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Re: The Suffering of the Lost
[Re: asygo]
#120964
10/26/09 09:24 AM
10/26/09 09:24 AM
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Active Member 2012
14500+ Member
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Joined: Aug 2004
Posts: 14,795
Lawrence, Kansas
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Arnold, here's the running conversation: Me:In the judgment there's a revelation of truth the wicked haven't seen before. You:This is a revelation of truth that Jesus did not already reveal in His earthly life? Me:No, it's a revelation the wicked hadn't seen before. You:These people are condemned even though there was truth - judgment truth - that they had never seen before? It is truth that none of the wicked had ever seen before? Including Satan, the former covering cherub? Me:What I said wasn't that far reaching a statement. I was speaking of human beings. You:So, the angels will see nothing new. OK, I'll chew on that. Me:This conclusion is completely unfair and unreasonable, as should be easily seen by anyone. I said I made no statement in regards to angels. Therefore you can conclude nothing whatsoever from my statement in regards to angels. This bring us to your most recent post: a:You are wrong there. There are only two options: 1) The angels learn something new, 2) the angels learn nothing new. Since you denied that the angels learn something new, it must necessarily be true that the angels learn nothing new. I repeat that I said nothing about angels. But now, you seem to be denying that the angels learn nothing new. I repeat that I said nothing about angels. Did I misunderstand your initial answer? Evidently. You seem to have somehow misunderstood, "What I said wasn't that far reaching a statement. I was speaking of human beings." Are you saying that the angels learn some truth in the Judgment that they never knew before? No, I'm not saying this. I said nothing about angels. And we should not lose sight of the fact that Satan was the covering cherub. Again, I said nothing about angels. Again, there are only two options: the angels either do or do not learn something new. There is no middle ground. Since I said nothing about angels, no conclusion can be made regarding what I said. BTW, I find it somewhat amusing that you are saying that you did not intend your statement to be as far-reaching as I took it, while I believe (and I think GC has expressed this as well), that you do exactly that with certain statements in the SOP, which leads to our disagreements regarding atonement, judgment, Christ's revelation, etc. I find it ironic. In regards to the SOP, we do seem to approach things differently. Instead of looking for general principles which would be applicable in general, because they are founded upon God's character, you seem to prefer an approach which simply considers what the text says happened, with little or no regard as to whether the interpretation under consideration makes sense from a character standpoint. For example, consider the idea that God sets people on fire to be burned alive for days at a time to make them suffer. It seems to me that one should be able to immediately reject this as a possibility without a second thought simply on the basis of the revelation of God's character throughout inspiration. That this idea is not only considered, but defended, in spite of all we know about God as revealed in inspiration, especially through Jesus Christ, is difficult for me to comprehend. Back to my original statement, "in the judgment there's a revelation of truth the wicked haven't seen before." There was a context to this statement. MM was asking me about human beings who will be in the second resurrection. You took my statement and applied it to angels, which was not my intent. I pointed out that the statement was not as far-reaching as you were making it, that I wasn't speaking of human beings. I wrote: I said I made no statement in regards to angels. Therefore you can conclude nothing whatsoever from my statement in regards to angels. Somehow you concluded I'm "wrong" about this. If I said nothing about angels, how can you conclude anything about angels from I didn't say?
Those who wait for the Bridegroom's coming are to say to the people, "Behold your God." The last rays of merciful light, the last message of mercy to be given to the world, is a revelation of His character of love.
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Re: The Suffering of the Lost
[Re: asygo]
#120965
10/26/09 09:34 AM
10/26/09 09:34 AM
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Active Member 2012
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Joined: Aug 2004
Posts: 14,795
Lawrence, Kansas
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So, here's a rundown of your recent statements, Tom, and perhaps you can correct my understanding here.
1. T:in the judgment there's a revelation of truth the wicked haven't seen before. 2. A:This is a revelation of truth that Jesus did not already reveal in His earthly life? 3. T:No, it's a revelation the wicked hadn't seen before. 4. A:It is truth that none of the wicked had ever seen before? Including Satan, the former covering cherub? 5. T:What I said wasn't that far reaching a statement. I was speaking of human beings. 6. A:So, the angels will see nothing new. OK, I'll chew on that. 7. T:This conclusion is completely unfair and unreasonable, as should be easily seen by anyone. I said I made no statement in regards to angels. Therefore you can conclude nothing whatsoever from my statement in regards to angels.
Tom, if I am understanding correctly, the "anyone" you referred to should understand the following to be true, relative to the above conversation:
A. In step 1 above, Tom says that there will be new truth revealed in the judgment which has never yet been seen. B. In step 2, Arnold understands this to be truth not revealed by Jesus. C. In step 3, Tom corrects Arnold to say Jesus revealed this truth, but the wicked had not known or seen it. D. In step 4, Arnold understand "the wicked" to include the fallen angels. E. In step 5, Tom corrects Arnold to say that this does not include the fallen angels (in other words, the angels have seen/known this truth, but only the human-lost have not). F. In step 6, Arnold confirms this understanding that the angels will not see truths they never before knew. G. Last of all, Tom tells Arnold that anyone should be able to see his conclusion is false, and that he was not speaking of fallen angels.
I guess I'm not an "anyone." I see Tom as saying two opposite things at the same time. Were you not speaking of angels in #5? If not, why bother to correct Arnold there? Perhaps you have a logical explanation for this marvelous dichotomy?
Let's go back to your original statement for a moment, to illustrate this more clearly:
T:in the judgment there's a revelation of truth the wicked haven't seen before.
The following conclusions are possible from this statement: 1. "The wicked" includes all who are lost, and therefore all the wicked will see new truth. 2. "The wicked" includes only those of mankind, since the angels will not see new truth. 3. "The judgment" obviously applies to mankind, and not to angels, since angels will not see new truth.
The following sub-concepts are possible from these conclusions:
1. The "revelation" of truth is an active part of the judgment; in which case it must necessarily be applied to all who are judged. 2. The "revelation" of truth is a side-issue, not related to the judgment, as it will be only for a portion of those damned.
Which one is it?
I still say that hell will be essentially the same for humans as for angels. Duration will be the most essential difference, as the angels will be recompensed for 6000 years of sin, as opposed to men who have lived less than 1000 at most. I was having a conversation with MM. MM asked me about a question about human beings that will be in the second resurrection. I said: In the judgment there's a revelation of truth the wicked haven't seen before. Arnold asked, "This is a revelation of truth that Jesus did not already reveal in His earthly life?" I responded, "No, it's a revelation they haven't seen before," meaning, "No, I'm not saying this is a revelation of truth that Jesus did not already reveal in His earthly life. I said it's a revelation that the wicked haven't seen before. That's all I said. I didn't say anything about Jesus having revealed it already in His earthly life or not." Then Arnold asked, "These people are condemned even though there was truth - judgment truth - that they had never seen before? It is truth that none of the wicked had ever seen before? Including Satan, the former covering cherub?" To which I replied, "What I said wasn't that far reaching a statement. I was speaking of human beings." I had said nothing about angels. The conversation MM and I were having was not in regards to angels, but in regards to human beings. From this, Arnold concluded that I was saying angels learn nothing new. From my standpoint, this was an unreasonable conclusion, since I had just stated that I was speaking of human beings. I had said nothing about angels.
Those who wait for the Bridegroom's coming are to say to the people, "Behold your God." The last rays of merciful light, the last message of mercy to be given to the world, is a revelation of His character of love.
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Re: The Suffering of the Lost
[Re: Tom]
#120966
10/26/09 10:20 AM
10/26/09 10:20 AM
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SDA Active Member 2021
5500+ Member
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Joined: Apr 2008
Posts: 7,003
The Orient
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In regards to the SOP, we do seem to approach things differently. Instead of looking for general principles which would be applicable in general, because they are founded upon God's character, you seem to prefer an approach which simply considers what the text says happened, with little or no regard as to whether the interpretation under consideration makes sense from a character standpoint.
For example, consider the idea that God sets people on fire to be burned alive for days at a time to make them suffer. It seems to me that one should be able to immediately reject this as a possibility without a second thought simply on the basis of the revelation of God's character throughout inspiration. That this idea is not only considered, but defended, in spite of all we know about God as revealed in inspiration, especially through Jesus Christ, is difficult for me to comprehend. This is one of the clearest and most telling expressions of the differences we have in interpretation that I have seen you acknowledge. Tom, the Bible says that "no prophecy of the scripture is of any private interpretation" (2 Peter 1:20). Yet you filter everything you read through the screen of your own reasoning as to what "makes sense." No one should feel it is necessary to abandon reason when studying the Bible. However, to presume that everything will "make sense" according to what we already know or according to our preconceptions and personal biases, is a step too far. Properly-founded reason will acknowledge that there are mysteries which may not be immediately, nor easily explained. Paramount on this list of mysteries would be the nature of God Himself. While Ellen White tells us we will be studying the plan of redemption throughout eternity, it seems some would like to have it "make sense" now, and thus jump to a conclusion--a conclusion which, ironically, is set at variance with certain key portions of inspiration. Such as this sentence of yours: "For example, consider the idea that God sets people on fire to be burned alive for days at a time to make them suffer." Tom, you said yourself in a post elsewhere that Ellen White is the one who told us some would suffer for days. They will be alive during this time, else it could not be "suffering." We are also told that they will be in a "lake of fire" during this time. Other, additional details, are also available to us from inspired sources. Jesus Himself said this: Wherefore if thy hand or thy foot offend thee, cut them off, and cast them from thee: it is better for thee to enter into life halt or maimed, rather than having two hands or two feet to be cast into everlasting fire. And if thine eye offend thee, pluck it out, and cast it from thee: it is better for thee to enter into life with one eye, rather than having two eyes to be cast into hell fire. (Matthew 18:8-9) And yet favoring your private interpretation over a "thus saith Jesus," you would imply that you know God's character better than those of us who believe these words of Christ, and tell us: "It seems to me that one should be able to immediately reject this as a possibility without a second thought simply on the basis of the revelation of God's character throughout inspiration." Reject these inspired words if you wish, I cannot. Jesus said in so many words that there will be people thrown into the fire. Blessings, Green Cochoa.
We can receive of heaven's light only as we are willing to be emptied of self. We can discern the character of God, and accept Christ by faith, only as we consent to the bringing into captivity of every thought to the obedience of Christ. And to all who do this, the Holy Spirit is given without measure. In Christ "dwelleth all the fulness of the Godhead bodily. And ye are complete in Him." [Colossians 2:9, 10.] {GW 57.1} -- Ellen White.
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Re: The Suffering of the Lost
[Re: Mountain Man]
#120971
10/26/09 01:15 PM
10/26/09 01:15 PM
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SDA Active Member 2024
5500+ Member
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Joined: Oct 2008
Posts: 6,515
Midland
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God cannot sin. It is impossible. Jesus did not sin. He will never sin. If by saying Jesus will never sin means Jesus could not sin, then did Jesus risk anything by coming here? That no matter what He did, it would not be sin? Jesus did not sin. He was tempted to sin while He was here in the flesh, but He chose not to sin. Theoretically He could have sinned if He had wanted to, but not once did He want to. Do you agree? I do agree that it was possible for Jesus to sin. Maybe I was confused by you saying Jesus will never sin. Why did you say that? If Jesus is a reflection of God, and if Jesus were to call 10,000 angels down to kill the Pharisees, why would that be sin? Or would it? If everything that God, or Jesus as His reflection, does is righteous, who are we to question His righteousness? By what standards would Jesus' actions be deemed unrighteous?
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Re: The Suffering of the Lost
[Re: Green Cochoa]
#120972
10/26/09 01:27 PM
10/26/09 01:27 PM
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SDA Active Member 2024
5500+ Member
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Joined: Oct 2008
Posts: 6,515
Midland
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Reject these inspired words if you wish, I cannot. Jesus said in so many words that there will be people thrown into the fire. An immediate question would be, should we insert our own private interpretation as to who is going to do it? But what about these inspired words? Should we reject them? But when men pass the limits of divine forbearance, that restraint is removed. God does not stand toward the sinner as an executioner of the sentence against transgression; but He leaves the rejectors of His mercy to themselves, to reap that which they have sown. Every ray of light rejected, every warning despised or unheeded, every passion indulged, every transgression of the law of God, is a seed sown which yields its unfailing harvest. The Spirit of God, persistently resisted, is at last withdrawn from the sinner, and then there is left no power to control the evil passions of the soul, and no protection from the malice and enmity of Satan. The destruction of Jerusalem is a fearful and solemn warning to all who are trifling with the offers of divine grace and resisting the pleadings of divine mercy. Never was there given a more decisive testimony to God's hatred of sin and to the certain punishment that will fall upon the guilty.
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Re: The Suffering of the Lost
[Re: kland]
#120974
10/26/09 01:41 PM
10/26/09 01:41 PM
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SDA Active Member 2021
5500+ Member
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Joined: Apr 2008
Posts: 7,003
The Orient
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Reject these inspired words if you wish, I cannot. Jesus said in so many words that there will be people thrown into the fire. An immediate question would be, should we insert our own private interpretation as to who is going to do it? But what about these inspired words? Should we reject them? But when men pass the limits of divine forbearance, that restraint is removed. God does not stand toward the sinner as an executioner of the sentence against transgression; but He leaves the rejectors of His mercy to themselves, to reap that which they have sown. Every ray of light rejected, every warning despised or unheeded, every passion indulged, every transgression of the law of God, is a seed sown which yields its unfailing harvest. The Spirit of God, persistently resisted, is at last withdrawn from the sinner, and then there is left no power to control the evil passions of the soul, and no protection from the malice and enmity of Satan. The destruction of Jerusalem is a fearful and solemn warning to all who are trifling with the offers of divine grace and resisting the pleadings of divine mercy. Never was there given a more decisive testimony to God's hatred of sin and to the certain punishment that will fall upon the guilty. There is no need to reject that statement. There is, perhaps, a need to read it within its proper context of time. As for the "who is going to do it," are you asking who is throwing whom into the fire? There is no need for private interpretation here either, as the Bible is sufficiently clear. A text that comes to mind is another of Jesus' own. And the King shall answer and say unto them, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me. Then shall he say also unto them on the left hand, Depart from me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels. (Matthew 25:40-41) Who gives the orders? the King. Does Jesus say the fire is prepared "by the devil" or "for the devil?" Blessings, Green Cochoa.
We can receive of heaven's light only as we are willing to be emptied of self. We can discern the character of God, and accept Christ by faith, only as we consent to the bringing into captivity of every thought to the obedience of Christ. And to all who do this, the Holy Spirit is given without measure. In Christ "dwelleth all the fulness of the Godhead bodily. And ye are complete in Him." [Colossians 2:9, 10.] {GW 57.1} -- Ellen White.
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Re: The Suffering of the Lost
[Re: Green Cochoa]
#120975
10/26/09 01:42 PM
10/26/09 01:42 PM
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SDA Charter Member Active Member 2019
20000+ Member
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Joined: Oct 2000
Posts: 22,256
Southwest USA
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When you say a different type of suffering, what do you mean? You mean different than anything they've experienced before? I would say different, in this way, but different in terms of circumstances. So the reasons are the same (the things I listed before), but in the judgment there's a revelation of truth the wicked haven't seen before. So, truth (information, knowledge) causes them to suffer in judgment. But what causes sinners to suffer now? And, does it serve to inspire, motivate them to cease sinning now? Will it serve the same purpose in judgment? If not, why not? What kind of truth (information, knowledge) will they learn (acquire, understand, comprehend) in judgment? Did they know it before they died? If not, why not? Why is comprehending truth necessary to suffer in judgment? Isn’t sin sufficient to cause suffering and death in judgment?
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Re: The Suffering of the Lost
[Re: Tom]
#120976
10/26/09 02:04 PM
10/26/09 02:04 PM
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SDA Charter Member Active Member 2019
20000+ Member
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Joined: Oct 2000
Posts: 22,256
Southwest USA
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Do you think Nadab and Abihu spontaneously combusted? Or, do you think they died of means other than fire or the radiant light of God? If so, what do you think caused them to die? Why did their brain, blood, and breath functions cease? Also, what caused the following sinners to die: Numbers 16:35 And there came out a fire from the LORD, and consumed the two hundred and fifty men that offered incense. 2 Kings 1:10 And Elijah answered and said to the captain of fifty, If I [be] a man of God, then let fire come down from heaven, and consume thee and thy fifty. And there came down fire from heaven, and consumed him and his fifty. T: I don't have anything to add to the discussion we've had in the past. If memory serves me right, you believe whenever the Bible says "fire" from God or heaven resulted in sinners being burned alive - 1) they were burned alive instantly, 2) it was not equivalent to torture, 3) it was fire that naturally exists in the air, 4) God works unnaturally to prevent it from burning sinners alive, and 5) God simply ceased preventing it and allowed it to burn selected sinners alive.
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Re: The Suffering of the Lost
[Re: Tom]
#120978
10/26/09 02:08 PM
10/26/09 02:08 PM
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SDA Charter Member Active Member 2019
20000+ Member
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Joined: Oct 2000
Posts: 22,256
Southwest USA
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T: In the judgment there's a revelation of truth the wicked haven't seen before.
A: This is a revelation of truth that Jesus did not already reveal in His earthly life?
T: No, it's a revelation the wicked hadn't seen before. Was it a revelation necessary for salvation? If not, why not? And, if it doesn't matter now, why will it matter then?
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Re: The Suffering of the Lost
[Re: Mountain Man]
#120979
10/26/09 02:23 PM
10/26/09 02:23 PM
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Active Member 2012
14500+ Member
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Joined: Aug 2004
Posts: 14,795
Lawrence, Kansas
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T:When you say a different type of suffering, what do you mean? You mean different than anything they've experienced before? I would say different, in this way, but different in terms of circumstances. So the reasons are the same (the things I listed before), but in the judgment there's a revelation of truth the wicked haven't seen before.
M:So, truth (information, knowledge) causes them to suffer in judgment. But what causes sinners to suffer now? All sorts of things cause people to suffer. Losing loved ones. Tooth aches. Etc. By the way, to think of truth as "information" or "knowledge" is a rather superficial way of looking at it, IMO. In regards to whether the same things cause the wicked to suffer now that will cause them to suffer in the judgment, yes, to some degree. The degree is much less because the wicked can choose not to consider the truth. The reason they suffer now is because they "fight against the pricks." When one responds to the Holy Spirit, instead of fighting against the pricks, one can experience repentance, and become righteous by faith, instead of remaining wicked. And, does it serve to inspire, motivate them to cease sinning now? Yes, unless it's rejected. Will it serve the same purpose in judgment? If not, why not? It won't serve the same purpose because it won't be accepted. What kind of truth (information, knowledge) will they learn (acquire, understand, comprehend) in judgment? Again, spiritual truth involves more than information or knowledge. The kind of truth is that brought out in the last chapter of "The Great Controversy," where each individual is made aware of the Plan of Salvation, their sin, where the rejected Christ's voice, etc. Did they know it before they died? If not, why not? They rejected the truth, choosing to believe a lie instead. Why is comprehending truth necessary to suffer in judgment? Why do you think it's necessary? Isn’t sin sufficient to cause suffering and death in judgment? Sin does cause suffering and death in the judgment. One can suffer with or without truth being revealed. Wherever sin is present, suffering and death is inevitable. The purpose of revealing truth is not to make the wicked suffer. That's an effect, but not a purpose. If memory serves me right, you believe whenever the Bible says "fire" from God or heaven resulted in sinners being burned alive - 1) they were burned alive instantly, No. 2) it was not equivalent to torture, Yes. 3) it was fire that naturally exists in the air, Not sure what you're getting at here. All fire needs oxygen to burn, so it exists in air. 4) God works unnaturally to prevent it from burning sinners alive, No. and 5)God simply ceased preventing it and allowed it to burn selected sinners alive. No. I don't know where you're getting your ideas from. You didn't quote anything. I certainly didn't say anything like what you're remembering. It's just as well, though, as I don't think there's any need to consider Nadab and Abihu to understand the destruction of the wicked. However, considering the cross would be very useful.
Those who wait for the Bridegroom's coming are to say to the people, "Behold your God." The last rays of merciful light, the last message of mercy to be given to the world, is a revelation of His character of love.
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