Jonah & the Whale

[martincisneros]

A little girl was talking to her teacher about whales. The teacher said it was physically impossible for a whale to swallow a human because even though it was a very large mammal its throat was very small.

The little girl stated that Jonah was swallowed by a whale.

Irritated, the teacher reiterated that a whale could not swallow a human; it was physically impossible.

The little girl said, "When I get to heaven I will ask Jonah".

The teacher asked, "What if Jonah went to hell?"

The little girl replied, "Then you ask him".

[hopeful]

 :JCThink:

[martincisneros]

Did a genuine belief that her teacher was going to Hell give the little girl a missionary's heart?  Did the remote possibility that her teacher was going to be eternally separated from the only love that ever really mattered produce the brokenness that the eternal Hell paradigm is alleged to produce in caring people?  Or did it give her cause to say that she thanked God that she was not as her teacher?? 

Did any of us that really cared about people get our rear in gear and win multitudes to Jesus Christ when we believed such limited views of the Saviour's passionate intention where all life is concerned?  Or did we simply sit at home watching television worrying a little, until some good song came on that made us forget all about our duties towards the rest of the world?? 

Those of us who even gave crazy amounts of money to evangelist big shot to go and win the world for us:  did we really believe, under the eternal separation from God paradigm, that if so and so was equipped well enough that they would genuinely win the whole world to Jesus Christ?  Or were we just hoping that Jesus Christ would come back soon enough to take our minds off of what was going to happen to everybody else anyway, inspite of His shed Blood???

Sometimes I genuinely wonder if I ever really believed in His Work when I still believed in the enormity of the power of sin to eternally bring His Heart to a complete stop where some people were concerned.  Did I ever really even believe that He'd totally save me, or did I just hope (in the past) that if I were yielded enough that perhaps the Two of Us would figure it out before it was forever too late for me?!  How do people even live and maintain their sanity who believe that where grace has abounded, sin shall much more abound?????

[Paul Hazelwood]

The doctrine of hell is not the majority of the problem.  It is the idea that those who Choose salvation have done so freely and of their own power and that God sits out there just waiting for us to figure it out. 

How is it then scripture describes God going after the lost of his flock.  Isn't it interesting that Christians will say that unbelievers are apart from God.  OH REALLY?,  how then can a lost sheep be a part of Gods flock?

This then causes most of the complacent attitude for the Lost considering that the Lost simply just need to make the right choice.

The rest have a condemning attitude because they think they choose salvation freely while everyone else freely chooses to sin and ignore the warning effectively willfully spitting in Gods face.

The whole thing completely ignores scripture in Isaiah saying that creation was subject to sin unwillingly.

It's just one contradiction after another.

[martincisneros]

Where is that passage in Isaiah that in the KJV says something to the effect of "Listen up, you stout hearted, My Salvation's coming for you.  My righteousness won't be held back!"?

[Paul Hazelwood]

Where is that passage in Isaiah that in the KJV says something to the effect of "Listen up, you stout hearted, My Salvation's coming for you.  My righteousness won't be held back!"?

I believe this is the one


Isa 46:12 Listen to me, you stubborn-hearted, who are far from righteousness;
Isa 46:13 I bring near My righteousness. It shall not be far off, and My salvation shall not delay. And I will place salvation in Zion, My glory for Israel.