If they don't understand and the person not understood doesn't seem to care whether they're understood, sure.
Your choice: better to reign in hell or serve in heaven?
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Re: Your choice: better to reign in hell or serve in heaven?
The Bible is like high art. It can be understood at a basic literal level or at a transcendent level depending upon the understanding of the reader. Jesus was given a choice.Fanman wrote: ↑June 2nd, 2021, 4:05 pm Nick_A,
How could Jesus be both the saviour and the lawless one? Also, Jesus reigns in heaven because he is the only son of God. Only his father has more authority than him. You are capable of understanding it yourself. You can listen to one any of the gospels in 15-20 minutes on most Bible websites.The Christ could have been a lawless one. He had the quality of being making such freedom possible. But he chose to serve universal purposes. Jesus chose to serve in heaven rather than reign in hell.
I was hoping to find those who understand what is meant.
If Jesus had no choice, why include this passage in the Bible and how does it relate to human being? We are given the option of conscious contemplation: What is temptation, choice, and conscious will as opposed to mechanical desire. I see that I don't know but also why it is worth contemplating in order to appreciate this biblical passage.Matthew 4
8 Again, the devil took him to a very high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their splendor. 9 “All this I will give you,” he said, “if you will bow down and worship me.”
10 Jesus said to him, “Away from me, Satan! For it is written: ‘Worship the Lord your God, and serve him only.’[e]”
11 Then the devil left him, and angels came and attended him.
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Re: Your choice: better to reign in hell or serve in heaven?
Do you emotionally condemn what you don't understand? Would you have been first in line to condemn the person who suggested the world was round?Terrapin Station wrote: ↑June 2nd, 2021, 4:58 pmIf they don't understand and the person not understood doesn't seem to care whether they're understood, sure.
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Re: Your choice: better to reign in hell or serve in heaven?
You’re reading too much into things. The new testament is supposed to be taken literally. That is why Jesus explained what he meant when he spoke in parables.
I mean, how can you rationalise two separate embodiments, one of good and the other of evil, working together - towards what end?
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Re: Your choice: better to reign in hell or serve in heaven?
example would be Adam, Samson, David, do we have others on record. Those that had the connection but had is severed by lizard brain.Nick_A wrote: ↑June 1st, 2021, 5:01 pmYou don't understand but that is OK. The unfortunate part is when those who have begun to experience the triune perspective are abused by those limited to a dualistic perspective and they let it effect them. It is the way of the world and probably is similar to what initially happened to those who tried to convince the experts that the world was round. It takes a while.Terrapin Station wrote: ↑June 1st, 2021, 3:12 pmWhat in the world? What cult's literature is that from?
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Re: Your choice: better to reign in hell or serve in heaven?
Again, it would be more about the person not caring to try to be understood.Nick_A wrote: ↑June 2nd, 2021, 5:28 pmDo you emotionally condemn what you don't understand? Would you have been first in line to condemn the person who suggested the world was round?Terrapin Station wrote: ↑June 2nd, 2021, 4:58 pmIf they don't understand and the person not understood doesn't seem to care whether they're understood, sure.
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Re: Your choice: better to reign in hell or serve in heaven?
Terrapin Station wrote: ↑June 3rd, 2021, 8:00 amNick_A wrote: ↑June 2nd, 2021, 5:28 pmHow many want to understand as opposed to sacrificing the pleasures of emotional condemnation? From Plato's Cave.Terrapin Station wrote: ↑June 2nd, 2021, 4:58 pmIf they don't understand and the person not understood doesn't seem to care whether they're understood, sure.
[Socrates] And if there were a contest, and he had to compete in measuring the shadows with the prisoners who had never moved out of the cave, while his sight was still weak, and before his eyes had become steady (and the time which would be needed to acquire this new habit of sight might be very considerable) would he not be ridiculous? Men would say of him that up he went and down he came without his eyes; and that it was better not even to think of ascending; and if any one tried to loose another and lead him up to the light, let them only catch the offender, and they would put him to death.
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Re: Your choice: better to reign in hell or serve in heaven?
I'm not at all sure everyone would rule: a whole lot of people opt to shirk even the small responsibility they have as free citizens, and many of them are ardent fans, followers and worshipers, eager to serve.
Of course, the question was wrong in offering only those two options: some would rather observe than participate; some would prefer governance by consensus, or democratic vote or anarchy.
And I'm not convinced that opposites can't be equal, even though there is a recent tendency to assume equivalent means identical. A pound of coal, a pound of gold, a pound of cheese and a pound of chalk are all equal in weight.
As regards Satan, there are three different stories.
In the Old Testament, references to the Fall are scarce; it seems to be a result of a power struggle among the denizens of Heaven - Jahveh's former membership in the Sumerian pantheon is largely covered up. In this version, Hell isn't even a place until Lucifer is banished there and makes it his own domain. Thereafter, the continued contention between him and Jahveh is over the control of humankind. At that time - and for the remainder of the OT, God has no son.
It was only Mad John, in a PS to the New Testament, who stuck Jesus into a prequel.
Milton picked up that latter thread. In his version, God framed the issue thus: Archangels are arbitrarily demoted below a half-mortal conceived on a whim, time-shifted back to before the creation of the man whose sin he will have been conceived to redeem, once man's been tempted to commit the first sin by the not-yet fallen angel who will fall into a yet-to-be-invented hell, because he objected to the redeemer being put in charge, millennia before the redemption and at least some days before the temptation. It's more circular than plausible, but there you are: Lucifer's choice was simply to refuse servitude.
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