God is... How would you complete this sentence? On what basis would you know how to complete this sentence? How would others who do not really know God answer this question?
The other day I was contacted by an emailer who challenged my belief in the Biblical God. He intimated that the God of the Bible is a cruel and harsh God. He asked me why this God of the Bible would send "billions of [innocent] people to be tormented in Hell for eternity"? When I hear a question like this, I have to wonder where did this person get this idea from? Not only does the Bible present God as all-wise, all-loving, all-powerful, all-present, but I have come to experience enough of these attributes of God to know them to be true. While we live on this earth we are all candidates for God's mercy and forgiveness. Added to this, God ensures that every person receives sufficient revelation of who He is to begin a relationship with Him (Romans 1).
Romans 1:20 For his invisible attributes, namely, his eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly perceived, ever since the creation of the world, in the things that have been made. So they are without excuse.
But we know that God is a just and fair God. He will not violate a person's right to exist (since they are created in the image of God) thus, the choices a person makes in this life will be be validated for eternity. The stern warning of Jesus Christ to the world was that unless a person repents, they will "perish" for eternity (Lk. 13:1ff). Rather than obstinately telling God that this is "unfair", we should instead be thanking God that He has made it possible for any one of us to be forgiven of our sin and to be adopted into His family as a joint-heir with Christ!
John 17:3 And this is eternal life, that they know you the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom you have sent.
This is the God we are coming to know. A God who has revealed himself in the Book of nature and the Sacred Book of Scripture. It is this God who sent His eternal Son to the world to reveal to us the most complete image of God we will have in this lifetime. Once a person experiences this God through revelation (Eph. 1:18), prayerful communion, a community of grace, and the living Word of God they can confidently say that they know who God is.
Father, we want to know you more. Help us to know you. Help us to make you known. Teach us Your ways and give us the grace to follow You.
Amen
Pls forgive my irreverence, but God is Pissed!!! The day of his indignation is coming soon. If my interpreatation of Prophecy are correct we are somewhere between 24 and 36 months away from the sixth seal and the wrath of the Lamb Rev 6:16.
ReplyDeletehttp://thebigpicmin.wordpress.com/2010/01/16/my-read-on-bible-prophecy/
@thebigpicmin > Since the Book of Revelation itself says repeatedly that its original audience of 65AD was "near", "at hand", "this hour", "soon" to events described in the Book of Revelation and since the Seals represent the World Leaders known to this audience (FIrst Seal= Augustus; Second Seal= Tiberius; Third Seal= Caligula; Fourth Seal= Claudius [note 'famine' refer to Acts 11:28]; and the Fifth Seal= Nero [note 'martyrs'] the original audience witnessed the sixth and seventh seals in their own day.
ReplyDeleteTherefore, I disagree with your very Dispensational view the Book of Revelation.