Quote:
Originally Posted by KillerGremlin
But since the dead know nothing, wouldn't the transition to heaven seem immediate? For the righteous, that is.
|
That would be the coolness of death. In essence, it should almost be like the blink of an eye.
TheGame, yes! Very trippy thinking about the whimsy of time that it takes one to be born, live a full life n die, when compared to the timescape of the universe.
What Angrist said about the 144000. From my interpretive point, the 144k is the remnant at the very end of the world who have been brought through the persecution and literally witness God returning. As for living a millennium, I believe that every righteous soul who has lived throughout Earth's history will be raised and taken to heaven for this thousand year time period. It's basically a question/answer period where the unknown's and mysteries regarding our time on Earth is explained. It's after this thousand years that the Earth is restored and the new city of God is created on the newly reno'd planet.
Teuthida: regarding species on other planets,
From a Biblical perspective, humanity here on Earth is the grand central stage where the dividing question on whether or not we even possess freedom of choice is being played out. Every intelligent, created being in the universe has access to the results of human's choices concerning God's law, and his subsequent redemption plan for those who embrace the love. The Bible regards sin as the one thing that separates us all from the Creator. That's why there are hundreds of prophetic verses in the old testament regarding the arrival of the Messiah. It's difficult(for me) to dismiss fulfilled prophecy as merely religious traditions. We've all heard, "wages of sin is death". That's why we're in need of a 'saviour'. Sin doesn't have the same effect on the rest of the created universe because Luciferian influence is confined to this planet. It was Satan's bargaining chip, in regards to his claimed lack of choice under the 'rule' of a supreme being.
To put it another way, if hell is separation from God. Sin separates us from Him, so any sin in our lives is causing us to live in a 'hell' of sorts.
btw: demons=fallen angels
Typh: last thing you said about free will. Freedom of choice, within the context of Biblical explanations, is a universal law, as real as gravity. It boils down to loving your neighbor as you love yourself, which is pretty weighty. decisions based on selfish motive are what keeps us from being able to exist in the presence of an 'all-encompassing' love, like the kind that God has. So, a Messiah that hates freedom of choice is a big contradiction of his nature. Accepting the redemption of his sacrifice for us is a choice.
The Bible talks about those who have never heard the name of Jesus, that they will be judged based on their propensity to 'do good'.
I really like the one God, Judeo belief of 'the meaning of life'. For me it leaves no room for fear of the unknown because it instills purpose. Purpose beyond, "hey I want that car, relationship, house, richness in next life, that peak, wave, game...." because all this can be removed in an instant. For myself, I want to enjoy the many pleasures of this life, but I don't want to base my existence or purpose on it.