Ray,
Thank you for your quick response. I misread your statement in your letter to Mr. Hagee and misquoted you. I am reading much of your website and find it very interesting. Your desire to be truthful and honest is evident, spiced with some arrogance, sarcasm and ego I might add (which you somewhere described as being rough around the edges). Aside from my gleanings of your personality, with limited data and without having ever met and spent time with you (therefore extremely biased at this point), please clarify your position on this issue. The issue being that all humanity is saved by Jesus Christ and resurrected into new spiritual bodies. At least that is my paraphrasing of what I’ve come to understand in a lot of your writings and please qualify my understanding and correct it where you deem necessary. ; Having said this please take Philippians 3:17-21 (NIV) and explain the destruction mentioned in verse 19 with regards to the enemies of Christ: These verses clearly demonstrate to me that some number of people are destined to destruction. Thank you in advance for your comments on these verses. I believe I could argue favorably with regards to my position, with the Bible as our standard, that not all will be saved.
17 Join with others in following my example, brothers, and take note of those who live according to the pattern we gave you. 18For, as I have often told you before and now say again even with tears, many live as enemies of the cross of Christ. 19Their destiny is destruction, their god is their stomach, and their glory is in their shame. Their mind is on earthly things. 20But our citizenship is in heaven. And we eagerly await a Savior from there, the Lord Jesus Christ, 21who, by the power that enables him to bring everything under his control, will transform our lowly bodies so that they will be like his glorious body.
Dear Burton:
First let me say that I have never suggested that my "rough around the edges consists of: "arrogance, sarcasm and ego" I assure you that I am not "arrogant," neither do I believe that my "ego" is any larger than God wants it to be. Tis true, "You do NOT know me."
"Destruction" has absolutely nothing to do with someone not being saved. In fact, "destruction" is an absolute PRE-REQUISITE to being saved. Jesus came SPECIFICALLY for the purpose of saving those who are "destroyed."
The words: "destrouction," "perish" and "lost" all come from the very same ONE Greek word: "apollumi." In Matt. 10:28 where Jesus says to "fear Him Who is able to DESTROY both soul and body..." the word for destroy is "apollumi." In Matt. 18:24 where Jesus says that His Father is not will any any of these little ones should PERISH..." the word for perish is "apollumi." In Matt. 15:24 where Jesus says that He was send to the LOST sheep of the house of Israel only" the word for lost is "apollumi." Dstruction, perish, and lost, all come from the same one Greek word "apollumi."
Now then, with that said, what did Jesus say concerning all those who are "apollumi?" Here is what He said: "For the Son of man is come to SAVE that which is APOLLUMI [lost]" (Matt. 18:11).
Now what was that argument you said you had that contradicts this Scriptural teaching?
God be with you,
Ray
