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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Well, this man went to a church which taught that Hell is merely the grave! Just imagine what he might think about God if he went to one of those churches which teach that all sinners would be tortured forever and ever…that infamous “Eternal Torment” church-doctrine which has survived for the past millennium, more-or-less!?
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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And actually, by only looking at God’s justice side, and ignoring His mercy side, many church-attendees are fully convinced that God the Father is going to turn unsaved humanity into “Crispy Critters”, or even worse, eternally tormenting them in some netherworld dungeon!
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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 of course, such ignorance is 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, in no uncertain terms, that it is of utmost importance to rise up out of our ignorance, as we grow in wisdom and grace through a vast knowledge of God’s infallible Word!
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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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“And if any man think that he knoweth any thing, he knoweth nothing yet as he ought to know”
1st Corinthians 8:2
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But truth cannot be arrived at by lifting certain verses out of context, and ignoring others, such as this…“Because the creature itself also shall be delivered from the bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of the children of God…And not only they, but ourselves also, which have the firstfruits of the Spirit…” Romans 8:21-23 (condensed for brevity)
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Now such prophecies as this were given by God to destroy our proud, self-confident, “know-it-all” attitude! But many of us simply ignore God’s warnings contained in this and other similar verses!
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And yet, in our ignorance, presumptuous theologians plunge forward, continuing to teach erroneous church-doctrines, based on incomplete and unsanctified Bible study!
Audience hands – cropped & altered – Wikimedia – Universal Public Domain
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“Whom shall He teach knowledge? and whom shall He make to understand doctrine? them that are weaned from the milk, and drawn from the breasts. 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! Instead of comparing the hundreds of verses concerning the true nature of Hell, 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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And it’s true, that if a person takes only selected verses out of context, then God appears to be a colossal tyrant/bully, who will angrily cast down fire, to utterly consume all rejecters of His grace!
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, which are nothing more than abject heresies, past down from the apostate churches throughout the church-age!
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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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READ MORE…
To explore deeper into this subject, please read… Planet of Rest: Doctrine of Eternal Torment, or you can also read this shorter article…AUGUST 19 (Apocalypse Now! Part 6: Fire & Brimstone!)
Question book magnify svg – Wikimedia – GNU license
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THE END
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TODAY’S FEATURED HEAVENLY SIGN
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WOMAN FLEEING TO NARROW GATE
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LOCATION
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This most amazing phenomenon is seen throughout the winter. Although it can be observed most of the winter, it is seen best when it is the western part of the sky, at winter’s end (The end of winter being the final scene of this heavenly Gospel story). Orion , the Dragon, and the Glorious White Horse are beginning to descend into the western horizon (sketch to right is Winter Constellations descending into western horizon. This can actually be seen as early as December, in the pre-dawn hours).
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And at this point it is apparent that the Fleeing Woman of Revelation 12 Constellation 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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The sketch to left shows, the two doors are each composed of two bright stars. The two bright stars that comprise the Narrow Gate are the two brightest stars of the Orion the Reaper’s sickle. The two stars that comprise the ‘Wide Gate’ Stars are the two brightest stars of the wave of water that comes out of the Dragon Constellation’s mouth (for explanation of “Wave of Water”, just click here). The stars that make up the ‘Narrow Gate’ are about half the width of the Wide Gate (see sketch below left).
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(For more information on Orion’s sickle, just click here, “Orion The Reaper”.)
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Editor’s note: These sketches on this page are merely sketches. The stars are not in their exact place. However, they are close enough to find them in the night sky. But as with most stars, it takes persistence to finally locate them.
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READ MORE…
To explore deeper into this subject, please read… “Revelation 12 Woman & The Narrow Gate Stars (Orion’s Gate to Heaven)”
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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.
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THIS IS STUDY #250 PRESENTED BY THE LATE HAROLD CAMPING…
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Prophet Jeremiah – www.christianimagesource.com – Public Domain
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Those who are interested in using photos on this page may click on the provided image credit link below each photo, to get to Wikimedia Commons for various licensing names, details, and tags, and all other necessary info on any particular photo.