(By Ed Sager)

                                       (Discover why it’s important to understand this subject)

Before I get into our subject, I would like to applaud those of you that believe there is a God and that you also need Him in you life. If this is you, your attitude fits with the words of Jesus in John 17 that states, knowing God has everything to do with our future. So a valid question could be, (the name of my book) Are You Sure You Know God?

Since there are hundreds of different churches around the world filled with well meaning people with different views of God; how to go about gaining some level of unity between us could be quite challenging. However, it’s not my intent to draw anyone away from their present following; instead, I would rather draw us closer together by viewing our differences through a larger understanding of what a loving God must be like. (Filtering some life and death doctrinal points through this premise.)

Keep in mind the following is my view about what happens at the end of life as we know it. I’m going to question if there is a torturing down under place called Hell? And what is the result of believing you will go to Heaven or Hell immediately after death. I will ask, are there conditions for living throughout eternity, and if so, what are those conditions?

For starters, you are about to enter very touchy and even sacred ground for many. Many of us have grown up in some church that has been responsible for what we believe. As for me, I have had to modify some of my thinking about spiritual things after being exposed to more evidence.

I’ve been told a good business person is always open and willing to listen. May I be so bold as to bring that thought over to spiritual thinking? It also may help if you could simply take the attitude that you are only investigating another person’s view about God. I have yet to be sorry for spending time learning what others believe, for it has surely broadened my thinking and inspired me to use a larger portion of common sense and reason.

The next step (in any spiritual exploration), again in my opinion, should be to examine what God is like from many different views. Again, using common sense and reason as our guide in asking of ourselves; ‘What makes the most sense about the character of God?’ This could mean, pulling the rug, so to speak, out from under what our grandparents so carefully passed down to us as family tradition.

I surely had the rug pulled out from under me on my traditional beliefs, however, I must say, it was a most pleasant fall. Example: My family traditions taught that Jesus is the good guy that will get me into the good place by getting me past the big stern Father up in heaven. I was taught that the Father only saw me through the perfect life of Jesus. Then someone explained that all heaven (the angels, the Holy Spirit, Jesus, and yes! even God the Father) was pulling for me to turn away from the things that would harm me. And to top that off, Jesus said, “If you have seen me, you have seen the Father.”

I must say, this changed my whole outlook, and was a huge boost to my mental and spiritual wellbeing.

If we were to investigate with close scrutiny we would find many mythical beliefs among most religions. It’s sometimes called, good old-time religion, if it was good enough for granddad it’s good enough for me, so on it goes for the sake of tradition.

Of course, there is a lot of good in traditional things, but we wouldn’t want to think there aren’t more things to learn. I’ve heard it like this, a mind is like a parachute, it only works when it’s open. In my attempt to keep an open mind regarding spiritual things, I’ve strived to filter spiritual thoughts through what I believe a loving God must be like.

Is there life after death?

In my opinion, without question the resurrection of Christ is our hope and proof positive that yes, there is life after death. Of course, this is from a Christian perspective where the Bible is believed to contain words from God himself.

This question is being raised to bring attention to gross misunderstandings about the character of God within Christian churches. Most of us are comfortable with believing there is life after death, for after all, the Bible contains many stories of Jesus healing the sick and bring people back to life. But doesn’t it make sense with a subject as important as this that Satan would make every effort to deceitfully distort the picture?

Is there a down under place called Hell?

To address one of the top misunderstandings within Christian churches would be to ask what many of them around the world ask: Where do you want to spend eternity, in Heaven or Hell? (This assumes a state of consciousness in either place) Christians ask this type of question attempting to challenge a person to think about where they might end up at the end of life. And of course, since Hell is purported to be a hot place of torture (down under), it should be clear that no one would want to end up there, so Heaven surely would be the best choice of the two.

However, I must ask; “Doesn’t this concept (the down under place) put God in the position of giving an ultimatum based on fear?” I ask this question not to do away with the positive side of fear. For example: A parent will attempt to put some fear into their child for no other reason than to protect them from harm, but the time comes when we expect the child to grow up. We need to be aware of the motivation behind causing fear. For example; I will go as far as to say that God will take us any way He can get us – out of fear, or whatever. And if it takes that to get our attention enough to get a right decision, then so be it. Maybe God has allowed this picture (burning forever in Hell) to get some of us to turn from what will harm us.

God knows us from the inside out; He knows what will turn us around, some one way, and some another. I had an uncle that for years was known as a scoundrel, but one day he heard a preacher give a sermon about this so called, down under place called Hell. With tears streaming down his face, he gave his heart to God. Again, what ever it takes, so be it. As for me, my decision for doing right wasn’t based on a threat of a bad place, but on the kind of person I have found God to be; loving, gracious, caring, and on and on… Certainly not based on any kind of coercion or threat, like, “love Me, or I’ll burn you in Hell.”

It might be time for many to grow up and away from the horrible view and misunder-standing of thinking that God would torture anyone in a forever-burning Hell if they refused to love Him.

You might be saying you have not thought about it that way, or, where does justice come in, or, it doesn’t matter to me because I’ve already made my choice for Heaven. Whatever the case, we first must be asking, what kind of a person do we believe God to be? What kind of a God would it take to say, “love me or I will burn you in Hell? Could you really buy into that type of coercion?

Think about what it makes God look like if He has made a down-under place of torture. A picture like that would be far worse than the gas chambers of Nazi Germany. In fact, if this down-under place where true, Hitler would be jealous of God for keeping his victims alive in the red hot flames of Hell for ever and ever. I hope you are having a hard time making sense of all that; as for me, if God really is like that, simply take my name off the book of life.

Why is there a difference of belief?  Meaning, why do some believe when a person dies they will go immediately, either to Heaven or Hell, while others believe death is a sleep until Christ comes back?

Understanding the why, (why there are different beliefs) could open up multiple pathways of knowing more about what God is really like? We wouldn’t want to miss the fact that there is a controversy over God’s ways verses Satan’s ways. Doesn’t it make sense that Satan would try to portray God as some kind of monster?

Keep this in mind; no matter what our subject, having a proper view of what God is really like is everything and should be the most important issue of all.

OK, let’s say I’m confident that I’m saved, I’ve given my heart to Christ, I’ve done every thing my pastor said I needed to do to have my sins forgiven, I know I’m saved and Heaven bound. So what is the difference between believing I will go immediately to Heaven when I die or simply be in a state of sleep until Christ comes back?

A good question that deserves a well thought out answer, for it surely is comforting to millions thinking they will be with Jesus immediately after death. I know of many stories that seem to back up this theory. Many individuals have told of their out-of-body experiences when they were very close to death. But we must ask; could this be no more than a reaction from their medication which we know can cause hallucinations?

My brother-in-law had a bad fall which landed him in the hospital with many broken ribs and of course, was put under heavy medication. He tells stories of seeing all kinds of things going on in the hospital which also continued after he was at home that simply didn’t happen; he was simply having illusions from his medication.

Without a doubt, it’s very persuasive when we hear about these out-of-body experiences along with our grandparnet’s traditional belief that they will be looking down on us after they have past on.

The beliefs we have about this, as I said, can be almost sacred to many; something like a child believing in Santa Clause. I once heard a story of a little girl after learning the real truth about Santa Clause, said, with her lower lip quivering; ‘I don’t care, I’m going to believe in him anyway.’ Yes, sometimes life can be harsh, but as time goes on we need to realize that warm fussy feelings are not always based on the truth.

As for me, my church family taught me that when we die we simply go to sleep and the next conscious moment we will see Jesus. (1 Thessalonians 4:13-18)

More on this concept later, but for now, let’s stay focused on why there is a difference of opinion. Going along with a Bible story, Lucifer, God’s leading angel became envious of God and wanted to become the Most High. He spread rumors against God’s ways so that eventually God had to cast him and all the angels that follow after him out of Heaven to this earth.

The first lie on planet earth

God, being the kind of God he is, gave Lucifer (who became Satan) a place to see if his ways were really better than God’s ways. So Satan has done his best, performing as a super-salesman in very subtle ways to make God look bad. Although he started in Heaven lying to the other angels, the Bible records his first lie here on earth in Genesis when talking to Eve.

We should first understand some about Genesis 2:17 where it’s stated if we eat the forbidden fruit we will surely die. Many individuals around the world have interpreted this as a threat from God and have taken the assumed premise that God said, “If you eat the forbidden fruit, I will kill you.” But maybe we should take another look.

Would it make sense to understand this as a warning, not a threat? Think about this; if we take things into our system we are not designed to handle, it will kill us. (Not God)

Regardless of how Genesis 2:17 is being interpreted, the text does say one will surely die, but a little farther Genesis 3: 1-4 records the first lie from the serpent (Satan) in his response to Genesis 2:17 that says you will not surely die.

(NIV) “Now the serpent (Satan) was more crafty than any of the wild animals the Lord God had made. He said to the woman, “Did God really say, ‘You must not eat from any tree in the garden’?”

The woman said to the serpent, “We may eat fruit from the trees in the garden, but God did say, ‘You must not eat fruit from the tree that is in the middle of the garden, and you must not touch it, or you will die.’”

“You will not surely die,” the serpent said to the woman. “For God knows that when you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.”

So who are we going to believe, God or the serpent – Satan?

Of course Eve didn’t have the history we have to detect that the serpent was really lying and was easily taken-in. With us, Satan knew he would have to be far more cunning in disguising his agenda because of all the evidence we have about evil.

Satan’s agenda has been to have God’s character appear as his with the solutions against evil to be of mighty power and force – do things my way or I will burn you in Hell! And at the same time call it Devine retrubuion.

Reasons of - why -

You simply need to understand that Satan has fulfilled his goal by disguising his ways as God’s ways. His purpose has been to make the true God of Heaven appear as vengeful, unforgiving and severe for reasons to gain sympathy in accusing God of being unfair with him.

Satan’s logic has been centered on this: If he could get the world to believe there is no real death that we will go on in some level of higher consciousness he would have a huge weapon to use against God. He could again reveal God as being vengeful and severe in having a down-under place of torture called Hell, for those that refuse to love Him.

Continuing on with Satan’s logic, think about what has happened on 9-11 revealing horrible results of believing no one really dies, notice how Satan has taken this tool (of belief) and turned it into a most deadly killing machine.

Simply get people to believe that we go immediately to heaven (a better place) when we die and notice the course this trend of thinking has taken.

The TV news has reported there are volunteers standing in line to carry out suicide acts of terror. So what is the truth of the matter; do we go directly to heaven when we die or is this a very powerful and destructive tool for Satan to have people believe?

Remember in 1978 there was, what is known as the Jamestown incident, where over 900 people follow a man named Jim Jones to there death by drinking poison because they were taught they would go directly to heaven.

In like manner, on 9-11 the people that piloted the aircrafts into the World Trade Center, and the Pentagon buildings were of the same opinion. So, I guess I could ask the question; if you had a ‘cause’ (a religious conviction) and your so called god told you to kill thousands of people, and in the process you were going to die also, would it be a problem for you if you thought you were going directly to heaven and be rewarded for helping God out with the sin problem?

Extremes

This is the extreme result of believing you are going on to think and reason immediately after death.

Let’s assume that we do go directly to Heaven when we die. If that were really true, common sense tells me, “Let’s go!” Let us get out of this place of Hell and go to Heaven, the sooner the better. Sounds logical doesn’t it; Or, is there a horrible misunderstanding?

If there is no misunderstanding, then why don’t more of you step up to the plate and do something about it? Or don’t you have enough faith to believe, or have you been taught it would be a sin to take your own life?

If you were to take the road of some religions you wouldn’t have any problem with it being a sin, just twist some Bible words around to have your authority figure Gurus say you will have an elevated position for taking action. How tragic for anyone to think the true God of Heaven would be pleased with such action.

This trend of thought is nothing new for all we need to do is follow the Bible story starting with Acts 7:54 about the stoning of Stephen where he was stoned to death for not believing like those around him.

The terrorists really believe they are helping God out by killing everyone that doesn’t believe as they do.

So here we have it, one of the most deadly killing machine known to human kind, a huge group of so called religious people with a cause. Their motivation? Immediately privileged  to go to Heaven after death in an elevated position if they, in an act of suicide, will kill as many unbelievers as possible. Again, how tragic, how sad, for anyone to believe such a lie.

Hopefully the big WHY (Why the different beliefs about what happens at death) will come to you as the bright light of day. The hope is for you to understand there is a great controversy going on over what the true God of Heaven is like, that the enemy is driven by his insanity to make God out to be like the evil within himself.

What does the Bible say about our subject?

Now that you have had a glimpse of my understanding of ‘why,’ it’s time for a small study revealing what the Bible says about the subject.

Since most everyone knows our flesh bodies do go back to dust in the grave, what most world religions are teaching is the soul goes on with some higher level of consciousness, to think, reason, have vision – basically, simply knowing what is going on. This means that souls never die, which would put human-kind in a state of immortality. (Never dieing) This is a huge misunderstanding, because until Christ comes back 1 Timothy 6:16 states that only God is immortal.

1 Corinthians 15:51-55 – Mortals put on immortality at the second coming of Christ. This is when our change occurs. Those who are saved in Christ will all be changed at the last trumpet call (Matthew 24:31) as Jesus comes.

Shouldn’t this call for a question about what the soul is? We can find the answer in Genesis 2:7. (KJ) “And the Lord God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul.”

Illustration: Let’s liken this to the light that comes from a light bulb. (Light / Soul)

Dust of the ground that man was formed with:  =  Light fixture and light bulb.

Breath into his nostrils, the breath of life:           =  Electric power.

Putting the two together results in LIGHT or a living soul in this example.

If we take away the electric power the light simply goes out, the light no longer exists.

When a person dies the breath that God gave goes back to Him and the soul no longer exists.

Psalm 104:29  (NIV)  When you take away their breath, they die and return to the dust.

Ecclesiastes 12:7  (NIV)  And the dust returns to the ground it came from, and the spirit (breath) returns to God who gave it.

Job 27:3  (NIV)  As long as I have life within me, the breath of God in my nostrils,…

Luke 23:46  (NIV)  Jesus called out with a loud voice, “Father, into your hands I commit my spirit.” (Breath of life) When he had said this, he breathed his last.

The confusion must stem from the misunderstanding that the soul is the same as the breath or spirit, (breath of life) which it is not. If this were true, every soul would go to heaven at death, but Ecclesiastes 12:7 states the breath or spirit only returns to God, not a living, conscious soul. We must remember that the body plus the breath of life equals a soul.

When God breathed the breath of life into the body he had formed from the dust, it ‘then’ became a living soul. (Genesis 2:7)

Ecclesiastes 9:5,6,10  (NIV)  For the living know that they will die, but the dead know nothing; they have no further reward, and even the memory of them is forgotten. Their love, their hate and their jealousy have long since vanished; never again will they have a part in anything that happens under the sun. Whatever your hand finds to do, do it with all your might, for in the grave, where you are going, there is neither working nor planning nor knowledge nor wisdom.

Act 2: 29, 34  (NIV)  Brothers, I can tell you confidently that the patriarch David died and was buried, and his tomb is here to this day. For David did not ascend to heaven,…

One thousand years after David had died, Peter declared that David was not in heaven. This proves that the righteous do not go to heaven when they die.

The Bible does record some exceptions however, that Enoch, Elijah, and Moses are in Heaven, taken up because of some special purpose.

John 11:11-15, 17  (NIV)  After he had said this, he went on to tell them. “Our friend Lazarus has fallen asleep; but I am going there to wake him up.” His disciples replied, “Lord, if he sleeps, he will get better.” Jesus had been speaking of his death, but his disciples thought he meant natural sleep. So then he told them plainly, “Lazarus is dead, and for your sake I am glad I was not there, so that you may believe. But let us go to him.” On his arrival, Jesus found that Lazarus had already been in the tomb for four days.

Psalm 115:17  (NIV)  It is not the dead who praise the Lord, those who go down to silence…

John 5:28, 29  (NIV)  Do not be amazed at this, for a time is coming when all who are in their graves will hear his voice and come out - those who have done good will rise to live, and those who have done evil will rise to be condemned.

This makes it very clear, that when we die there is no thinking, reasoning spirit-like soul rising to heaven or going down to some down-under place other than the grave.

Many well meaning theologians talk about the story that is found in Luke 16:19-31 about a certain rich man and a poor beggar named Lazarus. They use this text as their proof that when we die we go directly to Heaven or Hell with our thoughts and reasoning. They also claim the story is real, not a parable, when it is very obvious that it is. Especially when we put the story along side all the texts listed here on the subject.

Think about it. In this story, both the rich man and the man named Lazarus were dead and is what many well meaning theologians would call a soul without a flesh body. If no flesh body existed, would the rich man really have a tongue to be cooled? As far as that goes, how would the amount of water that you could get on the tip of your finger be of any comfort or do anything?

The true meaning of this parable is to reveal a warning to those that are following after evil, to wake up to the fact that nothing good will come from their way of life. And if they are not going to listen to God’s word that’s right before them, it’s sure they are not going to listen to anyone that is experiencing agony from the supposed place called Hell. It wouldn’t even make any difference if someone was raised from the dead right before their eyes – it wouldn’t convince them to change their way of life, they would go on living their life of evil.

The Famous Comma Switch - Luke 23:43  (NIV)  Jesus talking to the thief next to him on the cross – “I tell you the truth, today you will be with me in paradise.” But of course, if we put the comma where it belongs before the switch, the text reads as follows. “I tell you the truth today, you will be with me in paradise.” (There are no commas at all in the original Greek)

Christ did not tell the thief they would be together in Heaven that very same day of Christ’s death, but merely that that very day he was confirming that the thief would be in paradise among the saved at the end of time. We must remember Jesus did not go immediately to Heaven. John 20:17 states Jesus as saying two days later on Resurrection Sunday for Mary not to detain him because He had not yet returned to the Father.

Another huge point against the understanding that one goes to Heaven or Hell at death is found in Matthew 16:27 – 2 Peter 2:9 – Revelation 22:12. These texts explain that Christ will reward each one according to their works when He comes back at the end of the world, not when we die. Judgment takes place at the second coming of Christ, not at death.

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Hopefully, this little study has been helpful in understanding more about what happens at death. The next question could be; What about this place called Hell?

Does Hell really exist – If So, What and where is it?

Of course, all of us have been exposed to the idea that Hell is a hot down-under place. Somewhere we go if we have been bad. (A good scare tactic)

So where did this concept of down-under come from? I have a friend that believes in this down-under place of a forever burning Hell, so I asked him if God made and was responsible for everything. His answer, like mine, was yes. Next I asked, you mean to tell me that God has made a place to put us if we don’t love Him where we will be tortured forever and ever? He answered, ‘that is what the Bible says and I believe it.’ (At least, that is his interpretation of what the Bible says.) As for me, this simply makes no sense. In every walk of life, I believe we must ask for the meaning. God gave us a brain, and He expects us to use it. I’m not so sure I would have married my mate if she would have demanded I love her or she would torture me in red hot flames. (This makes no sense, but notice what is being taught about God around the world.)

So what and where is Hell? The Old Testament lists Hell 31 times from “Shelo,” which means “the grave.” In the New Testament, 10 times from “Hades,” which means “the grave,” 12 times from “Gehenna,” which mean “the place of burning,” and 1 time from “Tartarus,” a place of darkness. A total of 54 times with all these different meanings.

It seems to me we don’t have to look very hard to realize that all the above descriptions of Hell fit the very world we are living in.

In case you haven’t noticed, I simply can’t buy into the idea of a down-under place of torture, not even for as long as one might deserve and calling it justice. It simply couldn’t serve any purpose in the new world to come (God’s government). Can’t you just see it now, us and the angels snapping to attention before God out of fear that we could be next?  This makes no sense as I have come to know the true God of Heaven.

Another view about punishment – Hot – Hotter - Hottest

There is another view asking the question; “Is the Devil in charge of Hell?” This group asks this question to assure us that the Devil is not in charge of Hell, but God is. They try to lessen the threat of Hell fire by making the point that God will not burn the wicked  for ever and ever, but only as long as they deserve. Using terms like – Hot – Hotter – Hottest.

They make the argument (which I agree with) that forever in the Bible is for the length of time something will last in the fire, and then it’s over. They reveal the use of the same words in different places such as the burning of Sodom and Gomorrah, which we know is not still burning, therefore putting down the idea of a forever burning Hell.

However, this group still has a place of torture lasting as long as deserved, where God dishes out retribution upon those that refuse Him, which really doesn’t put God in a favorable light.

For only Satan would try to make God appear to be a vengeful tyrant.

The same folks go on to say God would not punish a person in fire until their case was tried and decided in court at the end of the world, But the question comes to mind; what would be the purpose for the punishment? Let’s say my case was tried in court and decided I was not fit for Heaven. I stole a loaf of bread to feed my family or I murdered someone – whatever; what is my punishment and most important, for what purpose?

We Humans are geared to think there must be a punishment to fit the crime, but when it comes to the end of time and it has been decided I’m not going to heaven, why would God have certain punishments for different crimes? Isn’t punishment given out of love to help straighten us out and turn us around? What good is any punishment going to do after it’s been decided that I’m not going to heaven? At that point, the concept of punishment by God really doesn’t add up. As said before, it seems to me this would echo Satan’s charges of God being vengeful in taking out retribution on the wicked. What purpose could this type of punishment possibly serve? Now if we could see God leaving us to our own rebellious ways as punishment, we might be on the edge of understanding some differences. I mean the difference between the types of punishment we have administered to our children, opposed to the type God will administer at the end of time.

Let’s say God had to leave me to my own choices (Romans 1: 24, 26, 28). Can you see it now? God is crying as He walks away for having to leave me, and all at once, I notice what is happening; I’m losing out on what Heaven has to offer. Would I feel punished, or what? But to think I should feel some kind of physical pain of one level or another, NO, if we believe that, I think there is a huge misunderstanding about this thing called punishment.

Try this one on for size

Many individuals say they don’t have to worry about God torturing them for whatever length of time, because they are going to be in the saved group. But what about their loved one that didn’t make the grade? Are they going to stand back and watch God torture their unworthy child and still say it doesn’t matter? Are they going to say, “It’s OK, God’s ways are far above our ways…?”

I’m only asking, have we thought this through, are we using our brains and the good common sense God has given us when we take these concepts into our belief system as true? Think about what these belief systems make God look like.

We seem to have the picture that God has been offended and is required by law and the holiness of His character to mete out different degrees of punishment in order to get even or something. We must understand, Satan has been very clever in twisting things around to make it appear that God’s character is like his own.. So clever in fact, as an example, he has most religions across the world buying into the myth that it is good justice for the God of heaven to torture sinners in the red hot flames of a forever burning Hell and call it divine retribution. (God getting even)

No, that’s not the God I have come to know. There are, without question, Bible texts that talk about God’s judgment, punishment and destruction at the end of time. But we must realize that God has gone to great lengths to get our attention, even to the point of risking being misunderstood.

Thinking of the family setting, as a parent, being interested in our children’s welfare, just how far have we gone in making threats as a deterrent against their bad behavior? “You be good or I’ll…”

The question really should be; “What kind of a person is God?” Does He really require different degrees of punishment or is this concept meant as a deterrent against harming ourselves in going outside of the way we have been made to function?

Yes, it does make sense that we humans administer a punishment to fit a crime, otherwise, as children we may never understand that doing certain things could kill us. I agree, there is a place for punishment, but we must be questioning the purpose and the type, especially when we have God administering it.

Some are saying punishment from the so called, down-under place is God’s ‘justifiable wrath’ against sin. It’s sometimes called the full-cup theory. Meaning, when things get bad enough, God has had enough, He will then intervene with divine retribution against those who have refused Him. Isaiah 28:21 is sometimes used to describe this, calling it God’s strange act.

As you may have discovered, that paradigm doesn’t work for me. However, speaking on behalf of most theologians; they’re simply trying to justify reasons for all the horror stories in the Bible. Like for an example; the story of the flood that destroyed the earth. Most theologians understand that the world was full of wickedness at the time, so wicked that it seemingly needed to be destroyed.

But wait, could there be another reason for the destruction? All we need to do is ask ourselves; did wiping out the entire earth with a flood change anything? Remember, as the Bible records, it wasn’t long and the people were right back thinking evil all the time. As for that matter, as we look around the world today; we know things are not getting any better; the world seems to be as wicked as ever.

We could ask of God; “God, what are you hoping to accomplish by allowing your children to go through all the ups and downs of good and bad behavior?” Could God maybe be demonstrating that threats and coercion through might and power will not change the minds of His children into doing right? Could Romans 2:4 be speaking to God’s solution of turning His children around from their wrong doing? Are we not realizing that God’s kindness is what leads us toward repentance?

This is why we need to filter all points of our belief system through what our loving God must be like. In many cases it appears God has used methods of threats and coercion, and as said before, whatever it takes to get ones attention to straighten up and fly right, (to listen) is OK with me. Now that a person is ready to listen, it’s then that God reveals that all the divine retribution He could muster up would never fix the rebellion problem for the long haul. It’s only His loving kindness that will bring humanity to repentance. Christ came to reveal the true character of the Father, therefore giving us a reason to love God. Jesus said, ‘If you have seen me, you have seen the Father.

The Bible really does reveal many gruesome horror stories that have troubled the greatest of biblical scholars for centuries. What is recorded in John 16:12 (Jesus talking) could give the reason for the lack of understanding down through the ages. (NIV)  “I have much more to say to you, more than you can now bear. But when he, the Spirit of truth, comes, he will guide you into all truth.”

So what do you think, since we are so very close to the end, could it be possible the time has come for us to hear what Jesus couldn’t say way back then? Whatever the case may be, with several things crossing my path, a certain concept (paradigm) came to view that I recorded in chapter 3 of my book (Are You Sure You Know God?)

The concept reveals a picture of God having a management team in Heaven. It seems very logical that God would include his children in the management of the universe. At least the Bible carries the story of God’s leading angel (Lucifer), wanting to have a larger roll.

You’re invited to take a look to see what you think. As for me, the concept has answered volumes of questions about why we exist in this world of misery and death.

What will God do to those that don’t trust Him?

The best answer I have found is in Romans 1 (NIV) Verse 18, “The wrath of God is being revealed from heaven against all the godlessness and wickedness of men who suppress the truth by their wickedness…”

The rest of the chapter explains what God will do to those that refuse Him to go about living and practicing despicable things. Three times in verses 24, 26, and 28, it says, God gave them over to their own rebellious choices. Another one is found in Hosea 11 where, we can almost see the tears flowing down his cheeks, as God says, “How can I give you up, how can I hand you over?”

This tells me that God has plead with us to turn from our wicked ways, but if we refuse Him, he has no choice but to leave us in the cancerous filled environment that will surely destroy us. Think about how God must feel about His children that simply refuse life. Do you really think He is angry and full of wrath or is He sick to death and crying over losing any one of us? (Good or bad, we are all God’s children.)

Conditions

Hopefully, at this point you might be wondering about God’s conditions for living throughout eternity and having a part in His newly created earth. In other words; what must I do to be saved?

Jesus said to first love God and your neighbor as your self. There’s another place in Revelation 14:12 that states to keep the commandments and have the faith of Jesus. My favorite is found in Acts 16:31 that simply states to trust in God’s ways and you will be saved.

Have you ever tried to love God and your neighbor as your self? Have you ever tried to keep the commandments and have the faith of Jesus? Have you ever tried to trust in God’s ways? Does any of the above sound achievable, or are you saying that the above requirements are simply too hard?

As for that matter, you may be saying; who said I wanted to live throughout eternity anyway? But wait, are you sure you have the right understanding of God’s requirements? (The conditions)

Not to put-down any ones beliefs, but I must say, God’s children have attached more excess baggage to God’s requirements than any of us can ever hope to keep up with. I sincerely believe it has been Satan’s studied plan to influence church committees to burden down God’s requirements by classifying many natural God given acts as sin. Therefore, making God’s so-called requirements impossible. We must remember the Bible records only 10 commandments, not a 110.

The first thing that comes to mind in an effort to offer some encouragement is to say we all must have a valid reason to love God. It’s not enough just to accept and obey a command to love – for love can not be commanded. Solid long-lasting love comes from far more than an emotional stance of obligation alone. Of course, I’m referring to what is assumed that Christ did for us on the cross. (The paying of our sin debt) This can cause a huge feeling of obligation which is a good start for any of us, but moving on we must be ready to learn more about this God that was willing to die for us.

As for that matter, we could start moving on by asking more about how His dying for us actually saves us? We hear a lot about Christ taking our place in death, but can someone tell me how this works in saving us?

The answer to this and many more questions about God are revealed through the life of Jesus, in fact, Jesus said in John 17:3 to 6 that his work was complete after revealing God to us.

This tells me we all should be focusing on what God is like instead of struggling with the conditions for eternal life. For I’ve been told that if I dwell on the ways of God and like what I see, I will become like the One I most worship and admire. (By beholding, we become changed)

Several years ago this concept became very real to me when I came across the story of the lost son in Luke 15. The story reveals God the Father running out to meet us as we are coming home. I had lost all my money; I was even slopping the pigs for work. Then it dawned on me, I will go home and ask to be one of my fathers servants. My father must have seen me coming for he came running out to meet me. Here I was wearing filthy smelly rags, but he was so glad to see me he even hugged and kissed me. He wouldn’t listen to anything about me being his servant; instead he gave me new sandals and covered me with a new robe. It was as if he knew I felt uncomfortable meeting the rest of the family in my rags.

If you are among the discouraged group, may I challenge you to take another look at God’s requirements? Could your discouragement stem from a misunderstanding (like I once had)?