How would you go about describing what the color blue looks like to a sightless person? Someone who has been blind from birth and has never seen light or the visible color spectrum would be unable to understand what blue was. If you were incredibly clever you might get a pan from the kitchen fill it with ice and water and then put the blind person's hand into the cold mixture. This might convey certain aspects of things that might be blue in color but it would not be the complete visual package. Bottom line, you still wont know what the color blue looks like.
We actually live in a universe where we can interpret four dimensions. Let's start by saying we exist as one point in infinite space. Now let's add another point to our universe and now we arrive at our first dimension which is "length". One more point added to the mix and suddenly we have our second dimension which is "width". Our last spacial dimension is "height" which gives us our X,Y and Z axis or our three dimensional universe. The last known dimension is "time". What really is time?
To have "time" in our universe we need to have matter and it needs to be set into motion. If objects are not moving then there is nothing to measure because you have to have time in order to travel distance. If we stood perfectly still somewhere in space and nothing was in motion we would not feel the passage of time. Also without motion we would not have light waves or light particles so wondering what the color blue looked like would be a mute issue. It really would be a mute because we would not have sound waves either.
Now let's think back to being blind or sightless and wanting to discover the truth about the color blue. What story would you attempt to tell someone to describe the color blue? What props could you use to convey the color blue? Just think about this dilemma.How to pass information from one known dimension to another unknown dimension? This is what I refer to as an extra-dimensional information transmission dilemma.
Do you believe in a literal place the bible calls Hades, Gehenna or Hell? Jesus did and he spent allot of time warning us about the dangers of ending up there. Sounds like a real place to me. Although where it is and what it really is seems a little bit like describing the color blue to a sightless person. Some of the biblical descriptions of hell include- A place where the worm never dies. The lake of fire. A lake burning with fire and brimstone. A place of wailing and gnashing of teeth. That last one bugs me a bit because I grind my teeth while sleeping.
Another couple of questions we need to ponder; Why did the new testament writers appear to have borrowed the concept of Hades and Tartarus, two levels of punishment in Greek mythology, and imported them into their writings? We also have the concepts of Abraham's Bosom and Sheol to grapple with. In addition, in the book of Job, we find some clues to what early civilizations that were located in the fertile crescent might have believed about an after life.
We are given a word picture of an extra dimensional reality that we can not yet comprehend because I believe it literally does not exist in this universe. Before you grab that last sound bite, in an attempt to tie me to the burning stake of heresy, consider this- Jesus was warning us of a situation so terrible, so wicked that the only reference point He had here on earth was the Jerusalem trash dump located in the valley of Hinnom (Gehenna). This place not only smelled bad, it was always burning with smoke and flame that continually filled the sky. This horrible stench would probably drift into the city and remind people of the dump and all the discarded trash as the wind blew it into town. In older times child sacrifice to Molech also took place in this area outside the walls of Jerusalem. Just the casual mention of the name Gehenna in Jesus' day would have brought to mind some really wicked, horrible and detestable activities.
Do we have freewill to make choices during the day, week, month, year and through out our lives? Can you imagine for a second how much God respects you and loves you ? He loves you so much He wont violate your freewill choices. Now suppose God designed "a way" for all humanity to exist with Him after death in another dimension. And what if you were foolish enough not to choose to be in God's presence? What word picture, from here on earth, would come close to describing such an awesome place? Think about the blind person's hand in the ice water in an attempt to describe the color blue. How would you describe a place void of God? A place lacking God's love, His light, His warmth and His fellowship. No wonder Jesus was warning us not to choose that place.
As part of the body or the bride of Christ we are not to divide over this issue. It actually is not a salvation issue. Our eternal destination is in eternity with God. We are to choose Jesus now, be like Jesus now, abide in Jesus now and hell will literally not exist for us in eternity. Show people around you, in your life how much you care for them. As you build relationships, the Holy Spirit, will give you not only an opportunity but the words to draw souls to Him. Let us not beat people over the head with hell but rather show them God's love for us. The gospel is well defined in 1 Corinthians 15:1-8. So we don't have to invent any clever devices or add anything to what God has already given to the whole world. Freedom from the curse of sin, death and all the baggage that we seem so thrilled to drag with us! God's Son Jesus, is "The Way" seek Him and you will find Him!
We actually live in a universe where we can interpret four dimensions. Let's start by saying we exist as one point in infinite space. Now let's add another point to our universe and now we arrive at our first dimension which is "length". One more point added to the mix and suddenly we have our second dimension which is "width". Our last spacial dimension is "height" which gives us our X,Y and Z axis or our three dimensional universe. The last known dimension is "time". What really is time?
To have "time" in our universe we need to have matter and it needs to be set into motion. If objects are not moving then there is nothing to measure because you have to have time in order to travel distance. If we stood perfectly still somewhere in space and nothing was in motion we would not feel the passage of time. Also without motion we would not have light waves or light particles so wondering what the color blue looked like would be a mute issue. It really would be a mute because we would not have sound waves either.
Now let's think back to being blind or sightless and wanting to discover the truth about the color blue. What story would you attempt to tell someone to describe the color blue? What props could you use to convey the color blue? Just think about this dilemma.How to pass information from one known dimension to another unknown dimension? This is what I refer to as an extra-dimensional information transmission dilemma.
Do you believe in a literal place the bible calls Hades, Gehenna or Hell? Jesus did and he spent allot of time warning us about the dangers of ending up there. Sounds like a real place to me. Although where it is and what it really is seems a little bit like describing the color blue to a sightless person. Some of the biblical descriptions of hell include- A place where the worm never dies. The lake of fire. A lake burning with fire and brimstone. A place of wailing and gnashing of teeth. That last one bugs me a bit because I grind my teeth while sleeping.
Another couple of questions we need to ponder; Why did the new testament writers appear to have borrowed the concept of Hades and Tartarus, two levels of punishment in Greek mythology, and imported them into their writings? We also have the concepts of Abraham's Bosom and Sheol to grapple with. In addition, in the book of Job, we find some clues to what early civilizations that were located in the fertile crescent might have believed about an after life.
We are given a word picture of an extra dimensional reality that we can not yet comprehend because I believe it literally does not exist in this universe. Before you grab that last sound bite, in an attempt to tie me to the burning stake of heresy, consider this- Jesus was warning us of a situation so terrible, so wicked that the only reference point He had here on earth was the Jerusalem trash dump located in the valley of Hinnom (Gehenna). This place not only smelled bad, it was always burning with smoke and flame that continually filled the sky. This horrible stench would probably drift into the city and remind people of the dump and all the discarded trash as the wind blew it into town. In older times child sacrifice to Molech also took place in this area outside the walls of Jerusalem. Just the casual mention of the name Gehenna in Jesus' day would have brought to mind some really wicked, horrible and detestable activities.
Do we have freewill to make choices during the day, week, month, year and through out our lives? Can you imagine for a second how much God respects you and loves you ? He loves you so much He wont violate your freewill choices. Now suppose God designed "a way" for all humanity to exist with Him after death in another dimension. And what if you were foolish enough not to choose to be in God's presence? What word picture, from here on earth, would come close to describing such an awesome place? Think about the blind person's hand in the ice water in an attempt to describe the color blue. How would you describe a place void of God? A place lacking God's love, His light, His warmth and His fellowship. No wonder Jesus was warning us not to choose that place.
As part of the body or the bride of Christ we are not to divide over this issue. It actually is not a salvation issue. Our eternal destination is in eternity with God. We are to choose Jesus now, be like Jesus now, abide in Jesus now and hell will literally not exist for us in eternity. Show people around you, in your life how much you care for them. As you build relationships, the Holy Spirit, will give you not only an opportunity but the words to draw souls to Him. Let us not beat people over the head with hell but rather show them God's love for us. The gospel is well defined in 1 Corinthians 15:1-8. So we don't have to invent any clever devices or add anything to what God has already given to the whole world. Freedom from the curse of sin, death and all the baggage that we seem so thrilled to drag with us! God's Son Jesus, is "The Way" seek Him and you will find Him!
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