You can't have it both ways.
If man has "free will" than nothing is written in stone. The future is open... anything can happen.
If Revelations is true, then our future is already pre-determinded.
So which is it?
PS. Why would a "god" create a Universe only to destroy it at some point? What sense does that make?
2007-01-18 07:06:04 · 9 answers · asked by Anonymous in Society & Culture ➔ Religion & Spirituality
*L* thats a great question, I asked it before and only got 1 answer, which was someone agreeing with me. Funny thing is, the questions all around it got 20 answers or more, because they could be conveniently answered
2007-01-18 07:13:12 · answer #1 · answered by the_letsmakeastory_guy 1 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Free will have nothing 2 do with the end of times. Free will is the choice to do whatever u choose without interference. It doesnt mean that there will not be a consequence for the choice u make. What God has done is create us, tell us what he wants us 2 do, & then give us the choice to do it or not. He could have forced us to do his will but he didnt. He set the rules & then gave us the option of following them or not. And obviously, he told us upfront what will happen if if we did what he said & what will happen if we didnt. That is free will.
The future being predetermined have nothing 2 do with free will. If u shoplift & u are caught, u will be imprisoned or maybe fined in some cases. The punishment is predetermined. But u still have the choice 2 make the decision 2 shoplift or not . The punishment does not interfere with your free will.
Finally, Revelation never said that God will destroy the universe. It just said that the people will be judged according 2 the choices they made with their...free will.
2007-01-18 07:25:45 · answer #2 · answered by Ethslan 5 · 1⤊ 0⤋
You say: "If Revelations is true, then our future is already pre-determinded." That is true to an extent. However, you are responsible for your own individual future. Let me explain.
In Noah's day, the then-earth was filled with violence. So Jehovah decided to bring those bad people to ruin. (Gen. 6:13) So had Noah and his family to build an ark for the survival of humans and animals. In addition to building the ark, God sent Noah to warn the people of the impending doom. When the time came to enter the ark, how many of those people besides Noah and his immediate family exercised their free will and went into the ark to escape the flood waters? None of them. Were their individual futures predetermined? No, they just made the wrong choice and paid for it with their lives.
Can you see my point? Just as in Noah's day, God has decided to bring to an end to those who are not doing his will. But does that mean we have to be brought to our end too? No. Like Noah and his family, we can exercise our free will by doing God's will. (Matt. 7:21) If we do, then we will not reap the fate of the ungodly.
We all have free will. Unfortunately, if we excercise that free will in the wrong way, we will have to pay the consequences.
2007-01-18 07:33:49 · answer #3 · answered by LineDancer 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
The real issue is who get to make the rules. God or you. I would put my money on God.
A foot ball game has a certain amount of time. Does that mean the players don't have free will? According to you it does.
Its nothing more than a silly argument.
By the way its Revelation not Revelations
2007-01-18 07:43:07 · answer #4 · answered by WhatIf 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
God already knowing what choices Man will make is not the same as controlling those choices. Man still has free will.
God is only going to destroy sin off the face of the Earth, not destroy the universe. He will purge the Earth with fire.
God has already seen all the potential choices that we could make and their outcomes, and has seen what choices we will finally end up making. Like fast-forwarding to the end of a movie on VHS. Despite all our personal choices, God is still in control and He will still return to destroy sin and sinners, regardless of the paths taken. It's like cattle in the field. They can make daily choices about where to eat, how much to eat, where to sit down and chew their cud, what path to walk on. But eventually, they all go to the slaughterhouse.
2007-01-18 07:18:31 · answer #5 · answered by FUNdie 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
You probably didn't consider that free will can be looked at in a negative light, and yes, anything can happen, with a final destination of hell for a human race that is not inclined to believe in him. We can decide anything that we want this way, but with really lousy consequences.
This would by definition make predestination a good thing, and aside from the "robot" strawman argument, allows God's mercy to shine through.
2007-01-19 05:37:31 · answer #6 · answered by ccrider 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
God's foreknowledge does not causally determine human choices. If it did, it would destroy freewill, since it does not you have freewill.
For example if Gods foreknowledge of what you are about to do determines what you will do, then of course you have no free will, but he does not control what we do.
God wouldn't create a universe only to destroy it. That is not his plan. His plan is to create so that his children can have immortality and eternal life (and no they are not the same thing.)
2007-01-18 07:26:44 · answer #7 · answered by Someone who cares 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
The future is pre-determined but not our actions. We all make our own decisions in life(free will), what happens to us at the end, heaven or hell, is determined by us, that darn free will again. We can't stop the "end times" but we can make our part of it better.
As far as God destroying His masterpiece I would guess its because He is pissed that he gave His Son to die for us and we still turn our backs on Him.
Just my two cents so please be kind.
2007-01-18 07:22:11 · answer #8 · answered by gina_r1028 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
stupid question.
2007-01-18 07:26:07 · answer #9 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 1⤋