Posted on 06/01/2021 7:59:44 AM PDT by JAG 5000
An Unloving Unnecessary Monstrous Interpretation Of Matthew 7:13-14
By JAG
May 30, 2021
Matthew 7:13-14 "Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the way that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. But small is the gate and narrow is the road that leads to life, and only a few find it."
Humans put forth their own interpretation of Matthew 7:13-14 and their own interpretation has consequences. Their own interpretation of Matthew 7:13-14 also tells us what they think God is like in His nature. The interpretation of Matthew 7:13-14 presented by the three schools of Pessimistic Eschatology. which are {1) Amillennialism (2) Premillennialism (3) Dispensationalism present God as deliberately choosing to create a race of untold billions of His human creatures knowing BEFORE He chose to create them that the majority of them would spend an eternity screaming in agony in the pits of eternal Hell. And many of these folks tell us not only will the majority of God's human creatures scream in Hell for all eternity, but it will be the overwhelming vast majority that scream in agony in Hell for all eternity. Then in the next breath they tell us that God is LOVE and full of kindness and compassion.
My view is that their free-will-chosen interpretation of Matthew 7:13-14 is wrong. It's not right to do that. It's not a good thing to do that. It's a bad thing to interpret Matthew 7:13-14 in such a way that portrays God as the kind of Being that would create untold billions of human beings knowing BEFORE He created them that the majority would end up screaming in agony in Hell for all eternity, but then knowing that, went ahead and created them anyway, but this is exactly and precisely what their interpretation of Matthew 7:13-14 means and they cannot escape from this their portrayal of the nature of God. Their interpretation of Matthew 7:13-14 tells you, that on their interpretation of Matthew 7:13-14, God has done exactly that and that God is the kind of Being who would do that and that He actually has done that.
What is the solution to this? There is an alternative interpretation of Matthew 7:13-14 that is reasonable and it says Matthew 7:13-14 describes ONLY the very bad spiritual conditions of the 1st century when Jesus spoke the words of Matthew 7:13-14 in that 1st century generation of Jews who ended up rejecting Him as their Savior and ultimately murdered the innocent Lord Jesus. Indeed only a relatively few in that 1st century generation, did find the Lord Jesus as their Savior. But that 1st century generation is NOT representative of the entire human race and all future human generations, and there is NOT a single Bible verse that says it is. So? So you don't have to believe that it is representative. You can use your free will to choose NOT to believe that it is representative of the entire human race. And in fact it is NOT representative of the entire human race and all future generations.
So?
So the three schools of Pessimistic Eschatology {1) Amillennialism (2) Premillennialism (3) Dispensationalism do NOT have to interpret Matthew7:13-14 as being historically predictive of the future of the human race. They use their free will to choose to interpret Matthew 7:13-14 that way ~~ and it's wrong to do that. It's not right. It's not a good thing to do, to interpret Matthew 7:13-14 in such as way that presents God as being the kind of Being that creates untold billions of human beings knowing BEFORE He created them, that the majority of them would end up screaming in agony in Hell for all eternity.
In this connection see my OP in this thread: https://freerepublic.com/focus/f-religion/3962596/posts
Pessimistic?
The passage simply reveals that God is both ferocious and good at the same time.
Scripture teaches both the volition of man and the sovereign choice of God. We want to break the tension between these by trying to erase one or the other, but it is better to let them both be as stated.
I am kinda premillenialist and dispensationalist. My friend calls it panmillenialist — everything will pan out in the end.
Here’s a glimpse. We sinful humans have managed to multiply and inherit the earth, headed for 8 billion souls. We have escaped the surly bonds of our gravity well, are aiming towards colonizing other planets, have overcome many mass-death diseases.
When Jesus returns, surely at the end of His millennial kingdom we will have uncountable multitudes, trillions of souls across thousands of colonized planets. Those few jerks who railed against Christ will look like a tiny minority, a drop in the bucket compared to the trillions of souls saved.
Panmillenialism.
No, the real problem is ALL the interpretation’s assumptions that the alternative to “being saved” is to “be in agony in hell for eternity”. I do not think such a fate is what awaits the “unsaved”. What “eternal” fate really awaits the “unsaved” is non-existence (eternal death, not eternal agony). And that is not an “aim” of G-d, but a consequence of what the human free will can lead to, if it choses not the narrow path. It is a consequence of the conditions laid down within the individual by the individual choices, again NOT the aim of G-d. It would not be G-d’s “compassion” to treat humans as automatons that by some force of G-d were only able to chose the right path. G-d’s kingdom would not be built by such a collective of weakness.
Your interpretation is philosophy, not scripture.
The older I get and the more history I read, the more convinced I am that Jesus was the only thing unique about the first century.
Just one example:. The woke very much reflect the Pharisees in character.
“There is an alternative interpretation of Matthew 7:13-14 that is reasonable and it says Matthew 7:13-14 describes ONLY the very bad spiritual conditions of the 1st century when Jesus spoke the words of Matthew 7:13-14 in that 1st century generation of Jews who ended up rejecting Him as their Savior and ultimately murdered the innocent Lord Jesus.”
That’s not a reasonable interpretation though. The words of the verse are plainly universal and there isn’t even the slightest hint that they only apply to a very narrow and specific audience. Also, we can cross-reference this verse with numerous other verses in the Bible that say similar things and which can’t possibly be twisted to only apply to that specific audience.
So this is just stretching the words of the verse to try and fit your own preconceived beliefs rather than just accepted the words for what they say.
Jesus returns before the millenial kingdom though.
The Good news IS the good news because BAD NEWS comes first: We are born sinners and God is perfectly just.
And humans don’t get to vote on God.
So yes, a way out of facing God’s Wrath IS “good news”!
Yep, He returns pre-millenial.
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.