God said, "Say unto them, As I live, saith the Lord God, I have NO PLEASURE in the death of the wicked; but that the wicked turn from his way and live."(EZEKIAL 33:11) Revelation says that God "created ALL things, and for (His) pleasure they are and were created. Did God create the soul that goes into hell. Absolutely. Does God Take pleasure in this. Absolutely not. I don't claim to know alot, but I do believe the Bible must be taken as a whole and that no scripture is of any private interpretation (that is to say interpretted exclusive of other passages). Deuteronomy 30:19 exhorts "I call heaven and earth to record this day against you, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing: therefore CHOOSE life that, that both thou and thy seed may live:". Proverbs says of those who "set at nought" the counsel of God, that "that they hated knowledge and did not CHOOSE the fear of the Lord." To say that men have no choice would make God and His purpose arbitrary. All men are invited to come to God. "For God so loved the WORLD that he gave his only begotten Son that WHOSOEVER believeth in Him, should not perish but have everlasting life." Revelation 22:17 says, "And the Spirit and the Bride say, Come. And let him that heareth say, Come. And WHOSOEVER will take the water of life freely." I Peter 1:2 says that saints are elect according to the foreknowledge of God. This is the divine order; God foreknows and election is according to foreknowledge. Romans 8:29 says For whom he did foreknow he also did predestinate, not to salvation, but to conformity to Christ's image. We are pre destinated to adoption (Ephesians 1:5) which is different which is not the same as Birth. God Knows everything reguardless of when it occurs. He knew from the beginning who would recieve Him. God is Sovereign and is God enough to permit men to choose their own eternal destination.
Example: I Samuel 23:8-14... David hears that Sual is coming to the city of Keilah to find him. David asks God, "Will the men of Keilah deliver me up into his hand?" God says, "They will deliver thee up."
So David flees so that the men of Kielah couold not deliver him up. Did God lie, or was He mistaken. No, God simply knows everything. He knew what WOULD have happened yet He did not CAUSE it to happen, and so David took measures to see that it would not happen.
God is a Loving God, but that is not His only attribute. He is Omnipotent, everpresent, All Knowing, Righteous, Just, Holy, Wrathful, He Hates Evil, He is angry with the wicked everyday, and yet in His mercy which allows Him not to give us all what we deserve for killing His Son (Hell). Jesus took our sins upon Him, paying our sin debt and allowing the Father to be Just in Justifying all that come to Him in Faith. God's grace allows Him to shower upon us all His riches which we do not deserve. I Gave my Heart to Jesus, in my car , on HWY 85, about exit 100, around 6:00 pm, on September 9, 1999. Please don't misunderstand me. I don't claim to be special in any sense, I simply want to say that I know that Jesus Christ is the One that everyone is searching for, they just won't see it 'till they believe it. He is much more than I ever desired.
[This message has been edited by pilgrim, 01-24-2004]
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