Hell And The Mercy Of God

God's goodness seems incompatible with inflicting horrible evil upon those who oppose his will and defy his law. If to this paradox we add the metaphysical requirement that God be perfect in goodness, the eternal evil of hell seems to be contradictory to God's own nature. Catholic philosopher Adrian Reimers takes on these challenges in Hell and the Mercy of God.

Jesus said, "Fear God who is able to destroy both soul and body in hell" (Matt. 10:28). So then, will the wicked be completely destroyed in hell, or will they suffer forever and ever? Will they be in torment forever or will they burn out of existence?

How can a loving God send people to hell? Isn’t it arrogant to believe Jesus is the only way to God? What is up with holy war in the Old Testament? Many of us fear God has some skeletons in the closet. Hell, judgment, and holy war are hot topics for the Christian faith that have a way of igniting fierce debate far and wide. These hard questions leave many wondering whether God is really good and can truly be trusted. The Skeletons in God's Closet confronts our popular caricatures of these difficult topics with the beauty and power of the real thing. Josh Butler reveals that these subjects are consistent with, rather than contradictory to, the goodness of God. He explores Scripture to reveal the plotlines that make sense of these tough topics in light of God’s goodness. From fresh angles, Josh deals powerfully with such difficult passages as: The Lake of Fire Lazarus and the Rich Man The Slaughter of Canaanites in the Old Testament Ultimately, The Skeletons in God's Close uses our toughest questions to provoke paradigm shifts in how we understand our faith as a whole. It pulls the “skeletons out of God’s closet” to reveal they were never really skeletons at all.

Why is it, asks Bishop Fulton Sheen, that one hears so often the expression "Go to hell!" and almost never the expression "Go to heaven!" Here, at his most penetrating, challenging, and illuminating best is Bishop Sheen with his answer, in a book that breathes new meaning into the truths about heaven and hell, and new life into the concepts of faith, tolerance, love, prayer, suffering, and death. Beginning with "The First Faint Summons to Heaven," Sheen shows how unpopular it is today to be a true Christian, and describes the struggle for living our faith amid the disorders of our times. Keenly aware of evil in the myriad forms it takes in today's world, Bishop Sheen writes about the constant battle man faces with the "seven pallbearers of character" - pride, avarice, envy, lust, anger, gluttony and sloth - linking them with the corrosive forces that never cease in their attacks on the Church and those who earnestly desire to be serious Christians. In Go to Heaven, a great spiritual teacher and writer, deeply aware of the human and spiritual conflicts being waged in the world, shows us the way to heaven in a most eloquent book, encouraging the reader to choose heaven now, and to understand the "reality of hell."

In A Little Book of God's Mercy, you'll see how God reveals His plan to be merciful to all those who live until the end of the world. This includes billions of people who will never be saved. In fact, the Bible reveals that only a small number of all those alive on the last day will be saved. Some of what you find in this book will be familiar if you were a Family Radio listener for a while before May 21, 2011 and heard the late Mr. Harold Camping teach about the Bible's timeline. Although many people have now dismissed his teachings, you will see that he actually came very close to correctly understanding what the Bible reveals about the last days. And if you are not familiar with Mr. Camping's teachings, you will find in A Little Book of God's Mercy a coherent solution to many questions that have puzzled Christians for centuries. This claim is based on the Bible, because the Lord reveals that only in the last days will the elect understand certain truths. This was God's promise to the prophet Daniel when He spoke to him about the "time of the end." Daniel didn't understand. When he asked for more information, the Lord told him that the words were "closed up and sealed till the time of the end." Even though what Daniel heard was sealed until our day, the Bible actually shows pictures of this information being unsealed. We find them in Revelation, recorded by the apostle John about 600 years after Daniel finished recording his book. Revelation is the last book of the Bible and is God's final word to mankind. It describes many visions seen by John when he was on the island of Patmos near the end of the first century A.D. Many people have heard some references to Revelation, but they may have no idea what they mean. The seven seals, the four horsemen of the Apocalypse, and the battle of Armageddon are often mentioned in discussions about the end of the world. In A Little Book of God's Mercy, you will find these visions explained along with several lesser known visions from Revelation (such as those about the two witnesses and the little book that John ate), and see how they relate to certain other passages from elsewhere in the Bible, such as Joseph's coat of many colors, the parable of the ten virgins, Balaam's talking ass, Satan's head wound, and Jacob's deathbed prophecies about his twelve sons - from whom are descended the twelve tribes of Israel. You'll find all these explained in A Little Book of God's Mercy, along with a discussion of hell and the question of whether there is punishment after death for the unsaved (there isn't!). And you'll see how God reveals that Israel spent 430 years in Egypt. Many Jewish scholars reject this number because it doesn't seem to agree with other numbers God provides. However, when we correctly analyze all numbers given in the account, we find that Israel did indeed spend 430 years in Egypt. You'll find discussions about all these subjects in this book, but you won't find a prediction for the end of the world. The Bible reveals we cannot know that date. It does, however, reveal the purpose for which the Lord has provided so much time information. It allows us to calculate that Creation was in the year 11,013 B.C., and Noah's flood in 4990 B.C. - and it allows us to understand that salvation ended in 2011. Yes, it was for the purpose of proclaiming the approaching end of salvation that God has given us so much information about time. We find support for this conclusion in several passages where God reveals that the elect remain here even after salvation has ended. For example, in Ecclesiastes 12 we see the elect pictured as a dragging grasshopper. This chapter is a picture of today: the period between the date when salvation is over and the last day. And when will that day arrive? All we know is that there is a long delay after salvation ends. However, some people who are living today will live long enough to see the Lord return. You may be among them!

n this unflinching look at depression and the human struggle to find hope in its midst, acclaimed author Tim Farrington writes with heartrending honesty of his lifelong struggle with the condition he calls "a hell of mercy." With both wry humor and poignancy, he unravels the profound connection between depression and the spiritual path, the infamous dark night of the soul made popular by mystic John of the Cross. While depression can be a heartbreaking time of isolation and lethargy, it can also provide powerful spiritual insights and healing times of surrender. When doctors prescribe medication, patients are often left feeling as if part of their very selves has been numbed in order to become what some might call "normal." Farrington wrestles with profound questions, such as: When is depression a part of your identity, and when does it hold you back from realizing your potential? In the tradition of Darkness Visible and An Unquiet Mind, A Hell of Mercy is both a much needed companion for those walking this difficult terrain as well as a guide for anyone who has watched a loved one grapple with this inner emotional darkness.

Offers "new possibilities of interpretation for religious pluralism." Covers topics like God's global reach in salvation, a Christology of Grace, and how Scripture views other religions.

New York Times Best Seller and Over 1 million copies sold! Over 750 5-Star reviews Wiese’s visit to the devil’s lair lasted just twenty-three minutes, but he returned with vivid details etched in his memory, capturing the attention of national media, including the Christian Broadcasting Network, Daystar Television Network, Trinity Broadcasting Network, the Miracle Channel, Sid Roth’s It’s Supernatural!, Sean Hannity’s America, Charisma News, and many others. Awaken to the realities of hell, the afterlife and the urgency to live for Christ in your short time here on earth.. Bill Wiese experienced something so horrifying it continues to captivate the world. He saw the searing flames of hell, felt total isolation, smelled the putrid and rotting stench, heard deafening screams of agony, and experienced terrorizing demons. Finally the strong hand of God lifted him out of the pit. This expanded anniversary edition includes more than 150 Bible verses referencing hell for further study. Also included is the new section, “Wrestling With the Big Questions” where Bill answers these and many others questions: Why do some people who have a near-death experience see a bright light? Will those who never heard about Jesus go to hell? Is hell eternal, or are those in hell simply annihilated?