“What will happen after death? We want to know. Will life persist? Will there be judgment? What kind? I know. I’ll turn to my church. Pastors are wise. They carefully search the sacred scriptures. They are experts in interpreting God’s word. They know. Actually, they don’t.”
Scriptures are very clear about each of these. Any pastor who studies the scriptures should be able to answer them. If you know anyone that needs answers to these questions I will be glad to help
Thanks for your comment. Here are a few thoughts that I have. There are some things we can know, and others that we can’t know for sure. For example, we can know that if we accept the gospel, we are going to be okay. We can’t know who is in or who is out. I’m glad for that because Jesus is the ultimate judge, not me.
Regarding judgment, reputable believing biblical scholars and even the church fathers take different positions. Some say that there will be souls destined for annihilation. Others say (or hope) that all will eventually succumb to God’s love. The majority position is that the unsaved will suffer eternal condemnation of some kind. That could be the pain of eternal separation or possibly by a literal fire. Exactly how that plays out is up in the air. There are those who believe that it is possible for those who haven’t had an adequate chance to respond in life to decide after death.
Many scholarly books have been written on these things. I’ve read and considered all of the diverse positions by these scholars. Each one presents arguments that have strengths and weaknesses. I have my opinions of course, but it not something for which I would want to use as a point of division. in our post-Christian world, we need to remain unified and avoid fighting among ourselves. The Bible, in my opinion, gives us lots of clues about these things, but leaves open the details.
In any case, I appreciate your willingness to comment and present an opposing view. Thanks again.
Superb, Dan!
Really “Right-on-target”.
You have a timely message and it is Excellent!
Well, you’re right.
Not that I was wondering, but you are.
It’s not my business to know any of these huge ponderables. My spell checker wants “imponderables,” but many find your list extremely ponderable.
My business? Micah – “what doth the LORD require of thee, but to do justly, and to love mercy, and to walk humbly with thy God?”
Bro, this was your best post yet. I’m going to share a link on my blog and Tumblr feed. Bravo!
“What will happen after death? We want to know. Will life persist? Will there be judgment? What kind? I know. I’ll turn to my church. Pastors are wise. They carefully search the sacred scriptures. They are experts in interpreting God’s word. They know. Actually, they don’t.”
Scriptures are very clear about each of these. Any pastor who studies the scriptures should be able to answer them. If you know anyone that needs answers to these questions I will be glad to help
Hi Dave,
Thanks for your comment. Here are a few thoughts that I have. There are some things we can know, and others that we can’t know for sure. For example, we can know that if we accept the gospel, we are going to be okay. We can’t know who is in or who is out. I’m glad for that because Jesus is the ultimate judge, not me.
Regarding judgment, reputable believing biblical scholars and even the church fathers take different positions. Some say that there will be souls destined for annihilation. Others say (or hope) that all will eventually succumb to God’s love. The majority position is that the unsaved will suffer eternal condemnation of some kind. That could be the pain of eternal separation or possibly by a literal fire. Exactly how that plays out is up in the air. There are those who believe that it is possible for those who haven’t had an adequate chance to respond in life to decide after death.
Many scholarly books have been written on these things. I’ve read and considered all of the diverse positions by these scholars. Each one presents arguments that have strengths and weaknesses. I have my opinions of course, but it not something for which I would want to use as a point of division. in our post-Christian world, we need to remain unified and avoid fighting among ourselves. The Bible, in my opinion, gives us lots of clues about these things, but leaves open the details.
In any case, I appreciate your willingness to comment and present an opposing view. Thanks again.