It's Not About Us

It's Not About Us and everyone's personal salvation.

It's All About God and whether He did the right thing.

The Creation of Planet Earth,
with people and with everything needed to sustain life,
provides the evidence and the answer to the question:
Can God Be Trusted?

 

There's more at stake than just dealing with Planet Earth and the inhabitants who live there. God created a vast and endless Universe that has no boundaries whatever. Our finite minds cannot begin to comprehend infinity and what that entails because there surely must be an end to it somewhere in the far reaches of the cosmos ... but there is no end. Space and the Universe are like God ... no beginning and no end. And it is this lonely planet called Earth that is the center of attention for the entire Universe. It is here where God's reputation is being examined; it is here where God has taken himself into court to allow those who have labeled false accusations and even crimes against him to present their case. Created angels are involved in this Universe-wide courtroom scene, because they, as well as the inhabitants of planet Earth, need to know the truthful answer to the question: Can God Be Trusted? It is God who is on trial, not us. If God is not vindicated in this courtroom scene, the entire Universe will be in total chaos forever. The Creator of the Universe must win his case.

Paul the Apostle wrote in Colossians 1:19, 20 about the supremacy of Christ: "For God was pleased to have all his fullness dwell in him (Christ), and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether things on Earth or things in Heaven, by making peace through his blood, shed on the Cross." Jesus is the image of God; the firstborn over all creation; the Creator of Heaven and Earth. He is the head of the body, the church; he is the firstborn from among the dead. (Col. 1: 15-18). Reconciliation needs to take place not only here on Earth, but also in Heaven where angels dwell. Why are they involved? They also need to know about God's character like us Earthly inhabitants.

Paul the Apostle wrote in Ephesians 1:10 that God's pleasure was "to bring all things in Heaven and on Earth together under one head, even Christ." This is at-one-ment in the highest sense - the complete unity, the togetherness, the total agreement, the oneness of all Creation with Jesus as the One who makes it all possible.

Paul the Apostle wrote in 1 Corinthians 4:9 that "We have been made a spectacle to the whole Universe, to angels as well as men," and being a spectacle means we are performing on stage in this theatre called Earth. It seems safe to assume that there may be other places of habitation in this huge Universe that God created, and that the inhabitants of planet Earth are being observed by a vast array of other created beings and angels. There's much more involved here on Earth than just saving you and me, although that is important, because God's reputation and character have been called into question. Beyond personal salvation, there needs to be a means for God to keep peace in the entire Universe. God must answer all of the accusations and alleged crimes that have been brought against him. He must be found innocent of all of the charges!

Scripture mentions about a War in Heaven. The Book of Revelation 12:7 states: And there was war in Heaven. Michael and his angels fought against the dragon and the dragon and his angels fought back. But he was not strong enough, and they lost their place in Heaven. The great dragon was hurled down - that ancient dragon called the devil, or Satan, who leads the whole world astray. He was hurled to the Earth, and his angels with him.

From the above quote, we can determine War began in Heaven, not in the Garden of Eden. Long before Creation of planet Earth, there was a struggle between good and evil in the heavenly realms. It was a battle between our Creator and created angels who chose to rebel against God. War began in Heaven and it was merely extended to planet Earth where it continues to this day. It is here where Earth's inhabitants are engaged in war with the same enemy who once resided in Heaven. Originally called Lucifer, his real name is Satan the devil, and he is the great deceiver who is bent on ruling the world. He claims to tell the truth, but he is a liar and the father of lies. War began in Heaven where God's throne is located. It seems impossible to imagine that such an event like war could take place in that atmosphere where God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit reside, but such was the case.

Can God Be Trusted?

Our Creator chose to demonstrate his character and his method of "winning the war" by creating planet Earth, with living plants and animals having reproductive qualities, and with human beings whom He created in his own image: every human being is a unique individual who has the ability to think, to make choices, to know God, and to act. Each person has the ability to reproduce in his own image. God even made man a little lower than the created angels (Psalm 8) so man would have no advantage over the angels in this earthly court scene. This demonstration, over a period of hundreds of years, would provide sufficient evidence that would allow the entire Universe (loyal angels, rebel angels, human beings) to see that God is indeed a good God, that he is completely trustworthy, and that he values nothing higher than our Freedom of Choice to decide whether he is worthy of our trust. It is important to realize that it is God who is on trial, not us!

For many, this life we live here on Planet Earth is all about us, that we are the primary focus of what life and God himself are all about. And since human beings are not naturally immortal like God who created everyone and everything, we are dependent on God for our future immortal existence. Avoiding the confinement of hell and the absence of God are of major importance to some who desire to spend eternity in Heaven with God, but there are many who are convinced that man is naturally immortal, that he has within his physical body a soul/spirit that will live eternally for as long as God shall live. If that is the case, then the question that needs to be asked is: How will God keep those who are "lost" alive in the flames and confines of hell to make sure they endure the torture and pain that they deserve for all eternity, lest they succumb prematurely to asphyxiation or excessive burning? Will some sort of "Tree of Death" have to be provided just for them so they will stay alive to suffer. .. forever? Surely, the "lost" will not be permitted to eat from the Tree of Life that the "saved" will endlessly enjoy. If angels and the human race are by nature immortal, it really boils down to this: not even God or Jesus has the power to eliminate anyone or anything that is immortal. If man was naturally born immortal, then God has no control over them - they are like God; they can never die. Scripture doesn't make much sense then when it talks about the death of individuals and the resurrection and the receiving of immortality, because if mankind is already immortal, how is immortality then received when death comes? If angels and human beings are immortal, it really means that there is no beginning and no end to life. How can anyone claim to have always existed .. .like God? Scripture states specifically that only God is immortal, and that angels and man are mortal. To believe man is immortal is Satan's lie, - the deceivable propaganda that has been around since day one when God said "You will surely die," and the devil said "You will not surely die." Who are you going to believe - God or Satan the devil?

Is God trustworthy? Can God Be Trusted when:

1. All but eight drowned in The Flood?
   
2. Fire and brimstone rained down from Heaven and destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah?
   
3. 185,000 Assyrians were laid to rest by an angel of the Lord in one night?
   
4. The Tower of Siloam fell down and killed 18 people?
   
5. The earth opened up and swallowed Korah, Dathan, and Abiram, and 250 people were consumed in the fire and 14,700 died in the plague?
   
6. Elijah the Prophet on Mt. Carmel slayed 450 prophets of Baal?
   
7. Elisha called down a curse on 42 youths who were mauled by she-bears?

Has God ever denied any of the episodes listed above? Is that the way God deals with those who seem to be in opposition to what God is all about? Does God seem to be an unruly taskmaster who takes life whenever he sees fit and allows no one to question his motives and actions? In the end, does God care less what people think of him? God says "he loves us with an everlasting love," but in all reality, does He say one thing and then does the opposite? From the above list of what appears to be questionable events as a means of preserving life, God's actions may be viewed as harsh treatment, but God does not make mistakes. God does what is right, because it is right!

God Is Trustworthy.

To doubt what God has done in the past as being the right thing to do, and to question decisions He makes on issues that affect us are considered to be worthy of discussion with God. When we become troubled and don't fully understand what God is all about and why He does certain things, Jesus says to us: "Do not let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God; trust also in me." (John 14:1). The full extent of God's trustworthiness is realized in the death of Jesus, as it is by his death that God will withhold nothing to prove that "He loves us with an everlasting love." Even though there were those who chose not to accept Christ and his representation of God the Father, God will always grant everyone Freedom of Choice. From the beginning, God created man in his own image: the ability to think, to make choices, to know God, and to act. These principles will continue forever, because God does not and will not ever change. God, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit are the same yesterday, today, and forever. Jesus lived a life here on Planet Earth to demonstrate that God the Father is who He claimed to be, and that when we see and know Jesus, we see and know God the Father. Jesus did not come to just die on the Cross; He came to represent his Heavenly Father, to testify about God, and to demonstrate God's character. The problem Jesus incurred was that the religious community refused to accept him and, instead, wanted him dead. To show that Jesus and the Father would allow dissention, anger, and even hatred from created beings without any form of retaliation, Jesus endured the Cross and the wrath of mankind, proving He is worthy of our trust. Freedom of Choice cost Jesus his life. The Cross proves there is no need whatever to be afraid of God. Trust in God does not hinge on the fact that Jesus died or because He conquered death and the Cross, although those events are all important. Trust in God is acknowledging and believing that He is the Creator of the Universe, that He is Sovereign, that Jesus is God's Son, and that Jesus wants everyone to know God and be his understanding friend. Trust in God is accepting as truth what Jesus reveals about God.

 

Why Did Jesus Have to Die?

 

Freedom of Choice is the foundation of God's government
and the way He runs his Universe.
God is fully committed and will defend everyone's right to
Freedom of Choice.
He will even die, if necessary!

If we choose to love and admire God, we like him and want
to become his understanding friend.
If we choose to be indifferent and don't care about God,
He will respect that decision.
If we choose to hate and despise God, we become his
enemy and want to kill him.

 

Jesus died to protect and guarantee everyone's Freedom of Choice.

 

"It is for freedom (of choice) that Christ has set us free (to choose)."

Galatians 5: 1

 

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