THE FACT YOU ONCE SINNED DOES NOT MEAN YOU CAN NEVER BE REDEEMED
Quote:
Originally Posted by Blanche_Locke
After days of fasting and prayer, and reading the holy word of God, I have been blessed with the realization of truth. I humbly ask your forgiveness of my iniquities. God's word is the only standard, and anything that deviates from it MUST be wrong. There are no ifs, ands, or buts. I was a fool for not seeing that before. I have dedicated my life to preserving the rule of God almighty. Though I know that I cannot be saved, and I am forever trapped in this life of sin, nevertheless I can perhaps win for myself a less fiery place in the pits of hell.
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Whether fiery or not, all accommodation in The Pit is unpleasant. We know it's a real place because God has sent people there directly while still alive, although they wouldn't remain alive long before the torment set in. In this example the wretches thought they were admiring God but had chosen a method of their own rather than following His guidelines. I use "guidelines" in its strictest sense, like railway lines.
THE GUIDELINES
God explained to Moses & Aaron how much and precisely how He was to be admired.
Numbers 16:1-2, 3, 32-35 Now Korah, the son of Izhar, the son of Kohath, the son of Levi, and Dathan and Abiram, the sons of Eliab, and On, the son of Peleth, sons of Reuben, took men: and they rose up before Moses, with certain of the children of Israel, two hundred and fifty princes of the assembly, famous in the congregation, men of renown
A thank-you party? Had they made God a cake? Maybe they wanted to acknowledge Moses' efforts in preventing God from killing everyone, on more occasions post-Egypt than can be enumerated here? Aaron & Moses must have been quietly excited as they heard what the throng had to say.
3: And they gathered themselves together against Moses and against Aaron, and said unto them, Ye take too much upon you, seeing all the congregation are holy, every one of them, and the LORD is among them: wherefore then lift ye up yourselves above the congregation of the LORD?
Open revolt. Was that any way to disport oneself for an occasion like that? Well you can read all the shenanigans in
chapter 16 but the upshot was as follows.
32-35: And the earth opened her mouth, and swallowed them up, and their houses, and all the men that appertained unto Korah, and all their goods. They, and all that appertained to them, went down alive into the pit, and the earth closed upon them and they perished from among the congregation. And all Israel that were round about them fled at the cry of them: for they said, Lest the earth swallow us up also. And there came out a fire from the LORD, and consumed the two hundred and fifty men that offered incense.
Not only Korah and his wretched posse but all hangers-on hoping to mooch the stuff like God ran some low-down speakeasy it makes me feel sick just thinking about it BANG! Jets of flame squirting down, “How do we know they were jets?” were you wondering: because they were precisely targeted. Only 250 out of millions were smitten; precision could be His middle name! Unlike other projects where what you're expecting is precisely articulated (by you) but when or where it manifests is rather vague due to the project manager having no intention of ever delivering anything.