Re: Re: Re: Re: What Profit Is It To Gain The Whole World But...
Originally posted by Robtard
Honestly, that seems like a easy cop-out. One could then be a greedy thieving murderer the majority of their life, then have an epiphany, accept "Jesus the Christ as your Lord" and win a free trip to heaven and live in the afterlife side by side with the truly 'good' people by your rational. To me, it seems like an excuse to do whatever you like because you can then rationalize that 'I'll feel bad for it later and then be forgiven'.Also, you never answered my question, do you live in self imposed poverty and give all you can to those less fortunate, saving only the bare minimum for yourself?
Not really Rob., you see God "knows" and "weighs" the hearts. God is aware of this seeming loophole in His plan, but it is just that: a seeming loophole. No one on this planet (past, present, or future) will outhink, outmanuever, or circumvent God's judgment. God is always infinitely steps ahead of our rationalizations, logic, and line of reasonings. In other words, God already has factored this variable or dynamic into the equation and prepared for it. There is nothing that surprises God, He sees everything (the past, the present moment, and the future simultaneously. God is truly the Bomb (as some say in modern vernacular). There is none like Him. Don't sweat the small stuff Rob., remember your thinking is finite. But God's understanding is in-fi-nite.
I leave you with these Scriptures and this definition:
1 Corinthians 4:5
Therefore judge nothing before the time, until the Lord comes, who will both bring to light the hidden things of darkness and reveal the counsels of the hearts . Then each one’s praise will come from God.
Matthew 10:26
Therefore do not fear them. For there is nothing covered that will not be revealed, and hidden that will not be known .
Hebrews 4:13
And there is no creature hidden from His sight, but all things are naked and open to the eyes of Him to whom we must give account.
Galatians 6:7
Do not be deceived, God is not mocked ; for whatever a man sows, that he will also reap.
Main Entry: 1in·fi·nite
Pronunciation: 'in-f&-n&t
Function: adjective
Etymology: Middle English infinit, from Anglo-French or Latin; Anglo-French, from Latin infinitus, from in- + finitus finite
1 : extending indefinitely : ENDLESS <infinite space>
2 : immeasurably or inconceivably great or extensive : INEXHAUSTIBLE <infinite patience>
3 : subject to no limitation or external determination
4 a : extending beyond, lying beyond, or being greater than any preassigned finite value however large <infinite number of positive numbers> b : extending to infinity <infinite plane surface> c : characterized by an infinite number of elements or terms <an infinite set> <an infinite series>
- in·fi·nite·ly adverb
- in·fi·nite·ness noun
Now, why do you ask the question:
"do you live in self imposed poverty and give all you can to those less fortunate, saving only the bare minimum for yourself?"
I surmise that you and others on this forum have greatly misunderstood my purpose for creating this thread. My intent was not to give the impression that there was anything remotely wrong with being wealthy and affluent. My purpose was to underscore the folly and injudiciousness (is that a word?) of ignoring one's eternal spirit (the spirit needs to be saved from sin or when you die you are going to end up in Hell) in favor of pursuing material things. Get saved first that way your eternal destiny is secure. Then go ahead and procure wealth and what not. God is not against folks establishing themselves financially.
Ecclesiastes 5:19
As for every man to whom God has given riches and wealth , and given him power to eat of it, to receive his heritage and rejoice in his labor—this is the gift of God.
Do you follow me Rob.? Let me say this for the record (actually I already have said this in the very first post of this thread, but it seems that it was overlooked): God is not opposed to us being rich, wealthy, or affluent.
Psalm 112:3
Wealth and riches will be in his house , and his righteousness endures forever.
I hope you all got that this time. What God objects to is us being so fixated and obsessed with material things including money that we become selfish, penny-pinching, uncharitable, ungenerous, parsimonious misers. Moreover, God is against us trusting in our money and depending on it instead of seeing money as just a tool.
2 Corinthians 9:7
So let each one give as he purposes in his heart, not grudgingly or of necessity; for God loves a cheerful giver.
1 Timothy 6:17
Command those who are rich in this present age not to be haughty, nor to trust in uncertain riches but in the living God, who gives us richly all things to enjoy .
But if I am wealthy and affluent and I live in opulent surroundings, and I have an exceedingly, substantial bank account, and make at least an effort to help those who are less fortunate (financially and materially in this case), then I am using my wealth the way God intends.
Ephesians 4:28
Let him who stole steal no longer, but rather let him labor, working with his hands what is good, that he may have something to give him who has need .
Can you all see the difference?
There is a difference between being a wealthy, but stingy person, and a wealthy person who gives to others. I never said that there was anything wrong with people having nice expensive things or a substantial bank account. There is nothing wrong with it as far as God is concerned. Hey, the more that you have, the more help you can provide for those who are not as fortunate as you. If I have one million dollars in my bank account (all surplus money, none of it is retirement money) and you have only one hundred dollars in your bank account (all discretionary funds, none of it retirement money), it stands to reason that I could do more financially for others than you can. It is just common sense. So, to sum all of this up: God was, is, and will not ever be opposed to wealth, affluence, or riches. Heaven is replete with opulence all around. God is so wealthy that His streets are made of gold (not lined with gold). The gates (and there are twelve of them) of New Jerusalem in Heaven are each solid pearl (not that little pearl that you are accustomed to seeing either).
Revelation 21:21
The twelve gates were twelve pearls: each individual gate was of one pearl. And the street of the city was pure gold, like transparent glass .
This is going to be my new hometown for eternity.
The entire city in Heaven (it is called New Jerusalem) is pure gold and it is surrounded by a wall made of jasper. The foundations of New Jerusalem are twelve precious stones.(
Revelation 21:18-20
18 The construction of its wall was of jasper ; and the city was pure gold, like clear glass . 19 The foundations of the wall of the city were adorned with all kinds of precious stones: the first foundation was jasper, the second sapphire, the third chalcedony, the fourth emerald, 20 the fifth sardonyx, the sixth sardius, the seventh chrysolite, the eighth beryl, the ninth topaz, the tenth chrysoprase, the eleventh jacinth, and the twelfth amethyst.
The Bible does not really describe what Heaven looks like but it does describe what the Heavenly city, New Jerusalem, looks like. Heaven is not this city, but the city is a subset of Heaven. Heaven is perhaps a planet. The Bible does not say that so I will just stick to the Bible's description of New Jerusalem.
One of the more striking features of the New Jerusalem is its vast size. In 21:16, John measures the city with a golden rod given to him by the angel, and records it as being 12,000 stadia by 12,000 stadia at the base, as well as 12,000 stadia high. A stadion is usually stated as 185.4 meters, or 600 feet , so the base has dimensions of about 2225 km by 2225 km, or 1500 miles by 1500 miles. These measurements equate to an area of 4.9 million square kilometers, which is larger than the 3,892,685 km² of the 25 states of the European Union in 2005, but smaller than the 7,617,930 km² of Australia. In the ancient Greek system of measurement, the base of the New Jerusalem would have been equal to 144 million square stadia. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_Jerusalem)
The jasper wall of New Jerusalem is 600 feet high, its length 1500 miles, and its width 1500 miles. I got one word to describe this: Wow! Amazing! Huge! I can't wait! Sorry, folks for getting a little carried away. New Jerusalem is half the distance of the United States, and it is a city! There isn't a city this large in the universe. God truly is omnipotent or Almighty. The sheer power it took to create a city of this magnitude astounds me.