When God set the whole thing up, he had to know that everyone wouldn't make it to Heaven. So does he look around now and go "Holy Crap! I didn't think it'd be so many!" or does he go "Yeah I knew most of you wouldn't make it."
2006-07-11 05:45:17 · 25 answers · asked by Chris D 4 in Society & Culture ➔ Religion & Spirituality
He goes "Mwa ha ha! I fooled them all and now they're all in hell with me! I knew I could keep people away from the real god with the use of a stupid book! Mwa ha ha!"
2006-07-11 05:49:50 · answer #1 · answered by Sleepy Shroom 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
God didn't "set the whole thing up" any more than two people do when they marry, have children and one turns out to be a rebellious jerk.
All created beings have free will. It is true God knew it would happen. God is loving and wanted a family. He created this earth and human beings in His own image, because He wanted children to love. Just like parents create children because they want someone like themselves and someone to love. They want a family. They have children knowing full-well that those children won't be perfect and that by virtue of the fact that they exist, they may be future murderers. However, they take their chances and do the best they can to give them a good environmnet and education, so they WON'T be criminals. But even in the best circumstances, some people choose evil.
Same happened in God's creation. But He still wanted a family enough to take the risk.
Please, let's don't disappoint Him and break His great heart of love?
Oh, and about burning for eternity: That's not how it will work. Hell is GOING to happen and when it does, sin will be burned up and finished. So will the sinners who insist on holding on to it. The Bible says evil is destroyed by the brightness of Jesus'es coming. (i.e. zap). You need to read the sentence a little slower. It says everlasting PUNISHMENT, not ever lasting PUNISHING. (The results are everlasting, not the fire). People, even churches, get that wrong.
2006-07-11 06:02:25 · answer #2 · answered by Einsteinetta 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Short answer: Yes, God knew how many would turn from Him. He's not OK with it, but that's part and parcel of the whole Free Will thing. He loves us the way we love our own children (but times 10 gazillion), and it pains him deeply...but what's he gonna do? He gave us Jesus who completely leveled the playing field. It's up to the person to decide if they want to take Him up on the offer of eternal life in Heaven.
That's also why it's such a main point of the Bible that all believers be "fishers of men". It's up to all believers in Christ, ultimately, to spread the Word and open as many hearts and minds as possible. It's kind of the christian's "job", to pray for people to be receptive, and to actively spread the Gospel in a way that's clear and understandable. (**Soapbox rant here: There are so many misconceptions about christianity thanks to the lunatic fringe. I think if more people understood what Jesus is all about, they would be more open to the message. Stepping of soapbox now, lol**).
These are just my personal beliefs and opinions, sorry if preachy...
2006-07-11 06:12:30 · answer #3 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
Well, let me put it this way.....Two Scriptures come to mind when thinking about the "population" of Heaven and Hell. One says, "And Hell hath enlarged her mouth beyond measure." The other says that Heaven is "the city that lieth foursquare." I'm no professor, but did you notice how Heaven is described as a cube but Hell had NO DIMENSION? It was only described as ENLARGED BEYOND MEASURE! This leads me to believe that there will be a whole lot more in Hell than Heaven, because you can only get so much into a defined space (foursquare) as opposed to something that is apparently infinite (BEYOND MEASURE) It isn't going to make a difference to God though. He will surely be saddened by the choices we make that separate us from Him in this life and eternity, but that doesn't mean he's going to relax the standards just to increase the number of souls that wouldn't otherwise qualify for Heaven.
2006-07-11 05:53:04 · answer #4 · answered by bigvol662004 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Neither. That 'suffering for eternity' thing is a pagan belief, and not a Christian one. We know that those that do not make it to heaven will be destroyed on the last day that sin is around, and then no more sin, or sinners. The earth will be recreated, and all of the tears will be wiped away, even Gods) and WE WILL NOT REMEMBER THEM ANY MORE! That is one reason why we will be happy. If you can not remember your mother, or brother, or sister, or father, who did not make it, then you can not be unhappy.
2006-07-11 05:51:55 · answer #5 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
Hi Chris,
The answer to your question is none. God is not willing that any should perish. However, He did not create us to be robots. We have free will. He offers us more than we could ever imagine, but leaves us free to choose death and suffering. It is the only way to find out if we truly love Him, and have given Him our undying loyalty. We have been placed in a world where we have choices. It is up to us, to seek the spirit of Wisdom, so that we may choose those things which benefit us in the eternal sense. My personal belief, is that suffering for eternity, means that your judgment stands eternally. I do not see the God of Love, making His children to suffer pain and torture for all of time. Sounds like bad propaganda from the other side. They have little to offer, so they often resort to the tactics of bullies and seducers.
2006-07-11 06:00:28 · answer #6 · answered by Will O' the Wisp 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
But that's not our responsibility to figure out. The problem with making humans totally autonomous is that some will decide to break the relationship and not come back. From what I understand God is not ok with strangers in heaven, just family.
2006-07-11 05:53:08 · answer #7 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
It's up to us, with free will, to decide if we go to heaven or not. He set it up, he knew there would be so many people and so many unbelievers, but gave them all the chance to come to him before the end. Anyone who doesn't make it breaks his heart, as it would any father with his child. 1 person, child or adult, suffering for eternity is 1 too many.
2006-07-11 05:49:55 · answer #8 · answered by save_up_your_tears 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
It comes down to either you accept him and follow in his way or you don't by your own choice. Just because you are a Christian does not mean you will go to heaven..you must do God's will. I pray I make the cut but it's not an easy thing to accomplish. You must be dedicated fully and not on a part time basis.
2006-07-11 05:52:44 · answer #9 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
Well, He originally set it up so that we were in heaven to start with, but we blew it. He put the original humans in the Garden of Eden it was a paradise and Adam and Eve and their children and so on would live forever, but they couldn't eat from one tree, but the did anyway so the sinned and now we have to believe in Jesus who died for us to go to heaven. God gave us every opportunity to get to heaven, but a lot of people just rejected it
2006-07-11 05:51:56 · answer #10 · answered by JustAskMe 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
I am not a Christian, yet i believe in live and let live....
i believe that we face consequences of our action in this birth, and there is an after life that takes care of what i couldnt do....my children, if they work on being good humans, they will go to heaven or better still, will come back to lead a good life....
Hell and Heaven, we need a new earth!
2006-07-11 05:51:48 · answer #11 · answered by nitwit 1 · 0⤊ 0⤋