet God is described as love, as being just, as being merciful, as being righteous. The idea of eternal hell contradicts the nature of God as revealed in the scriptures. God bless.
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The doctrine of "eternal punishment" makes hell an eternal monument to the devil’s works of sin and death. Did Jesus fail at destroying the works of the devil (1Jn.3:8)?
Interesting through this whole thread, I do not see this gem of Scripture I stumbled across last night:
2 Corinthians 5
16Wherefore henceforth know we no man after the flesh: yea, though we have known Christ after the flesh, yet now henceforth know we him no more.
17Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.(This is reconciliation!)
18And all things are of God, who hath reconciled us (us = believers!) to himself by Jesus Christ, and hath given to us(us = believers!) the ministry of reconciliation;
19To wit, that God was in Christ, reconciling the world unto himself, not imputing their trespasses unto them; and hath committed unto us the word of reconciliation.
20Now then we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God did beseech (appeal; plea; implore) you by us: we pray you in Christ's stead, be ye reconciled to God. (this takes action on our part!)
21For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him.
So, what this all means is, while Jesus died for all, we must accept Him. When someone chooses to follow Christ and believe on His name, we become new creatures, a new creation, and are therefore reconciled unto Him. Verse 20 explicitly states that we must receive this reconciliation. If we were already reconciled to God, why then does Paul plea with us to be reconciled? If it was already completed, why does Christ plea with us to be reconciled? We must accept the gift of salvation to be reconciled!
AMEN!!!
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Originally Posted by curlythecosmo
Yes, you are correct....Carolina_guy!
But the hearts are blinded by the lie... and only the Holy Spirit will be able to reveal the Truth to those who are believing this lie...
I really suggest praying....this is where Jesus talked about fasting and praying, the deception is so deep, no matter what, it is going to take a miracle of the Spirit of God to deliver from this false teaching!!!
And you'll definitely get an answer, but it won't be the real "TRUTH".
It will be all twisted, topsy turvy, up-side down!!!
Blessing to you....God does see your heart and will bless it!!
That is the point I make when telling people of His incredible passion for His creation:
"When He hung there suspended between heaven and earth, displaying a power of constraint as great as His will to comply with the Father's decree, He didn't cry out, "I've done all I can do, now the rest is up to you!!!"
No! He said "IT IS FINISHED!! IT"S DONE!! YOU CAN'T UNDO MY LOVE FOR YOU, AND I'LL NOT TEAR UP THE ADOPTION PAPERS!! YOU CAN TRUST ME WITH YOUR LIFE..."
So deeply seeded is man's instinctive need to be worthy, it is at its core a trust issue - we can't let go of the entitlement, and we can't trust Another to save - we will fight to the end to keep from drowning, even killing the One who is saving us. It's a lack of faith on the part of the "faithful".
"For by Him everybody and everything were created, both in the heavens and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—everybody and everything have been created through Him and for Him. He is before everybody and everything, and in Him everybody and everything is held together. He is also head of the body, the church; and He is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, so that He Himself will come to have first place in everybody and everything. For it was the Father's good pleasure for all the fullness to dwell in Him, and through Him to reconcile everybody and everything to Himself, having made peace through the blood of His cross; through Him, I say, everybody and everything on earth or in heaven."
"For by Him everybody and everything were created, both in the heavens and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—everybody and everything have been created through Him and for Him. He is before everybody and everything, and in Him everybody and everything is held together. He is also head of the body, the church; and He is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, so that He Himself will come to have first place in everybody and everything. For it was the Father's good pleasure for all the fullness to dwell in Him, and through Him to reconcile everybody and everything to Himself, having made peace through the blood of His cross; through Him, I say, everybody and everything on earth or in heaven."
Nothing in this verse says that hell is not eternal. And only my husband is allowed to call me Lover.
"For by Him everybody and everything were created, both in the heavens and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—everybody and everything have been created through Him and for Him. He is before everybody and everything, and in Him everybody and everything is held together. He is also head of the body, the church; and He is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, so that He Himself will come to have first place in everybody and everything. For it was the Father's good pleasure for all the fullness to dwell in Him, and through Him to reconcile everybody and everything to Himself, having made peace through the blood of His cross; through Him, I say, everybody and everything on earth or in heaven."
Amen, Birdy.
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Nothing in this verse says that hell is not eternal.
If it was God's good pleasure to reconcile all to Himself, then hell can't be eternal, ILNC. Jesus is to fill all things. (Ephesians 4)
Hi, if it was God's good pleasure to reconcile all to Himself, all will return to Him. He accomplishes whatever He purposes. (Isaiah 46:9-11) This is the power of our God. Hell cannot be eternal, ILNC, if Jesus is to fill all things. (Ephesians 4)
Psalms 22:
27. All the ends of the earth will remember and turn to the LORD,
And all the families of the nations will worship before You.
28. For the kingdom is the LORD'S
And He rules over the nations.
29. All the prosperous of the earth will eat and worship,
All those who go down to the dust will bow before Him,
Even he who cannot keep his soul alive
Christ's death provided the way for all people to come to God, but this does mean all people will come to Him.
Adam's disobedience provided the way for the mass of mankind to be made sinners, but this does not mean all are made sinners!
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"By one man's disobedience the mass of mankind were made sinners..."
So
"By one man's obedience the mass of mankind shall be made righteous."
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