The very next day family members of the slain came forward, one by one, and publicly "forgave" the murderer. Funny thing is, the gunman didn't ask anyone to forgive him. He did allow, though, that they all seemed like "really nice people".
The image, above, is supposed to depict men and women being tormented with a host of plagues during the so-called Tribulation. Their suffering has only just begun, however. For, the next stop for them is hell. And, finally, they will be cast into the Lake of Fire; forever.
What on earth did they do that was so bad that God would treat them so? I mean, God would have to be really, really angry, to deal with them so mercilessly, so brutally. Right?
We don't know which of them may be mass-murderers, rapists, or violent dictators--or grandmas, or soup kitchen operators, or preachers. But we know, from the Bible, that they all must have one thing in common, namely: they were NOT FORGIVEN....because, they DID NOT REPENT.
God is willing to save the whole wide world. So much is He willing, in fact, that God "gave His only begotten Son"; who in turn gave his own life, in order that everyone who will "repent" (turn away from, and cease to engage in, rebellion against God--which the Bible calls such rebellion "sin"), and who will turn to God for His forgiveness and mercy, shall in fact receive God's forgiveness and mercy. But not unless and until they first repent.
If God will not forgive apart from repentance, how, then, does any mere mortal presume that he or she is vested with authority to forgive anyone, in the case where there is NO REPENTANCE?
Scripture is very clear on the question: "If thy brother trespass against thee, rebuke him; and if he repent, forgive him" (Luke 17:3).
Notwithstanding that nearly the entire Christian Church believes otherwise.....
Par for the course.
No comments:
Post a Comment