My question to you is very simple.   (You need not go into deep detail so as not to confuse me.) 

I want to know if you believe that no matter how one lives their life; no matter how "good" or "evil" they are as a human being on this planet earth, all end up with the same fate?

You got me wondering about all the people who don't even know of God so they cannot make a choice to believe or not believe.  My question, however, speaks of those who are aware of "God", and who choose to live a life apart from what can be called moral and good.   Now, by moral and good I basically mean following the laws of the land, and reaching out to people in need.

Thanks,

Diane

[Ray Replies]

Dear Diane:

A full answer to your question requires many pages to answer, however, I will give you the abbreviated answer.

Will all mankind eventually be saved? YES!  Can they live like hell all of their lives and still go to heaven when they die? NO! There is a process. God has a plan and He is working His plan to perfection.

God does not even call all or most people to salvation in this lifetime. Even some of those who are called turn from God. And billions have never heard of Jesus Christ in the first place.

The answer is that God nowhere says that one must be saved in this life only or he can never be saved. That is a nasty little piece of heresy that is taught by the theologians of Christendom. It is a way to keep people in fear so that they keep "praying and paying."

If you read all of my paper "EXPOSING THOSE WHO CONTRADICT" you will come to the section where God prophesies the resurrection of all the dead Israelites in the book of Ezekiel. Most of Israel never obeyed or loved God. God said that they were WORST than the heathen and pagans in their religious practices. They committed every foul and evil dead and blasphemed the name of God. And yet, God says that He will resurrected them all back to life and put His spirit in them, and they SHALL KNOW Who God is. They will become God's people and God will become their God.

The same is true for ALL UNSAVED AND UNBELIEVING humanity. All humanity will be judged, chastised, and purged of their evil heart and carnal wicked mind. EVERYONE!  Our Apostle Paul teaches us that we can judge ourselves NOW, and then we won't have to be judged LATER. But sooner or later, ALL WILL BE JUDGED AND PURIFIED. You can believe it. You can take it to the bank! No one will escape the judgments and chastisements of God Almighty. Jesus Christ has already paid the PENALTY for our sins, but our deceitful and wicked heart that is at the very seat of all sin, must yet be dealt with. Too bad these simple Bible Truths are not taught in the churches.

I would encourage you to read all the papers on my web site and look up ALL THE SCRIPTURES. God will guide your understanding and you will become wise in things you never thought possible.

God be with you.

Sincerely,

Ray

Dear Ray,

I admire your passion. If only others would act with the same zeal to win the lost. However, I must ask, what denomination are you? Are you even a Christian? Is there any Christian principal that you do believe and not have "scripture" to contradict it with?

Just for your information, YOU ARE CONTROLLED BY A DEMON FROM HELL! YOU ARE TRASHING, POLLUTING THOUSANDS OF MINDS! You are the leader of a satanic cult wether you think so or not. THERE IS HOPE!! God has an awesome calling for your life, but you must give your heart to God. YOU MUST GIVE YOUR HEART TO GOD! I will pray for you. You will change. You will repent. You will live for God. I curse your ministry in the name of Jesus. Your satanic ministry will be shut down. It will not succeed. Turn to God.

Hello Ray,

I have emailed you before, so this would be my second.  I am just going to write about something I have been thinking about, see what you think. 

By God's grace and mercy, the Lord chose me to be a part of his Kingdom about 3 years ago.  I certainly do not deserve such a honor, and still do things that in my mind would disqualify me from being part of anything of such magnitude.

After becoming a member by his election, not mine, I started to study his word to understand who my master is and who my Father in heaven is.  I found, quite quickly, that the world is full of radio, television and Sunday pastors, who love to tell you about God, and what his will is and what is acceptable behavior for a Christian.

One behavior/activity that I find unbelievable that ministries endorse, is the insertion of God's chosen, into the world's military system.  I know many pastors on the radio & on the television who say it is quite acceptable, in fact your duty to serve in the military.  I believe this, along with many other doctrines, to be unharmonious with Christ's mission for us.

Fact: I am a citizen of the United States.  By the grace of God, I born here.  I had no choice in where I was born, just as I had no choice whether I would be a sinner or not.  My natural birth occurred in December, year of our Lord 1968.  My second birth, of the Spirit, occurred in the year of our Lord 2000.  With the birth by God's spirit (God is Spirit), I am now a citizen of God's Kingdom.  I am now called to serve his Kingdom, not man's.  I am to follow the laws of the land, except if the laws go against our Father's will.

When Jesus was in Israel, redeeming and teaching the lost, he did not instruct his apostles to rise-up and fight Rome or Herod.  Jesus had very clear instructions for his followers contained in Matthew chapter 5 and also 1Timothy chapter 2, along with other places in his word.

I can't find anywhere in Christ's teachings that we as citizens of our Father's Kingdom, made available to us through the Lord Jesus Christ, that we should pick-up arms and kill our enemies.  We are supposed to be living epistles, to shine forth as sons of the Kingdom, that is eternal and ruled by our Lord Jesus at the right hand of our Father.

Imagine this, you are born from above, because of urging from "good" Christian doctrine at the pulpit of traditional Christendom,  you decide to enlist in the military to fight the evil enemies of America.  Your pastor tells you this is a honorable thing to do, and is good in the sight of the Lord.  You eventually go to war, and you kill a man.  You feel guilty, so you seek out the man's family and find his son.  You explain to him that you killed his dad, that you are sorry, but would like to share the love of Christ with him because you are a Christian.   Your witness is corrupted, so corrupted that even a "evil" Muslim, Hindu, Atheist, or whatever could see through it.

Many say we should fight for this country, because it is a Christian country and always has been.  I used to believe this kind of reasoning, but now it just saddens me.  This country was born in blood, just as natural man is.  There was nothing spiritual about the birth of this nation.  If our leaders at that time were Christians, what part of Christ's teaching were they following when they were fighting Native Americans, the French or the British?  People always refer back to the Old Testament when I get on this subject about war.  Problem is, we are not Israel, we do not have a government by God, and God does not deliver our enemies to us, we fight them.  Israel was a theocracy, not a republic.  Israel was delivered by God through these wars.  There is no linearity between ancient Israel and America.

As Christians, we are not to revolt against authority, even if that authority is evil.  We are supposed to believe that God placed those people above us for a reason.  We are supposed to serve them, even if they are evil, as if we are serving Christ.

The "Founding Fathers" of this country were very human, imperfect and were not walking, talking or doing what members, by election of God's Kingdom, should be doing, according to God's word.

For goodness sake, evil old England abolished slavery before we did!   Do Christian countries allow pornography, abortion, legalized prostitution (Nevada)?  In reality this country is the BEST secular country in the world.   This is not a Christian nation, this is not a theocracy.  I know, I know, "One Nation Under God", You can tell what manner of tree, by the fruit it bears.

As Christians, we can't expect secular, pagan, whatever to act like Christians.  It's hard enough to find people who say that they are Christians, who also walk according to the light of the Lord's Truth.  I by no means walked in light before Christ chose me for the Kingdom.  I still continue to struggle with issues of darkness and my sinful ways, but Christ is my strength, he paid the price for me and you and for all mankind!  As much as I have a choice in this matter, I choose light not darkness.  If desire to kill your enemies, you are in darkness.

Any pastor that tells a member of his flock to pick-up arms and fight, should go with that person to war (physically), set a example like the apostles did, like Jesus did.  But of course, Jesus nor the Apostles killed their enemies, did they.

This is what I understand to be true.  You don't have to believe it, or me, but believe in God's word, please!  I think that I am like minded with you Larry, which is good.  Peace be with you and I hope more and more Biblical Christians are called out of the system by our Lord.  Take it easy.

Kelly

[Ray Replies]

You are right on, Kelly!

Ray

Is there any example in the scripture of Paul or the disciples speaking to unregenerate men telling them that they are already redeemed?

Someone asked me this as I was trying to explain that belief isn't the first step in being born again.

[Ray Replies]

Dear Joe,

No, the apostles didn't teach that unbelievers have already been redeemed. In fact, they didn't really teach that believers have already been redeemed.

Redemption is mostly applied to our bodies,

"And not only they [nonbelievers], but ourselves also which have the firstfruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, WAITING FOR the adoption, to wit, the REDEMPTION OF OUR BODY" (Rom. 8:23).

And this, "And grieve not the holy Spirit of God, whereby you are sealed UNTO THE DAY [future day] OF REDEMPTION" (Eph. 4:30).

Actually "faith" is pretty much the starting point in the life of a believer. That is why, in fact, we are called "believers." Belief in Jesus Christ IS faith.

Notice how Peter starts with faith as our first virtue upon which we add additional virtues: 

"And beside this, giving all diligence, ADD TO YOUR FAITH virtue, and to virtue knowledge; And to knowledge temperance, and to temperance patience, and to patience godliness; And to godliness brother kindness; and to brotherly kindness charity [LOVE]" (II Pet. 1:5-7).

God be with you, Joe,

Ray

Ray,

I appreciate the enthusiasm (CAPITAL LETTERS, italics, exclamation marks!) with which you answer questions, and I respect your research, honesty, and faith.   But I'm still not satisfied enough to become a true believer, even though I would like to believe.  Here are a few questions:

Underlying all of your answers is the premise that the Bible is true and not mythology.  At one time belief in the Homeric gods was almost universal in the Caucasian world, but that faith disappeared when a new religion was forced upon conquered peoples.  Why do you not question the validity of the Bible as a series of historical documents, an instrument of polemics, and, most importantly, as the keystone of an entire religion? 

Bibliolatry, or worship of the Bible in this case, is something you've chosen not to address?  Why do you not consider the stories in the Bhagavad Gita, for example, as the word of God? 

Why can't the Bible be considered primarily as a historical rather than a spiritually infallible collection of writings that span centuries?

Equally important, I think, is this question:  Why is discerning the "truth" of the Bible so complex?  Can't an omniscient and loving God find an easier way to get his/her/its message to the people of this planet?   Indeed, why does one need the intercession of the Bible to come to an understanding of God and his "plan?"  Why doesn't prayer (or some other form of communication) work just as well?

Ray, I'm not trying to be contentious.  I'm 60 years old, have traveled around the world, and have seen a lot of people from many cultures who firmly believe that they possess the truth.  I'm just not buying the world-wide belief, implicitly if not consciously held, that proclamation is proof, and I want something more than condescension and brow-beating to bring me to faith.

I would like to hear your thoughts on these matters. 

Best regards,

Tom

[Ray Replies]

Dear Tom:

Thank you for your thoughtful questions concerning the Scriptures and my faith in them.

You are assuming, of course, that I have never questioned the validity of the Scriptures as coming from a higher source than the imaginations of mortal man.  I have questioned many things for many thousands of hours. It would take a whole volume, however, to just touch the tip of the iceberg as they say on this subject. My purpose for this web site is not to counter the higher criticism of the skeptics, although I have done that on my own. Let me simplify my beliefs in a few words, if indeed that is even possible.

1. We EXIST (there are only a few strange people who deny this fact of the cosmos, believing that all this is merely a dream. Let's not awaken them!). A creation of infinite DESIGN, SYSTEMS, INTERDEPENDENT ORGANS AND INTERDEPENDENT ORGANISMS, PURPOSE, HARMONY, BEAUTY, INTELLIGENCE (the human mind for example), REPRODUCTION, etc., etc., etc., DEMANDS an intelligent, purposeful, living, all-powerful CREATOR! 
    
   No sane and rational person, finding a Rolex Watch on a desert dune, would ever suggest that that marvelous mechanism invented ITSELF, and created ITSELF, and assembled ITSELF, without the aid of any intelligence whatsoever. And yet, supposed, intelligent men speculate that the great time-peace of the universe invented, created, and assembled itself without the aid of any intelligent creator.
    
2. Even if we make that quantum leap in our minds from no matter, no harmony, no systems, no design, to perfect harmony and design without the aid of a creator, how do we account for the fact of LIFE?  Life is as complicated as the universe itself. A single cell has more communication and reproductive power than all the machines and computers built by man in the history of the world. Yet we are told that it "built itself." It spontaneously generated itself from primortal sea slime by the mixing of chemical in the sea and a genius stroke of lightning to get it all started. Never mind where the sea came from, the chemicals, and the lightning. 
    
   Life DOES NOT SPONTANEOUSLY GENERATE ITSELF! Life comes ONLY from pre-existing life, and life of the same KIND.  These are facts of science, Tom. (By the way, lightning KILLS LIFE, it does not create life from dead chemicals).  Just based on the Law of Probability (I said "law" and not theory), it would take longer to mix the chemicals at random to produce the long chains of amino acids, etc., needed for life, by at least a trillion times longer than scientists estimate the age of the universe. In other words, IT DIDN'T HAPPEN THAT WAY.
    
3. Would an intelligent Creator at some point in time communicate with His higher creatures? I think so. The Scriptures are unique in the world of literature and writing. There are for example, numerous laws of science presented in the Scriptures that scientists have only recently come to understand with his combined knowledge of thousands of years. Primitive writers could not have known many of the things attested to in the Scriptures.
    
4. There are hundreds of prophecies in the Scriptures that have been fulfilled in minute detail many years and even centuries AFTER the known date of the writings.
    
5. The Scriptures are a collection of SPIRITUAL writings. I had tried to many years to understand them with my unaided carnal mind. I could not, and yet now, I am having hundreds of things revealed to me that harmonize perfectly with the rest of Scripture that cannot possibly be understood by mere study and diligence. Of course, here is where I have an advantage over you: I believe and you don't.  If one is too short to see over a high wall, it is only natural that he would ridicule what a taller person might describe to him on the other side. The problem of perception in this case is not with the taller person who can clearly see the other side, but rather with the short-sighted person who cannot see the over side.
    
6. Concerning the spiritual teachings of the Scriptures, let me just say, that there is more real and absolute knowledge in the Scriptures regarding what man is and how he thinks and functions in a half dozen verses than can be found in all the psychology and philosophy books in the world.
    
7. My God answers PRAYERS! But again, that's for me to know and you to find out.

I would love to write a fifty page paper on the human eye, for example. Then after blowing away every atheist and evolutionists with the facts regarding the human eye (or an animal eye), I would love to discuss the origin and probability of putting TWO EYES SIDE BY SIDE IN ORDER TO INDUCE AN ILLUSION IN THE BRAIN THE MAKES THINGS APPEAR THREE DIMENSIONAL THROUGH DEPTH PERCEPTION!!!

I would just love to sit on a panel with all the evolutionists and atheists of the world and have them explain to me the origin of such a thing as the allusion in the brain of depth perception through the spacing of two eyes without any intelligence whatsoever formulating such an absolute miraculous, unbelievable accomplishment of mechanical, mental, and organic chemical processes! And a thousand other such feats of intelligence only possible by the infinite mind of an all-knowing, all-wise, all-powerful CREATOR!

Sorry I can write a book on some of these subjects, but it just isn't my priority at present.

May the God of Creation enlighten your heart and mind to His marvelous purpose in the lives of His humanity.

Ray

Dear Ray,

First of all, I'd like to give you thanks for helping me see the "light" as God intended. Here is my new Prosperity Miracle. 

Based on the Hundred Fold Return we have heard about all too often on TBN,  I would like for someone  to ask the TBN televangelist to make this step of Faith: 

Take every dollar your ministry has (borrow millions if needed) and mail it out to every person who lives in poverty in North America.  Then once their hundred fold comes in, take that money and send it to all the needy in Africa.  Again take the next hundred fold and send it to the needy in China.  Do this over and over until all the needy of the world have Mansions and Rolls Royce's.  And finally, when the last hundred fold comes in they can keep it for themselves. 

How well do you think that would go over at TBN?

Sincerely, Brad

[Ray Replies]

Dear Brad:

Don't you know that all the sacrifice sermons are for the dumb sheep, not the shepherds!!

Send your suggestion to Paul Crouch. Actually if they dispersed all there tens of millions just ONCE and received a hundred fold in return from God, they would never need to beg for money again.

Ray

I am horrified to believe that there are people out there who might actually believe in some of garbage of what you have to say. Your OPINION ( that is all it is ) of John Hagee and his sermon on Hell is VERY dangerous. What pastor Hagee had to say on Hell is the way it is!

Wake up Ray! before it is eternally to late.

Mr. Kim ...

[Ray Replies]

Dear Kim:

Thank you for the warning.

Of course, if you find even ONE THING in my paper that you know and can prove to be in error, you would have done it immediately. You would have correctly quoted a Scripture and proved what I said to be wrong. But, of course, you did not do that. It is not that what I say regarding Hagee's sermon of hell is not Scripturally correct, it is that you DON'T APPROVE of God's operation of all. You prefer the teaching of Babylon to the teachings of God.

If there is a statement that I made that is not correct, then the thing to do is CORRECT IT! But use the Scriptures and not your opinion. My beliefs are founded on the Scriptures. It is clear to even a fool that I have quoted a plethora of Scriptures FOR EVERYTHING IN MY PAPER. How can you accuse me of just stating my opinion without facts or Scriptures?   That is dishonest.

I will wait for a more intelligent reply.

Sincerely,

Ray

[Another Email Form Kim]

Friend. I have been a Christian since October 9th 1979. It was not anything to do with Babylon that I got me saved. It was Jesus Christ. John 3:16 , Romans 10:9 -10:13 

As far as Gods operation goes. Hey he's the great physician. I have no problem with the way he performs surgery. He did a fantastic job of healing my broken spirit. Guaranteed for eternity. You want to talk about your beliefs. I don't have any beliefs. I KNOW!!! what I am saying is right. The rich man is still in Hell and Lazarus is still in Heaven. Luke 16:19-31.

You say that everything you say should be clear even to a fool. Well I can't understand anything you say so I must NOT be a fool. But since it is sooooooo clear to you. You must be the biggest fool around.

How do I accuse you? Easy. I do not interpret scriptures with my mind, I use my heart. And God is in control of that. Now is God being dishonest?

I am getting the impression Mr. Smith that you are a very intelligent man. And that is your problem. You need to come to the scriptures as a child, Mark 10:13-16 not as an Einstein.

Mr. Kim ...

[Ray Replies]

Kim,

You do NOT believe in or trust the Scriptures.

You say Lazarus in the bosom of Abraham represents HEAVEN?

When Jesus told the parable of Lazarus being in the bosom of Abraham, He also declared in crystal clear words, "NO MAN HAS ASCENDED UP TO HEAVEN..."!!!

Sorry, Kim, you arguments are NOT with me, but with GOD and His Word!

And you can try and contradict me point by point for a hundred and fifty-eight pages, but you will always run into the Scriptures THAT CONTRADICT YOU! And we both know the reason you are angry with my site -- you have been confronted with some TRUTH, and you don't like what you see. Plain and simple.

You can say that Babylon is really New Jerusalem, Kim, but that doesn't change her. She will always be Mystery Babylon the Great, Mother of Harlots, and ABOMINATIONS of the earth, until Christ utterly demolishes her.

You PROTEST that Jesus is the SAVIOUR OF THE WORLD.

You PROTEST that God WILL save ALL mankind.

You PROTEST that Christ will draw all men unto Himself.

You PROTEST God will Save ALL ISRAEL and that He concluded both the Jews and the Gentiles in unbelief that He might have mercy UPON THEM ALL. 

You PROTEST that God is operating ALL according to the counsel of His own will.

You PROTEST that will, will perform ALL HIS DESIRES, WISHES, COUNSEL, and WILL, and that everything that that He has SPOKEN (as in "God our Saviour WILL have all mankind to be saved..." I Tim. 2:4), will not return to Him void, but that ALL THAT HE HAS SPOKEN WILL BE ACCOMPLISHED, Isaiah 26:10-11).

You do PROTESTS to all these Scriptures and a hundred like it. Me thinks that you do protest in vain, Kim. God's Word CANNOT be broken, but you, my friend, WILL BE BROKEN! God will one day PURGE you of your animosity towards your fellow man, God's Word, and God HIMSELF.  If God can, and He did, save the world's greatest sinner in a flash of supernal lighting, he can certainly save us lesser sinners. You lack the faith to believes that God will save all mankind, and you lack the heart to even desire it. 

How would poor Kim's pride and holier than thou attitude survive if God were to save ALL sinners. What a horrible thought that must be to a carnally minded and selfish person.

Sincerely,

Ray

p.s. Don't ever again pretend that you don't know what God has said in Isaiah 46:10-11.   God desires to SAVE ALL humanity and God says He will perform ALL of His desires. God does not contradict, you do. And you need to repent!

[Another Hagee email from another visitor]

Wow! You've said a lot here. 

I used to listen to and respect Hagee, back when I was a religious idiot.  I now see him as a pompous fat little clown, duping people by the thousands with his sewer water.

I hope to not come across as having a superior attitude because I am no more worthy of God's graciousness than anyone else; I just have a different understanding of His plan than I ever learned in church. 

Thanks for tackling this subject.  You've done a great job.  I agree with pretty much everything you're arguing.  I certainly don't understand much of what His plan is, but this I know; Christ came to take care of what needed to be taken care of, and that we all will spend eternity with God in peace and harmony.

All the best to you this Christmas season,

Rob

Dear Ray,

Thank YOU.  I have struggled for so long and been on such a roller costar ride with God.  I was at a point were I was convinced, that God did not care about me nor did he want to help me. 

I have never enjoyed going to church,  I always felt out of place.  I never felt the holy sprit. ( I DO NOW !!! )  I could not come to grips with a God that would torture millions upon millions people for ever and ever.  I would ask for Jesus to come into my life and save me from my sin and think that I would not want to sin anymore.   I would find myself thinking about things and doing things that were certainly not of God very shortly after praying. It had reached a point to were I did not want to pray because I knew I would go right back to doing the things I was trying to stop doing.

Ray I have been angry with God for Free Will.   I have always believed that I had chosen my own path.  ( I was taught that very early on in Sunday School.)  I was at a point were I was not only angry with God,  but I hated myself for not being strong enough to conquer the sins in my life.   I could not understand my own "free will"  and why my free will wanted more bad things in life then good.  And if my will was free, why did I do things that I knew were going to hurt me and the people who loved me. 

People would tell me that Satan made me do the bad things that I have been doing. And I would say to them that if Satan is making [me] do bad things, then why won't God make me do good things.  And the reply would always be, because you have "free will".  Well that never made a lot of since.   How could Satan make me do bad things when I have free will and I know these things are harmful, but God won't make me do good things because I have free will. ( I have to do the good things on my own ). 

I'm getting a little long winded.  Let me just get to the point.  I have been visiting your web page for about two weeks now.   God has grabbed hold of me.  And brother let me tell you, there is some chastising going on.

I have never felt so broken and loved in all my life.. 

I will write back soon and let you know how things are going.  Please pray for me,  I'm little scared, but scared in a good way.

Signed by a new Friend.

[Ray Replies]

Dear New Friend!

Thank you for sharing you God-changing experience with us. I can say "ditto" to your whole message. We will do right when God decides that we will do right.

When we are sick of ourselves and the things of the world, God steps in. We are all experiencing that same thing. It is so encouraging to hear a message such as yours.

If I may, I would like to post your email (without identifying you, of course), as I know it will give courage and inspiration to others who are feeling the same things that you have gone through.

May God be with you each hour of every day, lifting your spirit and showing you the Way (Jesus Christ),

Ray

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