Q & A: Chapter IV

“Be assured that everyone who reaches their own age of accountability must be born-again.”

“What does that have anything to do with this?”

“Acceptance of what we have been allowed and enabled to know and understand about our Heavenly Father’s active participation in our daily lives is one of the main things unto truly being born-again in His only-begotten Son."

“That’s convenient.”

"If the whole reason for our existence is to have fellowship with our Heavenly Father: would He not want to start a relationship with us as soon as righteously possible?”

“Faith based on thoughts and feelings is surely built upon shifting sands!”

“It would all depend upon how it is supported; and in my case: it has been reinforced to the max.”

“Well, isn't that special.”

“It is. For it has been though my experiences that I have come to know and understand that what it means to hide His Word in my heart is to thankfully embrace the presence of His Holy Spirit within me.”

“Good for you.”

“It has also been through my experiences that I have come to know and understand that what it means to be constantly in prayer is to be in constant contact with our Heavenly Father.”

“Woo hoo.”

“Nonetheless: let it be widely known and well understood that it is not the same for everyone. For it all depends upon what our Heavenly Father wants to accomplish in and through someone that determines when, and unto what extent, He will allow and enable them to become ever more increasingly aware of just how near He truly is unto us all.”

“I just knew that there had to be a catch somewhere.”

“Case in point.”

“What?”

“How would you know something like that if it was not for our Heavenly Father’s Holy Spirit?”

“Cute.”

“No, I am being serious. For that is how it works most of the time.”

“We’re incapable of just thinking of stuff on our own?”

“Not necessarily; but that would be missing the point.”

“What is the point?”

“Where we want the line drawn.”

“What line?”

“The line between where our Heavenly Father begins and we end.”

“Yeah, like we would really have any say in the matter.”

“Not much; but we do have some. For our Heavenly Father will do as He pleases; and is this not as it should be? After all: does He not have the right to do with what He has created for His own good pleasure as He likes? More importantly: Should this be of any concern unto us? Subsequently: it is in this that we do have some say in the matter. For this is what the line is really all about.”

“Are you speaking in tongues again?”

“No more than usual.”

“It’s giving me a headache.”

“Yes, there is much about our Heavenly Father’s absolute truth that can be quite overwhelming—especially when it is so contrary unto what we have been so strongly encouraged to believe. Nonetheless: it is actually quite simple in this case. For it all comes down unto who we want to trust: ourselves or our Heavenly Father?”

“Couldn't it be some for both?”

“No.”

"Why not?”

“The more we want to have faith in ourselves: the less we can want to truly have full and complete faith in our Heavenly Father.”

“Well, depending on the circumstances…”

“Be assured that the less we can want to truly have full and complete faith in our Heavenly Father: the more in danger of eternal damnation we become. For it truly is as it is written: This is what the Lord says: Cursed is the one who trusts in man, who depends on flesh for his strength and whose heart turns away from the Lord.”

"Okay, when you put it like that: it would do us all well to want to truly have full and complete faith in our Heavenly Father.”

“One would think; but has it not been widely taught that faith without works is dead?”

“Yes; but that’s Biblical.”

“James 2:17; and the associated passage sure makes it look like there is little to doubt.”

“Tell me something I don’t know.”

“Well, if it is indeed true that all of our good works are like filthy rags: should it not be made abundantly clear that whatever good we may be involved in is strictly of our Heavenly Father—certainly not of ourselves?”

“Hey, I hear people giving God all of the glory all of the time!”

“And yet: are we not strongly encouraged to accept that nothing will get done if we do not do it ourselves; and are not many applauded for their own efforts?”

“Don’t we have a part to play?”

“Yes, we do; but it is usually a very, very small one—if any at all.”

“What are we supposed to do: sit on our hands and wait for manna to fall from Heaven into our mouths?”

“No. For there are lives to be lived; and there is most definitely work to be done. Nonetheless: it would do us all well to want to be thankful for being allowed and enabled to be involved in the doing of good whenever we are allowed and enabled to.”

“My head is really pounding.”

“This is about perception. For instead of honoring someone for their many years of unselfish service unto others: it is the good that our Heavenly Father has done in and through them that is what should be celebrated. For the only thing that we can really do that can be considered as being good is to want to do good; and even in that: we would do well to truly give our Heavenly Father full credit for allowing and enabling us to have such an attitude like that.”

"Isn't that just encouraging irresponsibility?”

“Which would you rather be doing: good or bad?”

“Good.”

“And if good was not being done in and through you: would you not want that to change?”

“Yes.”

“And if a change did not occur: would you not keep praying for it until it did?”

“I suppose.”

“You would do well to do so. For this is well-pleasing in our Heavenly Father’s sight.”

“So much for the road to Hell being paved with good intentions.”

“Hence: one of Satan’s cleverly-disguised schemes.”

“Yeah, what’s the deal with him?”

“He is the devil.”

“That much I do understand. What I don’t has to do with why he is still around.”

“He and his horde of rogue angels, which are also referred unto as being demons and devils, are still useful.”

“In what way?”

“In some cases: it is their job to encourage repentance.”

“How do they do that?”

“By making our sinfulness all the more egregious.”

“Is there more?”

“Lots; but in most cases: it is their job to help make the kind of love that our Heavenly Father can receive from us all the more satisfying unto Him.”

“And how do they do that?”

“By making it harder for us to give our Heavenly Father the benefit of our doubts. After all: is it not rather hard to really love someone who does not always protect you from harm—even if it is nothing permanent?”

“You make it sound like they are under contract.”

“Under full and complete control would be a much more accurate assessment.”

"Our Heavenly Father?”

“The One and Only.”

“I suppose the next thing you’ll want me to believe is that there is not a battle going on between the forces of good and evil for the salvation of our souls?”

“No, I would not. For there is a battle going on; but it is a personal one between belief and disbelief—not warring factions.”

“Don’t they want souls to torment, flesh to devour, and whatever else the devil and his demons may do down there in Hell?”

“Be assured that Satan and his horde of rogue angels will be too busy being tormented themselves to care about tormenting others.”

“Do you have any idea just how ridiculous all of that sounds?”

“Not as ridiculous as the alternative. For how could our Heavenly Father not be in full and complete control of the devil and his demons if He truly is all that He actually says that He absolutely is?”

“So: was the incident in the Garden of Eden just a farce?”

“No, not at all. For Satan really did take the form of a serpent; and he really did trick Eve into eating of the forbidden fruit. It was, however, by design—certainly not unexpected!”

“Unbelievable.”

"How could it be otherwise? For if our Heavenly Father is truly all-powerful: how could Satan have gotten anywhere near Eve without being allowed and enabled to; and if our Heavenly Father truly is all-knowing: would He not have known all about Satan’s treachery long before it happened? Furthermore: there is the matter of our Heavenly Father truly being always-present. For if this is indeed true: would He not have been actually there when it all came to pass?”

“I don’t have the words to express what I’m feeling right now.”

“Yes, it all came as quite a shock unto me as well. Hence: the drop of the other shoe.”

“What shoe? What drop?”

“The remark was made in reference unto the expression: waiting for the other shoe to drop.”

“What does that have anything to do with any of this?”

“Coming into a fuller understanding of the reality of our situation in this world: which is also a large part of what it really means to be truly born-again in Christ. For it cannot be accepted that our Heavenly Father is truly in full and complete control of everything without accepting that He is truly in full and complete control of even what we would naturally consider to be the bad stuff.”

“I think I’m about to have an aneurysm.”

“You should not be. For it is really very simple.”

“Right.”

“It has to do with helping to make the kind of love that our Heavenly Father can receive from us all the more satisfying. For it is rather easy to want to love someone who always does what you would like for them to do; but it takes a very special kind of love to want to love someone who is ultimately responsible for all that you consider to be bad about life in this world.”

“Was Satan created to be the devil?”

“No, he was originally created to be a guardian cherub; but then he rebelled. It was soon after that he became the devil.”

“Is there any truth to what I've heard about him rebelling because of being upset about us?”

“Yes, I have also heard as much; and I must admit that it naturally makes a great deal of sense unto me. For there he was: the greatest of all angels; and then he found out that he was to be subordinate unto those who were to be created vastly inferior unto himself and his fellow angels. Nonetheless: I cannot say for sure. For the absolute truth of the matter has not been personally revealed unto me.”

“I must admit that I would have preferred to have never heard any of this.”

“Alas, such is the essence of faith.”

“What about demonic possession?”

“Yes, the absolute truth of the matter truly is that there is such a thing as demonic possession; and there are times when it comes relatively close unto how it has been depicted by the entertainment industry. For it truly is as it is written: They went across the lake to the region of the Gerasenes. When Jesus got out of the boat, a man with an evil spirit came from the tombs to meet him. This man lived in the tombs, and no one could bind him any more, not even with a chain. For he had often been chained hand and foot, but he tore the chains apart and broke the irons on his feet. No one was strong enough to subdue him. Night and day among the tombs and in the hills he would cry out and cut himself with stones. When he saw Jesus from a distance, he ran and fell on his knees in front of him. He shouted at the top of his voice, ‘What do you want with me, Jesus, Son of the Most High God? Swear to God that you won’t torture me!’ For Jesus had said to him, ‘Come out of this man, you evil spirit!’ Then Jesus asked him, ‘What is your name?’ ‘My name is Legion,’ he replied, ‘for we are many.’ And he begged Jesus again and again not to send them out of the area. A large herd of pigs was feeding on the nearby hillside. The demons begged Jesus, ‘Send us among the pigs; allow us to go into them.’ He gave them permission and the evil spirits came out and went into the pigs. The herd, about two thousand in number, rushed down the steep bank into the lake and were drowned.”

“Mental illness is really a form of demonic possession?”

“Not always. For it is true that much of it is caused by chemical imbalances in the brain; but even in those cases: there is the matter of what caused the imbalance in the first place to consider.”

“Genetics? Environmental factors?”

“And what would be the root cause of those things?”

“Around and around we go.”

“Which attests unto the most common kind of demonic possession.”

“Which is what?”

"A loss of faculties. Take the plight of Judas Iscariot for an example: Now the Feast of Unleavened Bread, called the Passover, was approaching, and the chief priests and the teachers of the law were looking for some way to get rid of Jesus, for they were afraid of the people. Then Satan entered Judas, called Iscariot, one of the Twelve. And Judas went to the chief priests and the officers of the temple guard and discussed with them how he might betray Jesus. They were delighted and agreed to give him money. He consented and watched for an opportunity to hand Jesus over to them when no crowd was present.”

“No, you are not going to blame his treachery on demonic possession!”

“Is it not made clear for all with eyes that can see to see?”

“But wasn't it said that it would be better for him if he had not been born?”

“Yes, it most definitely was; but that was in reference unto his response unto what he had done after being restored unto his own right-mind—be assured. For unlike the Apostle Peter, and the Apostle Paul: Judas Iscariot refused to accept the amount of grace that was afforded unto him.”

“But aren't the followers of the Lord Jesus Christ given power over the devil and his demons?”

“Unto a certain extent; but since all power comes from our Heavenly Father, and that it only comes when He wants to accomplish something in and through someone: be assured that our Heavenly Father is our only protection against Satan and his horde of rogue angels.”

“Me thinks that thou art possessed.”

“Who is so blind as the one who does not want to see?”

“Yeah, someone would have to be blind to miss seeing what you’re shoveling—with it being all glowing in the dark and whatnot. Man, talk about being toxic. This stuff is absolutely radioactive!”

“How so?”

"Well, for one thing: it detracts from the Message Of The Cross.”

“If anything: it greatly enhances it. For instead of just being about paying a price that needed to be paid: the true Message Of The Cross is much more about our Heavenly Father wanting to prove Himself worthy of being loved and trusted by us.”

“If that isn't adding something to it: I don’t know what could be!”

“Be assured that what I have been given to say is nothing new. For this is what the Apostle Paul was referring unto when he talked about going beyond the elemental things about the Lord Jesus Christ.”

“But that just confuses the issue!”

“Hardly. For nothing has changed since this was first given: For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, being justified as a gift by His grace through the redemption which is in Christ Jesus; whom God displayed publicly as a propitiation in His blood through faith. This was to demonstrate His righteousness, because in the forbearance of God He passed over the sins previously committed; for the demonstration, I say, of His righteousness at the present time, that He might be just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus.”

“But it loses so much of its luster.”

“Only if you want to keep your eyes closed. For instead of just saying that He loves us enough to die for us: our Heavenly Father went ahead and actually did it by sending a full and equal part of Himself to suffer and die upon that cruel, cruel Roman cross at Calvary.”

“But it wasn't real because He already knew all about the resurrection to take place three days after!”

“Be assured that it was very real for our Heavenly Father. In fact: it was more real than what any of us can even start to naturally comprehend. For the Lord Jesus Christ had to spiritually die in order to truly pay the price for our sins; and for the few moments that our Heavenly Father and His Holy Spirit were actually separated from His only-begotten Son: they were all in absolute agony.”

“Couldn’t He have just waived the fee?”

“Yes; but by doing so: our Heavenly Father would have been—in effect, declaring that His Law was not worth upholding.”

“By the way: didn’t Jesus go down into Hell and stay there until the time for His resurrection came to pass?”

"No.”

“What about what is written in First Peter?”

“For it truly is as it is written: For Christ also hath once suffered for sins, the just for the unjust, that he might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh, but quickened by the Spirit; by which also he went and preached unto the spirits in prison; which sometime were disobedient, when once the longsuffering of God waited in the days of Noah, while the ark was a-preparing, wherein few, that is, eight souls were saved by water.”

“Yeah, that’s it.”

“Be assured that what is really being conveyed through that passage is that it was the Lord Jesus Christ who actually preached unto the people through Noah during the days leading up unto the flood. After all: did He not tell the thief on the cross that today he would be with Him in Paradise; and I cannot imagine anyone confusing Paradise with Hell if they knew anything about it—can you?”

“Okay, let’s talk about God’s wrath.”

“If we must.”

“Surely it’s feigned?”

“ABSOLUTELY NOT!!!”

“But if even our sins are part of His plan: how could He be all that mad at us?”

“Be assured that it is only at the unpardonable sin that our Heavenly Father’s wrath is directed.”

“And what is the unpardonable sin?”

“Rejection of Him truly being our own Heavenly Father; and if you have ever endured the unrelenting torture of having your heart shattered into a million pieces by someone you loved more than life itself: you can start to understand just how justified our Heavenly Father’s wrath is.”

“Surely He wouldn’t be so petty?”

“Obviously: you have never experienced the like.”

“As a matter of fact: I have; but then I got over it!”

“I still feel the pain of heartbreaks decades old.”

“Sounds like a personal problem to me.”

“As it is for our Heavenly Father. A very, very personal one—be assured. For even in the case of parents who desperately wanted their child: they had no control over just who they got, nor who they would become. Whereas: our Heavenly Father has known everything that there would be to ever know about each and every one of us since before He laid the foundation of this world.”

“Isn’t there a difference between parental love and romantic love?”

“Yes. For parental love is generally more longsuffering; and romantic love is generally more passionate.”

“Aren’t you confusing the two when it comes to what our Heavenly Father feels for us?”

“No. For the absolute truth of the matter truly is that we are all created to be our Heavenly Father’s children by faith; but of what true and lasting satisfaction could any of us really be unto Him if we did not want to truly be His? Therefore: all who reach their own age of accountability before their time as a part of this world comes unto an end are given a choice of who they want to be; and it is in this that the kind of love between us and our Heavenly Father becomes much more romantic in nature.”

“Says you!”

“Says our Heavenly Father! For He refers unto His church as being the bride of Christ; and there is also the message that was delivered through Hosea—just to name a couple of instances.”

“What about those who do not reach their own age of accountability before their time as a part of this world comes to an end?”

“Since we are all created to be our Heavenly Father’s children by faith: all who physically die before they reach their own age of accountability will be welcome to spend all of eternity with Him in His Kingdom of Heaven as heirs unto all that is His in glory!”

“Then what?”

“Since it has not been personally revealed unto me unto any great extent: I cannot tell you just how it will actually be in our Heavenly Father’s Kingdom of Heaven; but I can tell you that no one will be forced to stay there against their will.”

“How could a little baby really make a decision about anything?”

“Like I said: I cannot tell you just how it will actually be in our Heavenly Father’s Kingdom of Heaven.”

"What about aborted babies? Do they count as having existed?”

“Be assured that they do.”

“So: they will be also welcome to spend all of eternity with our Heavenly Father in His Kingdom of Heaven as heirs unto all that is His in glory?”

“Very much so.”

“Then: are all of the Right To Life supporters full of it for claiming that aborting babies is wasting lives?”

“Not necessarily. For an abortion is murder—regardless of the circumstances involved; but it is the ones who see nothing wrong with the practice who are in need of rescuing—not the babies!”

“What do you mean?”

“Murder is a sin: and all who do not repent of the sins that they are held accountable for will be cast into the Lake of Fire—come Judgment Day. Whereas: all of those aborted babies will go straight into the loving arms of our Heavenly Father.”

“Some would say that they will be permitted to enter into the Kingdom of Heaven; but they will not be able to be in the very presence of God because of not being baptized into the church.”

“Be assured that they are considered to be as much our Heavenly Father’s heirs as anyone is.”

“Is the Lake of Fire Hell?”

“Yes.”

“Tell me about it.”

“As it is with Heaven: so is it also with Hell. For it has not been personally revealed unto me just how it will actually be there; but I can tell you that it is more terrible than what any of us can even start to naturally comprehend.”

“What about Purgatory?”

“No such place exists—be assured.”

“Many would beg to differ.”

“Yes, many have been led to believe that there is such a place; but how could there be? For if we are truly saved by grace through faith: we cannot be saved by works. For the true definition of grace is: unmerited favor. Therefore: there would not be any need for such a place as Purgatory to exist. For it is supposed to be a place where the eligible can go to finish what is required of them to gain entrance into our Heavenly Father’s Kingdom of Heaven.”

"Well, I think that there is more to it than that?”

"Regardless of whatever that may be: there is just one thing to consider. For either our Heavenly Father paid the price in full by sending His only begotten Son as a sacrifice for our sins or He did not; and woe be it unto us all if He did not. For that would prove Him a liar; and there would not be any eternal security for any of us—regardless of where we may want to believe we are going after our time as a part of this world comes to an end! After all: who could stop Him from doing whatever He pleases?”

“That certainly limits our options.”

“Hardly. For who in their right-mind would rather go to place like Purgatory for even a little while instead going directly into our Heavenly Father’s Kingdom of Heaven to spend all of eternity with Him as an heir unto all that is His in glory?”

“Maybe a bad decision here or there was just the result of a big misunderstanding?”

“Be assured that no one will be able to honestly say that they did not fully understand everything that our Heavenly Father wanted them to—come Judgment Day. For this is something that He will make sure of Himself.”

“So: can it be said that jealousy is at the root of God’s wrath?”

“It can. For it truly is as it is written: Fear the Lord your God, serve him only and take your oaths in his name. Do not follow other gods, the gods of the peoples around you; for the Lord your God, who is among you, is a jealous God and his anger will burn against you, and he will destroy you from the face of the land.”

“Isn’t that a sin?”

“Only for us. For our lives are not really our own.”

“I don’t understand.”

“Be assured that we will be given all that our Heavenly Father wants us to have—which is often an abundance far over what we actually need. Therefore: it is a sin to needlessly want for more.”

“Does that count for those who are born into abject poverty—with all roads leading out of it blocked; or someone born with some sort of an handicap in a place where that is a death sentence?”

“Be assured that our Heavenly Father will spend all of eternity pouring out His gratitude upon all who truly wanted to be one of His children by faith; and that will more than make-up for any lack of anything experienced during our very short time as a part of this world.”

“Some lives last longer than others.”

"What is even the 969 years of Methuselah in comparison unto the whole of eternity?”

“Tell that to someone who has spent years watching their loved ones suffer from unbearable pain and die horrible deaths.”

“Such is the essence of faith; and since even the tormented are created to be of our Heavenly Father’s children by faith: we can be confident of the absolute truth of the matter truly being that they will not be given more than they can bear.”

“Easy to say.”

“And even harder to do.”

“What do you know about it?”

“Be assured that I am no stranger unto suffering.”

“Can you really compare whatever you may have experienced with the horror of being the parents of a severely handicapped child, or one who is slowly starving to death?”

“No; nor would I dare to. For I have been made well aware of the absolute truth of the matter truly being that suffering is relative; and that what is as nothing unto one is a tragedy beyond belief unto another. Nonetheless: what I have been enduring has helped to make me much more understanding of the plight of others—including even those who appear to have brought all of their troubles upon themselves.”