I am a little bit confused...

[barrabus]

 I have not believed in eternal torment in hell for quite some time... (thanks to the SDA church)... I grew up Baptist, went through a Pentacostal period... became a heathen pagan for awhile... then full of remorse a SDA... then I found this place... and ever since I have this hunger for learning the truth... seeing as how it seems that "everything I thought I knew is wrong"... I fought and researched and keep returning to this sight... been reading here for at least three years now though it only shows I have slightly under two days as being logged in...

Now... where I get a little confused is... If a man is a rapist, murderer, thief, molester, (and everything else evil) and dies while comitting an evil act, without ever the thought of repentance crossing his mind... add a little witchcraft and outright devil worship just to make him as evil a man as ever walked the face of the earth... my question is this... after he dies is their any punishment waiting ? ...the SDA taught that him not recieving the gift of entering heaven was the punishment that caused the teeth knashing etc...

I'm sure there is an explanation somewhere... anyone care to expound on this... thank you, Charlie

[Linny]

Hi Charlie, you need to read the Lake of Fire series on the website.
Here is a short excerpt...
"And are these non-believers judged differently from believers who are "revealed, tried, salted and baptized IN FIRE?" Just HOW are these non-believers judged in the book of Revelation? How are the "...fearful, and unbelieving, and the abominable, and murderers, and whoremongers, and sorcerers, and idolaters, and all liars..." JUDGED? Answer: "...In the lake WHICH BURNS WITH FIRE..." (Rev. 21:!

Is this "fire" in the book of Revelation DIFFERENT from the fire that tries the works of believers in the book of I Corinthians? NO. "

[barrabus]

I just finished re-reading part one of the lake of fire series... I now realize that I only thought I'd read it before... this time I am reading it with an old King James "Companion Bible" beside me... and I have other translations also, but this translation has so far been right in line with the teaching... I am thoroughly enjoying it and already feel relief.. I ask for God to help me discern truth before I read... He does... it's hard sometimes to discard what I have been taught... but when it comes down to it I was never able to accept that a loving God would torture His creation for eternity... every verse mentioned in the teaching so far I have turned to... even the ones I was already familiar with... no reason to hurry... this is not some classroom with a test or time limit... and all of it is happening exactly the way God wills it to anyway... thanks Linny, the question I asked has already been answered to me... I had read it before, and heard it spoken of many times in this forum, but this is the first time I really understood it and what a relief it is... WHEW!!! ... freedom from fear... and I haven't even started part two yet...

[Linny]

Glad to hear that Barrabus!  You are so right. No need to hurry. It took us YEARS to learn the garbage we were fed. It most certainly won't be overnight to unlearn it. 

[arion]

The church as a whole and the religions of the world are fear based ;

1Jn 4:18  There is no fear in love; but perfect love casteth out fear: because fear hath torment. He that feareth is not made perfect in love.

When we know the eventual destiny for every man, woman and child that has ever been born, then the fear flees away and we are slowly perfected in love.  I find it interesting that Christians say that well yes, God loves his children but most are children of the devil.  Well, perhaps so.  Yet would I as a carnal man torture another man's child...even a child of a man who is my enemy?  Now I know that some extremely base men would probably torture a child of their enemy but for most people even sold in their sins that would be a repugnant thought.  And yet, AND YET, Christians by the millions would place our Lord in such company as men that base because they believe that yes indeed he will torture the devils children even if they are grown men.  I can't believe that I thought and believed those things at one time but I did.  God be merciful to us and lead us to grow in his truths.

[gmik]

Barrabus, thanks for sharing...

We read things and get it or not; once is never enough for Ray's material! Just reading this thread makes me want to go back and read more of LOF...we just forget so much!

LOF should become an American Classic!! 

[Duane]

I don't know about the rest of you but I have had to take MYSELF to task because I find the POSTS sooo interesting that I have done myself a dis-service by crowding out the time I should be using STUDYING again and again the LOF series and OTHERS.
iT seems to be more FUN to bloviate (my views) hoping to share and help others, but to really help I need to keep LEARNING
and that is done through serious STUDY rather than ENTERTAINING myself in the FORUMS.
SHAME ON ME for snookering myself! 

[gmik]

 

duane....so true!!!!