Ok, let's assume this "horse" is flatulent, and stop examining this end. We walk around to the other side of this horse, pet him on the nose, and feed him some sugar. Thus, steering a contentious issue away from its negative side, and paying attention to the positive side, the question begs: WHAT SORT OF PEOPLE WILL NOT BE DESTROYED BY GOD? (At least, based on the Bible.)
First of all, being destroyed verses being "put to death" can be quite different. Those who die, such as criminals who commit murders, pay the penalty through their deaths and are entitled to a second chance at life everlasting. Only God will judge them. Jesus Christ died for ALL humans. Being "destroyed" is different. Ones soul permanently ceases to exist, and they remain unconscious forever. That is a pretty serious fate for anyone to meet!
Then who will escape this terrible fate that is reserved for some people like the angel Satan?
Just about everyone on Earth and in Heaven will be spared this fate. Adam and Eve will receive a glorious resurrection at the end of the thousand years to meet the multitudes of their offspring.
Since God is love, it is theoretically possible (but seemingly improbable) that Satan himself could suddenly turn against evil at the last moment and repent.
The Bible does not indicate that anyone has to die. All can be spared. "God is love."
There aren't too many Saddam Husseins to worry about, fortunately. Hitler's dead, so perhaps the repentant side of this "human monster" will prevail and show that even the most evil people are not necessarily incorrigible. Many of those training in "death squads" to commit terrorist acts, like Al Quaida, are seriously mentally ill and brainwashed youth with good intentions. They live by the sword and will die by the sword, but God has in store for them a resurrection. No matter how serious their sins, they are covered under the ransom sacrifice of our Lord, Jesus Christ.
Speculating on who exactly gets destroyed is iffy, at best. Will Manson in San Quentin Prison who I hear is surfing the web from his cell, who knows might even be reading our posts, buy the farm and cease to exist for all eternity because of his heinous crimes? He orchestrated the Sharon Tate murders over 30 years ago. What about others worse than Manson? Will all the vicious criminals sitting on death row be destroyed, or will God resurrect them? Obviously only God knows the answer to this.
Christians can say with certainty that evil people will be destroyed. Not good people! Not people like any of you! I believe it's likely that not one person who has ever posted to this forum, or ever will post here in the future, will be destroyed. I say this because I have faith that God will only destroy people whose hearts are pure evil.
Has it ever occurred to anyone that some of the "demon" angels who rebelled before the flood, and in more recent times, have repented? What about Satan? Does God have to destroy this angel if he repents? The Bible is silent, only prophesying consequences of Satan's destruction based on assumptions that Satan remain God's enemy, which is most likely. However, reading the Bible from cover to cover reveals a fair God who has dealt judiciously and patiently with rebelling angels and Satan himself.
Many of you took my post personally because I approached the "horse" from its negative or "flatulent" end.
Sometimes looking at the issue from an entirely opposite perspective is good. That is why I thought it would be good to tell you who will NOT be destroyed based on the timeless and wise principles in the Bible that I have learned. Based on what I see, there will not be a lot of casualties. God doesn't expect your blind obedience, and will show each one of you the extent of his true glory and love in his due time. Don't be surprised if suddenly you "see" God in the form of something in your life that has no other explanation other than the existence of God.
One day, hopefully soon, each one of you who doubts God's existence and true love for you, shall finally appreciate why his son bled to death, the weight of his body ripping the torn flesh of his bony hands as he slowly died on a stake, or was it perhaps a cross.
Derrick
Edited by - Derrick on 30 October 2002 21:50:58