11-4-13. Questions and Answers- God tries to save all, age of earth, hell

Questions from a friend: (11-4-13)

Question 1. The Bible has not been preached to the whole world past and present. Especially in the past has not everyone heard about God or the Bible. Most people have never been preached to. Either God is not fair or he never really existed.

God is fair. The fact that all people do not have the same opportunity to hear the Gospel as we have, does not mean that God has not tried and tried again. Hebrews 1:1-2, “In the past God spoke to our ancestors through the prophets at many times and in various ways, ² but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed heir of all things, and through whom also he made the universe.” (NIV) The fact that people are in darkness is not God’s fault. The fact that people have not accepted the Gospel is not God’s fault but ours. God tries his best.

St Francis of Assisi was converted while observing nature. Romans 1:19-20, “¹⁹ since what may be known about God is plain to them, because God has made it plain to them. ²⁰ For since the creation of the world God’s invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature—have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that people are without excuse.”(NIV) Many Muslims today are meeting Jesus through dreams. For those who have not heard about Jesus, the Bible also says that people will be judged according to their consciences.  Romans 2:14-15, “¹⁴ For when Gentiles, who do not have the law, by nature do what the law requires, they are a law to themselves, even though they do not have the law. ¹⁵ They show that the work of the law is written on their hearts, while their conscience also bears witness, and their conflicting thoughts accuse or even excuse them.” (Romans 2:14-15) Children do not go against their conscience and can be judged innocent for their conscience is a law unto them.

The promise of Jesus has been given to Adam and Eve, Genesis 3:15, “will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspringand her offspring;
he shall bruise your head, and you shall bruise his heel.” This promise has been passed down to all people.

There are many references to God sending a savior. Noah preached about a savior to the people after the flood. That is why Melchezedek was priest of God most high in the time of Abraham. Many cultures have returning saviors in their religions. The Jews spread their teachings all around the known world.

The Bible also talks about Jesus, when he was dead for three days, actually went to preach to the souls who died. 1 Peter 3:18-20, “18 For Christ also suffered once for sins, the righteous for the unrighteous, to bring you to God. He was put to death in the body but made alive in the Spirit. 19 After being made alive, he went and made proclamation to the imprisoned spirits— 20 to those who were disobedient long ago when God waited patiently in the days of Noah while the ark was being built. In it only a few people, eight in all, were saved through water,”

If Christians took Jesus’ world mission command seriously for the last 2,000 years, the whole world would have known about Jesus and the Gospel 1800 years ago.

God is very real and he is very fair and he is trying his very best to reveal Jesus.

Questions from a friend:

Questions 2. Evidence from science states that the earth is millions of years old and the Bible only 6,000 yrs old. Notice i said evidence?

The Bible does not say the earth was created 6,000 years ago. Look at Genesis 1:1, “In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth.” (ESV) The earth was formless and dark and empty. But that could have been billions of years ago. God created the garden of Eden sometime later. I personally believe that God created everything in stages and not in 24 hours periods of time. I have no trouble believing in the creator God and Genesis and an earth that is billions of years old.

Questions from a friend:

Question 3. Revelation 20:10 states- And the devil that deceived them was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone, where the beast and the false prophet are, and shall be tormented day and night for ever and ever. Tormented day and night for ever and ever? Forever tormented!!?? This is Totally Far Fetched!! Know what i mean?

Revelation 20:10 reads, “And the devil, who deceived them, was thrown into the lake of burning sulfur, where the beast and the false prophet had been thrown. They will be tormented day and night for ever and ever.” (NIV)

I believe that we are all created by God to live forever. Where we spend eternity is the question. We can either spend it forever with our Creator or we can spend it separated from our Creator. Hell is being eternally separated from God. It is a place of conscious suffering because of our separation from God. Can you imagine being in a place devoid of hope and the love of God forever? Cold is the absence of heat? Dark is the absence of light? Hell is the absence of God.

I think that we send ourselves to hell more than God sending us there. God, through the Gospel is throwing out a life preserver. It is our responsibility to at least take hold and grab the life preserver. What is the rescuer to do if the one drowning refuses to be saved? In turn, why do we blame God for hell? There is no other existence. You are either in heaven or elsewhere.

A person can either ignore this by thinking that God does not exist and we are nothing more than biological beings, a product of some random evolution or we can think that after people die that either go to heaven or they simply cease to exist after they die.

I can’t accept the last statement. God is a just God. If there is justice then there must be a judgment day. To simply cease to exist means and Hitler and Ann Frank both came to the same end. That is not just. The fact that God is just and righteous means that there must be a Day of Judgment. I thank God for providing a Savior, Jesus, that we might stand on that day.