Misnomers?

Earlier this year I viewed a video on face book. It has a unique message for those unbelievers of the world. The host interviews random people about their beliefs, and in the end talks to them about the Gospel of Jesus. One woman in particular cannot accept the idea of God judging people, of hell--an eternal punishment. Many people have a similar view. How could a loving God send people to an everlasting punishment?

Several months ago I attended a meeting at the local library on "understanding" Islam. The speaker at one point stated that there are similarities between the Bible and Islam. I've heard this idea before, the idea that Christianity approves of and is similar to Islam. They are both on equal footing.

This shows that the speaker doesn't have a grasp on Biblical scripture, nor a clear understanding of God. It could be compared to me making the statement: "The other day our local newspaper reported a horrendous crime committed in the capitol city. I will never read  that newspaper again. Any paper that can condone such a wicked crime is just wrong."

The newspaper in reporting the crime does not condone the crime. Because the Bible tells us about things that have happened does not mean that it approved of those things. 

*"And he {God}said unto Abram, Know of a surety that thy seed shall be sojourners in a land that is not theirs, and shall serve them; and they shall afflict them four hundred years; and also that nation, whom they shall serve, will I judge: and afterward shall they come out with great substance. But thou shalt go to thy fathers in peace; thou shalt be buried in a good old age. And in the fourth generation they shall come hither again; for the iniquity of the Amorite is not yet full.(Genesis 15:13-16)

In this scripture God is telling Abram that Abram's offspring would go into another country and live there for four hundred years, but that God would bring them out of that land and they would come back to the land of Canaan and posses it at that time. But it wasn't going to happen until after four hundred years because the iniquity of the present inhabitants was not 'full'. Those inhabitants would become exceeding sinful, but they were not yet. This is a prophesy of things to come.

*"And he said, Hagar, Sarai's handmaid, whence camest thou? and whither goest thou? And she said, I am fleeing from the face of my mistress Sarai. And the angel of Jehovah said unto her... And she called the name of Jehovah that spake unto her, Thou art a God that seeth: for she said, Have I even here looked after him that seeth me?"(Genesis 16:8-13)

In this example the Angel of Jehovah is speaking to Sarai's handmaid, Hagar, who has run away from her mistress. After a bit of conversation Hagar called Jehovah that spake unto her, Thou art a God that seeth: for she said, Have I even here looked after him that seeth me? Hagar calls him 'a God that seeth'.

*"That be far from thee to do after this manner, to slay the righteous with the wicked, that so the righteous should be as the wicked; that be far from thee: shall not the Judge of all the earth do right? And Jehovah said, If I find in Sodom fifty righteous within the city, then I will spare all the place for their sake." (Genesis 18:25-26)

In the last case Abraham is bargaining with God, attempting to save the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah. Cities which the text says, "the cry of Sodom and Gomorrah is great, and because their sin is very grievous;" (Genesis 18:20-21) And Abraham describes Jehovah God and calls Him, "the Judge of all the earth?"

In these instances we see several aspects of Jehovah God. He is all knowing even to seeing into the future. Second we see that he is all seeing even to the small detail of a serving maid and her child. And lastly, Jehovah God is the Judge of all the earth.

Link this back to the original paragraph, and the thoughts therein. When the woman who couldn't accept the idea of a loving God and an eternal place of punishment heard the story of a predatory person who committed a heinous crime against an innocent, her face showed horror. The next few words out of her mouth were about judgement and punishment of such a wicked crime. The next look on her face was one of understanding. She made the connection between the horrible nature of sin and how it is related to judgement and eternal punishment. 

We see ourselves as decent folks, as 'not all that bad'. Yet, how would a 'holy God' see us? If we haven't been washed in the blood of Jesus Christ we would look pretty bad. That's just the flat truth, and we would deserve punishment. God isn't part of a democracy. We can't vote and decide whether we like God's rules, or God's laws. Jehovah God sets the standards and in the end He will see and He will judge. The Christian life is the best life for while we are here in this world, in this body as well as in the hereafter. 

Hallelujah! What a Savior!