HARD QUESTIONS - NYOBS 41.05

HARD QUESTIONS

Maybe there are hundreds of ways to God; maybe there are only two ways,

maybe there’s only one way; maybe there’s NO way.

To consider any of these thoughts, you need an OPEN MIND

Passing Thoughts

·         Concerning the World –

A.    The world came about by accident or evolution apart from a Creator.

B.     It has always existed apart from a Creator.

C.     It was created by an unmoved mover.

·         This study embraces the un-moved mover theory; there is a God who made the world and is still active in maintaining its existence and balance. - (Note; Evolution is an UNPROVEN THEORY)

·         Concerning God –

A.    All the spokes in a wheel lead to the same hub. –There are many paths to the same God.  

B.     Surely there is a path that is truer than the others.

C.     God sets the rules, He can reveal Himself in a number of ways; through an audible voice, feelings, visions, dreams, prophets or none of the above.

·         Concerning Man –

A.    We are all born into a cast of values that are taught to us by our family. 

B.     If I was born into a Muslim family, I would be brought up to be a Muslim.

C.     If my family did not believe in God at all; neither would I. – In all probability, we will follow in the same footsteps as our parents.

God Made Known

·         QUESTION: If there is a God; wouldn’t He make Himself known to us in the most clearest way possible?

·         Bible: From the beginning of time, what MAY be known about God has been made plain to us by Him. – It is our own spirit that suppresses the truth. - Since the creation of the world God’s invisible qualities, His eternal power and divine nature has been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, and He gave proof by raising His Son Jesus Christ from the dead, so that we are without excuse.

1 John 3:24 - Whoever keeps His commandments abides in God
²⁴ whoever keeps his commandments abides in God, and God in him. And by this we know that he abides in us, by the Spirit whom he has given us.

(ESV)

Romans 1:18-19 – What MAY be known about God is made plain
¹⁸  The wrath of God is being revealed from heaven against all the godlessness and wickedness of people, who suppress the truth by their wickedness,
¹⁹  since what MAY be known about God is plain to them, because God has made it plain to them.

Acts 17:31 – God has given proof – Raised Jesus from the dead
³¹  For he has set a day when he will judge the world with justice by the man he has appointed. HE HAS GIVEN PROOF of this to everyone by raising him from the dead.” (NIV2011)

Romans 1:20 – We are without excuse
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.

The Book

·         QUESTION; why is the Bible the only True Book of God? – Certainly there are other books.

·         Bible:  Two of the writers of the Gospels (Matthew and John) were disciples of Jesus Christ.  They heard Him, saw Him and touched Him and then proclaimed the good news so that others would have the opportunity to have fellowship with Him.  All the Disciples proclaimed his resurrection till their death and never recanted. - NYOBS 29.02 - CASE FOR CHRISTIANITY.

·         Muslims – Even the Qur’an acknowledges the life and works of Jesus Christ.

·         Josephus the Jewish Historian – Lived at a time when he could have known some of the Original Twelve Disciples - He was not a Christian and in fact believed that the Roman Emperor Vespasian was the Messiah.  - As Josephus just mentioned Jesus in passing, we should take note of all the things he spoke of; he said Jesus was the Christ; a worker of wonderful works and was crucified and rose from the dead on the third day just as it was prophesized.

·         Fact:  It is a historical Fact that Jesus lived, died and was resurrected from the dead.  If Christ has not been raised from the dead then our faith is in vain. – There is no other hope

1 John 1:1-3 – We have heard, seen and touched Him.
¹  That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we looked upon and have touched with our hands, concerning the word of life—
²  the life was made manifest, and we have seen it, and testify to it and proclaim to you the eternal life, which was with the Father and was made manifest to us—
³  that which we have seen and heard we proclaim also to you, so that you too may have fellowship with us; and indeed our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son Jesus Christ. (ESV)

Josephus 18.3.63-64 - Wise, teacher, wonderful works, Christ

63 Now there was about this time, Jesus, a wise man, if it be lawful to call him a man, for he was a doer of wonderful works, a teacher of such means received the truth with pleasure.  He drew over to him both many of the Jews and many of the Gentiles.  He was the Christ.  64 And when Pilate, at the suggestion of the principal men amongst us, had condemned him to the cross, those that loved him at the first did not forsake him, for he appeared to them alive again on the third day; as the divine prophets had foretold these and ten thousand other wonderful things concerning him.  And the tribe of Christians, so named from him are not extinct at this day.

1 Corinthians 15:14 – If He was not raised – Our faith is in vain
¹⁴ And if Christ has not been raised, then our preaching is in vain and your faith is in vain. (ESV)

Only One Way

·         QUESTION: Where did the concept come from that says that belief in Jesus Christ as the Messiah is the only way to God?

·         Bible: It was Jesus Christ Himself that said it. – “No one comes to the Father except through me”. – To go to heaven you must believe in Jesus Christ.

·         Belief in Greek (Pisteuo) not only means to intellectually accept Jesus as the Messiah, but to walk in obedience to His commands. – Belief equals obedience; not intellectual gymnastics.

John 3:3 – Unless one is born again, he cannot enter the Kingdom
³ Jesus answered him, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God.”

(ESV)

John 3:36 - Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life
³⁶ Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life; whoever does not obey the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God remains on him. (ESV)

John 14:6 - No one comes to the Father except through me
⁶ Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.

(ESV)

John 14:8-10 - Whoever has seen me has seen the Father
⁸ Philip said to him, “Lord, show us the Father, and it is enough for us.”
⁹ Jesus said to him, “Have I been with you so long, and you still do not know me, Philip? Whoever has seen me has seen the Father. How can you say, ‘Show us the Father’?
¹⁰ Do you not believe that I am in the Father and the Father is in me? The words that I say to you I do not speak on my own authority, but the Father who dwells in me does his works. (ESV)

EVIL

·         QUESTION: If God created everything, then He must have created EVIL.

·         Bible:  God created Angels and man with Free Will and with that He opened the door for Him to CHOOSE to do the greatest Good or the possibility to do the greatest Evil.  Satan had this same choice.

·         You may then ponder that if God is omniscience, that He knows everything, then He must have known that Adam would mess up. - You are right; Satan had already exercised his Free Will and rebelled before Adam was ever created. - God did know Adam would sin and had already put into effect the plan of salvation so man could find “THE WAY” back to God.

1 John 3 -8 – The Plan of Salvation was from the beginning

 8 He who does what is sinful is of the devil, because the devil has been sinning from the beginning. The reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the devil's work.

NIV

Isa 14:13-14 – Satan’s FREE WILL - The five I wills

13 You said in your heart, "I will ascend to heaven; I will raise my throne above the stars of God; I will sit enthroned on the mount of assembly, on the utmost heights of the sacred mountain.  

14 I will ascend above the tops of the clouds; I will make myself like the Most High." NIV

Adam’s Sins

·         QUESTION: Why would a loving God punish someone for mistakes or sins that were committed by someone else in his past; like the first man ADAM for instance? – Why should I pay for his sins?

·         Bible: Scriptures bares out that in all probability, children will follow in the same footsteps as their Father. - Sin requires punishment. - It is true that the one man ADAM sinned and now ALL have been separated from God because of his mistake, and on our own we are NOT ABLE to even seek God.

·         BUT God reached out and sent His only begotten Son to provide THE WAY to unite us once again to Himself and enabled us to SEEK Him through the power of the Holy Spirit.

·         Good News; you need not have to pay for Adam’s sins. – Christ has already paid the price for THE WAY of escape; IF you want it. - The Christian movement was known as THE WAY because there is NO other way to God.

·         God has provided THE WAY and since we know THE WAY; it’s not Adam’s bad choices now that condemns us, it’s our own choices. – Life is Choice Driven.

Romans 5:18-19 - One man’s disobedience made us sinners
¹⁸ Therefore, as one trespass (Adam) led to condemnation for all men, so one act of righteousness leads to justification and life for all men.
¹⁹ For as by the one man’s disobedience the many were made sinners, so by the one man’s obedience (Jesus) the many will be made righteous. (ESV)

John 6:65- No one can come to me unless granted by the Father
⁶⁵ And he said, “This is why I told you that no one can come to me unless it is granted him by the Father.”(ESV)

Romans 6:5 – We will be united with Christ at the Resurrection
⁵ or if we have been united with him in a death like his, we shall certainly be united with him in a resurrection like his. (ESV)

Acts 19:23 – Christianity was called THE WAY
²³ And about that time there arose a great commotion about THE WAY. (NKJ)

1 Corinthians 10:13 – God has provided THE WAY of escape
¹³ God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will provide the way of escape.

Deuteronomy 24:16 - You will be punished for only your choices
¹⁶ Fathers shall not be put to death because of their children, nor shall children be put to death because of their fathers. Each one shall be put to death for his own sin. (ESV)

A Life Sentence

·         QUESTION; Why would a God of love sentence someone to be TORMENTED in HELL FIRE FOREVER just because he mistakenly chose to worship the god he had always been taught to worship, which turned out to be the wrong god?

·         Bible – Love does not exclude wrath - God has given us FREE WILL and with that privilege comes responsibilities. - God has lovingly given us an entire lifetime to SEEK and FEEL OUR WAY and FIND Him and to accept or reject His Son Jesus Christ as the Messiah.

·         When I taught Electronics at Atlanta Technical School, I would mention something only once and on the test only the brightest students would get it. - I wanted some to NOT get it.

·         It was Jesus, the very embodiment of love who warned again and again and again about the wrath of God; the punishment and torment of Hell. - HE WANTS US TO GET IT.  

2 Corinthians 8:3 – Man has FREE WILL
³ For I can testify that they gave not only what they could afford, but far more. And they did it of their own free will.

(NLT)

John 3:16-17 - Whoever believes will have eternal life.
¹⁶ For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.
¹⁷ For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world MIGHT be saved through him.

(ESV)

Acts 17:27 – His purpose was for us to SEEK and FIND Him.
²⁷ His purpose was for the nations to seek after God and perhaps feel their way toward him and find him—though he is not far from any one of us. (NLT)

Hebrews 9:27 – A lifetime to seek and choose then the judgment
²⁷ And as it is appointed for men to die once, but after this the judgment.  

(NKJV)

Babies, Handicapped people

·         QUESTION: Will a new born baby or a child or a mentally challenged person or someone who has never heard of Jesus Christ go to Hell?

·         Bible: YES and NO – I believe that a glimpse into scriptures indicates that God will judge people according to what they would have done had they had heard and understood the message. – There are those who do not know right from wrong and therefore do not sin; they WILL enter into the kingdom of God.

Romans 2:15-16 – God judges the secrets of men
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
¹⁶ on that day when, according to my gospel, God judges the secrets of men by Christ Jesus.

(ESV)

Deuteronomy 1:39 – Not knowing good from bad are SAVED
³⁹ And the little ones that you said would be taken captive, your children who do not yet know good from bad—they WILL ENTER the land. I will give it to them and they will take possession of it. (NIV2011)

Luke 12:47-48 – He that did not know receives a light sentence
⁴⁷ And that servant who knew his master’s will but did not get ready or act according to his will, will receive a severe beating.
⁴⁸ But the one who did not know, and did what deserved a beating, will receive a light beating. Everyone to whom much was given, of him much will be required, and from him to whom they entrusted much, they will demand the more.

(ESV)

A Question of HELL

• QUESTION; why would a loving God create a place of torment for man such as HELL?

·         Bible - Hell was NOT created for man, but was prepared for Satan and his followers who were the Angels that rebelled against God – It’s by our CHOICE that we rebel against God that lumps us in with Satan and his gang. – Hell’s dreadful torment is for those that knew THE WAY to God, but rejected it.

·         At Death the wicked, not the righteous descent into a place known as Sheol or Hell.

·         Understand this; Satan is not in charge of Hell, he’s just one of the boys in torment where everyone still does the same old thing that they always did on earth before their death.

• Hell is the lower parts of the earth holding the wicked dead till the end of the millennium - you are NOT instantly annihilated, but are tormented in the unquenchable fires that go on endlessly, and it gets worse.  At the return of Christ, Hell and its contents will be thrown into the burning Lake of Fire and Sulfur where the wicked will be tormented forever. 
• It’s an un-seen world of disembodied spirits that are full of remorse, fear, and despair; with memories of what they should have done and didn’t; full of sorrow for their bad examples, and with a hopelessness of escape and in a state of regret over doing evil deeds that cannot be recalled.  They are in deep despair that they did not listen to God’s word, and are aware of their families on earth, and have this hopeless desire to warn them somehow.
• You are in the gloom of darkness, away from the face of God, with a bunch of demons, Satan and his fallen angels, and the entire unbelieving bunch of wicked folks, plus you have the ordinary run of the mill burning fire, brimstone and sulfur to walk around in.   There’s not very much love in Hell.  – NYOBS 06.22 – DEATH – HELL – NYOBS 21.30 HEAVEN

• Muslims believe in error – “Allah sends to hell whomever he wants.  He created a multitude of spirits and men specifically for the purpose of sending them to hell”. – (Sura 32:13)
• The Bible teaches; Life is Choice Driven, no one is created to go to hell, it’s your choice.  You cannot be neutral – Being neutral is a choice to reject the Gospel of Jesus Christ.  

Matt 25:41 – Hell was not created for man, but for Satan

41 "Then he will say to those on his left, `Depart from me, you who are cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels.

2 Thess 1:9 – Removed from the presence of God forever.

9 They will be punished with everlasting destruction and shut out from the presence of the Lord and from the majesty of his power 

Rev 20:10 – Tormented day and night

10 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

Time out

·         If someone is breaking into our homes, stealing and killing people, we would surely all agree that we would want that person to be put in prison, not only for his past crimes, but to protect the community from future crimes.

·         That’s what Hell is; it’s a prison for those who break the law. – It’s an everlasting wasteland of discarded worthless people who seek to answer only to themselves.

·         The act of rejecting your own country is called treason and in most countries this carries the death penalty, thus the rejection of the love of God carries this same extreme penalty.

·         God cannot be God unless His attributes including His justice be maintained. – It was this justice that nailed His only begotten Son to the cross.

·         We can conclude that a just and loving God will separate the Evil from the Good and will hold people accountable. - SELAH

Names for Hell

·         QUESTION - I’m confused with all the names concerning the afterlife of the wicked.  How many places are there?

·         Bible - Sheol is mention some 60 times in the OT and in the NT it is translated as Hades (10X), Gehenna (12X), Tartarus (1X) which all are rendered as Hell. – With that said, you can with certain believe there is such a place as Hell. 

• Gehenna (Greek) - Hell (Hebrew) - Hades (Greek) - Sheol (Hebrew for Hades); all symbolize the same thing. - Gehenna was a valley just outside of Jerusalem where garbage and dead bodies were thrown with gnawing worms eating the rotting putrid flesh. It burned and smoked day and night.  It is symbolic of what Hades is like. - NYOBS 06.14 DEATH

·         FYI– There is only one place of everlasting punishment. - Before the Day of Judgment, Hell is referred to as Hades which is the abode of the SOULS of the wicked.  After the Day of Judgment it is called Gehenna which is the abode of the BODY and SOUL of the wicked.

God in Hell

·         QUESTION: If God is truly everywhere, Omni-present; then is He also present in Hell? 

·         Bible - YES – But it is not the LOVE of God that is present there, it’s the flip side.

·         Heaven is Heaven because God’s LOVE is there - The righteous are blessed forever.

·         Hell is Hell because God’s WRATH is there - Those in Hell are doomed forever, eternally separated from God’s LOVE.

·         Separated from all that is pure, light and Holy; away from the blessed redeemed saints.

·         Together with all that is pure darkness; with all the evil and hatred there is in man, angels and demons, ALL balled up into one place.

·         SIDE BAR – If I didn’t know anything else but about Hell, I would at once try to find God while I still had a CHOICE.

·         There is no purgatory or reincarnation - (It’s a lie borne out of the pit of hell) - We are appointed ONCE to die and then the judgment. - NYOBS 15.25 PURGATORY – NYOBS 34.07 REINCARNATION

Psalm 139:7-8 – If you make your bed in Hell – God is there
⁷ Where can I go from Your Spirit? Or where can I flee from Your presence?
⁸ If I ascend to heaven, You are there; If I make my bed in Sheol, behold, You are there. (NASB)

Isaiah 13:9 – God’s WRATH and anger comes on Judgment day.
⁹ Watch now. GOD's Judgment Day comes. Cruel it is, a day of wrath and anger, A day to waste the earth and clean out all the sinners. (MSG)

Romans 8:38-39 – The SAVED can’t be separated from His Love.
³⁸ For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come,
³⁹ Nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord. (KJV)

Deuteronomy 32:22 – God’s anger burns in Hell fire.
²² For a fire will be kindled by my wrath, one that burns down to the realm of the dead below (NIV2011)

Hebrews 9:27 – We die ONCE and then the JUDGMENT
²⁷ Just as people are destined to die ONCE, and after that to face judgment, (NIV2011)

Fire – Darkness - Bottomless

·         QUESTION; How can you have fire in Hell and it yet be dark? – That makes no sense, the Bible contradicts itself. – How can Hell be bottomless, that makes no sense?

·         Bible: Hell is lit up with unquenchable fire – It devours forever and ever. – Moses saw a bush that was on fire, but it was never consumed, it just kept burning.

·         The LOVE of God is LIGHT where the redeemed stand blessed in His brilliance forever.

·         The WRATH of god is the GLOOM of outer darkness far from the LIGHT of God.

·         The darkness of Hell is the total absence of God’s light.

·         Hell is bottomless – My personal thoughts is that Hell is in the shape of a ball located in the center of the earth and no matter how far down you go, it just keeps going - round and round.  - There’s NO beginning, NO end, NO escape and NO HOPE… for eternity.

Jude 1:6 – Chains of darkness
⁶ And I remind you of the angels who did not stay within the limits of authority God gave them but left the place where they belonged. God has kept them securely chained in prisons of darkness, waiting for the great Day of Judgment.

(NLT)

Matthew 22:13 – Outer Darkness
¹³ Then the king said to his aides, ‘Bind his hands and feet and throw him into the outer darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’

(NLT)

Jude 1:13 Doomed forever to the blackest darkness
¹³  They are like wild waves of the sea, churning up the foam of their shameful deeds. They are like wandering stars, doomed forever to blackest darkness.

(NLT)

Matthew 13:42 – Fiery Furnace
⁴² And the angels will throw them into the fiery furnace, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.

(NLT)

Revelation 14:10 – Fire and burning sulfur
¹⁰And they will be tormented with fire and burning sulfur in the presence of the holy angels and the Lamb.

(NLT)

Matthew 3:12 – Never ending fire
¹² He is ready to separate the chaff (the evil) from the wheat (the good) with his winnowing fork. Then he will clean up the threshing area, gathering the wheat (the good) into his barn, but burning the chaff (the evil) with never-ending fire.” (NLT)

Exodus 3:2 - Though the bush was on fire, it did not burn up
² There the angel of the LORD appeared to him in flames of fire from within a bush. Moses saw that though the bush was on fire it did not burn up.

(NIV2011)

Luke 8:31 - Hell is a bottomless pit

³¹ The demons kept begging Jesus not to send them into the bottomless pit. (NLT)

Good Works

·         QUESTION: Why do people throw rocks at the works of the of the Mormon’s and Jehovah Witnesses “missionary endeavors” as they go from door to door witnessing?

·         Bible: The Doctrine of salvation is not achieved through WORKS. – Works exists because you have been saved. – Believing that your works as a missionary saves you is a false teaching. – The work of Jesus Christ on the cross was final – Salvation is Jesus Christ plus nothing else. – You do not have to be a missionary in order to be saved.

·         The Jews are basically a nation of Humanism; a nation of Works as they have rejected the New Covenant and continue to embrace the Old Covenant which God rendered inoperative. – However this will change; probably right after the rapture of the believers. Just sayin’

·         NOTE: Disproving another religion does not prove Christianity, but it does plant a fence post to see what’s lining up with the rest of the Bible Scriptures.

·         Scripture indicates that as Christians, many are trusting in their works, but are not walking in obedience.  Sadly to say, God will say He never knew them. – It’s in the book.

Matthew 7:21-23 – It’s not WORKS that saves; its OBEDIENCE
²¹ Not everyone that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven.
²² Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? And in thy name have cast out devils? And in thy name done many wonderful WORKS?
²³ And then will I profess unto them, I NEVER KNEW YOU: depart from me, ye that work iniquity. (KJV)

Knowledge

·         QUESTION:  My dad is the Preacher in the church and my Mother teaches Sunday School therefore I know a lot about God, so am I not saved?

·         Bible:  Good for your mom and dad; but although you know God as a PK (preachers kid), you do not glorify nor give thanks to Him and that has darkened your heart, therefore God has given you over to the sinful desires of your own heart. – You are not interested in TRUTH. - It’s not about knowledge; it’s about obedience.

·         A young man was applying for a job with me and gave glowing testimonies of what his momma was doing in the church and community.  I listened for some time, then I asked him for his own personal testimony.  He did not have one.

·         God does not have any step children – only children – You can’t get to heaven on your mama and daddy’s coat tail.

·         Scripture – You will know them by their fruit. – The saved bear fruit; where is your fruit?

Romans 1:21-23 – You knew God, but didn’t glorify Him

²¹ For although they knew God, they neither glorified him as God nor gave thanks to him, but their thinking became futile and their foolish hearts were darkened.
²² Although they claimed to be wise, they became fools
²³ and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images made to look like a mortal human being and birds and animals and reptiles.

(NIV2011)

Romans 1:21-32- God gave them over in the sinful desires
²⁴ Therefore God gave them over in the sinful desires of their hearts to sexual impurity for the degrading of their bodies with one another.
²⁵ They exchanged the truth about God for a lie, and worshiped and served created things rather than the Creator—who is forever praised. Amen.
²⁶ Because of this, God gave them over to shameful lusts.
²⁸ Furthermore, just as they did not think it worthwhile to retain the knowledge of God, so God gave them over to a depraved mind, so that they do what ought not to be done.
²⁹ They have become filled with every kind of wickedness, evil, greed and depravity. They are full of envy, murder, strife, deceit and malice. They are gossips,
³⁰ slanderers, God-haters, insolent, arrogant and boastful; they invent ways of doing evil; they disobey their parents;
³¹ they have no understanding, no fidelity, no love, no mercy.
³² Although they know God’s righteous decree that those who do such things deserve death, they not only continue to do these very things but also approve of those who practice them. (NIV2011)

Matthew 7:16 – You will know them by their fruit - Actions
¹⁶ You can identify them by their fruit, that is, by the way they act. Can you pick grapes from thorn bushes, or figs from thistles? (NLT)

Hope

·         We are all BORN sinners by nature, BUT we remain sinners by CHOICE. – We know naturally what is right or wrong because the laws of morality have already been clearly written on our hearts, but we can resist the light and choose darkness instead, because our works are already dark and evil.

·         We can fix how we were born by choosing to become BORN AGAIN.  If we seek God, we will find Him; He is not far from us. – Life is Choice Driven – The choices we make on this side of death have eternal consequences.

John 3:19 – Choice - Men loved the darkness rather than light
¹⁹ And this is the judgment: the light has come into the world, and people loved the darkness rather than the light because their works were evil. (ESV)

Jeremiah 29:13 - You will seek me and find me
¹³ You will seek me and find me, when you seek me with all your heart.

You will seek me and find me (ESV)

Acts 17:27 - HE IS ACTUALLY NOT FAR FROM EACH OF US
²⁷ that they should seek God, and perhaps feel their way toward him and find him. Yet he is actually not far from each one of us, (ESV)

Romans 2:14-15 – The Law is written on our hearts.
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(ESV)

2 Corinthians 5:17 - Anyone that is in Christ is a new creation
¹⁷ Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come. (ESV)

In the multitude of counselors,

there is wisdom.

Proverbs 11:14

I am grateful to those that went before me providing concepts, ideas, historical information, and scripture verses.  Because of them I can stand on their shoulders and see further that I otherwise ever could have.

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                            

Antiquity of the Jews – Flavius Josephus

Bible on the Life Hereafter; The – William Hendriksen

English Standard Version Bible

I’d like to Believe in Jesus, BUT – Bob Siegel

New International Version Bible - NIV