Today’s Devotional – September 9th (Eternal Torment? Part 2: “Is God A Big Meanie In The Sky?”)

By admin On January 16th, 2021

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Today’s Devotional – September 9th

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Eternal Torment?

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Part 2:

“Is God A Big Meanie In The Sky?”

To read Part 1, go here…September 8th (Eternal Torment?)

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CRISPY CRITTERS?

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A certain disgruntled ex-church-attendee actually held a longstanding grudge against God, and could sometimes be heard saying…“Well, someday…someday, God is gonna turn everyone who won’t bow down Him…into crispy critters!”

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**Yes, this discouraged man only saw God as “A big meanie in the sky!” And he hated a God who would do such a thing!**

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Brooklyn Museum – The Rich Man In Hell – James Tissot – Wikipedia – US Public Domain

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“For our God is a consuming fire”

Hebrews 12:29

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But truth-be-told, there is a vast multitude who share the exact same sentiment about God: That He is a “Big Meanie in the sky, just waiting to turn all Christ-rejecters into Crispy Critters!”

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Or perhaps, “God is a hideous monster who will torment all unbelievers for all time and eternity!”

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Oh yes, such ideas stem from a lack of biblical knowledge combined with the longstanding heretical church-doctrine called “Eternal Torment”.

Hans Thoma – The angry god, Jupiter – Wikipedia – Public Domain

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“…they that are unlearned and unstable wrest(le), as they do also the other scriptures, unto their own destruction”

2nd Peter 3:16

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The great problem is, there are certain verses in Scripture which, if taken out of context, will certainly seem to support such an idea as “Eternal Torment”. And even the Old Testament has many passages which seem to portray God as a vengeful, angry, and wrathful Deity!

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Gingerbread Cookie – Wikimedia – cropped and altered – Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Unported license

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IS GOD A BIG SOFTY IN THE SKY?

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And equally as heretical, there is yet another class of churchgoers who err greatly, supposing that God is actually just a “kindly-old-grandpa-in-the-sky”, who simply overlooks sin, and by no means, would never ever “judge the world in righteousness”! Acts 17:31

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And just as the “Crispy Critter” heresy, this “God is Santa Claus) nonsense is likewise borne from excluding many other verses, while clinging only to those which bolster such false and simplistic notions!

Santa’s Portrait by T. Nast 1881wikimedia public domain

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“My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge”

Hosea 4:6

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The Apostle, Paul, made this complaint concerning the overwhelming Bible ignorance among God’s professed people of his day…

“For when for the time ye ought to be teachers,

ye have need that one teach you again

which be the first principles of the oracles of God;

and are become such as have need of milk,

and not of strong meat.”

Hebrews 5:12

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Yes, even back in Paul’s day, God’s people were greatly ignorant of the Bible! And it is even more prevalent today! And Paul was letting them (and us) know that we must grow in wisdom and grace through a vast knowledge of God’s infallible Word! (See 2nd Peter 3:18)

Paul the Apostle – cropped & brightened photo – Artist – Valentin de Boulogne or Nicolas Tournier – circa 1500s – Wikipedia – Public Domain

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“Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth”

2nd Timothy 2:15

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**The correct Bible hermeneutic (method of interpretation) is that every Bible student must compare spiritual things with spiritual, in order to be “rightly dividing the Word of Truth”.**

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In other words, you cannot merely take one or two or even three Bible passages and make those passages the sum-total of truth.

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Scriptures must be compared with ALL other related passages to arrive at any supposed Bible doctrine.

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And even then, we must leave open the possibility that we may have missed other passages which will require us to further modify our supposed Bible doctrine.

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“Whom shall He teach knowledge?…For precept must be upon precept…line upon line…here a little, and there a little…”

Isaiah 28:9, 10

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And such false doctrines as “Eternal Torment” were concocted by improper and unsanctified Bible study! Bible teachers, even still today, will take some Bible passages while greatly ignoring others, merely to prop up this old Catholic church-doctrine!

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ABOVE PICTURE – Adding to or taking from God’s Word, the Bible

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“THE TRUTH SHALL MAKE YOU FREE”

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But the Good News is, those who are willing to forsake this present selfish world, to follow Jesus, and continue in the Word of Christ, they will eventually know the truth, “which shall make you free”. (John 8:32)

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**Yes, such “Noble Bereans” will continually “search the scriptures daily”, even as it is written…**

“Yea, if thou criest after knowledge,

and liftest up thy voice for understanding…

and searchest for her as for hid treasures;

Then shalt thou understand the fear of the LORD,

and find the knowledge of God.”

Proverbs 2:3-5

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And the ever-increasing knowledge of Christ’s infallible Word shall make these truth-seekers free from all the long legacy of erroneous and abominable church-doctrines!

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USMC – Prayer before Bible study – Wikimedia – Public Domain

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TO GO TO PART 3, click here…

September 10th (Eternal Torment? Part 3: “Meekness”)

USMC – Prayer before Bible study – Wikimedia – Public Domain

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TODAY’S PRAYER…

“Dear Lord, Let me not be given to a close-minded spirit. But help me to love truth, no matter if it means I will be hated by my own brethren…

Prayer – USMC – Wikimedia – US Govt. Public Domain

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THE END

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TODAY’S FEATURED HEAVENLY SIGN

Info & pics of constellations on this site from Wikipedia & International Astronomical Union (click here)

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WOMAN FLEEING TO NARROW GATE

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**The Fleeing Woman of Revelation 12 Constellation (aka, “Ursa Major”) is veering toward the two bright stars, known as Castor and Pollux (sketch to left).**

**But the Wide Gate Stars are composed of the two brightest stars of the Auriga Constellation, known as the star, Capella, and the star, Menkalinan.**

**The two stars, Castor and Pollux, make up the concept of the Orion’s Narrow Gate Stars.**

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This can even be observed into June in the western sky (for a short time just after dark). While a dark night is best for seeing the Woman Constellation, the 4 stars which comprise the Narrow Gate/Wide Gate Stars can be seen even under mediocre conditions. It begins with the Fleeing Woman of Revelation 12 Constellation (AKA Ursa Major) going towards these two doors.

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TOMORROW…

September 10th (Eternal Torment? Part 3: “Meekness”)

USMC – Prayer before Bible study – Wikimedia – Public Domain

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20+ MINUTE AUDIO JEREMIAH STUDY

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ALL ‘NOBLE BEREANS’ (open-minded seekers of Bible truth) ARE ENCOURAGED TO BEGIN FOLLOWING THIS 650+ AUDIO BIBLE STUDY THROUGH THE BOOK OF JEREMIAH EACH DAY ON THIS DAILY DEVOTIONAL.

Signs Of Heaven

Today’s Devotional – September 9th (Eternal Torment? Part 2: “Is God A Big Meanie In The Sky?”)

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Today’s Devotional – September 9th

.

.

.

.

Eternal Torment?

.

Part 2:

“Is God A Big Meanie In The Sky?”

.

.

.

.

.

CRISPY CRITTERS?

.

A certain disgruntled ex-church-attendee actually held a longstanding grudge against God, and could sometimes be heard saying…“Well, someday…someday, God is gonna turn everyone who won’t bow down Him…into crispy critters!”

.

Yes, this discouraged man only saw God as “A big meanie in the sky!” And he hated a God who would do such a thing!

.

.

.

.

.

.

“For our God is a consuming fire”

.

But truth-be-told, there is a vast multitude who share the exact same sentiment about God: That He is a “Big Meanie in the sky, just waiting to turn all Christ-rejecters into Crispy Critters!”

.

Or perhaps, “God is a hideous monster who will torment all unbelievers for all time and eternity!”

.

Oh yes, such ideas stem from a lack of biblical knowledge combined with the longstanding heretical church-doctrine called “Eternal Torment”.

.

.

.

.

.

.

“…they that are unlearned and unstable wrest(le), as they do also the other scriptures, unto their own destruction”

.

The great problem is, there are certain verses in Scripture which, if taken out of context, will certainly seem to support such an idea as “Eternal Torment”. And even the Old Testament has many passages which seem to portray God as a vengeful, angry, and wrathful Deity!

.

.

.

.

.

.

IS GOD A BIG SOFTY IN THE SKY?

.

And equally as heretical, there is yet another class of churchgoers who err greatly, supposing that God is actually just a “kindly-old-grandpa-in-the-sky”, who simply overlooks sin, and by no means, would never ever “judge the world in righteousness”! Acts 17:31

.

And just as the “Crispy Critter” heresy, this “God is Santa Claus) nonsense is likewise borne from excluding many other verses, while clinging only to those which bolster such false and simplistic notions!

.

.

.

.

.

“My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge”

.

The Apostle, Paul, made this complaint concerning the overwhelming Bible ignorance among God’s professed people of his day…

“For when for the time ye ought to be teachers,

ye have need that one teach you again

which be the first principles of the oracles of God;

and are become such as have need of milk,

and not of strong meat.”

.

Yes, even back in Paul’s day, God’s people were greatly ignorant of the Bible! And it is even more prevalent today! And Paul was letting them (and us) know that we must grow in wisdom and grace through a vast knowledge of God’s infallible Word! (See 2nd Peter 3:18)

.

.

.

.

.

“Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth”

.

The correct Bible hermeneutic (method of interpretation) is that every Bible student must compare spiritual things with spiritual, in order to be “rightly dividing the Word of Truth”.

.

**Yes, this discouraged man only saw God as “A big meanie in the sky!” And he hated a God who would do such a thing!**

**The correct Bible hermeneutic (method of interpretation) is that every Bible student must compare spiritual things with spiritual, in order to be “rightly dividing the Word of Truth”.**

**Yes, such “Noble Bereans” will continually “search the scriptures daily”, even as it is written…**