What about this? In most places people within a certain City
of a certain State (or District) within a certain Country want to have the
public services that are provided by such entities. Consider: Most people want good schools for
their children so they can learn to grow up and become responsible, law-abiding
citizens. They want better roads within
their communities so that any travel they do will be one of pleasure and not a
complete misery because of the poor degrading streets and highways they have
because of a lack of maintenance.
Most people would want to live in a safe,
secure neighborhood where they could count on having police and fire service
when and if these became necessary. Many
enjoy the benefits of a local library (or branch) within their community so
their children and themselves can have access to a wide variety of educational
materials and programs.
And, no doubt, there are many who enjoy
the benefits of other programs that are provided by Local, State, and Federal
governments. However, where do most
people think the money comes from to support all these various services that
they are seeking to benefit from?
Local government revenue comes from
property taxes, and other taxes; charges and fees; and transfers from federal
and state governments. State and Federal
governments get their revenues from income taxes, sales taxes, and other fees
and tariffs.
However, the vast majority of the people
who want all the benefits and advantages that I first mentioned, DO NOT
want to pay higher taxes and fees to get them!
How do people think the new, additional, or increases services are going
to be provided if there is NO money to cover the cost of such things? You’re always hearing those political ads
where individuals are making great promises for improving this or that service
or benefit and then they will add: “NO new taxes!” How can a person truly believe statements
like that?
That is how many individuals get elected
into public office, because people always want something for nothing! And in today’s world they think they have a RIGHT
to have them without the responsibility to pay for them. In it’s simplest form it just doesn’t make
sense. If you wanted a new vehicle for
your family household, do you think you could get it without payment? Could you operate it (fuel, license,
maintenance, etc.) without having to cover the cost? I think most people could understand the
logic of that type of thinking.
Consider this: There are more than 2.5 BILLION professed
Christians in the world today. However,
what does it mean to be “Christian?”
This means to be “Christ-like.”
Or to follow the pattern of living and the teachings as taught by the
Christ when he was here upon the earth.
He instructed his followers to live their
lives according to truth. He also
provided the answer as to what this meant.
At John 17:17 he informed people what should be our basis for truth. “Your word is truth.” So an individual should be learning what God’s
word (the Bible) teaches and modify our life accordingly as did Jesus. In accord with those criteria what about
this?
The
vast majority of “Christians” have the belief that when they die, they will
either go to “hell” if they have practiced “bad” during their life or they will
go to “heaven” if they have lived a “good” life. Let’s examine God’s word of truth in finding
out what it really says about this.
In the Genesis account of creation, only ONE
stipulation was laid upon the man. It is
recorded in chapter 2, verses 16 and 17:
God laid this command upon him, that he could eat from every tree of the
garden to satisfaction. However, he was
forbidden to eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and bad. It was plainly stated that if he should eat
from it, he would die! It is logical,
therefore, to conclude that IF Adam HAD NOT eaten from
that tree he would have continued to live and would still be living among us
today, because there was no other stipulation for his existence to end. Therefore there was never a condition where a
human would have been allowed to exist in the heavenly realm. But Adam had sinned and his actions resulted
in his death and as the Apostle Paul later explained it (as recorded in the New
International Version): “Therefore, just as sin entered the world through one
man, and death through sin, and in this way, death came to all people, because
all sinned.” So, in fact, Adam is
responsible for our dying today because of the sin he brought into the
world. Although he had been created
perfect, he had now fallen short by his disobedience and “missed” the mark of
perfection. He could only pass on as an inheritance
to his offspring that which he now possessed – sin and death!
Now some will want to argue that yes, the
body dies, but the soul lives on forever.
However, this is not what is stated in God’s word of truth. In the English Standard Version (as well as
many others), Ezekiel 18:20 states: “The soul who sins shall die.” That’s a plain and very straight forward
statement. But we should not be
surprised by that statement when we remember that in Genesis, we were told that
Adam “became a living soul.” Or a living
being, or a living person. A soul is
therefore nothing but the living individual themselves and as such is
susceptible to death or non-existence.
Jesus himself better explained death to
us. As recorded in John 11:11 (New
International Version), Jesus told his apostles, after he had learned that Lazarus
was sick, “Our friend Lazarus has fallen asleep, but I am going there to wake
him up.” Then in verse 14 he plainly
stated: “Lazarus is dead.” Thus Jesus
explained that death is like a very deep sleep from which a person may be
awaken by the power of God.
Consider this: If you were applying for your license to be a
lawyer, or a doctor, or a CPA, or any other controlled profession and you FAILED
the exam for your license, would the testing board say, we’re going to reward
him anyway and give him his license and let him practice his profession within
our State? I don’t think so! You are not rewarded in any area for failing
or “missing the mark” of the passing grade.
So why would God, although Adam had failed his test of obedience, reward
him with life in heaven. A condition
that was never offered to him from the very beginning?
Also consider this: Why is it that all these “Christian” people
who make the profession that when they die, they are going to heaven, try
everything within their power to keep living any time a life-threatening
situation comes upon them? On many occasions,
they are willing to try some extreme procedures or medications to extend their
lives so they don’t die? It’s quite simple
to understand when we look at God’s word of truth. As we are told in 1 Corinthians 15:26 in many
translations: “The last enemy to be destroyed is death.” Death is our enemy. We were not supposed to experience
death. That’s why we try all that we can
to “cheat” death from taking our lives every opportunity we can.
What about this: We must remember that because of the sin that
Adam brought into the world, God’s purpose for mankind had to make a detour (so
to speak). A new arrangement had to be
implemented so that humankind could be “reconciled to God through the death of
his Son.” (Romans 5:10) So it was
arranged by God that “through his (Jesus) death he might bring to nothing the
one having the means to cause death, that is, the Devil.” (Hebrews 2:14) To accomplish a complete restoration of the
situation, God “purposed for an administration at the full limit of the appointed
times, to gather all things together in the Christ.” (Ephesians 1:10) In Revelation 7:4 we are told that this
administration will consist of Christ Jesus and 144,000 other individuals who
have been selected by God to share in this arrangement in the heavens.
As the apostle Paul mentions in his
opening words of the bible book of Romans (1:7), he is writing “to all those
who are in Rome as God’s beloved ones, called to be holy ones.” This or a similar term is mentioned many
times in the writings of the Greek Scriptures (New Testament). So many of these writings are letters that were
written with information to be share with those who had received that special
invitation from God to be part of that administration with his Son in the
heavens.
Now, for just a moment, imagine that you
found (or was given) a letter that had been written by the leaders of The
United Brotherhood of Carpenters. Within
this letter it spoke of a future date when all the “brothers” of that
organization would be meeting in a “special location” to oversee the future
arrangements of the organization. Would
you immediately begin to make arrangements to travel to that location because
you wanted to be part of that “administration?” Or simply because you read the letter, would
you immediately jump to the conclusion that all these things to occur applied
to YOU?
I don’t think you would. But many “Christians” although feeling that
they are to be rewarded with a gift of heavenly life, feel that everything they
read in God’s word applies to them personally.
No, only a selected (by God) few will have that privilege of life in the
heavens, but the vast majority of humankind will have the same prospects that
were given to Adam when he was first created and place in the garden of Eden. A prospect of a perfect life on a paradise
earth. Jesus told an evildoer on a stake
alongside him shortly before his death, “… you will be with me in Paradise.”
(Luke 23:42,43) We now know that Jesus
was not offering this evildoer a reward in heaven for his bad life. But he was offering him the prospect of being
resurrected to live in the new earth (or Paradise) that was to come.
Two simple points for consideration have
been highlighted within this blog post. I
certainly feel that they demonstrate that it is within our makeup to always
want things our way or to take things for granted if we want them to be a certain
way. Sometimes even in the face of facts
that demonstrate it is not going to happen.
That is the inclinations we have about so many situations, but then
again, we’re only human!
QUOTE TO CONSIDER
"Why do we long for the things
for which we can not have
and are never satisfied
with what is given to us as a gift?"
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