Just a few things I've read and would like to comment on in this section.
1) The 144,000 that Revelation refers too does not mean the exact number of people that will be passing on to Heaven. If your a Jehovah's Witness and that offends you....sorry....but the number does not refer to the people who will specifically go to Heaven.
The 144,000 speaks specifically about the 12,000 chosen from the 12 tribes of Israel who are sealed with the sign of the lamb on their foreheads. Christian teachings claims that the numbers 12,000 and 144,000 are symbolic for the end of the world. The constant belief is that the 144,000 will be related to the Sons of Jacob (descendants) and will be pivotal in the end times. As for us normal people who still hold faith in Christ we will not be denied Heaven.
2) Also, Science tells us that Something cannot be created from nothing and it also tells us that any process must be influenced by Entropy. However, the big bang tries to tell us that the universe (a whole lot of something) was all of a sudden created by a whole lot of nothing. Which, any real scientist can tell you, doesn't make a whole lot of sense.
Oh, and the universe, which one would assume would be slowing down due to the laws that we assume govern all processes. However, the universe (which we have observed) does not seem to be slowing down nor showing any signs of slowing at all. Like clockwork the universe continues to run and run yet Science (as we observe it) cannot explain how.
3) Also, I would just like to say a few things that -I- have observed about God and try to answer many of the paradoxal questions that many atheists and deniers try to twist around to trap believers.
A) Is God All-Powerful? Yes, He is capable of doing anything he so chooses because he is the true form of inspiration which is necessary for Creation. If he is able to create it then he is able to do with the creation as he pleases.
B) Is there anything God cannot do? (Example: Create a rock he cannot lift)? The answer, again, is Yes. There are some things that God cannot do....not because it is not within his power to do so but because his description makes him incapable of using his powers for certain things. Because God is the truest form of Love and and is considered the greatest source of "good" in the Universe his own omnipotence makes him unable to commit acts of evil or create an object which is greater than he is because there can be nothing greater.
C) If God is All-knowing then why do we have Free-will? A lot of people fear this about God because they fear that their lives are planned out before them and that their are pre-destined to go to Heaven or Hell. I, submit to you, that is not the case at all. The true definition of Omniscience is "all-seeing" but I don't want to split hairs. I think God, who created us to truly love him by choice and not by force, has chosen himself not to know what our own choices will be concerning our love for him. Think of it like a flow-chart. He knows and sees that you will be coming up on a spiritual decision that will take you possibly down one of two paths. God, willingly, does not look to see what you will choose because if he did then it would remove our freewill and therefore "closes his eyes" at least thats the only logical solution I can think of concerning free-will.
D) What is Sin? Ahhh, this is my favorite theory here. Many just write sin off as just a "transgression against God" which, in actuality, is what it is. However, I have surmised that Sin is not just an act but a malevolent force which works in opposition to God. I don't just mean Satan/Lucifer either. If Lucifer fell from Heaven because he had sinned then wouldn't Satan/Lucifer then be an instument of Sin instead of the creator of it? Satan/Lucifer does not have the powers of creation so it is logical to assume that Sin's potential rise has always been there. Heck, perhaps Sin and God are mortal enemies in the scheme of things and God has been trying to destroy Sin and many of our decisions in life is a way to destroy it once and for all.
Think about it...Sin is technically an Anti-thesis to God in every way.
- God is Love, Sin is Lust
- God is Justice, Sin is Wrath
- God is Creation, Sin is Destruction
- God is Truth, Sin is Lies
- God is compassionate, Sin is Apathy
- God is Life, Sin is Death
- God is Light, Sin is Darkness
Very strange when you view it that way isn't it? Now, don't confuse this with Zoroastrianism because I don't think that Sin is the shadow of God. I just think that Sin is an adverse effect to Free-willed creation....much like a By-product and this "Sin" spreads about like a weed and infests everything that is gets inside. Which makes a lot of sense if you think about it because does not one person who lives in deep Sin drag all others down around him/her?
Anyways, thats my view on it. Also, I hope that none of my views have offended fellow Christians because I just want to say that I DO believe in the same Living God and I believe that Jesus was the Son of God and was the savior of mankind. If anyone wants to take up any questions against my attempts at logical assumption then by all means, reply.
Ask me how to turn a Rottweiler in to a Dodongo and I'll tell you the story of a lifetime.
