The basis of eternal judgment

Submitted by Michael S (United States), Jul 27, 2016 at 09:44

Hi, Tovey. You said,

"... some are having a hard time recognizing they are exact fulfillments of the Scriptures..."

For sure. I think some would have trouble believing the Bible, even if a giant hand came out of the sky and moved mountains. They would blame it on Donald Trump and Putin.

"...the precise execution of judgment as the Scriptures call for: the Day of the LORD."

It will be sheep here, goats there.

"If they cannot say they will recognize HaMashiach when He returns, what will be His response to them?"

I don't know.

"...[France is] at the front doorstep of the calamity that is the EU's to experience..."

Here's an opinion:

"SUPERSTATE OR OBLIVION: 'Unsustainable' EU told to merge or die by leading credit agency
THE European Union must immediately merge into a huge superstate or face fast approaching oblivion, a leading credit ratings agency has warned.
By Nick Gutteridge
PUBLISHED: 18:03, Tue, Jul 26, 2016 | UPDATED: 18:15, Tue, Jul 26, 2016"

-- http://www.express.co.uk/news/world/693555/European-Union-Standard-and-Poor-EU-unsustainable-current-format

It's true. Things don't look good for Europe.

"empires of men have always been tools of judgment"

Nimrod began his reign around 2153 BCE, at Babylon. He is said to be the father of the empires of the world (cf Book of Jubilees). According to the Bible, that began the period of Empires. The Old Kingdom of Egypt is dated from c. 2686 BCE–c. 2181 BCE; so there seems to be a conflict here. Mizraim (Egypt) was Nimrod's uncle. c. 2181 BCE – c. 2055 BCE, the "First Intermediate Period" in Egypt, includes the time of Nimrod's reign in Iraq. That's the sort of thing I know -- still struggling with the ABCs. God's judgments, whether toward nations or individuals, are correct. You said,

"The recent Republican Convention invoked phrases of Isaiah 59 in order to apparently give a sense of recovery of a former time of America's one time 'greatness'; yet the import of those verses show a different meaning; that as Israel was under chastisement at the time those verses were invoked against a stubborn people, so too here.

"America is still not getting the message and the same inscription that ended the 'Babylonian' empire of that time is about to be invoked here again for the 'spiritual' chastisement of (dare we say, mystery) Babylon of this present time... The fate of empires was/is to experience the doom of the foibles and failures of their own weaknesses; for all are impersonators of the Kingdom to come."

You seem to be saying, "If the shoe fits, wear it!" with these prophecies, and I concur: If God has proven anything by extending his mercy to the gentiles, it is that both alike deserve eternal damnation. We are all saved by faith in God's intention of mercy; but He proved that mercy by accepting Jesus -- with all the imperfections the Jews imagined he had -- in raising him from the dead. If the Jews, or anyone else, imagines that they will receive mercy because of their virtuous acts, He will present to them Jesus -- someone far more valuable to Him than they; and because they condemn Jesus in their hearts, God will also condemn them on the final day. In the end, God judges us all, by how we judge others; and Jesus is the gold standard of measuring that judgment.

My mother once read the Bible, after I had become a religious fanatic. I imagine she was hoping that the Bible would prove that she was right about things, and I was wrong. Instead, she came away very dissatisfied. God, it seems, had accepted David, who she judged to be a very, very bad man; so she was upset with God. I don't know whether she ever resolved that matter in her heart. David was proclaimed by the Bible to be "a man after God's own heart"; yet my mother was passing judgment against him. If she approaches the final judgment with this in her heart, she will certainly receive the condemnation that she wished upon David. How much more, then, will God judge those who belittle Jesus, who is far more perfect than David?

That's how I see these matters. One can profess whatever religion he wishes, and attend any church or whatever; but if he doesn't acknowledge that Jesus is the UNIQUE son of God, above all others, that person is bound for eternal punishment. And in this, I don't mean some Hollywood version of Jesus; I mean "the least of these, his brethren", as he said. One cannot denigrate the people of God, the ones God has chosen -- whether those chosen be Christians or Jews -- and escape punishment.

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