Questioning the religious people of Yahoo.?

[DB]

OK – several points to make here. Let me answer #5.
(or you can visit http://www.jewishnotgreek.com for more info.)

1) I believe you might misunderstand the biblical concept of heaven / hell (and the gospel) as I once did. Remember, God is completely just, but not cruel...

2) Try to stretch your mind and think of it from THIS completely DIFFERENT ANGLE** - God is good and gives us all life in this world only (better than nothing!) Yet - He cannot allow sin to enter into the next world (or it will become war torn like this). So He only gives us this earthly life to live in – unless…. (drum roll please)…. we get everlasting life from Him!

You see - at the end of time, people who rejected Jesus (who is God visiting humanity) will have to stand before a Holy God and pay for their own sins. (And Everything was caught on tape!) And let’s face it - we ALL have sinned. They will have no one to “save” them from this awful moment of justice (and again - we ALL have done wrong, even secretly, and so we all deserve SOME degree of justice). And wouldn’t you like to see justice done to evil people like Hitler, rapists, child molesters, etc? You’re not against justice, are you?? So if God was 100% Just and made sure every wrong was *exactly* paid for – you wouldn’t be against that, would you?

So basically whenever you hear the word “hell” – substitute the words ***“exact Justice.”*** That is why Jesus suffered on the cross. He took my place and suffered for me. God does allow substitution! That is why believers uphold the Cross so importantly!

If a person does not accept the substitute – then they (after death) will suffer just as much as required for justice in their lives (NO MORE / NO LESS / some a split second) and then be destroyed (annihilated) as Jesus tells us. (see Matthew 10:28) God is Just and Jesus clearly teaches that lost souls will be destroyed – not preserved as tradition wrongly teaches.

Therefore - humans need to have longer (everlasting) Life - or we will only get to live in this world before being extinguished – like a candle. That is exactly why Jesus says He came to bring us LIFE! (John 10:10) “I have come that they might have life…”

Does not God (who gave us a soul) have the right to extinguish it at the end of time? ("Perish" in John 3:16 means "destroyed.")

Then the real world begins! The unsaved are no longer alive! They have a second death (Revelation 20:14). Believers in Jesus gain “everlasting life” (i.e. immortality) ( 2 Timothy 1:10). All others are annihilated (destroyed).

In the real world (coming) imagine a world where everyone does right. A world where all do right! And everything awesome about this world is just the absolute basic of the next. Wow!

And everyone there will get “everlasting life” (both biological immortality and spiritual life - the one that makes you go “Wow” inside). Imagine the greatest “WOW” moment in life and multiply that by 1000. That is the goodness waiting the “saved” by the One who can make the heart to go “Wow” now.

And He knows what makes us go “WOW” - (Ever look at the majesty of nature??)

And do you know what Steve Jobs (of APPLE – yes that Steve Jobs) last words were on his death bed? "Oh, WOW… Oh WOW… Oh WOW….." and then he died. (Absolutely TRUE – Google it!). And I am not saying he was a believer at all, but he did see something more....

Don't you want to live in that setting? That is exactly what is called "the gospel"! Good news. Plan B is coming.

ONLY Jesus gives “everlasting life” to the human soul. That is the “gospel” plain and simple. He died for me. The cross is my “receipt” – paid in full. He is my substitute. He suffered for me on the cross. I am forgiven.

All the rest of humanity will only get to live in this world. ((And God is good to even allow sinful humanity that much living!!))

1 Corinthians 2:9
“None of the rulers of this age understood it, for if they had, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory. However, as it is written:

"No eye has seen,
no ear has heard,
no mind has conceived
what God has prepared for those who love him" --

Who would want to mess up the "interview" now for a time like that?

So to summarize: 1) God is good to allow all humanity to live in this world. 2) Only those whom He can trust with the important gift of "immortality" gain everlasting life. (John 3:16).

That is gotten only by asking Jesus Christ for forgiveness (since He paid for my sins) and gaining everlasting life. It is called being “Born Again”.

As the late Keith Green once said... This world is like living in a garbage can compared to then! You see, Jesus is not religion, but a living person you can talk to.... He is God incarnate.

P.S. I am a Jewish person who became a believer in Jesus.

Again - For more theology on this visit:
http://www.jewishnotgreek.com

or Google the term “Conditional Immortality”