Posted on 08/01/2013 8:41:18 PM PDT by pastorbillrandles
A god of goodness, a god of evil, and all their minions, angels and devils flittering about, seems perhaps like Hinduism, but not like monotheism to me.
I believe it's more literal...They now have the technology and power to literally make this happen...
I've read the “Left Behind” series, for example, and Salem Kirban’s books. Although I think there is a beast and a false prophet, etc., there are numerous incidents, and theological points that I disputed when reading them. It's been a while, so don't ask me to regurgitate them right now.
Revelation is presented as a vision (Rev 1:2), so allegorical and metaphorical elements are to be expected, although I believe they predict actual events.
The trick, to my mind, is to distinguish what is to be taken literally, and what is a metaphor for some literal event or person.
The greater trick is to determine how what you read can help you become a better Christian. I think a lot of sincere Christians may fall a bit short on this point.
Therefore, while I have definite views on the book, I also have many questions. I am not at all dogmatic about it.
There are only 2 things that I am dogmatic about: 1) without Christ as your personal Saviour, you are lost and going to a literal Hell, and 2) Jesus is coming again to judge the nations.
Every thing else is details on which I may well be mistaken. In fact #2 is secondary to #1. which is the only thing that really matters.
Revelation is full of prophetic language from the Old Testament, and IMO the phrase is a prophetic metaphor meant to invoke the language of Deuteronomy 11:18-19:
“You shall therefore lay up these words of mine in your heart and in your soul, and you shall bind them as a sign on your hand, and they shall be as frontlets between your eyes.The verse in Revelation IMO is meant to refer to how an entire generation has learned to think (the "mark on the forehead") and act (the "mark on the hand"). My view is that in the Tribulation, it will be impossible for anyone to do business without thinking and acting like an unbeliever, because that entire generation (and probably those that preceded it) will not have been instructed by their parents in Biblical morals and guidelines for conducting business (i.e. in violation of the command in Deuteronomy).
You shall teach them to your children, talking of them when you are sitting in your house, and when you are walking by the way, and when you lie down, and when you rise.
Could be...
He’s gone now. Anti-God posters have a very short life expectancy.
You aren't kidding about that. We're in a very, very dark place and most haven't a clue.
When i read some of their antagonistic in-credible interpretations of Scripture, i know the devil is at work.
The interesting thing about this position is that if you can't seem to see your way thru to taking something literally, You are still faced with figuring out what it alludes to or what it is a metaphor of...
Many people fall into this trend and when claiming metaphor or allegory, they then drop the issue as unimportant...We should by 'searching the scriptures' be able to figure out what those allegories allude to...
All thru out history, the means has been there to mark or brand a person with the Mark of the Beast and has always been relevant as the bible describes it...
A while back, I heard a caller to a Christian radio show make the following statement:
“God can’t send me to hell. I’m an American.” I almost wrecked my car, I was laughing so hard.
Ah, that was sorta what I was trying to say. You expressed it much better than I.
Doesn’t mean I agree, or disagree. As I said, I threw it out as a question.
Thanks for the reply.
At best you are using some commonalities at the expense of their distinctions. And what is your defining source on what monotheism is?
I expressed earlier that you need the lower, more obvious, i.e., literal meanings figured out before you go for higher, metaphorical meanings, or you will come a cropper theologically, in my opinion.
This one anyway, though otherwise i was hoping for a reasonable exchange.
This is the hole in any Humanistic argument - their defining source authority is either their own opinion or the opinion of some other human, and is no better of an authority than any other opposing opinion.
And if they refer to some collective opinion, well, those change with time as well, so who's to say which is "right"?
OK...I get it... :)
I believe you will find agnostics on Free Republic and true atheists - ones who do not believe but are not on a mission to destroy belief (anti-God activists.)
Maybe pastorbill would define what he means by “hell” since he states that the modern generation doesn’t understand or “get” hell.
If we would have this generation understand we must be clear, accurate and truthful about what is being taught. It appeared that that you were treating “hell” and the “lake of fire” as one and the same.
The Scriptures do not do this.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.