many or few?

[Beetow]

• Matt 5:9 . . Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God.

Peace is actually one of the negative aspects of heaven because peace is not ideal
for people who thrive in a society where behaviors like the ones listed below are the
norm,

Discord, hatred, factions, cliques, mistrust, prejudice, bias, caste systems, double
standards, partiality, favoritism, deceit, surmising, dishonesty, gossip, slander,
sarcasm, cynicism, ridicule, envy, rivalry, resentment, avarice, greed, gossip,
character assassination, kangaroo courts, complaining, tattling, meddling,
confrontations, activism, quarrels, assertiveness, heated debates, chafing, trickery,
grudging, stonewalling, bitterness, silent treatments,

. . . revenge, stubbornness, cold shouldering, snobbery, egotism, dominance,
demeaning comments, pecking orders, rebellion, arrogance, attitudes, subterfuge,
treachery, betrayal, suspicion, conceit, vanity, superiority complexes, depression,
melancholy, panic attacks, bi-polar disorders, antisocial behaviors, sociopaths,
crime, war, despotism, oppression, injustice, human rights abuses, character
assassination, toxic rejoinders, smart-Alek retorts, snide remarks, etc, etc, et al,
and ad nausea.

In addition; there are stand-up fighters for whom every disagreement is either an
insult or an act of war. And when they're angry, they just have to give you a piece
of their mind. Those people would really be a fish out of water in heaven.

I've heard it said that heaven is a place prepared for a prepared people; i.e. people
conditioned for heaven; viz: undergone changes and/or modifications so as to make
them suitable for heaven. People whose personalities are by nature detrimental to
peace are going to miss the boat if they cross over to the next life in their natural
condition.

UPDATE: 93 days have elapsed since my first comment. If the figures in post No.5
are in the ball park, then something like 5,777,532 new arrivals have checked into
the fiery sector of Hades since Oct 08, 2020.
_

 

[Beetow]

It's easy to assume that only really bad people are in hell. But according to Matt
7:23-27, John 3:3-8, John 3:14-20, John 3:36, and Rev 20:11-15, anybody can be
there; both the good, the bad, and the not so bad-- bikers, bakers, lawyers,
welders, actors and actresses, housewives, bankers, heavy equipment operators,
loggers, convicts, celebrities, homeless bums, clergy, prostitutes, drug lords,
postmen, Presidents, Kings,

. . . statesmen, astronauts, school teachers, scientists, nurses, doctors, chemists,
machinists, carpenters, waiters, hotel managers, cops, judges, nuns, priests,
Popes, deacons, salesmen, Miss Americas, news anchors, weathermen, and
birdwatchers, et al --people from every walk, every career, every religion, every
culture, every language, every ethnic, every craft, and every status: they're all in
danger of the sum of all fears.

• Rev 20:12 . . I saw the dead, great and small, standing before the throne, and
books were opened.

Because when you strip away their gender, their titles, their distinctions, their
privileges, and their entitlements; and stand them before God naked; people are
only flesh and blood creatures-- naked apes, just human beings; and human beings
are intrinsically sinful beings whether inbred or bred to perfection.

• Gen 8:21 . . Man's thoughts and actions are bent toward evil from childhood.

• Ps 58:3 . . Even from birth the wicked go astray; from the womb they are
wayward and speak lies.

• Eph 2:3 . .We were by nature objects of wrath.

UPDATE: 96 days have elapsed since my first comment. If the figures in post No.5
are in the ball park, then something like 5,963,904 new arrivals have checked into
the fiery sector of Hades since Oct 08, 2020.
_

 

[Beetow]

claim: Christ is compassionate and would never run an eternal torture mill for his
lost sheep.

response: Christ doesn't have any lost sheep. All the sheep that God entrusted to
His son's care are safe and sound.

• John 10:9 . . I am the gate; whoever enters through me shall be saved.

Were Christ a so-so shepherd; then he wouldn't dare say "shall be" saved; no, he'd
have to tone it down a bit and say "can be" saved. That would leave him some
room for error. But when Christ says "shall be" he's claiming a 0.0% failure rate.

In addition, the Father's free will trumps the sheep's free will.

• John 6:39 . .This is the will of the one who sent me; that I should not lose
anything of what He gave me.

So then, were Christ to lose even one of the sheep, he would disappoint the one
who sent him. But Christ never fails to satisfy his Father's expectations.

• John 8:29 . .The one who sent me is with me. He has not left me alone, because I
always do what is pleasing to Him.

Were Christ to lose even one of the sheep in his care, he wouldn't be able to say
that he "always" does what is pleasing to Him.

When people say that it's possible for Jesus to lose sheep; they are actually casting
a vote of no-confidence in his claim to be the good shepherd. In their mind's eye,
he's not an exceptional shepherd at all; he's just another run-of-the-mill cowpoke.

UPDATE: 96 days have elapsed since my first comment. If the figures in post No.5
are in the ball park, then something like 6,150,276 new arrivals have checked into
the fiery sector of Hades since Oct 08, 2020.
_

 

[Beetow]

faq: Isn't Judaism equally as useful as Christianity for sinners seeking God's
forgiveness? Isn't that the whole purpose of Yom Kippur, a.k.a. the Day of
Atonement?

a: Pinning one's hopes on the Day Of Atonement is futile. For one thing: there's no
one to perform the ritual seeing as how there is neither a Temple nor a fully
functioning Levitical priesthood on duty in Jerusalem at this time. In point of fact,
neither of those two essential elements of the Day of Atonement have been in
Jerusalem since 70 AD. But that's not the worst of it.

There is a special goat involved in Yom Kippur commonly called a scapegoat, which
Webster's defines as a person who is unfairly blamed for something that others
have done; in other words: a fall guy. But that does not quite accurately define
Yom Kippur's special goat. It's actually an escaping goat; viz: a fugitive; here's
why.

It's a biblical axiom that the soul that sins, it shall die, i.e. the wages of sin is death
(Ezek 18:20, Rom 6:23). Well; the special goat is allowed to live rather than
executed, so justice for the worshippers' sins remains pending; hanging over their
heads like a sword of Damocles.

note: Leaving a goat out in a wilderness place to fend for itself isn't a death
sentence. No; far from it. Goats are survivors. They can get by in environments
that quite a few other species would find quite disagreeable. And though the Jews
were in a wilderness place during their wanderings, there was vegetation enough to
nourish the herds. (Ex 34:3)

Yom Kippur's purpose then, isn't to exonerate the people; rather, to remind the
people that although Yom Kippur's ritual sanitizes them as per Lev 16:30, their sins
are still on the books, yet to be brought to justice.

• Ex 34:6-7 . . Yhvh, Yhvh God: compassionate and gracious, slow to anger, and
abounding in loving kindness and truth; who keeps loving kindness for thousands,
who forgives iniquity, transgression and sin; yet He will by no means leave the
guilty unpunished

• Nahum 1:3 . . Yhvh is slow to anger, and great in power, and will not at all acquit
the wicked

Looking at those two scriptures one cannot help but scratch their head and wonder
how it's possible that God forgives the guilty, and yet at the same time does not
acquit the guilty. Well; the answer to that is: forgiveness and acquittal are two very
different things in the Old Testament.

In other words; though God forgave He did not forget; viz: the covenant that
Moses' people agreed upon with God does not permit Him to expunge the guilty
party's record; viz: forgiveness as per the covenant is merely a reprieve; which
Webster's defines as: to delay the punishment of someone; such as a prisoner who
is sentenced to death.

Christ's crucifixion is retroactive (Rom 3:23-26). In other words; all the sins that
Moses' people committed in the past that could not be acquitted back then are
acquitted by a human sacrifice that is far and away superior to Yom Kippur's.

• Isa 53:5-6 . . He was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our
iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was upon him, and by his wounds
we are healed. We all, like sheep, have gone astray, each of us has turned to his
own way; and the Yhvh has laid on him the iniquity of us all.

• Acts 13:38-39 . . My brothers, I want you to know that through Jesus the
forgiveness of sins is proclaimed to you. Through him everyone who believes is
justified from everything you could not be justified from by the law of Moses.

The Greek word translated "justified" is dikaioo (dik-ah-yo'-o) which basically
means to adjudge as righteous, i.e. innocent. So in Christ, people obtain both
forgiveness and innocence, whereas in Yom Kippur the most they can obtain is
forgiveness; and we should not make the mistake of thinking that forgiveness
equals exoneration and/or acquittal.

note: Never, ever, wish your Jewish friends and/or associates a pleasant Yom
Kippur. It's okay to wish them a satisfactory Yom Kippur but never a pleasant one
because it's not a feel-good day like Christmas and birthdays.

Quite the contrary Yom Kippur is specifically a day to be depressed; viz: a day of
sadness and self-affliction; as per Lev 16:29-31, Lev 16:31, Lev 23:27, and Lev
23:32, which is from a Hebrew word meaning to mistreat, humiliate, oppress, break
the spirit, demean, abuse, weaken, injure, abase, etc. Jews that think and/or speak
well of themselves on that day accrue an instant curse upon themselves. (Deut
27:26)

UPDATE: 102 days have elapsed since my first comment. If the figures in post No.5
are in the ball park, then something like 6,336,648 new arrivals have checked into
the fiery sector of Hades since Oct 08, 2020.
_

 

[Beetow]

I know of the Protestant pastor who was asked by Audie Murphy's widow Pamela to
speak at her husband's funeral. Audie Murphy, as you may already know, was a
32nd degree Scottish Rite Mason and a Shriner; but he wasn't a Christian.

In amazement, the pastor asked Mrs. Murphy why she chose a Christian minister to
speak at her husband's funeral.

Although Audie himself wasn't a Christian, Pamela was; and she explained that the
Hollywood crowd would be there the day of his funeral, and having hob-nobbed
with them during her husband's acting career, she was fully aware that many of
them were rarely confronted with something serious about the afterlife.

Well; they got both barrels that day, and were very annoyed because they were
expecting the usual sappy, feel-good rhetoric to which pampered celebrities are
accustomed.

Some may feel that hell isn't an appropriate topic at a funeral. But I think that,
other than Xmas and Easter, you couldn't pick a better time to bring it up,
especially since Christ said that the majority ends up there.

• Ecc 7:2 . . It is better to go to a house of mourning than to go to a house of
gaiety, for death is the destiny of every man; the living should take this seriously.

According to the Bible; not many great people are called (1Cor 1:26). If that's true,
then we have to expect that the majority of the world's best and brightest
achievers-- the really big names in sports, science, medicine, law, politics,
technology, business, industry, religion, entertainment, and education, etc --don't,
and won't, make it to safety when they pass on.

As I watched some of the splendor and pomp of President Gerald Ford's funeral
back in January of 2007, I couldn't help but wonder if he was in a position to really
appreciate it; as I suspect people in Hell would certainly no longer really care
anymore whether they were given an unknown pauper's disposal in a City
incinerator, or reverently placed in a grand tomb in the National Cemetery with
world-wide television coverage.

UPDATE: 105 days have elapsed since my first comment. If the figures in post No.5
are in the ball park, then something like 6,523,020 new arrivals have checked into
the fiery sector of Hades since Oct 08, 2020.
_

 

[Beetow]

• Deut 27:26 . . Cursed be anyone who does not confirm the words of this law by
doing them.

One thing that must be emphasized is that the curse is irrevocable; so it's very
important to come to grips with it; and the sooner the better.

• Matt 5:18 . . For assuredly, I say to you: till heaven and earth pass away, not one
jot or one tittle will by any means pass from the law till all is fulfilled.

In other words: whoever deserves that curse is absolutely certain to get it.

In point of fact, Deut 27:26 is grammatically present tense rather than future,
indicating that the curse is instant-- no delay and no waiting period. i.e. it's already
on the books hanging over people's heads like a guillotine just waiting for an officer
to give the executioner a signal to let go the rope keeping the blade in check.

UPDATE: 108 days have elapsed since my first comment. If the figures in post No.5
are in the ball park, then something like 6,709,392 new arrivals have checked into
the fiery sector of Hades since Oct 08, 2020.
_

 

[TheWaytoGo]

Matt 7:13; "Enter through the narrow gate; for the gate is wide and the way is broad that leads to destruction, and there are many who enter through it.
Matt 7:14; "For the gate is small and the way is narrow that leads to life, and there are few who find it.

How many is many? I don't know, but it would seem to be more than a few. Many will enter through the gate of destruction, and few will will enter through the gate of life.
It seems the majority of mankind will not be saved.

Are just a few being saved? Someone asked Jesus that very question, what did He say?

Luke 13:23; And someone said to Him, "Lord, are there just a few who are being saved?" And He said to them,
Luke 13:24; "Strive to enter through the narrow door; for many, I tell you, will seek to enter and will not be able.
Luke 13:25; "Once the head of the house gets up and shuts the door, and you begin to stand outside and knock on the door, saying, 'Lord, open up to us!' then He will answer and say to you, 'I do not know where you are from.'
Luke 13:26; "Then you will begin to say, 'We ate and drank in Your presence, and You taught in our streets';
Luke 13:27; and He will say, 'I tell you, I do not know where you are from; DEPART FROM ME, ALL YOU EVILDOERS.'
Luke 13:28; "In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth when you see Abraham and Isaac and Jacob and all the prophets in the kingdom of God, but yourselves being thrown out.

Jesus says "many" will try to enter through the narrow door, but will not be able. Obviously not everyone will be saved. It seems the majority will not be.

Rev 7:9; After these things I looked, and behold, a great multitude which no one could count, from every nation and all tribes and peoples and tongues, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, clothed in white robes, and palm branches were in their hands;

A great multitude.. "which no one could count".. this would seem to be a large number, but if we put this into perspective... the population of the Earth is about 8 billion. Even if 1 or 2 billion of them get saved,
that means 6 or 7 billion will not. Still 2 billion would qualify as a "great number".

Matt 7:21; "Not everyone who says to Me, 'Lord, Lord,' will enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father who is in heaven will enter.
Matt 7:22; "Many will say to Me on that day, 'Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in Your name, and in Your name cast out demons, and in Your name perform many miracles?'
Matt 7:23; "And then I will declare to them, 'I never knew you; DEPART FROM ME, YOU WHO PRACTICE LAWLESSNESS.'

Not everyone who thinks they are saved actually will be. Again we see that "many" will ask Jesus didn't I do things for you? But it seems that "many" will be practicing lawlessness.

Matt 22:14; "For many are called, but few are chosen."

Many are called... Even Judas was chosen by Jesus. But few are actually chosen.

Matt 24:5; "For many will come in My name, saying, 'I am the Christ,' and will mislead many.
Matt 24:11; "Many false prophets will arise and will mislead many.

Mark 13:6; "Many will come in My name, saying, 'I am He!' and will mislead many.

Twice within just a few verses Jesus says here.. "many" will be mislead. Why didn't He say "Just a few will be mislead"? It seems many, will be deceived and mislead.

We need to be praying and witnessing to people, sharing the gospel, but despite our best efforts.. "many" will not be saved.

I no longer believe that someone can choose to be saved, and the sinner's prayer is meaningless. The ones who are chosen, were so from the foundation of the world, not by anything we said or did.

Eph 1:4 According as he hath chosen us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before him in love:​

 

[TheWaytoGo]

good post brother you know it just hit me to ask this question, when I hear people talk of the pre trib rapture,,,they all talk about the great multitude of people being saved during the tribulation, as matter of fact I have heard these preachers say more people are being saved during the tribulation then any other period of time..

HMMM might have to dig into this.. sorry hope not too off topic



Often times I have heard people say that God has made it easy to be saved, all we have to do is believe. Yet that is not what the bible teaches at all, it hard the way is difficult.... but those that don't know the word are easily deceived, not matter how much we tell them to their face they think they are good to go. their idea of being a good person is going to save them....

This might be helpful to you.

 

[Beetow]

Faq: Jer 32:33-35 and Deut 12:31 say that the Old Testament's God abhors
human sacrifices. How then can He approve of the New Testament's cross?

A: The Old Testament predicted human sacrifice; with its God's full approval and
participation no less.

• Isa 53:6 . . The Lord has laid on him the iniquity of us all.

• Isa 53:10 . . It was The Lord's will to crush him and cause him to suffer . . .The
Lord makes his life a guilt offering.

The catch is: according to Deut 5:2-4, Rom 4:15 and Rom 5:13, the laws of God
are not retroactive. This is important because Jesus was designated, and scheduled,
to die on a cross to atone for the sins of the world prior to the voice of God creating
even a single atom for the current cosmos. (1Pet 1:18-21 & Rev 13:8)

UPDATE: 111 days have elapsed since my first comment. If the figures in post No.5
are in the ball park, then something like 6,895,764 new arrivals have checked into
the fiery sector of Hades since Oct 08, 2020.
_

 

[Beetow]

Faq: Can you cite an Old Testament example where God approved human
sacrifice?

A: Yes.

• Gen 22:1-2 . . Now it came about after these things, that God tested Abraham,
and said to him: Abraham! And he said: Here I am. And He said: Take now your
son, your only son, whom you love, Isaac, and go to the land of Moriah; and offer
him there as a burnt offering on one of the mountains of which I will tell you.

Did Abraham slay Isaac? No, but did Abraham offer Isaac? Yes.

• Gen 22:9 . .Then they came to the place of which God had told him. And
Abraham built an altar there and placed the wood in order; and he bound Isaac his
son and laid him on the altar, upon the wood.

You see, once a gift dedicated to God is placed on an altar, it's a done deal--
whether the offering is dead or alive makes no difference. In point of fact, the letter
to Hebrews credits Abraham with offering his son in obedience to God's command.

• Heb 11:17 . . By faith Abraham, when he was tested, offered up Isaac, and he
who had received the promises offered up his only begotten son

Had God disapproved human sacrifice, He would've stopped Abraham before Isaac
was laid on the altar.

Note: According to Gen 18:23-33, Abraham wasn't above challenging God's sense
of right and wrong. Had the old boy seriously believed that offering his son Isaac as
a burnt offering was wrong, he would've said something; in point of fact, he had
three days to think about it. (Gen 22:4

UPDATE: 114 days have elapsed since my first comment. If the figures in post No.5
are in the ball park, then something like 7,082,136 new arrivals have checked into
the fiery sector of Hades since Oct 08, 2020.
_

 

[Beetow]

• Ex 20:5 . . I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the
fathers on the children, on the third and the fourth generations of those who hate
Me.

Faq: How is that fair? holding children responsible for what their parents do?

A: Ex 20:5-- along with Ex 34:7, Num 14:18, and Deut 5:9 --is often construed to
mean that children are held responsible for their parents' sins; but that isn't it.
What we're looking at here is collateral damage. It is apparently God's prerogative
to get back at people by going after their posterity and/or the people they govern.

There's a horrific example of collateral damage located at Num 16:25-34.

Another is the Flood. No doubt quite a few underage children drowned in that event
due to their parents' decadence.

The same happened to the children in Sodom and Gomorrah.

Ham's punishment for humiliating his father Noah was a curse upon his son
Canaan.

During Moses' face-off with Pharaoh, God moved against the man's firstborn son
along with all those of his subjects.

There are times when God chooses to judge people by going after not only
themselves; but also the things that pertain to them; including, but not limited to,
their progeny. I don't quite understand the logic of that kind of justice; but then
again: I don't try; I just go along with it; primarily because it's futile to find fault
with God-- it's a foregone conclusion that you'll lose.

• Isa 45:9 . . Destruction is certain for those who argue with their creator. Does a
clay pot ever argue with its maker? Does the clay dispute with the one who shapes
it, saying: Stop, you are doing it wrong! Does the pot exclaim: How clumsy can you
be!

UPDATE: 117 days have elapsed since my first comment. If the figures in post No.5
are in the ball park, then something like 7,268,508 new arrivals have checked into
the fiery sector of Hades since Oct 08, 2020.
_

 

[Beetow]

• Jonah 1:17 . . Jonah was in the belly of a fish for three days and three nights

Faq: Was Jonah alive in the fish?

A: Yes. (Jonah 2:1)

Faq: The whole time?

A: No.

At some point in his nautical adventure Jonah went to a place called sheol (Jonah
2:2) which he sited at the bottoms of the mountains. (Jonah 2:6)

Well; the bottoms of the mountains aren't located in the tummies of fish, no;
they're located down deep in the earth. So, the only way that Jonah could possibly
be at the bottoms of the mountains while in the belly of a fish at the same time was
for the man and his body to part company and go their separate ways.

Just before being cast ashore, Jonah prayed thus:

• Jonah 2:6 . .To the bottoms of the mountains I went down. As for the earth, its
bars were upon me for time indefinite. But out of the pit you proceeded to bring up
my life, O Jehovah my God.

The Hebrew word for "pit" in that verse is the very same word for pit in Ps 16:8-10;
which Acts 2:25-31 verifies is speaking of putrefaction. In other words: Jonah 2:6
tells of Jonah's resurrection. (There's reason to believe that Jonah was already dead
from drowning in the sea's depths before the fish showed up to swallow him.)

Christ underwent the very same afterlife experience as Jonah's. The only real
difference between the two was that Christ's grave was in a rock while Jonah's
grave was in a fish.

The key points in their experiences are that both were dead, both went to the
bottoms of the mountains while their corpse reposed in a grave, and both were
resurrected within three days and three nights. (Matt 12:40)

Faq: What does the story of Jonah have to do with hell?

A: It's widely believed that when people die they cease to exist. Well; were that
belief a fact; then Jesus would've ceased to exist when he passed away on the
cross. As a result: he would not have been resurrected back to life, instead, Jesus
would've been created back to life. Jonah's experience proves that Jesus continued
to exist out of body when he pass away; and if he and Jonah did, then everyone
else does too.

UPDATE: 120 days have elapsed since my first comment. If the figures in post No.5
are in the ball park, then something like 7,454,880 new arrivals have checked into
the fiery sector of Hades since Oct 08, 2020.
_

 

[Beetow]

• Ps 146:3-4 . . Put not your trust in princes, nor in the son of man, in whom there
is no help. His breath goeth forth, he returneth to his earth; in that very day his
thoughts perish.

Some people honestly believe the passage above teaches that people cease to exist
when they pass away; but were their belief true, then Christ would've ceased to
exist when he passed away on the cross and in order to restore the Lord's body
back to life, it would've necessary to create him back to existence. No; I'm pretty
sure it's saying something very different. It's not talking about consciousness.
Here's a much better way to say it.

"When their breathing stops, they return to the earth, and in a moment all their
plans come to an end."

Consider all those people who perished in the World Trade Center, in the Japan and
Indonesia tsunamis, and the Haiti earthquake. None of them woke that day
planning on it being their last on earth. No, on the contrary; they had people to
see, places to go, and things to do: but before the day ended; whatever was on
their minds lost its importance-- their priorities went right out the window and
became no more significant than green cheese on the moon.

All their plans, their dreams, their schedules, their appointments, their schemes,
their problems, their aspirations, and their loves went right down the tubes as they
were suddenly confronted with a whole new reality to cope with.

While preparing for a new world tour, Michael Jackson died in his sleep. As a result;
his tour wrapped on the spot.

When my eldest nephew was paroled from prison; he quit drinking, and began
going to college with the goal towards becoming a counselor. For 2½ years all went
well. His parole officer was happy, and my nephew was on track and getting good
grades. His future looked assured. And then on the morning of Sept 25, 2015, he
dropped dead to the floor of natural causes. As a result; his college education, and
his hope to become a counselor, dropped dead to the floor right with him.

UPDATE: 123 days have elapsed since my first comment. If the figures in post No.5
are in the ball park, then something like 7,641,252 new arrivals have checked into
the fiery sector of Hades since Oct 08, 2020.
_

 

[Beetow]

Here in America, even the worst among the worst have the right to a lawyer, and if
they can't afford one, the system will appoint a public defender for them.

But in hell; people are abandoned. For example: the names of Abraham and
Lazarus are given in Luke 16:19-31, but the rich man's name isn't given. He's a
forgotten man; but not me.

• Rom 8:33-34 . . Who will bring any charge against those whom God has chosen?
It is God who justifies. Who is he that condemns? Christ Jesus who died? More than
that, who was raised to life; who is at the right hand of God and is also interceding
for us?

I will be represented before God and not stand alone; but that nameless rich man?

UPDATE: 126 days have elapsed since my first comment. If the figures in post No.5
are in the ball park, then something like 7,827,624 new arrivals have checked into
the fiery sector of Hades since Oct 08, 2020.
_

 

[Beetow]

Saturday, June 27, 2010, a 6-month-old baby girl was killed and her mother
seriously injured when the pair were struck by a falling tree branch in New York
City's Central Park Zoo. The girl's father was taking their picture near the sea lion
exhibit when a branch above them suddenly snapped off and fell.

Tuesday, July 3, 2007; nineteen year-old Ramiro Gonzalez was returning home to
Nyssa Oregon from a week-end honeymoon in northern California with his bride
Idalia asleep in the back seat when their 1997 Pontiac Grand Am hit a cow twenty
miles east of Burns. The Pontiac went off the road, through a fence, and burst into
flames. Idalia escaped with only minor injuries, but Ramiro died at the Ste. Charles
Medical Center in Bend the very next day.

Ramiro and his bride didn't get to live in a home of their own for even one single
minute of their marriage-- never had a baby, never joined the PTA, never saved for
college, never went to ballet lessons, nor to soccer or little league, never went on
family picnics, never took home movies and photos at Christmas, Easter, or
birthdays, never went to the beach and built sand castles --no, their entire future,
and all their dreams of family life, were shattered in an instant by a lame-brained
bovine; and Ramiro wasn't even 20 years old yet. He could've lived another fifty
years.

March 20, 2008; fifty-seven year old Judy Kay Zagorski, of Pigeon, Michigan, was
sitting in the front seat of her father's boat going 25 knots on the Atlantic Ocean
side of Vaca Key in Florida, when a Spotted Eagle Ray, with a wingspan of 5 to 6
feet; leaped up out of the water-- for who knows what reason --and collided with
Zagorski, knocking her backwards onto the deck of the boat. She died from the
impact. Judy's sister, standing next to her, wasn't injured.

On a November morning in 1998, Alan Pakula climbed into his Volvo station wagon
and began the 100-mile drive from Manhattan to his Long Island house. The
acclaimed movie director of Sophie's Choice, All The President's Men, and The
Pelican Brief, had made that trip countless times with no incident.

As the 70 year-old Pakula neared exit 49 on the Long Island Expressway just before
noon, the tires of a vehicle ahead of him flipped a 7-foot piece of steel rod into the
air. Within seconds, the rod shot through Pakula's windshield, smashing into his
forehead, killing him almost instantly.

Death often comes when people least expect it. As a rule, they don't usually get up
in the morning planning it to be their last day on earth. The 169,752 killed, and
127,294 listed as missing in more than eleven countries by the tsunami of 2004,
were taken by surprise, and given no warning it was to be their last day on earth.

The 2,829 people who perished in a terrorist attack on the World Trade Center on
September 11, 2001, and the 189 who died in the Pentagon, didn't go in to work
expecting their lives to end before lunch that day. No, people's lives often end while
they still have obligations and commitments, aspirations, things to do, places to go,
and people to see; when a car accident, train wreck, act of nature, plane crash,
crime, heart attack, or stroke puts an abrupt end to every plan they ever made.

Tuesday, Jan 12, 2010, a 7.0 earthquake struck Port au Prince Haiti right out of the
blue subsequently causing the loss of more than 200,000 lives. A similar act of
nature on March 11, 2011, left 25,000 dead and/or missing in Japan.

Okeechobee woman Dawn Johnston, 38, was killed Wednesday June 30, 2010 after
part of a portable toilet crashed through her car's windshield. Dawn was driving
south on SR 15 shortly after 11 a.m. when two portable toilets fell from the trailer
of a pickup truck traveling north,. The portable toilets shattered when they hit the
road, and a piece of one of them crashed through the woman's windshield, striking
her. Johnston's car then veered off the road and collided with a tree.

A rain-saturated hillside above the Stillaguamish River on the outskirts of the rural
town of Oso in the State of Washington gave way March 22, 2014 leaving behind a
current death toll of 41 souls. The landslide happened to suddenly and so rapidly
that nobody saw it coming and/or had the slightest chance of getting out of the
way. Listed among the dead and missing was a four-month old infant.

Freak incidents like those listed above can happen to anybody in the form of a stray
bullet from a drive-by, lightening strike, gas explosion, choking on a piece of meat,
electrocution, earthquake, a drunk driver, a fall in the bath tub; bricks dropped
from an overpass, a school shooting, or any number of out-of-the-blue surprises.

Because of the uncertainty of tomorrow, people need to start thinking about the
afterlife today, now, while they have the chance; rather than risk being caught off
guard by sudden death when there will be no time to think; and they find
themselves suddenly thrust into the unseen world quite unprepared.

• Ecc 9:12 . . No man knows when his hour will come: as fish are caught in a cruel
net, or birds are taken in a snare, so men are trapped by evil times that fall
unexpectedly upon them.

UPDATE: 129 days have elapsed since my first comment. If the figures in post No.5
are in the ball park, then something like 8,013,996 new arrivals have checked into
the fiery sector of Hades since Oct 08, 2020.
_

 

[Reba1]

Rev_7:9 After this I beheld, and, lo, a great multitude, which no man could number, of all nations, and kindreds, and people, and tongues, stood before the throne, and before the Lamb, clothed with white robes, and palms in their hands;

 

[B-A-C]

Rev_7:9 After this I beheld, and, lo, a great multitude, which no man could number, of all nations, and kindreds, and people, and tongues, stood before the throne, and before the Lamb, clothed with white robes, and palms in their hands;

See post #1 in this thread, about that verse.

 

[Beetow]

Rev_7:9 After this I beheld, and, lo, a great multitude, which no man could
number, of all nations, and kindreds, and people, and tongues, stood before the
throne, and before the Lamb, clothed with white robes, and palms in their
hands;

Just about every expositor that I read and/or listen to is in agreement that verse
doesn't speak of Jesus' church, rather, it speaks of people who will get saved during
the tribulation period. In other words, they will miss the rapture which, I have no
doubt, will be quite a wake-up call for quite a few people all around the world.
_

 

[Reba1]

See post #1 in this thread, about that verse.

In reading your posts i have no doubt you love our Lord, and all that goes with that love . I do hope you realize ti's the same for me. I am amazed at His Word , How it was written , How we can read and re-read finding something new. What a wonderful Book . God could have gave us a list and nothing more .. do this do not do this He wonderfully chose not to He could have said 2 billion 7hiundred and 51 thousand folks will be in heaven. He chose 'open ended ' words, like multitude . Please note this is not against your postings in any way it it just my musings at His Word , The wisdom it is written with etc. How boring would it be if His Word was written in a fashion that would not bring discussion.

 

[Reba1]

Just about every expositor that I read and/or listen to is in agreement that verse
doesn't speak of Jesus' church, rather, it speaks of people who will get saved during
the tribulation period. In other words, they will miss the rapture which, I have no
doubt, will be quite a wake-up call for quite a few people all around the world.
_

Although i dont agree i am familiar with that teaching,.