Guide to God, part 11/41: The Standard And The Test


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Topic: Religions > Bible
User: "Beelzebull"
Date: 28 May 2005 05:00:04 AM
Object: Guide to God, part 11/41: The Standard And The Test
Guide to God, part 11/41: The Standard And The Test
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The Standard And The Test
Eternal Destiny: Your eternal destiny is the most important
choice you will ever make. There are only two eternal
destinies: Life eternal and death eternal. There is only
one path which leads to life eternal; all other paths lead
to death eternal. Death eternal is automatic: It comes to
us all, unless we choose life eternal instead. How does
one choose life eternal? By doing three things: Keep the
commandments of God; develop within you the spirit of
selfless benevolence; and follow God. See Matthew 19:16-22
for details. Life eternal is spent in the kingdom of God.
The Kingdom Of God: If we are to understand the kingdom of
God, we must know exactly what a kingdom is. A kingdom is
defined thusly: "An organized community headed by a king;
the territory subject to a king." [Oxford Dictionary] The
kingdom of God is, obviously, headed by God; the territory
of the kingdom of God encompasses all things. What about
hell? Where does hell exist? Hell is not a place; hell is
a state; hell is the state of non-existence; hell is death
eternal. Hell is often confused with the Day of Judgement,
but they are not the same thing. (The Day of Judgement is
the fulfillment of this Scripture: "As you have done, so
shall it be done to you." [Obadiah 15]) A kingdom is
defined by its laws. In the kingdom of God, one must abide
by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God. In the
kingdom of God, it is impossible to break the commandments
of God -- it simply cannot be done, since God does not
permit it. Here on the earth, we are all being tested to
determine if we are worthy to enter the kingdom of God.
The test is the Ten Commandments. If we fail to keep God's
commandments for a short time on the earth, there is
absolutely no way we will be able to keep His every word
for all eternity in His kingdom.
Why The Ten Commandments: God desires a perfect, eternal,
and everlasting creation. If God's creation is to endure
forever, it cannot contain anything which causes harm. The
Ten Commandments can be summarized in three words: "Do no
harm." "Do no harm" can be summarized in one word: "Love."
Thus, the only law in eternity is love. Since love never
harms, that which is built on love will endure forever.
Life Is A Test: Ever wonder why so much of our time is
spent choosing between good and evil? Ever wonder why the
human experience is so focused on making choices between
good and evil? This is not by accident, but by design:
Man is not yet complete -- he is in the process of being
made; his purpose on the earth is to acquire knowledge --
the knowledge of good and evil. Remember that man ate the
fruit of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, and
thereby plunged himself into an eye-opening experience.
See Genesis 3:1-19 for details. Our primary purpose on the
earth is to understand the nature of good and evil, and to
choose one over the other. This is why so much of our life
is focused on making decisions between good and evil. We
make decisions, and are rewarded with their consequences
-- trial and error. However, there is an easier way to
approach life: Study the word of God. The word of God is
a manual for the human soul; it contains all the things a
man can do on the earth, and their consequences -- both
temporal and eternal.
Testing, Then And Now: In the Garden of Eden, God tested
Adam with the Forbidden Fruit; Adam failed the test. Today,
God tests us with the Ten Commandments; and we all fail the
test. Therefore, let us not be rash to condemn Adam.
The Battleground: You may wonder why the earth is filled
with strife. The answer is simple: The earth is a battle-
ground for the forces of good and evil. We are all on one
side or the other: "He who is not with Me is against Me."
[Matthew 12:30] If you are not on the side of God, you
are automatically on the side of the devil -- there is no
neutral ground. Therefore, choose your side carefully.
God offers life eternal; the devil brings death eternal.
If you are to be an effective soldier, you need to "know
thy enemy". A tree is known by its fruit. Three things
are manifested by the works of the devil and his children:
Division, destruction, and death. Those who attack the
laws, ordinances, and commandments of God are doing the
work of their father the devil, and thus they earn their
reward of death eternal; those who uphold the laws,
ordinances, and commandments of God are doing the work
of their Father, and they will have their reward of life
eternal in the bosom of their Father.
-----
The above is an excerpt from a currently-available book
which can be purchased at:
www.amazon.com
www.amazon.co.uk
www.amazon.ca
Search "Books" for:
TITLE: "The Teenager's Guide to the Awesome God"
AUTHOR: "Arrant Knave"
ISBN: "1413755003"
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Excerpt from "The Teenager's Guide To The Awesome God"
Copyright 2000 Arrant Knave. All rights reserved.
All scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are
taken from the New King James Version (R). Copyright (C)
1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights
reserved.
.

 

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