Fellow Church People

[D'Snowth]

If people heard this guy talking at a bus stop, they'd shift to the other side awkwardly, but since it's YouTube, they'll give him a like and subscribe to find out if Brittany Murphy or Kimbo Slice made it to the great beyond.

Or maybe give him a cable series, like the Long Island Medium, or this new guy who's been making appearances on the daytime circuit.

 

[D'Snowth]

I did forget to mention that another man's testimony about Heck (censors!) was chilling, not just because of how he described the things he saw, but also because what he saw sounds very, very similar to a Henson production. No foolin'.

So anyway, this man was a former atheist, and he had a death-after-life-experience after accidentally drinking contaminated water on the job (he was a construction worker, and a co-worker - for whatever reason - brought a jug of contaminated water from Mexico to work). I'll spare most of the details from his testimony and cut to the chase: he describes what he saw in a dimension in Heck as being this large, dark void, filled with stacks of 10x10 or 14x14 cubicles, and inside these cubicles, people were essentially going through endless and continuous loops of torture and torment, as if they were literally reliving their worst nightmares over and over and over again - there apparently was even a cubicle reserved for him, in which he could see a dentist's chair waiting for him.

Sounds like a fire-and-brimstone version of THE CUBE, doesn't it? Nobody was sure just what Jim was trying to say with that special, but this kind of brings a whole new perspective to the story, like The Man In The Cube is a recently-departed soul, trapped in his own cubicle in Heck, and all those bizarre visitors he kept encountering were really demons in disguise, mentally torturing him for all eternity (the man also mentioned in his testimony that he saw demons would disguise themselves as people's friends and loved ones to fool them before revealing where they really were).

Of course, that probably wasn't what Jim was trying for at all, but those sure are some eerie similarities.

 

[MartyMuppets]

I am very wary Snowth about people who claim to have visions of hades in particular. They always tend to show Satan and the fallen angels as living there and having fun personally torturing the souls of those who reject Jesus. That is unbiblical.

Scripture makes it clear that Satan and his demons are not in hades, never have been there and when they are judged and eventually go, they will not be having fun torturing the unsaved. They will be eternally tormented for their own wicked rebellion themselves. Hades is the place where fallen angels are to be punished. Humans who reject Christ will tragically share in the same punishment.

 

[D'Snowth]

I'm bumping this thread again, because I'm having a little trouble swallowing something I heard a pastor mention in a sermon yesterday afternoon.

During his sermon, he said that the people of earth who accept Jesus and are Saved by His grace are predestined to do so by God.

This bothers me, because it kind of goes against what I've been taught about God throughout my life, in that God gives man free will: the free will to make their own decisions and choices in life, and that if we didn't have free will, and God otherwise forced everybody to worship Him, He wouldn't be a god, He would be a dictator.

Granted, I am well aware that God knows how each of our lives will play out, He knows all of the decisions we will make before we ever make them, before we're even born, and I am well aware that He has plans for each of us . . . but this idea that He pretty much chooses in advance who He'll allow to have eternal life and who doesn't rubs me the wrong way.

 

[fuzzygobo]

Something about that sounds wrong to me, too, but I think I know where he's coming from.
There are many who come to Christ after ignoring Him their whole lives. Even murderers can still come to Him. They still have to answer for what they've done, but God would never want to turn anyone away. He still loved and accepted David even after he committed murder and adultery.

Freedom of choice is a wonderful gift He bestowed on us, but there are consequences for every choice we make.

I know God feels hurt when people He created turn away from Him, but He rejoices all the more when, if they stray, they decide to come back to Him. Witness the Prodigal Son.

Jesus predicted Peter would betray him, He knew Judas would betray Him, and He knew He would pay the ultimate price for man's sins on the cross.

But I still can't believe God would create ten people, give them freedom of choice and know "Five will accept me, five won't. Meh".

 

[Old Thunder]

He probably just used the wrong word for it. Going by a biblical standpoint, God knows everything you'll ever do, including accepting salvation. It's not predestined, he just knows what'll happen in advance before it happens. Maybe it is predestined, but not by God, he just knows.

IDK. The Bible can be a confusing place sometimes.

 

[D'Snowth]

See, what you guys say sounds more like what I've always been taught throughout life. Like you say 1000 Eyes, the pastor mentioned the Biblical aspect of what he was saying, but I honestly don't remember a point in the Bible where it says God divvies up salvation to a few lucky ones and leaves the rest hanging.

 

[fuzzygobo]

That's more of a Muslim thing, where some believe only 5% will be saved.

 

[D'Snowth]

Funny you mentioned that, because he kept mentioning Islam in his sermon as well.

 

[mariolover]

Bump. I am a non-denominational Christian. I have attended Catholic, Christian Reformed, and Non-denominational Church services.


I am not a fan of the Catholic services. They don’t have the band, light show, or fog machine, and the format is completely different than regular churches.

They don’t have the traditional sermons and they do mostly liturgy.

I prefer the Non-denominational and Christian reformed.


God bless you all!