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abraxas -> RE: Tough question (4/14/2008 8:41:30 AM)
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quote:
ORIGINAL: Ezra Abraxas: The first thing to be clear about is that human logic is not identical to Divine logic. God did prepare Hell for "the devil and his angels" (not his minions) knowing full well that these angels would rebel and be unredeemable. Eternal Hell is for sinners and rebels, therefore all those who wilfully reject the Gospel and reject Christ will find themselves in Hell. Hell (the Lake of Fire) is not inhabited at present, but Hades is, and so is Tartarus (which are also called "hell"). Because God loves humanity, He provided a Lamb who would take away the sin of the world. He is the Lord Jesus Christ. And God also provided the Gospel, so that we would believe on the Lamb of God. Those who believe on Him and receive Him as Lord and Savior, are saved from Hell and receive the gift of eternal life. Therefore those who will be in Hell are those who condemn themselves by refusing to believe God, believe the Gospel, and believe on the Lord Jesus Christ. Christians are saved by grace through faith, and faith is believing and trusting God and Christ and what they have said in Scripture. God knows the end from the beginning, and He planned all along that redeemed human beings would be "in" Christ and Christ would be "in" them, and ultimately they would be transformed into the likeness of His Son. Therefore He allowed all things to develop as they did, and He also allowed Christ to be crucified for our sins. This is God's logic. Thanks, Ezra, This is the exlanation I'm familiar with, and it's the one that got me thinking. Why not just say that God prepared Hell for the unbelievers? The context I've typically seen the statement from my OP is in discussions on the question "How can a loving God send so many people to Hell?" Which I'm sure you're all very familiar with. The statement, then, is used as a response to that, and seems to be saying, "He didn't--but man condemned himself to that place due to the Fall." When I've read this, it suggests to me that the person can see the problem of a loving God creating Hell with his human creations in mind, hence the explanation that in fact He didn't originally intend it for His creation. And yet if God sees beginning to end, clearly He knew the ultimate purpose of this place He was creating. Does that make sense?
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