You're NOT Going To Like This Short Post...
But, maybe, just maybe you should read it anyway...
Illustration: What Are You Afraid Of?
Photo courtesy of Jake Ingle and http://unsplash.com
Think about this for just a minute or two:
How do you learn new things? Do you ever want to change, or would you prefer to always remain just as you are right this moment? Is change even possible?
Of course, change is uncomfortable. In fact, it can be downright terrifying. But the only people who never change are dead people... You're not dead yet, right?
So, what are you afraid of?
Religion? Anarchy? Christianity? Truth? Jesus? Love? The After-Life? Hell? Science? Feelings? Ideas? The I.R.S.? Are you afraid that if you actually read through one of my "other" kinds of articles, you might actually CHANGE?
Why not go ahead? Why not read something you don't think you'll like for a change?
Taking The Leap
Photo courtesy of Jakob Owens and http://unsplash.com
Take that leap!
Step out of your comfort zone. Pick an article from my most recent "Periodic Table of Contents," and see if it might be just the wedge you need to open up even a tiny crack in the walls around your mind...
If you find one of my posts that rattles your cage, even a little bit, would you please come back here and mention it in the comments? I'd really like it if you would do that for me.
While you're at it, would you also leave me one other kind of comment below?
I really want to read the most "mind blowing" article you've written.
I want to learn a thing or two this weekend.
Who knows? Maybe you'll begin changing my mind.
For a topical index to many of my other interesting articles, CLICK HERE
Ok, I just discovered your posts that I somehow missed - so this post was a good idea.
Loved the one on riding waves in eternity. https://steemit.com/philosophy/@creatr/eternity-a-mind-numbingly-powerful-perspective
You did say there is no Hell in the comments, so this is in the spirit of "saying something you are not going to like". In Jesus' own words:
Mark 9:43
If your hand causes you to stumble, cut it off. It is better for you to enter life maimed than with two hands to go into hell, where the fire never goes out. And if your foot causes you to stumble, cut it off. It is better for you to enter life crippled than to have two feet and be thrown into hell. And if your eye causes you to stumble, pluck it out. It is better for you to enter the kingdom of God with one eye than to have two eyes and be thrown into hell, where" 'the worms that eat them do not die, and the fire is not quenched.'
Revelation 14:9
And a third angel followed them, calling in loud a voice, “If anyone worships the beast and its image, and receives its mark on his forehead or hand, he too will drink the wine of God’s anger, poured undiluted into the cup of His wrath. And he will be tormented in fire and brimstone in the presence of the holy angels and of the Lamb. And the smoke of their torment will rise forever and ever. Day and night there will be no rest for those who worship the beast and its image, or for anyone who receives the mark of its name.”
Hey, @stan - THANK YOU for "checking in" here! I really appreciate your comment.
Thanks for your encouraging response to Eternity: A Mind-Numbingly Powerful Perspective, I'm really glad that you enjoyed that!
So, I'm happy to enter into a dialog about the nature of hell with you... but for the moment, I'll just mention that what I've learned from the scriptures is that hell is less a "place" and more a "presence" - as your quote from Revelation shows - something I hope to write some articles about in the future. I hope you'll continue to follow and offer feedback as you see fit... Thanks again for weighing in! :)
Correct. Since there is no time (as we know it) in eternity and you just "are" - a mere presence in Hell can seem like an eternity. :)
Hi again Stan,
I've just spent some time checking out your blog and "getting to know you" a little better. Liking what I see so far enough to follow you, appreciating your calm and reasonable approach to interacting with others. :) Looking forward to more reading and interaction.
Regarding your immediate comment, you mistook the "presence" I was referring to in a previous comment. Perhaps I should have said "Presence" as it is the Presence of the Lamb that I had in mind. As scripture says, quoted in Hebrews 12:29:
This is seen, perhaps most vividly, in II Thessalonians chapter one.
NOTE: CONSUMING fire saith the scriptures... Meditate on that. ;)
I'm going to take kind of a "shortcut" here by referring you the work of another on the topic of "Hell." That other is my esteemed friend and brother, who is known in cyberspace as "Brother Bird." I hope you'll enjoy his entertaining and thought provoking verse at that link. And I hope to "entertain" the subject at greater length myself in some future articles.
Thanks again for interacting! I'm "running out" again, but hope to respond to your other questions later... ;)
PS I don't at all mean to leave the impression that I take the topic of hell in any way "lightly" - it is a very serious prospect, one that every living soul ought to (for their own sake) face squarely and consider very soberly.
Imagine that instead of enjoying one of many waves over and over again in eternity your are consumed by one of many flames over and over again. Whatever you expect eternal rewards to be like for your immortal soul has its parallel eternal punishments.
For me, being cut off from God for all eternity knowing what I could have enjoyed with Him is far worse, so perhaps the worm and fire metaphors are just warnings expressed in terms we can understand. Like telling a child not to eat those never-wake-up berries.
This is a great discussion - much appreciated!
I agree that all the verses you point out are also true.
So we need to seek an understanding that agrees with every single verse you and I have both identified. If we leave one the other halves out, we will reach the wrong conclusions.
One I forgot was, "Cast him into the outer darkness where there will be wailing and gnashing of teeth. How long will they wail and gnash before they fade to black?
So we have "undying-worm-eaten", "smoke-rising-forever", and "outer darkness wailing" metaphors for describing what is meant by "eternal death" and "perishing" and "destruction".
The only interpretation I can think of that applies to all of the above seem to be talking about eternally destroying processes not end states.
Choosing the "simple lights out" interpretation would not fit what the following verses describe.
“They will suffer the punishment of eternal destruction, away from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of his might” (2 Thessalonians 1:9).
“If anyone worships the beast . . . he will be tormented with fire and sulfur in the presence of the holy angels and in the presence of the Lamb. And the smoke of their torment goes up forever and ever” (Revelation 14:9–11).
One would not think that simple end of existence would be described this way.
Matthew 25:41
"Then he will say to those on his left, 'Depart from me, you who are cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels. For I was hungry and you gave me nothing to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me nothing to drink, I was a stranger and you did not invite me in, I needed clothes and you did not clothe me, I was sick and in prison and you did not look after me.' ..."Then they will go away to eternal punishment, but the righteous to eternal life."
Hi again, Stan,
I was intrigued to learn that you are an engineer... ;)
Let me take another moment to specifically address the two verses you've cited here, and especially the parts you've highlighted.
In Mark 9:43, Jesus' entire point is that hell's agents of destruction - i.e. the fire and the worm are (unlike their analogs in the town dump) utterly effective. They complete their work of destruction. When they are done, nothing is left.
Regarding Revelation 14:9 - Revelation is, by it's own testimony, a book of symbolism. I understand that there are some believers who insist on seeing it as literal, but that is an extremely hard case to make when the book itself says things like "A equals X" and "B equals Y", describing a significant number of its own symbols.
IMHO, the symbolism of "the smoke of their torment will rise forever and ever" hails back to imagery from the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah. The assertion that "there will be no rest" is an allusion to the fact that the condemned will never enter into God's eternal rest.
This is all just the tip of the iceberg... my review of all of scripture informs me that the preponderance of biblical evidence is that unregenerate man is in the end punished in just measure for his own sin and ultimately destroyed.
Loved this post too: https://steemit.com/christianity/@creatr/why-you-need-to-know-that-jesus-is-my-lord-and-no-other-need-apply
Agreed with most of it, but wonder what you do with these two verses, since your correctly testify that "ALL Scripture is God breathed" yet contend that you need to obey only Jesus and not any of the authorities He has placed over you.
Romans 13:1-7
Let everyone be subject to the governing authorities, for there is no authority except that which God has established. The authorities that exist have been established by God. Consequently, whoever rebels against the authority is rebelling against what God has instituted, and those who do so will bring judgment on themselves. For rulers hold no terror for those who do right, but for those who do wrong. Do you want to be free from fear of the one in authority? Then do what is right and you will be commended. For the one in authority is God's servant for your good. But if you do wrong, be afraid, for rulers do not bear the sword for no reason. They are God's servants, agents of wrath to bring punishment on the wrongdoer. Therefore, it is necessary to submit to the authorities, not only because of possible punishment but also as a matter of conscience.
1 Peter 2:13-17
Submit yourselves for the Lord's sake to every human authority: whether to the emperor, as the supreme authority, or to governors, who are sent by him to punish those who do wrong and to commend those who do right. For it is God's will that by doing good you should silence the ignorant talk of foolish people. Live as free people, but do not use your freedom as a cover-up for evil; live as God's slaves. Show proper respect to everyone, love the family of believers, fear God, honor the emperor.
Another great question, @stan, Thanks!
May I get back to you on that? Running out the door right now... ;)
I do love a good scavenger hunt!
I'll swing by your blog and see if there's something I may not usually read and click on it.
As for my content - I'm all over the map because I don't want to be pigeon-holed or type cast so there isn't really anything "mind blowing" but you'll definitely get a broad feel for my voice.
Hello Dear, and Thanks for stepping up for my challenge... :)
I am also all over the map as you put it, mostly because I am (honestly) interested in just about everything... ;)
But, after you've browsed my blog, please do suggest an article of yours that you think may expand my mind? Thanks!
I tend to stay in my own lane b/c it's comfortable. But you took me surfing and I liked it - who knows what else I may discover? You aren't into Harleys are you?
I do drive Harleys once in a while, John. ;) But my dream would be owning a Beemer like @bmwrider . ;) Maybe in a few years, when all of our Steem becomes worth millions... ;)
I'm really glad you liked virtually going surfing... You'd really love the real thing. I look forward to hearing of any surprises you may discover in your ongoing reading of my eclectic collection... ;)
I have read several of your political posts. I didn't comment b/c I didn't understand them. I'm probably the most apolitical person I know and thus, an anarchist by default - but probably more an individualist
Ah, individualist - anarchist - What's the difference? ;)
Seriously, thanks for giving those articles a try... My reality is that I've been a square peg in a round hole all of my life and pretty much in all domains of life - church, school, work, the state. It's pretty much taken me my entire life to figure out that I don't fit and never will, but more so to come to terms with the situation and to be somewhat comfortable with it.
Oh, that's okay. Nobody fits in except those who excel at Family Feud, and then, that's a sad indictment of having a mass mind. I wrote about my take on anarchism on steemit in a post called Summer of the Tao. Again, it's a solipsistic view that the Occupy people would find artsy but irrelevant. That's me. I'm a bourgeois LOL
Beautifully well stated! :)
Thanks for mentioning that piece; it's in your blog back before I started paying attention, and I'm glad to have gone back and read it now.
Wow..someone took a leap.... of faith. This thread became a bible study real quick now didn't it?
I've taken a leap in the last few days....personal ones but HUGE leaps at any rate.
I love the picture with the rainbow. I saw one the other day and it's the first time I saw the beginning of one -right from the ground up...a full rainbow at that. Rainbows ALWAYS appear when I need a nudge and reminder that I am loved. Always.
Stan forced my hand by challenging an old article that I had challenged him to read... ;) Our conversation is turning into my research for an article I've been meaning to write anyway... :)
I hope your recent leap turns out for the best for you. I have a rainbow article that I hope to retread and publish here as well... ;)
Thanks so much for showing up here again, Dear! ;)
I have to give you another upvote. You are my 1,000 post!! Yeah!!!!
Yeehaah! Congratulations, @countrygirl! :)
STEEM ON! :) :) :)
I enjoy this post. I will follow you.
Thank You, and Welcome!
I'd love to hear your comments on any of my posts. :)
Artem, nice to meet you today!
I visited your blog, and enjoyed some of your original pictures of Ukraine, Thank you! :)
Following you now. ;)
OK, let's see if I can get the "link-listing" ball rolling here... ;)
Are you a Christian employer in the USA who withholds "income tax" from your employees? Did you know that the bible condemns that practice? Try reading this "mind-blowing" article:
Revolutionary Perspective on Tax Withholding
Loved the style. I'm sure Neil Diamond would too!
What does Brother Love say to these Bible verses?
Romans 13:6-7
This is also why you pay taxes, for the authorities are God's servants, who give their full time to governing. Give to everyone what you owe them: If you owe taxes, pay taxes; if revenue, then revenue; if respect, then respect; if honor, then honor.
Matthew 17:25
When Peter entered the house, Jesus preempted him. “What do you think, Simon?” He asked. “From whom do the kings of the earth collect customs and taxes: from their own sons, or from others?” “From others,” Peter answered. “Then the sons are exempt,” Jesus declared. “But so that we may not offend them, go to the sea, cast a hook, and take the first fish you catch. When you open its mouth, you will find a four-drachma coin. Take it and give it to them for you and Me.”