Heaven Prerequisites According to Mike

Hey, Mike,First. I discern that doctors are not trustworthy authorities. Bad fruit.Second, the voices in my head, that sound off (now, familiarly) when I seek input from the living God of truth and love.Back in 1976, I asked God what He might want to say to me. At the time, I was on my way to a Sabbatical year, picking up my wife who had just finished her first year in a doctoral program. We had 12 days to be at my position. She had finished her course work, and over the summer she had conducted an experiment, giving some folks at a nursing home a pre-test, a course in health, and a post-test. She had a year, which she was going to spend with me at my Sabbatical location, writing her thesis.God (I supposed at the time) said, "Tell her to ask her committee to examine her thesis in 10 days, which she will have completed in 8 days."Now, I had spent 7 years training graduate students, several doctoral. Armeda (my wife) had not written one word of a thesis, had done no data analysis, no literature review, no preparation of figures or tables. An acceptable thesis in 8 days? For me at least, a documentable miracle. Beginning with my not-all-that-submissive-a-wife's agreement.I think she was counting on the committee's refusal to consider such a stupid idea, but in any case, she agreed, and asked them to agree to this plan. I think they were aware that this could never happen, and so their agreement meant nothing. But they also agreed.I asked again, "Now, what's my part in all this?" I was reminded of Moses holding his hands over his head during some battle, and was told to do my best keeping my hands over my head. I knelt down by the sofa, propped my arms up pillows, and tried to focus on what God might profitably be doing. Armeda went to work. (Why not?)To make a long story short, she wrote some 140 pages, with 30+ graphs and figures, and a thorough literature review, in about seven days. All deadlines were met, the committee thought it one of the best theses ever submitted to the department, and she was sent away passed. I did help out a bit with the data analyses, since that's what I do, or did then.Now, this is an anecdote. But it is also my personal experience. If need be, email me (address at my profile), and I will give you details to verify the story and dates. But, from then on, I considered it indecent to suspect the voice in my head to be anyone except Who was asked to speak.There is this I have learned since then. Asking obvious questions that can be answered yes or no is an easy way to learn to know His voice. And, asking Him how to obey a written commandment gets Him talking, very clearly. The best written commandment to begin with, is "Choose life." But, getting out there, seeking, and listening, and going to the person you know and respect the most, and treating them as you might treat God Himself, gets God moving on your behalf. When He decides you are going to hear His voice, it will happen whatever your doubts.Funny how you can "hear" Him smiling.

The "rest of the mortal world" gets along fine because they have the devil on their side if they are living in sin. Of course they're getting along fine. Once they die, though, they might not be so lucky. I wouldn't call an eternity of burning in flames "getting along fine". It's all real. It's refusing to take a stand for someone who gave His whole life for you. Every single person, whether they love him or not, has been paid for with blood.

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Jesus is my hero!Sarah

HigherLove responds to me:

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The "rest of the mortal world" gets along fine because they have the devil on their side if they are living in sin.

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Says who? You? Why should we believe you? The rest of the mortal world says the same thing about you. Why should we believe your minority opinion over all of them?

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Once they die, though, they might not be so lucky.

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BZZZZT!Pascal's Wager. I'm so sorry, HigherLove. Johnny, tell him what parting gifts he has!Well, Bob, HigherLove has won himself a lifetime of anguish in someone else's hell! Yes, that's right. After spending all of his life fighting against Satan and worshipping the Christian god, HigherLove gets a reward of going straight to Hades for his hubris. He'll be sentenced to solve a series of puzzles for which the instructions can be read in many ways. Every attempt to glean more information will be met with "Since it would just be a waste of my time to tell you, I won't." Of course, every proposed solution will conflict with something in the contradictory instructions. This being for his continued insistence that those around him are unworthy of explanations.But, he won't get hungry because he'll have an afterlife-time supply of Rice-a-Roni, the San Francisco Treat.You didn't really think that the god that truly exists is the Christian one, did you?

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Every single person, whether they love him or not, has been paid for with blood.

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Then why threaten me with hell if I've already been bought and paid for?

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Rrhain
WWJD? JWRTFM!

Which sort of begs the question; why bother with God if you can get along fine with the devil? Especially since the devil's apparently a lot less concerned with my sex life.Oh, right. Eternal consequences beyond the pale! Spooky - and speculation. No traveler returns from that distant shore. How are we to take your proposed afterlife any more seriously than anybody else's?This life is the only one worth worrying about, because it's here and now. It's the only one we know about. Stow your empty platitudes and moral superiority and get to work on making this life better for people. If God exists, what do you think he cares more about - words or actions?

Yes, I thought you might know that song. I've heard somewhere you are an actor? But since you quoted the rest of the song maybe I was wrong to think of you as scrooge. Besides, your happy face thwarts my theory. Fair enough.

I too hear God. But not as an audible voice, he helps me too, but I do not 'hear a voice', I 'hear him' indirectly, he helps me through his word.e.t.c When you say "I supposed at the time" does that mean you were figuring out what God was trying to say to you? - Because I do the same thing, but did you HEAR him say it in an audible voice - that's all I'm trying to establish, I have no reason to disbelieve your testimony. I too am reminded of things, which then help in a situation. But I do not hear an audible voice, I mean, can you HEAR a voice reminding you of Moses?For example, if all you are trying to prove is that God speaks to you, "generally" but not as an audible voice - then I believe you, and I also possibly think you hear him audibly if you insist upon "voices". But it is a rare thing if you are the only one on the planet who hears his audible voice on a regular basis - hence my skepticism at first.Did you change your name to Yeshua - you see, because that makes me resort to bafflement, there are a lot of people whom God helps and I've heard of people seeing Christ and hearing an audible voice, but on a regular basis audible voices - I've never heard of that before hence my confusion.

Abshalom,No, not an audible, ear-drum vibrating, voice. Just an imagined voice, as in a day-dream, with an out-of-contral quality. But, yes, I wondered at the time what it meant to have this "voice" speaking this impossible task in my mind. And yes, I have changed my name, on two points:First, I want to come and speak in the name of Yeshua. I am counting on Him to back up what I say; we stand or fall together.Second, only two persons, that I can find so far, have last names in the Bible: Judas Iscariot and Pontius Pilot. This is not encouraging to our use of last names.I believe you do hear God speak. Try this experiment. Take some thought that you have had, that came perhaps as a answer to prayer, and credit it to God's voice, verbally, out loud, to yourself at least. See what happens.

Thanks, I have a better understanding of what you are saying now. God has guided me at times, usually through his word. Yes, I too have had to use my faith when things asked of me, I, well...don't want to do. But it ALWAYS works out right if I do as God says. God keeps covenants - He has never broken his Word to me. Do you mean say out loud, something like;
" I credit this thought to God's voice"
I'm a bit puzzled, now what happens? - Is it just a kind of praising of him or something?

Stephen ben Yeshua suggests, "Second, only two persons, that I can find so far, have last names in the Bible: Judas Iscariot and Pontius Pilot. This is not encouraging to our use of last names."Stephen, so that you will see yourself in better company, biblically speaking, when signing those letters to the editor, may I introduce a few good guys with last names:Mary Magdalene
Simon Peter (Mark 3:16, "Simon, he surnamed Peter ...")
Andrew Peter (I'm assuming Peter's brother Andrew shares the surname.)
Thomas Didymus (John 21:2)
Simon Zelotes (Acts 1:13)
Joseph Barsabus Justus (Acts 1:23)See, even good guys have last names. I hope this brings you some cheer in the New Year. Peace.

Hey, Sarah surnamed Higherlove,Good post! Exposes the subjective pressure on the skeptics, to maintain their skepticism, lest they have to make a just response to the sacrifice Yeshua and Jehovah made to save their lives. Wishful thinking is poor epistemology. They of course will accuse us of the same thing, and unless we know the laws and statutes governing "buying" the truth, they could be right. But, if we are diligent to keep His commandments, including those covering epistemology, we can be sure that wishful thinking, or rationalization, or deception, are not behind our conclusions.Stephen

Abshalom,Re hearing God's voice, I have found that "confession unto salvation" i.e. saying with my mouth what I "hear" God saying, works. Confession actually seems to mean "saying with." Con=with, fessing = saying. Anyway, walking it out is easier and more profitable with talking myself into and through it.Most of the names you mentioned, I could not comfortably read as certainly last names as we use them today. But I could be wrong, especially with Magdalene. There's a lot of name changing going on, with the transition carrying both names. Then there is what we would call "middle" names. But, the two that I could find, with no ambiguity, were the only ones I mentioned. Really, ask around and see if anyone familiar would think of Peter as the fellow's first or last name. I'd like to know how others sense it, intuitively.The last one is interesting. Joseph Barsabas Justus. This term, "surnamed." Maybe that is what we think of as last names. It is never used that way describing P. Pilate, or J. Iscariot. Wonder what happened to him. The lot was not encouraging.But, thanks for the research.

Stephen,I submit that the only things behind your (and HigherLove's) conclusions are the fear of burning in hell and the attraction of the sweet deal in Heaven. What could be more materialistic than that?If this notion of yours depended on anything substantial, I would expect you to believe it regardless of whether God promised you pie in the sky as a reward. And Rrhain was probably just being facetious, but I honestly don't get the logic behind Jesus's sacrifice: Jesus suffered on the cross to save my life, but I can still burn in Hell? In other words, He's forgiven all my debts, so I owe Him bigtime?

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The dark nursery of evolution is very dark indeed.
Brad McFall

Jesus says he IS THE WAY, if Christ did die for you - is it worth going to hell for a personal bafflement?- Don't tell me, Pascal's wager right? Listen we can both go to hell Sir, but believing in Christ will save us from it.As Jesus said. 'Believest thou this' - my answer is yes, I would in no way choose a sinful world and hell, over God and Heaven. - Don't tell me, Pascal's wager right?
Well, what do you say Sir, shall we recite Pascal's wager in hell? - what good will it do US then?
Trust me Sir, on our death bed Atheism means little. - I have learned that through the "death experiences" and Testimonies of many Atheists. VERY scientific one's who admitt the unbelief was "just not worth it". Like you say Sir:' Jesus suffered on the cross to save my life,'Crunch....there it is, the whole thing!

I'm not interested in getting into a long discussion about this. I'm not a believer, and I have no problem with mature, rational faith. I merely responded to SBY because I'm sick of being told I'm going to suffer eternally for either my lack of belief or the life of amoral hedonism that invariably attends such lack of belief.If that's the only reason to believe in Jesus, it speaks for itself. Of course He's going to promise all His followers a sweet deal in the afterlife, because telling them that belief has to be its own reward doesn't seem to work as well. I deplore the amount of success that the I'll-pay-you-back-after-you-die scam continues to enjoy in our world.

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The dark nursery of evolution is very dark indeed.
Brad McFall

Ofcourse I only preach because of my genuine concern. I'll shut up now, highlight this - I may look happy, but if people do go to hell for unbelief my only thought is the highlighted smiley face. Need it happen? - Is the unbelief so important?This, ofcourse made me create this 10 second prayer for the unbeliever, which I apologise for every month.