Hell's Population Clock
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● Ecc 9:10 . . Whatsoever thy hand findeth to do, do it with thy might; for
there is no work, nor device, nor knowledge, nor wisdom, in the grave,
whither thou goest.
"grave" is an arbitrary translation of the Hebrew word sheol, which Jonah
discovered is located at the bottoms of the mountains (Jonah 2:2, Jonah
2:6) Well; the bottoms of the mountains aren't situated in the tummy of a
fish, nor found under the sea, rather; deep underground.
I think Solomon was trying to get across that folks in sheol are mighty bored
down there 'cause there's nothing to help them pass the time nor to keep
their minds and hands occupied.
For example: one of your pleasurable pastimes in life is Christian forums
where you can post colorful graphics and beautiful poems. Well; according to
Solomon there's no creativity in sheol, nor art, nor computers, nor even so
much as internet service.
_
● Ecc 9:10 . . Whatsoever thy hand findeth to do, do it with thy might; for
there is no work, nor device, nor knowledge, nor wisdom, in the grave,
whither thou goest.
"grave" is an arbitrary translation of the Hebrew word sheol, which Jonah
discovered is located at the bottoms of the mountains (Jonah 2:2, Jonah
2:6) Well; the bottoms of the mountains aren't situated in the tummy of a
fish, nor found under the sea, rather; deep underground.
I think Solomon was trying to get across that folks in sheol are mighty bored
down there 'cause there's nothing to help them pass the time nor to keep
their minds and hands occupied.
For example: one of your pleasurable pastimes in life is Christian forums
where you can post colorful graphics and beautiful poems. Well; according to
Solomon there's no creativity in sheol, nor art, nor computers, nor even so
much as internet service.
_
.
That situation must be terribly discouraging for scholars like Carl Sagan. He
loved libraries and often visited schools as a guest science speaker.
Up here on the surface, wisdom is increased not only by study, but also by
experimentation and exploration. None of those pursuits are available
down in sheol. Life as the lost knew it stopped the moment they checked in.
As I was watching a prison documentary on NetFlix some time ago, an elderly
man-- sweeping with a broom out in the yard --said, in so many words: Guys
come in here thinking their life is over. It ain't over; it's just different.
That old guy was a lifer, but he was at peace with his situation-- an amazing
attitude for an institutionalized man with no hope of ever again having a
normal life again on the outside. At some point in his unfortunate journey,
he had worked his way thru the five steps of the Kübler-Ross model: denial,
anger, bargaining, depression and finally: acceptance.
_
That situation must be terribly discouraging for scholars like Carl Sagan. He
loved libraries and often visited schools as a guest science speaker.
Up here on the surface, wisdom is increased not only by study, but also by
experimentation and exploration. None of those pursuits are available
down in sheol. Life as the lost knew it stopped the moment they checked in.
As I was watching a prison documentary on NetFlix some time ago, an elderly
man-- sweeping with a broom out in the yard --said, in so many words: Guys
come in here thinking their life is over. It ain't over; it's just different.
That old guy was a lifer, but he was at peace with his situation-- an amazing
attitude for an institutionalized man with no hope of ever again having a
normal life again on the outside. At some point in his unfortunate journey,
he had worked his way thru the five steps of the Kübler-Ross model: denial,
anger, bargaining, depression and finally: acceptance.
_
.
In the movie "Shawshank Redemption" a man is given two life sentences for
murders he didn't commit. At first he feels very strongly that the truth will
come out that he's innocent and doesn't belong in prison: he expects to
eventually be exonerated and set free.
Well, one of the old-timers cautioned him about that with the advice: "Hope
is a dangerous thing. Hope can drive a man insane. It's no use on the inside.
You'd better get used to that idea."
I'd imagine that most new arrivals in Hell take quite a while to get used to
the idea that it is what it is, i.e. they're never getting out.
Were Hell a normal penal colony like San Quentin or Riker's Island; then I
think most folks would eventually settle down and accept it as a way of life.
But the element of fire makes adjustment very difficult. If only there was at
least some water to help folks beat the heat, that would be very helpful. And
maybe recreation and/or something to occupy their minds like reading,
writing, art, and construction projects. I really don't know how people keep
from running mad with insanity from mental atrophy down there. And where
do they sit down; on top of each other?
Pop Clock Update: 3,005 days have elapsed since beginning the thread. If
the figures in post #1 are within reason, then something like 176,035,905
new arrivals have checked into the fiery sector of Hades since December 10,
2014.
_
In the movie "Shawshank Redemption" a man is given two life sentences for
murders he didn't commit. At first he feels very strongly that the truth will
come out that he's innocent and doesn't belong in prison: he expects to
eventually be exonerated and set free.
Well, one of the old-timers cautioned him about that with the advice: "Hope
is a dangerous thing. Hope can drive a man insane. It's no use on the inside.
You'd better get used to that idea."
I'd imagine that most new arrivals in Hell take quite a while to get used to
the idea that it is what it is, i.e. they're never getting out.
Were Hell a normal penal colony like San Quentin or Riker's Island; then I
think most folks would eventually settle down and accept it as a way of life.
But the element of fire makes adjustment very difficult. If only there was at
least some water to help folks beat the heat, that would be very helpful. And
maybe recreation and/or something to occupy their minds like reading,
writing, art, and construction projects. I really don't know how people keep
from running mad with insanity from mental atrophy down there. And where
do they sit down; on top of each other?
Pop Clock Update: 3,005 days have elapsed since beginning the thread. If
the figures in post #1 are within reason, then something like 176,035,905
new arrivals have checked into the fiery sector of Hades since December 10,
2014.
_
I have about ten clocks on the wall of my library telling the time in ten different cities around the world. The previous librarian left them up there for some old display. They are annoying me somewhat because the only time I need to know is the present one where I am right now.
I am considering taking them down and giving them to the classrooms and only having one clock on that wall. Also, they dont have bells at this school so you never know when the end of the day is or what the different periods are.
?!
The other thing I thought about, is, why do people live in huge cities, arent they like ticking timebombs anyway. Cities are always trying to compete with each other about who has the most people and the biggest skyscraper. Im so tired of it. Im like OK i get you want a city named after you when you die or whatever, and you are proud of it but theres more to life than having the tallest tower and an airport and a huge population so you can have a bigger market share.
I am considering taking them down and giving them to the classrooms and only having one clock on that wall. Also, they dont have bells at this school so you never know when the end of the day is or what the different periods are.
?!
The other thing I thought about, is, why do people live in huge cities, arent they like ticking timebombs anyway. Cities are always trying to compete with each other about who has the most people and the biggest skyscraper. Im so tired of it. Im like OK i get you want a city named after you when you die or whatever, and you are proud of it but theres more to life than having the tallest tower and an airport and a huge population so you can have a bigger market share.
.
● 1 Tim 6:7 . .We brought nothing into this world, and it is certain we can
carry nothing out.
We walk a strange path. On the one hand we have to be ready to leave this
life on a moment's notice, while on the other hand ready for a long stay, i.e.
live like there's no tomorrow, and yet live like there are years to come.
Those two dissimilar expectations balance each other so that we don't live to
extremes in either direction: always keeping in mind that as we came into
this world empty-handed we will leave it empty-handed. So everyone should
be prepared to suffer the loss of every cherished personal item in their
possession that they hold dear; along with every project and every
endeavor.
Pop Clock Update: 3,012 days have elapsed since beginning the thread. If
the figures in post #1 are within reason, then something like 176,445,972
new arrivals have checked into the fiery sector of Hades since December 10,
2014.
_
● 1 Tim 6:7 . .We brought nothing into this world, and it is certain we can
carry nothing out.
We walk a strange path. On the one hand we have to be ready to leave this
life on a moment's notice, while on the other hand ready for a long stay, i.e.
live like there's no tomorrow, and yet live like there are years to come.
Those two dissimilar expectations balance each other so that we don't live to
extremes in either direction: always keeping in mind that as we came into
this world empty-handed we will leave it empty-handed. So everyone should
be prepared to suffer the loss of every cherished personal item in their
possession that they hold dear; along with every project and every
endeavor.
Pop Clock Update: 3,012 days have elapsed since beginning the thread. If
the figures in post #1 are within reason, then something like 176,445,972
new arrivals have checked into the fiery sector of Hades since December 10,
2014.
_
.
FAQ: Do people in Hell have immortality?
REPLY: No; when people pass on, they leave their bodies behind.
FAQ: Do people in Hell have eternal life?
REPLY: No; eternal life is a gift from God to folks who've bought into the
gospel.
FAQ: If so that people in Hell have neither immortality nor eternal life, then
how can it be possible their conscious suffering is perpetual?
REPLY: The afterlife is something about which I know very little.
However, we know from Isaiah 14:4-20 and Luke 16:19-31 that folks on the
other side are conscious, sentient, and recognizable; plus, they exhibit
human characteristics, e.g. Abraham has a bosom, Lazarus has a finger, and
the rich man has a tongue. From all appearances, people over there appear
fully human. Exactly how that is, I don't really know. That world over there
is obviously very different than the world with which I am familiar over
here.
Pop Clock Update: 3,017 days have elapsed since beginning the thread. If
the figures in post #1 are within reason, then something like 176,738,877
new arrivals have checked into the fiery sector of Hades since December 10,
2014.
_
FAQ: Do people in Hell have immortality?
REPLY: No; when people pass on, they leave their bodies behind.
FAQ: Do people in Hell have eternal life?
REPLY: No; eternal life is a gift from God to folks who've bought into the
gospel.
FAQ: If so that people in Hell have neither immortality nor eternal life, then
how can it be possible their conscious suffering is perpetual?
REPLY: The afterlife is something about which I know very little.
However, we know from Isaiah 14:4-20 and Luke 16:19-31 that folks on the
other side are conscious, sentient, and recognizable; plus, they exhibit
human characteristics, e.g. Abraham has a bosom, Lazarus has a finger, and
the rich man has a tongue. From all appearances, people over there appear
fully human. Exactly how that is, I don't really know. That world over there
is obviously very different than the world with which I am familiar over
here.
Pop Clock Update: 3,017 days have elapsed since beginning the thread. If
the figures in post #1 are within reason, then something like 176,738,877
new arrivals have checked into the fiery sector of Hades since December 10,
2014.
_
.
Look again at that dot. That’s here. That’s home. That’s us. On it everyone
you love, everyone you know, everyone you ever heard of, every human being
who ever was, lived out their lives.
The aggregate of our joy and suffering, thousands of confident religions,
ideologies, and economic doctrines, every hunter and forager, every hero
and coward, every creator and destroyer of civilization, every king and
peasant, every young couple in love, every mother and father, hopeful child,
inventor and explorer, every teacher of morals, every corrupt politician,
every superstar, every supreme leader, every saint and sinner in the history
of our species lived there-- on a mote of dust suspended in a sunbeam.
(Carl Sagan's Pale Blue Dot-- on imaging from Voyager 1)
The Earth is a literal death star, flying thru space, looping around and
around the Sun many times over and again: a floating grave yard whose
soils and seas are filled with the dead from many centuries stretching back
to Abel: the first of its passengers to return to the dust from whence they
came.
● Eccl 7:2 . . It is better to spend your time at funerals than at festivals. For
you are going to die, and you should think about it while there is still
time.
Pop Clock Update: 3,022 days have elapsed since beginning the thread. If
the figures in post #1 are within reason, then something like 177,031,782
new arrivals have checked into the fiery sector of Hades since December 10,
2014.
_
Look again at that dot. That’s here. That’s home. That’s us. On it everyone
you love, everyone you know, everyone you ever heard of, every human being
who ever was, lived out their lives.
The aggregate of our joy and suffering, thousands of confident religions,
ideologies, and economic doctrines, every hunter and forager, every hero
and coward, every creator and destroyer of civilization, every king and
peasant, every young couple in love, every mother and father, hopeful child,
inventor and explorer, every teacher of morals, every corrupt politician,
every superstar, every supreme leader, every saint and sinner in the history
of our species lived there-- on a mote of dust suspended in a sunbeam.
(Carl Sagan's Pale Blue Dot-- on imaging from Voyager 1)
The Earth is a literal death star, flying thru space, looping around and
around the Sun many times over and again: a floating grave yard whose
soils and seas are filled with the dead from many centuries stretching back
to Abel: the first of its passengers to return to the dust from whence they
came.
● Eccl 7:2 . . It is better to spend your time at funerals than at festivals. For
you are going to die, and you should think about it while there is still
time.
Pop Clock Update: 3,022 days have elapsed since beginning the thread. If
the figures in post #1 are within reason, then something like 177,031,782
new arrivals have checked into the fiery sector of Hades since December 10,
2014.
_
.
● Gen 28:15 . . Remember, I am with you: I will protect you wherever you
go and will bring you back to this land. I will not leave you until I have done
what I have promised you.
Hardly any of those promises were fulfilled in Jacob's lifetime. So how could
God say: "I will not leave you until I have done what I have promised you"
Well; I think it best to take it that God remained Jacob's provider even in the
grave, i.e. when God's people pass away, they don't become dead to Him;
whereas when the wicked die, they no longer make any difference; for
example:
"As to whether the dead will be raised-- Moses proved this when he wrote
about the burning bush. Long after Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob had died,
Moses wrote of The Lord as the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the
God of Jacob. So he is the God of the living, not the dead. They are all alive
to him." (Luke 20:37-38)
God has always been with Jacob, and never left him even once-- all these
many years; better than three-thousand of them by now. And all this whole
time Jacob has lived under God's protection because God promised He would
protect Jacob wherever he went; and in order for that promise to be
meaningful, it has to include the afterlife. (cf. Ps 139:7-10 & Matt 16:18)
Pop Clock Update: 3,027 days have elapsed since beginning the thread. If
the figures in post #1 are within reason, then something like 177,324,687
new arrivals have checked into the fiery sector of Hades since December 10,
2014.
_
● Gen 28:15 . . Remember, I am with you: I will protect you wherever you
go and will bring you back to this land. I will not leave you until I have done
what I have promised you.
Hardly any of those promises were fulfilled in Jacob's lifetime. So how could
God say: "I will not leave you until I have done what I have promised you"
Well; I think it best to take it that God remained Jacob's provider even in the
grave, i.e. when God's people pass away, they don't become dead to Him;
whereas when the wicked die, they no longer make any difference; for
example:
"As to whether the dead will be raised-- Moses proved this when he wrote
about the burning bush. Long after Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob had died,
Moses wrote of The Lord as the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the
God of Jacob. So he is the God of the living, not the dead. They are all alive
to him." (Luke 20:37-38)
God has always been with Jacob, and never left him even once-- all these
many years; better than three-thousand of them by now. And all this whole
time Jacob has lived under God's protection because God promised He would
protect Jacob wherever he went; and in order for that promise to be
meaningful, it has to include the afterlife. (cf. Ps 139:7-10 & Matt 16:18)
Pop Clock Update: 3,027 days have elapsed since beginning the thread. If
the figures in post #1 are within reason, then something like 177,324,687
new arrivals have checked into the fiery sector of Hades since December 10,
2014.
_
.
● Rom 8:15-16 . . For you did not receive the spirit of bondage again to fear,
but you received the Spirit of adoption by whom we cry out: Abba, Father.
The Spirit Himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God.
That passage tells of a supernatural close encounter of a third kind, so to
speak.
Not every Christian undergoes the experience. For example: adherents of
Catholicism honestly don't know for sure where they stand with God-- we're
talking about something like 1.3 billion people. That number represents a
minimum 49% of the world's Christians. It's difficult to tag the number of
Protestants because they are so diverse in their beliefs and practices.
* Rom 8:15-16 never happened for Mother Teresa. She complained in
private correspondence with spiritual counselors that she felt not the
slightest glimmer of the Lord's presence virtually the entire five decades of
missionary work in India; leading her to wonder if there really is a God out
there; and she sometimes spoke of Jesus as "the absent one".
The Spirit of adoption is supposed to make God's people feel at home; not
feel left out. I don't know what went wrong with Teresa but for sure her
spiritual condition was not good.
Pop Clock Update: 3,032 days have elapsed since beginning the thread. If
the figures in post #1 are within reason, then something like 177,617,592
new arrivals have checked into the fiery sector of Hades since December 10,
2014.
_
● Rom 8:15-16 . . For you did not receive the spirit of bondage again to fear,
but you received the Spirit of adoption by whom we cry out: Abba, Father.
The Spirit Himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God.
That passage tells of a supernatural close encounter of a third kind, so to
speak.
Not every Christian undergoes the experience. For example: adherents of
Catholicism honestly don't know for sure where they stand with God-- we're
talking about something like 1.3 billion people. That number represents a
minimum 49% of the world's Christians. It's difficult to tag the number of
Protestants because they are so diverse in their beliefs and practices.
* Rom 8:15-16 never happened for Mother Teresa. She complained in
private correspondence with spiritual counselors that she felt not the
slightest glimmer of the Lord's presence virtually the entire five decades of
missionary work in India; leading her to wonder if there really is a God out
there; and she sometimes spoke of Jesus as "the absent one".
The Spirit of adoption is supposed to make God's people feel at home; not
feel left out. I don't know what went wrong with Teresa but for sure her
spiritual condition was not good.
Pop Clock Update: 3,032 days have elapsed since beginning the thread. If
the figures in post #1 are within reason, then something like 177,617,592
new arrivals have checked into the fiery sector of Hades since December 10,
2014.
_
.
The Father has entrusted all judgment to His son (John 5:22) For that
reason, people really ought to be scared of Christ because he intends to go
about the business of judging no differently than the fire and brimstone
practices of the God of the Old Testament, by whom Jesus has been trained
to take the reins.
● John 5:19 . . I tell you the truth, the Son can do nothing by himself; he
can do only what he sees his Father doing, because whatever the Father
does the Son also does.
● John 10:30 . . I and my Father are unified.
● Ps 2:7-12 . . I will proclaim The Lord's decree. He said to me: You are my
Son; today I have become your Father. Ask of me, and I will make the
nations your inheritance, the ends of the earth your possession. You will rule
them with an iron scepter; you will dash them to pieces like pottery.
. . .Therefore, you kings, be wise; be warned, you rulers of the earth. Serve
The Lord with fear and rejoice with trembling. Kiss the Son, lest he be angry
and you be destroyed in your way, for his wrath can flare up in a moment.
Blessed are all who take refuge in him.
Pop Clock Update: 3,038 days have elapsed since beginning the thread. If
the figures in post #1 are within reason, then something like 177,969,078
new arrivals have checked into the fiery sector of Hades since December 10,
2014.
_
The Father has entrusted all judgment to His son (John 5:22) For that
reason, people really ought to be scared of Christ because he intends to go
about the business of judging no differently than the fire and brimstone
practices of the God of the Old Testament, by whom Jesus has been trained
to take the reins.
● John 5:19 . . I tell you the truth, the Son can do nothing by himself; he
can do only what he sees his Father doing, because whatever the Father
does the Son also does.
● John 10:30 . . I and my Father are unified.
● Ps 2:7-12 . . I will proclaim The Lord's decree. He said to me: You are my
Son; today I have become your Father. Ask of me, and I will make the
nations your inheritance, the ends of the earth your possession. You will rule
them with an iron scepter; you will dash them to pieces like pottery.
. . .Therefore, you kings, be wise; be warned, you rulers of the earth. Serve
The Lord with fear and rejoice with trembling. Kiss the Son, lest he be angry
and you be destroyed in your way, for his wrath can flare up in a moment.
Blessed are all who take refuge in him.
Pop Clock Update: 3,038 days have elapsed since beginning the thread. If
the figures in post #1 are within reason, then something like 177,969,078
new arrivals have checked into the fiery sector of Hades since December 10,
2014.
_
Wow.
Interesting thought. I can see many bashing on how negative this idea is though?
......next time can you give us a few numbers though, to maybe support your theory?
Interesting thought. I can see many bashing on how negative this idea is though?
......next time can you give us a few numbers though, to maybe support your theory?
.
● Heb 12:29 . . For our God is a consuming fire.
That's a quote from Deut 4:24 which, in context, doesn't describe God's
physical characteristics, rather, it's a figure of speech illustrating rage:
defined by Webster's as violent and uncontrolled anger. It's hard to imagine
Christianity's divine patron ticked off to that extent, but there it is.
* A consuming fire is one that cannot be extinguished, i.e. once it gets
going, there's no stopping till all that's aflame is utterly destroyed beyond
recognition, viz: a conflagration.
Pop Clock Update: 3,043 days have elapsed since beginning the thread. If
the figures in post #1 are within reason, then something like 178,261,983
new arrivals have checked into the fiery sector of Hades since December 10,
2014.
_
● Heb 12:29 . . For our God is a consuming fire.
That's a quote from Deut 4:24 which, in context, doesn't describe God's
physical characteristics, rather, it's a figure of speech illustrating rage:
defined by Webster's as violent and uncontrolled anger. It's hard to imagine
Christianity's divine patron ticked off to that extent, but there it is.
* A consuming fire is one that cannot be extinguished, i.e. once it gets
going, there's no stopping till all that's aflame is utterly destroyed beyond
recognition, viz: a conflagration.
Pop Clock Update: 3,043 days have elapsed since beginning the thread. If
the figures in post #1 are within reason, then something like 178,261,983
new arrivals have checked into the fiery sector of Hades since December 10,
2014.
_
.
FAQ: Does Matt 25:31-46 depict the final judgment?
REPLY: No, rather; it depicts a culling from the herd of Tribulation survivors
relative to their treatment of the Jews during a time of unequaled anti
Semitism. If the Jews thought they had it bad in the Holocaust: something
worse is yet to come.
Pop Clock Update: 3,048 days have elapsed since beginning the thread. If
the figures in post #1 are within reason, then something like 178,554,888
new arrivals have checked into the fiery sector of Hades since December 10,
2014.
_
FAQ: Does Matt 25:31-46 depict the final judgment?
REPLY: No, rather; it depicts a culling from the herd of Tribulation survivors
relative to their treatment of the Jews during a time of unequaled anti
Semitism. If the Jews thought they had it bad in the Holocaust: something
worse is yet to come.
Pop Clock Update: 3,048 days have elapsed since beginning the thread. If
the figures in post #1 are within reason, then something like 178,554,888
new arrivals have checked into the fiery sector of Hades since December 10,
2014.
_
.
If there is such a thing as soul sleep I won't know it, here's why:
I've been under anesthesia once for appendicitis, twice for hernias, one for a
scalp lump, once for a kidney stone, twice for total knee replacements, once
for a colonoscopy, once for lung cancer, and once for an endoscopy.
In none of those procedures was I aware of the passage of time. The very
moment I went under was simultaneous with awakening. So if soul sleep is
like that, I'll be in Heaven as if I went from here to there in less than a
second of time on the clock, i.e. instantaneously. The same can be said for
folks on track for wrong side of things.
Pop Clock Update: 3,054 days have elapsed since beginning the thread. If
the figures in post #1 are within reason, then something like 178,906,374
new arrivals have checked into the fiery sector of Hades since December 10,
2014.
_
Pop Clock Update: 3,054 days have elapsed since beginning the thread. If
the figures in post #1 are within reason, then something like 178,906,374
new arrivals have checked into the fiery sector of Hades since December 10,
2014.
_
If there is such a thing as soul sleep I won't know it, here's why:
I've been under anesthesia once for appendicitis, twice for hernias, one for a
scalp lump, once for a kidney stone, twice for total knee replacements, once
for a colonoscopy, once for lung cancer, and once for an endoscopy.
In none of those procedures was I aware of the passage of time. The very
moment I went under was simultaneous with awakening. So if soul sleep is
like that, I'll be in Heaven as if I went from here to there in less than a
second of time on the clock, i.e. instantaneously. The same can be said for
folks on track for wrong side of things.
Pop Clock Update: 3,054 days have elapsed since beginning the thread. If
the figures in post #1 are within reason, then something like 178,906,374
new arrivals have checked into the fiery sector of Hades since December 10,
2014.
_
Pop Clock Update: 3,054 days have elapsed since beginning the thread. If
the figures in post #1 are within reason, then something like 178,906,374
new arrivals have checked into the fiery sector of Hades since December 10,
2014.
_
.
God has a passion for mercy and generosity; but they're not His only
passions.
● Rom 11:22 . . Behold then the kindness and severity of God
The human condition is so bad, so corrupt, and so hopeless that only the
death of God's sole descendant is adequate to rescue everybody from the
lake of fire depicted at Rev 20:10-15 where numbers of folks will be
terminated with extreme prejudice by a mode of death akin to a foundry
worker falling into a kettle of molten iron.
Now, who in their right might mind can look at that scene and not come
away with the opinion that it depicts a very cruel and unusual punishment?
Why not just put folks down with an injection so that they softly and gently
fall asleep never to wake up? Wouldn't that be nicer, more humane? Yes that
would be nicer and more humane; but would it satisfy God?
Adam started out in the image of God. So at first, his sense of right and
wrong was in agreement with his creator's sense of right and wrong. Then
came the forbidden fruit incident when Adam's original sense of right was
lost and his conscience became that of a tin god.
Well; that's why many of us cannot appreciate our maker's justice. If we did,
we wouldn't be criticizing Him for the way He intends to punish folks.
Instead, we'd be cheering Him on; like this:
● Rev 16:5-7 . .Then I heard the angel in charge of the waters say: You are
just in these judgments: You who are, and who were; the Holy one, because
you have so judged . . .Yes, Lord God Almighty, true and just are your
judgments.
* The "Holy one" is none other than God's descendant, i.e. the sweet little
babe away in a manger will be presiding at the great white throne event.
● John 5:22-23 . . Moreover, the Father judges no one, but has entrusted all
judgment to the Son, that all may honor the Son just as they honor the
Father.
● Acts 17:31 . . He 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.
Pop Clock Update: 3,059 days have elapsed since beginning the thread. If
the figures in post #1 are within reason, then something like 179,199,279
new arrivals have checked into the fiery sector of Hades since December 10,
2014.
_
God has a passion for mercy and generosity; but they're not His only
passions.
● Rom 11:22 . . Behold then the kindness and severity of God
The human condition is so bad, so corrupt, and so hopeless that only the
death of God's sole descendant is adequate to rescue everybody from the
lake of fire depicted at Rev 20:10-15 where numbers of folks will be
terminated with extreme prejudice by a mode of death akin to a foundry
worker falling into a kettle of molten iron.
Now, who in their right might mind can look at that scene and not come
away with the opinion that it depicts a very cruel and unusual punishment?
Why not just put folks down with an injection so that they softly and gently
fall asleep never to wake up? Wouldn't that be nicer, more humane? Yes that
would be nicer and more humane; but would it satisfy God?
Adam started out in the image of God. So at first, his sense of right and
wrong was in agreement with his creator's sense of right and wrong. Then
came the forbidden fruit incident when Adam's original sense of right was
lost and his conscience became that of a tin god.
Well; that's why many of us cannot appreciate our maker's justice. If we did,
we wouldn't be criticizing Him for the way He intends to punish folks.
Instead, we'd be cheering Him on; like this:
● Rev 16:5-7 . .Then I heard the angel in charge of the waters say: You are
just in these judgments: You who are, and who were; the Holy one, because
you have so judged . . .Yes, Lord God Almighty, true and just are your
judgments.
* The "Holy one" is none other than God's descendant, i.e. the sweet little
babe away in a manger will be presiding at the great white throne event.
● John 5:22-23 . . Moreover, the Father judges no one, but has entrusted all
judgment to the Son, that all may honor the Son just as they honor the
Father.
● Acts 17:31 . . He 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.
Pop Clock Update: 3,059 days have elapsed since beginning the thread. If
the figures in post #1 are within reason, then something like 179,199,279
new arrivals have checked into the fiery sector of Hades since December 10,
2014.
_
.
● Luke 16:27-29 . . I beg you, father, send Lazarus to my father's house, for
I have five brothers. Let him warn them, so that they will not also come to
this place of torment. Abraham replied: They have Moses and the Prophets;
let them listen to them.
Although many details pertaining to the afterlife are absent in the Old
Testament, Moses and the prophets wrote quite a bit about retribution.
Torah-trained Jews have always known something frightening is in the
works. For example:
● Isa 66:23-24 . . And it shall come to pass, that from one new moon to
another, and from one sabbath to another, shall all flesh come to worship
before me, saith The Lord; and they shall go forth, and look upon the
carcasses of the men that have transgressed against me: for their worm
shall not die, neither shall their fire be quenched; and they shall be an
abhorring unto all flesh.
Pop Clock Update: 3,065 days have elapsed since beginning the thread. If
the figures in post #1 are within reason, then something like 179,550,765
new arrivals have checked into the fiery sector of Hades since December 10,
2014.
_
● Luke 16:27-29 . . I beg you, father, send Lazarus to my father's house, for
I have five brothers. Let him warn them, so that they will not also come to
this place of torment. Abraham replied: They have Moses and the Prophets;
let them listen to them.
Although many details pertaining to the afterlife are absent in the Old
Testament, Moses and the prophets wrote quite a bit about retribution.
Torah-trained Jews have always known something frightening is in the
works. For example:
● Isa 66:23-24 . . And it shall come to pass, that from one new moon to
another, and from one sabbath to another, shall all flesh come to worship
before me, saith The Lord; and they shall go forth, and look upon the
carcasses of the men that have transgressed against me: for their worm
shall not die, neither shall their fire be quenched; and they shall be an
abhorring unto all flesh.
Pop Clock Update: 3,065 days have elapsed since beginning the thread. If
the figures in post #1 are within reason, then something like 179,550,765
new arrivals have checked into the fiery sector of Hades since December 10,
2014.
_
.
● Ps 115:17 . .The dead do not praise The Lord, nor do any who go down
into silence.
"any who go down into silence" tells us that certain folks might just as well
be mute in the afterlife because The Lord no longer lends them His ear;
they're permanently cut off from His benevolence, viz: God has no interest
whatsoever in either their worship or their prayers, i.e. they are dead to
Him; and as far as He's concerned they're like old documents disposed in the
shredder because they no longer matter.
* It's conceivable that the outer darkness spoken of in the 8th and 22nd
chapters of Matthew is a sort of reiteration of Ps 115:17. In other words:
although folks alienated from God are in a darkness of sorts already; He
hasn't totally abandoned them yet.
● Matt 5:44-45 . . I say, love your enemies. Pray for those who persecute
you. In that way, you will be acting as true children of your Father in
heaven. For He gives his sunlight to both the evil and the good, and He
sends rain on the just and on the unjust, too.
Illustrations for Dante's Inferno by the artist Gustave Doré may not be
entirely true, but they sure do a good job of impressing the total and
complete absence of God's benevolence in the netherworld.
Pop Clock Update: 3,070 days have elapsed since beginning the thread. If
the figures in post #1 are within reason, then something like 179,843,670
new arrivals have checked into the fiery sector of Hades since December 10,
2014.
_
● Ps 115:17 . .The dead do not praise The Lord, nor do any who go down
into silence.
"any who go down into silence" tells us that certain folks might just as well
be mute in the afterlife because The Lord no longer lends them His ear;
they're permanently cut off from His benevolence, viz: God has no interest
whatsoever in either their worship or their prayers, i.e. they are dead to
Him; and as far as He's concerned they're like old documents disposed in the
shredder because they no longer matter.
* It's conceivable that the outer darkness spoken of in the 8th and 22nd
chapters of Matthew is a sort of reiteration of Ps 115:17. In other words:
although folks alienated from God are in a darkness of sorts already; He
hasn't totally abandoned them yet.
● Matt 5:44-45 . . I say, love your enemies. Pray for those who persecute
you. In that way, you will be acting as true children of your Father in
heaven. For He gives his sunlight to both the evil and the good, and He
sends rain on the just and on the unjust, too.
Illustrations for Dante's Inferno by the artist Gustave Doré may not be
entirely true, but they sure do a good job of impressing the total and
complete absence of God's benevolence in the netherworld.
Pop Clock Update: 3,070 days have elapsed since beginning the thread. If
the figures in post #1 are within reason, then something like 179,843,670
new arrivals have checked into the fiery sector of Hades since December 10,
2014.
_
.
After all is said and done-- the bowls, the seals, the trumpets, the great
white throne scene, and the new cosmos is ushered in by the obliteration of
the old --a couple of interesting announcements will be made.
1) "And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no
more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more
pain: for the former things are passed away." (Rev 21:4)
That is very good news because it would be difficult, if not impossible, for
folks in Heaven to be happy while knowing some of their loved ones, their
associates, and their BFF didn't make the cut and instead ended up on the
wrong side of things.
The great white throne event won't be a peaceful scene. I'd imagine that
people will be literally pale with terror, lips trembling, mouths too dry to
speak; screaming, shrieking, sobbing, bellowing and yelping like wounded
dogs-- eyes darting about looking for something, anything, to clutch and
cling to as the awful reality of their fate sinks in; and a powerful force they
cannot resist drags them off to a mode of death akin to a foundry worker
falling into a kettle of molten iron. I know of no one who would be happy
with memories like that haunting them.
2) "Let him who does wrong continue to do wrong; let him who is vile
continue to be vile; let him who does right continue to do right; and let him
who is holy continue to be holy." (Rev 22:11)
The people to whom those words pertain, will be stuck with who and what
they are with no chance of ever being any different.
That's good news for the righteous and/or holy because they'll never have
worry about doing something really stupid that results in their eviction from
paradise; whereas it's really bad news for folks who end up on the wrong
side of things they will forever be unfit to be anywhere else except the lake
of fire.
_
After all is said and done-- the bowls, the seals, the trumpets, the great
white throne scene, and the new cosmos is ushered in by the obliteration of
the old --a couple of interesting announcements will be made.
1) "And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no
more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more
pain: for the former things are passed away." (Rev 21:4)
That is very good news because it would be difficult, if not impossible, for
folks in Heaven to be happy while knowing some of their loved ones, their
associates, and their BFF didn't make the cut and instead ended up on the
wrong side of things.
The great white throne event won't be a peaceful scene. I'd imagine that
people will be literally pale with terror, lips trembling, mouths too dry to
speak; screaming, shrieking, sobbing, bellowing and yelping like wounded
dogs-- eyes darting about looking for something, anything, to clutch and
cling to as the awful reality of their fate sinks in; and a powerful force they
cannot resist drags them off to a mode of death akin to a foundry worker
falling into a kettle of molten iron. I know of no one who would be happy
with memories like that haunting them.
2) "Let him who does wrong continue to do wrong; let him who is vile
continue to be vile; let him who does right continue to do right; and let him
who is holy continue to be holy." (Rev 22:11)
The people to whom those words pertain, will be stuck with who and what
they are with no chance of ever being any different.
That's good news for the righteous and/or holy because they'll never have
worry about doing something really stupid that results in their eviction from
paradise; whereas it's really bad news for folks who end up on the wrong
side of things they will forever be unfit to be anywhere else except the lake
of fire.
_
.
I think most folks would agree that monsters like Kim Jong-Un, Xi Jinping,
Robert Mugabe, Muammar Gaddafi, Saddam Hussein, human traffickers, and
drug cartel kingpins belong in Hell; but why are decent folk down there?
Well; obviously humanity's moral compass points to a different north than
their maker's, viz: sometimes what's permissible in human reasoning is
unacceptable to God. Why is that?
In the beginning; humanity was created with a conscience patterned after its
maker's conscience.
"And God said: Let us make man in our image, after our likeness . . So God
created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male
and female created he them." (Gen 1:26-27)
Then came the forbidden fruit incident, wherein humanity's conscience lost
its divine quality and became humanistic.
Then the Lord God said: Behold, the man has become like one of us,
knowing good and evil. (Gen 3:22)
In other words; Man became a tin god conducting himself in accord with his
own moral values.
* There's a rather humorous scene in Dante's Inferno where these two guys
who knew each other in life are quarreling over who deserves Hell more than
the other; which is pretty silly when it's considered that both were condemned
to the same level down there. For example: a number of elitist Christians are
far more tolerable of dishonesty than they are of LGBTQ yet both the liar and
the immoral are destined for the very same fate. (Rev 21:8)
I rather suspect that quite a few folks sincerely believe God has made a big
mistake sending them down there. In their judicious estimation; others
deserve it for sure, but not themselves.
Pop Clock Update: 3,075 days have elapsed since beginning the thread. If
the figures in post #1 are within reason, then something like 180,136,575
new arrivals have checked into the fiery sector of Hades since December 10,
2014.
_
I think most folks would agree that monsters like Kim Jong-Un, Xi Jinping,
Robert Mugabe, Muammar Gaddafi, Saddam Hussein, human traffickers, and
drug cartel kingpins belong in Hell; but why are decent folk down there?
Well; obviously humanity's moral compass points to a different north than
their maker's, viz: sometimes what's permissible in human reasoning is
unacceptable to God. Why is that?
In the beginning; humanity was created with a conscience patterned after its
maker's conscience.
"And God said: Let us make man in our image, after our likeness . . So God
created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male
and female created he them." (Gen 1:26-27)
Then came the forbidden fruit incident, wherein humanity's conscience lost
its divine quality and became humanistic.
Then the Lord God said: Behold, the man has become like one of us,
knowing good and evil. (Gen 3:22)
In other words; Man became a tin god conducting himself in accord with his
own moral values.
* There's a rather humorous scene in Dante's Inferno where these two guys
who knew each other in life are quarreling over who deserves Hell more than
the other; which is pretty silly when it's considered that both were condemned
to the same level down there. For example: a number of elitist Christians are
far more tolerable of dishonesty than they are of LGBTQ yet both the liar and
the immoral are destined for the very same fate. (Rev 21:8)
I rather suspect that quite a few folks sincerely believe God has made a big
mistake sending them down there. In their judicious estimation; others
deserve it for sure, but not themselves.
Pop Clock Update: 3,075 days have elapsed since beginning the thread. If
the figures in post #1 are within reason, then something like 180,136,575
new arrivals have checked into the fiery sector of Hades since December 10,
2014.
_