S.J... Beautifully written.
The greatest of love and peace to you, too, my dear James!
Luke 10:5, 6
Thank you for your time and effort.
No, I thank you! For I am YOUR servant, and wish to thank you for permitting me to be of service in responding to you... and for allowing me to speak "truth" to you without receiving sarcasm and ridicule in return. Again, thank you!
You did a good job of placing your God in a very nice light.
In truth, dear one, it required no effort for nothing has been exposed that I did not wish to have exposed. Nor is nothing hidden. I have no problem placing my Father in "a very nice light", for He indeed exists in such light, I promise you. It is not that He is... ummmmm… unkind, unloving and tyrannical; it is earthling man… in his effort to USE “fear of God” to get you to serve him (earthling man), that has painted my Father in such a "bad" light so as to get you to obey THEM... and follow THEM!
And where is it that they wish you to "follow" them? AWAY from God! And... with “our” help, they have, for most part... utterly succeeded. Jeremiah 8:8-12 Jeremiah 5:31
And you yourself come across as very patient and dedicated.
Well, if that is so, I must tell you that such "patience" is not mine, truly. I promise you. Whatever patience I display, it is only by means of that which has been given me ("long-suffering", or, better put, patience) by my Lord, which is a "fruit" of God's spirit. In and of myself, I am NOT patient , trust me (and I get myself in trouble sometimes because of it).
As for my dedication, my I offer another word? Thank you. That word is "loyal"... and yes, I am a loyal person: to my Father, my Lord, my family, my friends... and those who I know to be wrongly accused. I WILL stand up and speak... IF I know the accusation to be wrong. For God... and for my fellowman. Why? Because it is what I would want "done to me". People get wrongly accused day and night, left and right, in this world. And finding someone to have the courage (or the foolishness, depending on how you look at it – LOL!), to stand up and try to set the record straight is rare. We would much rather stay in our own "safe" little worlds, without having our own little boats "rocked"... even if it means someone innocent will be condemned. THAT... is the way of earthling man. But is it NOT the way of God. And it is God's "way" that drives me, for I am, indeed, a “foolish thing” in this world. And… earthling man's "way"... tends to sicken me, most times. For it serves his (earthling man's) purpose... and Satan's (the "father" of the lie).
It took me a while to realize that I must have asked the wrong questions, for I could not discern a significant answer.
I truly apologize, for I attempted to answer what I perceived you had asked, as my Lord permitted me. But, perhaps it was I who erred in my perception of your questions.
You are too kind to have purposely skirted around them.
Not necessarily (LOL!), but thank you, truly, for your kind words. In truth, I did not "skirt around" your questions, dear James, because I did not think there was any need to. I perceived you to be quite sincere and truly thought I was responding to what you asked, as I asked my Lord to give me the words.
So please, if I may try one last time.
Absolutely, by ALL means! And if you are not satisfied that your questions are answered this time, please… do NOT feel precluded from asking again. And again. And again. Indeed, KEEP asking... and it WILL be opened to you! With that said...
What if things don't "go well" for us?
Then, when my Lord arrives and he and his brothers "separate" the [sheep] from the [goats]... you may find yourself counted in among the [goats]. Which means you would be "cut off" from entry into the City of New Jerusalem, wherein lies the Tree of Life from which you must eat... to live forever. Do you die right away from such cutting off? No. There is still yet a 1,000 years to go. But you do continue to die, just as you are dying now.
Eventually, however, by means of being constituted a “goat,” you might find yourself among those whom Satan, after being released from the abyss, misleads to come against the Holy City, wherein lies the Tree of Life (or rather, wherein dwells my Lord), thinking that IF you can get to it … to him… and eat... you WILL live forever. However, for the sake of those who DO eat from such Tree… rightly… by means of being granted entry into the City and GRANTED to eat (versus laying siege to it to take what is not theirs TO take)... you might be destroyed. By fire. From God. Personally. Why? “Vengeance,” on behalf of those who were GRANTED entry and GRANTED to eat.
Matthew 25:34, 46
Revelation 22:14
Revelation 20:7-9
Deuteronomy 32:35
Isaiah 34:8
2 Thessalonians 1:6-8
But then, that would be right and just, wouldn't it? For it IS His Tree, HIS Son… HIS "true vine," "sprout" and "root of Jesse", yes? And thus, it is HE who grants permission to whom can eat from it/him. Yes?
John 6:44
John 15:16
And while it’s true that the invitation to eat is extended to “anyone,” were He to let those who “hate” what is “good” eat from it... and live forever... wherever would the justice and salvation come in for those who eat RIGHTLY... having received such "reward" for DOING good to their fellowman... versus hateful, hypocritical, evil and wicked conduct against them? I mean, can you imagine if Hitler, Pol Pot, et al., were to gain access to the Tree of Life... so as to eat... and live... FOREVER? Praise Jah, there's a "stop gap" for that!
Matthew 25:31-46
Genesis 3:23
Revelation 22:1, 2
The PROBLEM (forgive me for using that word, but it is correct) is that you've may have been misled by religion... and the WTBTS in particular... to believe that you must only "do good" to those THEY consider to be "anointed." Nothing could be farther from the truth! First, because those THEY consider to be anointed are actually "false" christs (anointed)! They are "harlots"... in that they (1) eat from the table of Jah as well as from the table of Satan; and (2) by following the false teachings and doctrines of such men, they DENY their one and only "husbandly" owner, Christ, and thus commit ADULTERY... not in the flesh, but IN THE SPIRIT! They HAVE a leader, Christ. But... whom do they follow? Who "leads them about" as a “husband”? Who have they "subjected" themselves to?
We fulfill this obligation, to do "good" to the "least of these [Christ's] brothers"... by doing good... to ALL! Even... our enemies! Why? Because (1) it is the direction given us by Christ and example he himself set, and, therefore PROVES who we are, and (2) earthling man does not KNOW who truly are Christ's brothers, for the eager expectation of the creation still awaits the "revealing" of the sons of God.
Matthew 4:43-48
Romans 8:19
It would behoove us, then, IF we want to “please” God… to do "good"... to ALL. Just as Christ did: NOT reviling when being reviled, and NOT returning evil for evil… but LOVING, FORGIVING, and RELEASING… by means of MERCY… to ALL… simply because we “WANT” to! Because, remember in the account, those who DID "good" asked: "WHEN did we do”... such and such? Dear James, if they KNEW who such ones were... Christ’s brothers… then they would have known when they did good to such one(s)!
Please... check your premise.
What does it mean to "reap the sentence of whatever judgment comes upon you"
The same as what it means in this world, were you to receive judgment from a lawful court: that if you were tried in court and found guilty, and a lawful judge gave you a sentence for some judgment entered against you, it would “mean” the carrying out of that sentence. Including a death sentence, if that was the sentence. “Guilty”… is the verdict. Your “life”… is the judgment. “Life [in prison],”… or “death” (by hanging, chair, lethal injection, execution, firing squad, etc.)… is the sentence.
And there will indeed be a trial, with a judge, God. The “witness” is your own deeds, good and vile, and the “jury” is yourself, for by means of how YOU judged and condemned, you will BE judged and condemned.
Daniel 7:9, 10
Revelation 20:11-15
Micah 6:2-8
And such a trial is right and just… for since we have put GOD on trial… He will ultimately put some of US on trial. But His “trial” is different from ours. For when you break the "laws" of this world, you may be tried, judged and sentenced, so, too, in that one, however, that you have been misled to believe that the "laws" of THAT world are similar to the "laws" of this one, in that they consist of "thou shalt nots." But that is not true: the "thou shalt nots" were FULFILLED... and replaced. With "you MUST(s)." And what are the "you must(s)"?
1. You MUST... love JAH your God with your WHOLE heart, your WHOLE soul, your WHOLE mind and your WHOLE strength...
... and...
2. You MUST... love your neighbor as yourself."
So that now, rather than be told what we SHOULDN'T do... we are told what we SHOULD do? Why? Because in those times when we do what we "shouldn't" do... we can beg for mercy and COVERING OVER... by means of having done what we "should" have done. For love... "covers a multitude of sins."
Because you WILL sin! You cannot keep the Law... in its entirety. And if you transgress ONE... you've transgressed them all... if it is the Law Covenant that you "live" by. Because sin... exists in your very flesh, which is WHY it carries “corruption” (i.e., sickness and death) in it! It is with regard to what you do... or don't do... ON PURPOSE... with the aim to harm another... and, therefore, by connection disrespect and deny God, however, that is the issue.
Matthew 25:40
Zecharaiah 2:8
Matthew 6:14, 15
Let me give you an example: My Lord said that "he that is ashamed of me before men, I will be ashamed of him before my Father," yes? And yet, Peter denied him THREE times! A direct denial of the Christ, yes? And yet, was/is my Lord ashamed of Peter? No, dear one. Why? Because he knows that what Peter did is not what Peter WANTED to do! But fear... which is a weakness of the flesh… caused Peter to err.
Yet... Peter KNEW that he could... and WOULD... be forgiven... and as a way of DEMONSTRATING this FAITH… this KNOWING… gave HIS life to telling others whose deeds... or lack of... caused them to feel "condemned" in their own hearts… that there was One who could... and WOULD... forgive them! That One did so when he walked the earth as flesh... and thus could most certainly do so... and to a greater extent... now that he was a spirit! So, Peter... having been "released"... went... NOT judging... NOT condemning... but RELEASING! And forgiving. Which is what WE have been TOLD to do.
Peter KNEW this… and thus felt obligated to “do unto others” what had been “done unto” him… MERCIFULLY. He went “releasing”… rather than “binding.” He went “loosing” people from the Law, rather than re-enslaving them to it. He went… because due to the mercy shown HIM… he “wanted” to. NOT because he was afraid God was going to annihilate him.
Contrary to the “commission” of Christ, however, earthling man has "sent" us out… to JUDGE others! Condemning and hating, rather than teach us to do "good"... and exercise MERCY and forgive and RELEASE such ones... they teach us to levy judgment and sentence against them. By whose “command”? Their own! For you never knew the Christ to be so! Why, when Peter struck off the ear of one who came to arrest my Lord the night before they put him to death in the flesh, my Lord STOPPED Peter… and restored the ear! If HE, then, had no “ill-will” against one coming even to have him slain, who are WE to “go reviling?”
That is NOT the “way” of God… as clearly seen by the life of my Lord. GOD’s way is to beg, plead, warn… and LOVE people back to Him; not to SCARE people back to Him. THAT… is man’s way… earthling man who WANTS to live by means of the Law Covenant… and so, will ultimately be CONDEMNED by it. They will "reap" judgment, the same judgment that they themselves are issuing.
And this... is "just". Again, with regard to how all of this works, what you've been told versus what Christ taught and personally did, I ask you... check your premise.
...if "JUSTICE calls for action from God"?
Perhaps I should restate this to say that "justice" ALWAYS calls for action from God, for God Himself promises vengeance. However, it is still God's prerogative… just as it is any father’s… as to whether He will indeed act... and, if He does, how. For He shows mercy... to whomever HE wishes to show it… under whatever circumstances and for whatever reasons HE chooses. But, we should also not forget that when "justice" calls out, it does not always cry out for "God" to act. Rather, sometimes Justice calls out for other people to act--but in doing so, they must act rightly. How do we know what is right? It must be founded in love, so that when it must occur, God wants "us" to act for the BENEFIT of each other. That was the very principles of the Law Covenant. Earthling man, however, in his self-righteousness... took such actions too far... WANTING to judge and condemn... getting great joy out of it. Think of the Pharisees and the adulterous woman.
And earthling man would have you believe it not so, but that HIS judgments are "righteous". But I ask you to think of King David, who, when asked by God whether he (David) wanted to be judged by man... or God... chose God. Why? Because he knew, and thus said, that God... was even more merciful than earthling man. It is earthling man who has misled you to believe that God is quick to anger… and unmerciful. Why? So that he (earthling man), by means of instilling a wrong fear of God IN you… can “control” you. Again, he (earthling man) seems to be succeeding, in the case of most.
What is the "judgment", the payment of disobedience?
Again, you have been misled. The "wage"… or price… of sin... is death. But... because He LOVES us... God sent His Son to pay that price FOR us! NOW... we can receive the GIFT that God gives... of everlasting life. However, you have to CHOOSE to ACCEPT that "gift"... and the means by which is it given... through God's Son... his flesh and blood… in order to RECEIVE it.
When God told Adam/Eve not to eat of the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Bad or they would die, dear James, it was not a decree of a punishment that He would exact upon them - IT WAS A WARNING: "Looks, kids, there's a Tree out there that if you eat from it will kill you. It's leaves are poison to you (because they are also poison to some much more… powerful… than you, and if it will kill them, certainly it will kill you), so stay away from it. Don't even touch it, 'cause if you do, you might be tempted to eat from it. And I don't WANT you to die." But, well, another came along and said, "Your dad's lying; He knows that if you eat of it, you won't need HIM any longer to tell you what to do. You can do what you want to." Bottom line? Presumptuous… and ambitious kids: Dad was only trying to PROTECT them from harm. They couldn’t see it.
And even still, once they ate, He COULD have reversed the damage right then and there. But... did they ASK for reversal... for forgiveness? Or... did they blame him, each other... and the "bad" man?
The same is true for us: all we need DO... is ACCEPT RESPONSIBILITY FOR OUR ACTIONS! Acknowledge them... their "wickedness"... and ask forgiveness. Then, use the SACRIFICE that has been provided... the flesh and blood of Christ. However, we must be TRUTHFUL in our sorrow about what we've done and that... is called "repentance." We cannot just take the undeserved kindness that has been granted us by means of a provision of a perpetual sacrifice and USE it... as an "excuse" for loose conduct. It is "city of refuge" for those who cannot help the error, or did not truly wish to commit the error and would have done differently if they possibly could. Some even continue in an error due to weakness. Can they themselves stop it? In some instances, yes… like Zacchaeus, the extortioner. But in some instances, no: they cannot themselves and so NEED Christ… to “cleanse” them, by means of holy spirit.
Since we are, all of us, sinners... and therefore weak... we WILL do things we don't want to do. And in that case, it is the "sin"... that is IN us. And since Gods KNOWS we are "dust"... He understands. You cannot hide what is truly in your heart from Him, and it is such "hiding" that is detestable to Him. For it presumes Him to be a fool. CONFESS your errors, then... and ask for forgiveness by means of the flesh and blood... of Christ.... and then put FAITH ("assured expectation") in that sacrifice and such forgiveness. For it is the only means by which your conscience… your heart… can be cleansed.
And note, it is this same sacrifice, the flesh and blood of Christ... that the "false christs" of the WTBTS have DENIED you... RESTRICTED from you... PRECLUDED you from partaking of... PROHIBITED you from benefitting from... and thus, have "shut up the kingdom of the heavens before" YOU! Because “unless blood is poured out, there is NO ATONEMENT!” But... it does NOT have to be so! YOU... can obey the words of my Lord, that ANYONE who eats of it will live forever.
What is in the dark chamber of the gun pointed to our head?
There is no "gun" pointed at you, dear one (i.e., God is NOT saying, "Love me... or I'll kill 'ya!" He IS saying, "Love one another and thereby love me... or you will die, because love... will prevail; hatred HAS to be done away with."). There is, rather, an abyss... a hole... a deep chasm, per se, into which you WILL "fall", from which, after a certain point, there is no possibility of return. Thus, you must be pulled BACK from it… and thereafter “guided”… AROUND it!
Psalm 119:105
Revelation 19:13
John 8:12
John 1:4-13
1 Peter 2:21
And that “hole”… that we can fall into and never get out of... is destruction. Not torture, not punishment, not pain. Just... the end. Gone. Nothing. No body AND no spirit. And it is not "pointed" at you, as if God is just chomping at the bit to punish you. It is laid out BEFORE you, so that the ONLY way to get AROUND it... is to walk on a "narrow" way. It lies in darkness so that you need a "light" to see so that you DON'T fall in. The blind guides, however, are themselves falling in… and they are leading those who are also blind right in with them!
Matthew 15:14
Is it eternal death?
Yes... and no. It is not death, as in the "sleeping" of the flesh. Rather, it is destruction, the end of the body (flesh) AND the spirit. For although the body (flesh) dies and returns to the dust, it Can be resurrected because the SPIRIT still lives on. Thus, the spirit... must be destroyed. And it can ONLY be destroyed... by fire… from heaven.
Matthew 10:28
Genesis 19:24
Revelation 20:9, 10, 15
Is it eternal damnation in some form of torture? What?
Nope, it is a quick and painless end... of one's body... AND one's spirit. Done. Destroyed. Never to come back, for there is nothing to resurrect. The spirit has been “wiped out.” And THIS... is only for Gog... Magog... Sodom and Gomorrah… and those who are resurrected... "to judgment." (which would included the “judged” of Capernaum and Chorazin, if Jah wills). Those who are resurrected to "life"... receive a "white robe"... or spirit BODY... and enter into the spirit realm.
Matthew 11:20-24
You, "a chosen or anointed one" certainly must know.
Dear James, I am a "foolish" thing, so that I know nothing except my Lord. Certainly not even all of the apostles knew everything, yes? Yet, I know my Lord… and by means of him, I know the Father… for he (my Lord) is the “exact representation” of the Holy One of Israel. Thus, it is my Lord who "knows", by means of my Father... and I have only told you what he has given me. Being chosen by such one, however, does not necessarily mean one has knowledge… for some, although chosen… must still learn to HEAR… and put faith in the voice of my Lord when he speaks to truth to them about these things… rather than in what earthling man has taught them.
Proverbs 8:4-11
John 10:1-6, 27
Hebrews 12:25
Matthew 17:3
John 5:39, 40
John 7:37, 38
Please tell me of what I must fear most about your God?
That He WILL "avenge" the righteous and the innocent. He will. Do NOT doubt it… for He has promised such to such ones. And yet, He can also show mercy, and such ones, because they are “Christ-like” will have no problem with that, for they, too, will be eager to show mercy.
Alternatively, if you've tried your best to do "good" to your fellowman, so that there is nothing TO avenge with regard to you... or, alternatively, if there is, you've taken advantage of the sacrificial "covering" that God has so lovingly provided... the atoning benefit of the flesh and blood of His Son and Christ, so that in EATING of that “Tree” you may be granted everlasting life… you have NOTHING to fear. For love... "casts fear... OUTSIDE."
If I am to love Him, I certainly must know all about Him.
You cannot know “all about Him,” dear one. For who knows the mind of God? But we can CERTAINLY know… and have… the mind of Christ, can’t we?
1 Corinthians 2:14-16
I certainly must know if He is worthy of love, or even possible to love....don't you think?
That He is “worthy” of love?! Oh, dear James… you have it quite wrong, dear one! Did you not read and have you not heard that God… is not needing ANYTHING from us? It is ONE ANOTHER that He wants us to love, dear one! IF we can love one another… whom we HAVE seen… then we can love Him… who we have NOT seen. But… if we cannot love those whom we HAVE seen… we CANNOT be loving Him who we have NOT seen. We DEMONSTRATE our love of God and Christ, then, dear one… BY LOVING EACH OTHER.
And so, given this, I ask YOU: IS it possible to love God?
Your assumption "since you don’t care" (meaning me) is wrong.
Yes, I understand that. But that was just my feeble attempt at giving you a “taste” of your own “assumptive” medicine. You… assumed… I would “explain away” my Father, simply because that is all you have ever received. Being “lumped” in is not such a good thing, is it? SMILE!
I hope this has served to provide you with some answers, dear James. I must tell you, however, that there is a “better” way for you to receive them… and that is to go directly TO the Way: ask HIM. Ask God, through, Christ, to grant you His holy spirit so as to “prepare” for you a body with ears “excavated” so that you can HEAR. And then… hear… what the Spirit and the Bride says to YOU:
“Come! Take ‘life’s water’… free!”
May the undeserved kindness and mercy of my God and Father, the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, who is the Holy One of Israel, and whose name is JAH… of Armies… and the peace of His Son and Christ, my Lord, JAHESHUA MISCHAJAH… come to be upon you… if you indeed so wish it.
YOUR servant, and a slave of Christ, SJ
