• Zero to Eternity

    • get real
    ZERO
    What is it not?

    I’m not here to sell you a kit. I’m not here to tell you to do things my way, to give me money, or to join my club or church. There is so much misinformation and flagrant deception that it is hard to find truth in the glittery trash piles. You have no way of knowing who I am or why I’m sharing. So don’t look to me as your authority, ever.

    I’m here to point out a few obvious truths that lie at the foundation of the universe. When you see them, then you will know what to do. My goal is to help you see what a good building site looks like. Most people have never seen clear, clean bedrock. Everyone has beliefs, but most do not have a connected system of beliefs.

    What is it?

    Zero is not rejecting all knowledge. It is not embracing ignorance and gullibility. Zero is removing our biased filters and cool sunglasses so we can see everything clearly. Zero is looking for a starting point that is simple, significant, and so obvious that any person can see it.

    Sometimes things get so messy and confusing that you just have to sweep everything aside and start fresh all over again.

    This means we need to take time for self-reflection and true critical thinking, which means thinking about our thinking. Was I fair, open, honest? Did I dig deep? Did I refuse to open any doors in my mind because I didn’t want to reveal skeletons or give up secret treasures?

    Starting at zero means we are willing to examine and re-examine anything we have learned in the past or will learn in the future. We all have beliefs, some are rational and some are irrational. Either way, we put it all on the table in plain sight of our conscience. Maybe we will keep everything or maybe keep nothing. Most likely, we will keep some and lose some, but at zero we don’t know, and we are OK with that.

    Zero ego, zero pride, zero hypocrisy is the gateway to wisdom and to a happy ever after.

    It’s your house. It’s your future. It’s your influence on loved ones and neighbors. Therefore, it’s your choice.

    Is it important?

    Common ground

    At zero, we leave our baggage behind. We drop our weapons. Literate and illiterate, rich and poor, young and old, religious and unreligious,we all become equal little children ready to learn and help each other. Because there are no mountains to climb, and no money to pay, and no degrees to earn, we all have common, friendly ground at zero.

    Can’t fix reality unless we truly know it

    Can you imagine being diagnosed with lung cancer when all you really have is a bad cough?! On the other hand, what if you have spreading gangrene, but the doctor says it looks like you covered your leg with permanent marker? The only thing worse than diagnosing a problem is diagnosing the wrong problem!

    On a bigger scale, so many people and groups want to fix the world, but do they truly know how it works? What if our best efforts and sincere intentions prove to be counterproductive? We often use our discomfort as the starting point and that poisons our contributions. If we all restarted at zero, then at the very least we gain understanding and respect for each other. We have a team willing to learn and grow, even if cannot solve the problem right away.

    Zero prepares us for creativity

    The inventors of the incandescent light bulb started with the common assumption that the filament must burn. Then they restarted with reconsidering all the ways of burning, including without oxygen. The rest is history.

    The 20th century psychologist, Erich Fromm, said, “Creativity requires the courage to let go of certainties.” Obviously, we do not let go of the certainty of reality, but we let go of the false certainty of our assumptions about reality and the future.

    Brene Brown said, “There is no innovation and creativity without failure. Period.” Going back to zero will feel like failure and retreating, but it is the necessary preparation for explosive creativity and insight.

    Courage to discern

    The courage to restart at zero is the same courage that keeps you from forcing pieces that don’t belong. When you have a consistent, creative belief system put together like a complete puzzle, untrue pieces simply cannot fit.

    Everything everywhere interacts
    What is it?

    Look around you. Anywhere. Everywhere. People talk to each other. Kids play with toys. Birds fly in the air. Fish swim in the water. Wind blows the leaves. Rain falls to the ground. Not everything moves, but everything is affected by gravity and other forces.

    Notice that you are seeing things because light reflects into your eyes. Photons interact with the objects which then interact with your eyes which then interact with your brain.

    Notice that you are seated on a chair which is supported by the floor which rests on a foundation which rests on the ground. There is no visible motion, but there is continual interaction between all the parts.

    Now let’s go above the atmosphere, out of the solar system, and above all the galaxies. Look out on the vast universe and watch suns and stars and systems circle each other in harmonious interaction.

    Now dive down to the microscopic realm of molecules, atoms, and quantum particles. Again we see continual swirling interactions of great variety and power.

    The whole world is a system of interactions. In fact, we could say the whole universe IS an interaction, made of sub-interactions.

    Defined

    Inter– between, among, reciprocal, together

    Action– do, perform, move

    Interaction is movement and/or influence between and among things that may then reciprocate back and forth. Object A affects object B and B affects A. Interaction requires at least two items and some kind of force or influence between them.

    Interact is act and react. It is things bumping into things. It is objects pushing and pulling other objects. Interaction is positive, such as people shaking hands and talking to each other, or it is negative, like fighting, warring, destroying. It is ideas connecting and modifying and relating to each other. From the microscopic to the galactic, in the physical, emotional, social, intellectual, and spiritual realms, there is nothing, absolutely nothing, that does not influence, or get influenced by, other things. Everything interacts. Everything depends on everything else. Nothing is a self-existing island unto itself.

    From this simple observation (no theory, no dogma) we will unpack how the universe works, and then why sometimes it doesn’t work for us. We will find a framework to understand eternity past, present, and future. Like a rainbow exploded from a raindrop, interactions will unfurl themselves into a fractal-like pattern that repeats at all sizes from the quantum to the universal, from the personal to the global, from the natural to the supernatural.

    Interactions are physical or spiritual

    The physical world is the world of measurements and scientific instruments. The spiritual plane is made of personal choices, identity, loyalties, and so forth. There is a little understood overlap between the two, but the main points still hold. Our primary focus is on their causes.

    Physical interactions are caused by force, power

    As you might have already guessed, force and power cause interaction. To grasp a penny, electromagnetic forces between my skin and the copper molecules enable me to feel. Chemical reactions empower my muscles to lift it. When I release it, the penny is attracted to the earth by gravity. When the coin hits the ground, kinetic energy is transformed into acoustical and thermal energy. Forces are like the springs connecting all objects and power is the energy that stretches those springs to start chain reactions of energy transformation.

    Like an enormous game of pinball, energy is transmitted and transformed from object to object from one side of the universe to the other. The game never stops. Sometimes a person’s choice starts a series of unexpected interactions, but after that the laws of physics take over and transformation after transformation cascade outward to the farthest reaches of the universe. Even after the tossed stone has sunk to the bottom and its ripples are no longer visible, the original energy is still spreading through water, air, and rock.

    What drives spiritual interactions?

    Obviously, spiritual interactions involve, but are not caused by, physical forces and powers. Our bodies operate on physical power which make our brains function. The mind is centered in the brain. However, the mind is more than the brain. The soul/spirit is more than the body.

    Someone described human beings as embodied souls and ensouled bodies. Unlike animals, we make choices based on more than biology and chemicals. Every choice involves faith, hope, and love. We choose what to believe, trust, expect, anticipate, love, desire, value, etc...

    My body can be forced to do something, but my inner spirit always chooses its response to that force.

    Is it important?

    The moon said to the sun, “I am nothing compared to you. You give warmth and light to the earth. I can only be seen at night because I reflect your light.” The sun replied, “Only you give the earth tides.” The moon was shocked, “I thought you did that because you are 400 times bigger than me.” Said the sun, “No, it’s because you’re 400 times closer.”

    Impossible to be nobody

    You can help or you can hurt. You can encourage or demean. You can share or you can steal. Positive or negative, you interact with others. This means that you have influence. Whether that influence affects one or a million and one, you are significant to somebody.

    When we talk about personal interactions it is not so much the quantity that matters as the quality. You have no control over how many people like what you do. However, you choose whether or not to interact positively or negatively. You are known for, and will be remembered by, your quality.

    Worse than nobody

    Humans are complex mixtures of both negative and positive interactions. For example, professional sports is a cooperative between owners, managers, and players who compete with each other to promote their sport and earn money. The competition can sometimes be fierce to the point of fighting.

    Falling in love, staying in love, and falling out of love can often be a complex mix of emotions and motivations.

    Spiritual interactions can be positive or negative, creative or destructive, selfish or unselfish, etc... We can blow up a building or we can build a building. An arsonist can burn down a forest or firefighters can manage a prescribed fire. The very same action can be good or evil depending on motive.

    Very few people understand prescribed forest fires, but everyone understands arson. Would you rather help with forest maintenance or burn down someone’s home? Quality matters to a jury.

    You might not be as famous as you would like to be, but helping in your small corner of society is better than being infamous like Hitler or Stalin or Judas.

    All spiritual interactions are by choice
    What is it?

    I use “spiritual” in a broad, inclusive sense that may or may not be “religious.” The word “personal” is a good substitute. Along with these words is “choice.” Meaningful choice is what makes us spiritual persons. Like us, animals can choose what to eat for dinner. However, we choose our moral values and loyalties. We choose to worship, or not.

    Not only does “spiritual” contain the supernatural and metaphysical, but also includes those distinctly human aspects of emotion, social bonds, and connected thought. It is this higher, inner dimension of personhood that separates us from animals and gives us a sense of identity, self-worth, deeper meaning, and noble aspirations. When these qualities work as they should, we feel good and purposeful. When they fail for too long, we descend to the level of addicted animals.

    We can endure almost anything if we are with friends and supporters, but we can tolerate almost nothing when abandoned to ourselves. Our interactions with others give us courage, place, stability, meaning, and happiness. One on one or in groups we like to play games, talk, eat, work, party, rest, and just be.

    Imagine yourself alone in a universe of rocks and plants, but no people. You would soon have a deep and unexplainable loneliness and depression. Without anyone telling you or teaching you, you would wonder what was the point of living. You would search for someone like yourself. Animals could partly fill that void, but you would still start a spiritual quest for meaning and relationship simply because you are a person with a nature that seeks and thrives on interaction with others.

    We are interactive beings. Unending life without interaction, physical or spiritual, is not a happy, fulfilled life.

    An eternity with physical interactions, but no personal interactions, is nice for a rock, but not for me. I can kiss a rock, but it cannot bond with me on personal levels. I can talk to a rock, but it cannot listen to me and tell me shared experiences. I can physically interact with the rock by throwing it far away, but I cannot spiritually interact with it.

    Spiritual interactions are personal interactions on a level far higher and much deeper than physical interactions.

    All choices are inspired by faith, hope, love
    What is it?

    We do not get to choose our genetics or our upbringing, but we choose our responses to them. These choices build the core of our being and produce our actions and habits. To deeply know me you must know my choices and why I choose–my faith, hope, and love (FHL).

    Examples

    Every act from talking to hugging to yelling to working has a motive. Our actions come from thoughts and feelings which are a mix of convictions, anticipations, and affections.

    For example, I value my teeth and hope to keep them. I believe brushing helps me achieve my goal.

    People marry because they love and trust each other and hope to spend a happy life together.

    We tip in the restaurant because we value good service, hope to benefit the server, and believe they will appreciate it.

    We trust and love the friends we choose and hope to maintain close relationships with them.

    My parents instilled a strong work ethic in me, but I now hold to it because I believe it is the backbone of a successful society, I personally hope to provide for my family, and I receive benefits by following it.

    Why is this so important?

    Many animals exhibit a limited degree of trust, hope, and love, but they cannot communicate it and appreciate it as humans do. We can base ours on deep emotional or moral rationale, or we can change loyalties on a whim. We have behavior, and are more than behavior.

    We are all noble beings. The more our power of choice is developed the more we have to think, do, serve, create. Unlike the animals, we can and should live by the golden rule of treating others as we wish to be treated. Rather than controlling and violating the rights of others, we gain freedom and power by giving away freedom and power.

    Recognizing and respecting and encouraging the golden power within each of us leads to a better society. Positive faith, hope, and love directly inspire permanent goodness.

    This power is quickly draining from the world, both individually and collectively. Our humanity is disappearing. We are deceiving ourselves with a negative, cheap form of faith, hope, and love. This can lead only to apathy and selfcenteredness, then to greed, violence, and chaos.

    History mapped that path in the communist revolutions and the French Revolution. When the whole world repeats those footsteps, then we are doomed to suffer the most terrifying conflict and chaos ever recorded. At this point, global tragedy is unavoidable.

    FHL can be positive or negative

    Hook a wire to the positive end of a battery, then to a light bulb, then to the negative end of the battery. They work together and the bulb lights up. That’s the idea in “double negatives” below. On the other hand, positive creation is destroyed by negative destruction. That’s the idea in “permanent positive.”

    Double negatives

    Belief in one thing often requires disbelief in other things. I believe it is daytime so I disbelieve it is night. I know for sure I can’t jump over the moon, so I think it is irrational to believe I can jump over the moon.

    A mother loves her daughter, therefore she hates the cancer making her sick. This is like the double negative in grammar. If you hate something bad, that means you love the good, which is good. If you love what is bad, that means you hate what is good, which is bad.

    Doubt is the negative to faith. A skeptic is the opposite of a believer. However, is it always “bad” to be a skeptic? Isn’t it good to be skeptical of rain on a sunny day or of meeting a polar bear in the Amazon jungle? It is good to be skeptical of claims with low evidence.

    Permanent positive

    Probably every culture and religion would agree that faith, hope, and love turned selfish is a bad thing. When my belief denies your right to believe that is negative. When my desires steal from or thwart your desires that is negative. When my pattern of behavior shows I am using or abusing you, then that is negative. I am not loving you or benefitting you. I am draining you. That is bad.

    What is good and positive ultimately benefits everybody. True good is permanently good, not temporary euphoria followed by deception and destruction. In fact, one way to destroy positive FHL is to make a pattern of ups and downs, good and evil, justice and injustice. This pushes people over the brink of cynicism where they deny that goodness can even exist.

    It is a good thing to doubt those that are not trustworthy, but what happens when most or all of the people in someone’s life are undependable? Positive faith in good people is snuffed out. It may not even get a chance to start growing.

    Positive faith, hope, and love is based on, and leads to, permanent goodness which benefits everyone. That makes eternity worth living.

    Faith, hope, love are inspired by patterns
    Faith is inspired by predictable patterns

    There was once a young Shepherd Boy who tended his sheep at the foot of a mountain near a dark forest. It was rather lonely for him all day, so he thought upon a plan by which he could get a little company and some excitement. He rushed down towards the village calling out “Wolf! Wolf!” and the villagers came out to help him. This pleased the boy so much that a few days afterwards he tried the same trick, and again the villagers came to his help. Many times the boy repeated his false alarm, but less and less people came to his aid. Later, a Wolf actually did come out from the forest, and began to worry the sheep, and the boy of course cried out, “Wolf! Wolf!” still louder than before. But this time the villagers, who had been fooled multiple times before, thought the boy was again deceiving them, and nobody stirred. So the Wolf made a good meal off the boy’s flock, and when the boy complained, the wise man of the village said: “A liar will not be believed, even when he speaks the truth.”

    The boy had created a pattern, and although not forced, the villagers learned and trusted the pattern. When their predictions of mischief proved true again and again, they came to have faith in the foolishness of the boy. This is what intelligent minds naturally do.

    Patterns lead to predictions. Fulfilled predictions give rise to faith. Intelligent, healthy, positive faith depends on predictability.

    Healthy faith

    Anyone at any time can invent a belief and convince themselves it is true. Right now I can decide that cows really can jump over the moon and that little green men live on its far side. It does not take much to imagine a belief. However, that is not healthy faith.

    Healthy faith, whether it be religious or scientific or otherwise is based on evidence. Moreover, it is not just random evidence that easily leads to conspiracy theories, but patterns of evidence that prove themselves over and over again. Experience, experiments, data lead to true faith, not to blind belief in authorities, coincidences, or fantasies.

    Faith is not a feeling of ecstasy or a mystic encounter on a mountaintop. Faith observes the sun rising every day and no longer questions the next morning. Faith turns on the faucet without doubting that water will flow. Faith comfortably takes hold of daddy’s hand because he has been a rock of kindness for years.

    Trust and trustworthiness go together, and it requires a well-established pattern to earn trustworthiness. However, a pattern does not force faith, but it is there to inspire faith, if the receiver so chooses.

    Hope is inspired by progressive patterns

    Hope is faith plus anticipation of a better future.

    More!

    Faith travels the flat road day after day after day. Hope sees the road rising to the mountains where the forests are green and lakes are blue.

    One spring day a guy griped to his neighbor, “For years I have watched this grass grow and cut it every summer. I have faith this season will be no different."

    The neighbor replied, “Every summer I improve my garden and get more flowers, fruits, and vegetables. I hope to get even more this year!"

    Like the crisp, gentle dawn after a stormy night, hope can rise gradually or it can be dumped on us all at once after winning the lottery. Either way, hope gives us a future focus, an anticipation that today will be better than yesterday, and tomorrow will be better than today. Hope is belief wrapped in the emotion of eager expectation. Hope is faith blooming into desire.

    Progress

    Faith is satisfied with mere predictability, but hope needs progress, growth, improvement, endless horizons of rich landscapes to explore. Progressive patterns increase in reward and fulfillment. The larger the pattern the larger the hope.

    For example, consider the saying, “Living for the weekend.” Both student and worker alike trudge through their duties Monday through Friday just so they can earn some kind of reward on the weekend. That hope keeps them going through the week.

    Now consider the martyr tied to the stake with flames kindled all around him. His hope of a future immortality with a loving God is greater than life itself. No mere weekend party could inspire his sacrifice. The degrees of hope are vastly different.

    Yet, both are hope. Both the worker and the martyr see progress in the future. Both are living for a better tomorrow.

    Unlimited

    Now let’s stretch this idea to the limit and beyond. Would the martyr be so willing if he knew the afterlife was less than perfect and would come to an end? He might. He might choose to be like the weekly worker who knows the weekend is also the beginning of a new week and another cycle of drudgery.

    Even small, limited hope is enough to motivate us to keep going, but imagine a perfect world without limits. Our hope would be unlimited! It would be pure and unpoisoned by the nagging thought it will one day end. The dawning of a day without sunset inspires ultimate hope.

    Love is inspired by profitable patterns

    “I love you,” said the mother to the child, and the pretty young woman to the old billionaire, and the kids to their ice cream, and the addict to his needle.

    There are so many different kinds or levels of love! Perhaps we can use the poet’s insight as our starting point. “Love is an irresistible desire to be irresistibly desired.” (Robert Frost)

    Benefits

    Predictable. Progressive. Profitable. We complete the alliteration. Profit does not equate to money.

    When you give to me, I feel loved. I don’t feel you love me unless I “profit”, or gain, from you in some small or large way financially, physically, emotionally, personally. How can you express love to me without benefiting me with your time, attention, or resources? Where there is no giving, there is no love.

    For example, two people get on a crowded train and sit next to each other. They look at their phones. They sleep. They stare out the window. However, they don’t talk to each other. Where is even a hint of love?

    In the seats behind those two people are two other people who talk and laugh and counsel together. Are they romantically attached? Perhaps, perhaps not. In some way or another, could you say they care for each other? Yes. That’s love. They receive from each other. Their relationship benefits each other. They profit from their friendship.

    Degrees

    You are walking down the street and see a ten dollar bill on the sidewalk ahead of you. A step ahead of you, a stranger also sees the bill and picks it up. Then she turns around and gives it to you. Her kind smile and generosity makes your day and your world is brighter.

    Now consider your mother (imagine, if needed) who gave you birth, raised you, worked a job or two to provide necessities, and yet took time to read stories to you at bedtime and kissed your scrapes. She was there at your ballgames or recitals and cheered at your graduations. Day after day, year after year, she gave of herself to you.

    From which woman did you receive more love: the woman on the street, or your mother? Would you feel less loved by your own mom if the woman on the street had given you a check for $10,000? Can love always be boiled down to financial gain? Yet, the loved always profit.

    Love can create or negate patterns

    It has been hinted that love is given as well as received. How can one receive unless another gives? Let’s focus on giving now.

    Love is greater

    Love is similar to faith and hope because felt love is proportional to the pattern another person makes in your life. Greater predictability leads to greater faith. Greater profit leads to greater feelings of love.

    However, love is different from faith and hope, because love can start a pattern. Healthy faith and hope cannot be made out of thin air. A pattern must first be observed, only then trust can arise. There is a cause and effect relationship, if choice chooses to accept it. Yet, love is not dependent on that order.

    You can love–you can start a profitable pattern towards–someone for any reason or no reason at all. That person may or may not feel grateful, and that pattern may have cost you dearly.

    Faith, hope, and love all consume patterns, but love can also create. Faith and hope work in one direction, while love works in two. The patterns that inspire faith and hope had to come from something. Logically, the pattern maker is greater than the pattern. The maker of all good patterns is Love.

    Negating negative patterns

    The hikers were stumbling around logs and through bushes as they searched for the way home. Then they found the beginning of a road with its yellow dashes. The non-pattern gave way to a familiar, helpful pattern. Similarly, love can negate a non-pattern and fill the empty time or space with comfort and courage.

    More than that, love can negate a negative pattern and replace it with something positive. The arguing family can be calmed, issues resolved, and the home filled with warmth and care. Wars can be replaced by cooperation and communication through the give and take of love.

    When we encounter long established and deeply entrenched negative patterns we are tempted to force and dominate our way to a solution. It is good to hate evil and to want to end it now, but when I impose my solution and my self-centeredness on you, then I am not solving the problem. I am actually continuing it. I have fallen victim to the innate self-deception of selfishness.

    Especially difficult is resisting the urge to respond in kind when we are attacked. Negative patterns inspire negative reactions. However, love continues to pour water on flames and offer flowers for punches. Like faith and hope, love can ride the breezes, but it can also persevere heroically against the angry winds.

    Positive and negative categories of FHL

    The common words faith, hope, and love are really more than words. They are categories. Each synonym presents a slightly different facet of the same basic idea. They may also present a different level of meaning as the positive sinks to zero then turns negative.

    The lists below are short lists compared to what is used in modern speaking and writing. It would be boring to repeat the same word(s) over and over, so we try to capture facets, levels, and even blendings of the three categories.

    Faith synonyms

    Trust; believe; conviction; hold to principles; persuaded by evidence

    Religious belief; scientific belief; trust in someone or something

    Loyalty or allegiance to a cause or person; freedom from doubt

    Confidence that some event will happen; to “really know”

    Assurance of your position in a relationship

    Belief that something is true; chosen perspective on information

    Conviction in the rightness of a principle

    Faith antonyms

    Culture imposed mindset; traditional thinking; conventional wisdom

    Doubt; skepticism; distrust; dubious; gullible; naive; credulous; wary

    Disbelieve; suspicious; judgmental; mistrust; blind faith; dogma

    Unwarranted assumption; unquestioning belief; fanatical devotion

    Hope synonyms

    Expectation; optimism; desire; wish; anticipation; cling to a promise

    Favorable prospects; possibility of future success

    General feeling that some desire will be fulfilled

    The object on which expectations are centered

    Belief/feeling/intuition that future will get better

    Outlook that things will become more favorable

    Hope antonyms

    Despair; pessimistic; despondent; disheartened; resigned

    Discouraged; disappointed; dismayed

    Love synonyms

    Give unselfishly; respect; reverence; fear (archaic); show affection

    Cherish; desire; appreciate; adore; to hold dear; to greatly enjoy

    To value someone or something; to treasure; to appreciate

    Enamored with; get pleasure from

    To bestow grace (undeserved benefits)

    To do what is eternally good for others

    Love antonyms

    Hate; fear; prejudice; bigotry; intense dislike; antipathy; aversion

    Abhor; condemn; hostile; enmity; scorn; detest; despise; loathe

    Forsake; abandon

    Paradise instinct is our need for endless patterns
    Hope + infinity = paradise instinct

    Paradise instinct is our survival instinct on the spiritual level.

    What is it?

    We will do whatever it takes to keep living and avoid death. The survival instinct keeps us going through the long dry deserts of life. It kicks in when the house is burning in the middle of the night, rushing us to wake the kids, and escape to the front lawn. The survival instinct wants our body to live. The paradise instinct wants our soul to live.

    The child within all of us wants our life story to continue with happy-ever-after. The energy and wonder of our youth desires to continually explore friendships and landscapes. The overworked adult we have become just wants rest and relaxation on a sunny beach. This is all part of our paradise instinct.

    We desire a place surrounded by people sharing positive faith, hope, and love. We want all injustice and crime to end. We want pains soothed and all sufferings ended. We want the human family to be restored in body, mind, and soul to live forever in peace and harmony.

    Paradise instinct craves both quality and quantity of life. It is a specific kind of hope that reaches up to the spiritual dimension and that looks for life beyond the grave. It certainly looks way past the weekend.

    We want happy ever after

    When you think about it, faith, hope, and love are creative powers that belong in a perfect and endless universe. There is no good reason that they should ever be broken or come to an end. Good patterns inspire effortless, joyous trust and hope. They are created in us. We don’t pay for them or torture ourselves to get them. So why stop?

    Only selfish choice and self-deception take us off the course of positive patterns. We are flooded all the time with predictable, progressive, profitable patterns. Only a fool closes his eyes from them.

    Our paradise instinct is our deep-souled connection to a long ago perfect universe and to its restoration in the future.

    Nobody really wants to die. Nobody really wants to live in a perpetual, confusing battle between good and evil, pain and pleasure. We want closure. We want good to win and evil to be eliminated.

    Our paradise instinct yearns for Hope to fulfill all its promises so we can actually see and experience them. We want happy-ever-after of the highest kind.

    Only an Infinite Good Person can make endless patterns
    Only a Person can satisfy paradise instinct

    The large brass gong echoed its deep vibrations far and wide. The people came into the great hall with its marble floor and richly cushioned chairs. It was time for worship.

    A massive AI robot robed in white ascended the golden throne. It raised its hands in blessing over the crowd. The people prostrated themselves as they chanted praises.

    AI is limited

    In this age of almight tech, many worship at the altar of AI without realizing it is something created as the sum of human knowledge. Even after programming it to generate new combinations of knowledge, it will still be just a creation. Even though it may get bigger than us, it is still a mere example of god option #2, finite mixed. It will always be a mix of good and evil, inheriting from its coders and data.

    Only an infinite good person

    All of us are spiritual people, positive and/or negative, but spiritual nonetheless. We are souls filled with faith, hope, and love. No machine, robot, artificial intelligence, or Mind-In-The-Sky can understand or communicate with us on a personal level. No impersonal essence or set of scientific laws can satisfy our needs or fill the longings of our heart.

    We need a mother’s lap in which we can curl up in comfort and a father’s shoulders upon which we can sit in safety. We need a warm person who loves us because they are as real as us and choose to appreciate our uniqueness. Clever, coded fakes will ultimately fail.

    Only a heart feels another heart. Only a living soul shares the warmth of love and struggles of life. Only spiritual people make and consume spiritual patterns. Only an infinite good person can personally believe in me and love me for all eternity while at the same time also giving you and everyone else exactly what they need. Only an infinite good person will have an actual personal relationship with me for eternity.

    If we were robots, then a robot deity would be good enough.

    Infinite goodness can design, create, and operate a flawless, but cold, universe forever. Only an infinite good person has both the ability and the desire to share with us everlasting paradise.

    Imagine conversing with this infinite good person. He tells you why he made the universe, it’s purpose, and your special place in it. He made you to fill a particular and valuable role. He explains it and it fits you perfectly. With other equally satisfied people, you are ready to explore and help shape eternity.

    Good is what works forever; evil is anything less

    Not all that glitters is gold. Evil can look good in the beginning.

    “Good” turned evil

    Hat makers in the 1800’s discovered that mercury made more workable leather. Over time “mad hatters” were those who suffered from the side effects. Good hats caused evil illness.

    A British prison offered computer classes to help rehabilitate the prisoners. One convict used the time and knowledge to hack the prison’s network and escaped.

    Some mothers put sweet drinks in their baby’s bottle to keep them quiet, but years later cavities and misbehavior showed their mistake.

    In the early 1900’s glow-in-the-dark radium watch dials were useful to the military. Young women were hired to paint them. Gradually, they fell ill, lost their teeth, had bones rot in their face, and had other harmful side effects. It took a consumer group’s investigation to discover the dangerous radiation.

    “Evil” turned good

    It works the other way, too. There are many stories of people with car trouble, or who were laid off, or stuck in traffic at just the right time to keep them from the collapse of the Twin Towers in New York on 9/11. Likewise, there are many stories of people who were kept from buying or using their tickets to get on board the Titanic’s first and only voyage.

    Only time will tell of the true cost/benefit ratio of government programs, manufacturing processes, and cultural traditions. Immediate gratification vs. building for durability happens on both the personal and societal levels. Appearances can be deceiving.

    How can we truly know?

    We only fully know by going to the end of eternity and looking back on history.

    But eternity is an infinite, endless timeline! And we are now familiar with our inability to comprehend infinity.

    Nonetheless, good is what works for eternity or makes eternity work. If a behavior feels good now, but in the long run hurts me or you, then it is bad. It may appear good for a million years, and so gets adopted by many. Then its insidious, cancerous side effect breaks through and we realize that what we thought was long term good was only a very subtle deception that got even more people hooked.

    Whether the universe breaks down after a million years or a trillion years, it is never good. It is evil.

    The 6 God options

    Any religion’s God(s) is finite or infinite. Combine that with pure good, pure evil, or mixed and that gives us six options. How do each of these options fulfill or deny our paradise instinct?

    Finite evil

    Hitler. Nero. Stalin. The devil. Despotic dictators. Demented arch-villains in the movies. All of these are examples of finite beings dedicated to evil. Nobody could endure an eternity under them, but of course, they are incapable of making eternity.

    Finite mixed

    Every human on the planet could be in this category. We can also include our fictional super heroes like Batman, Superman, and the Avengers. But just because the American people defeated Hitler or the Avengers saved the planet from aliens does not mean any or all of them are anywhere close to providing us with an eternally good universe. In fiction, things are getting better (until the next movie!) but in reality things are getting worse. Putting all the finite beings in the world together will not give us infinity, and good intentions mixed with selfish, shortsighted thoughts and actions does not bring perfection.

    Finite good

    So where is this perfect person(s)? And how is this finite person so perfectly good when they have not lived for an eternity to find out what is really good? We cannot afford limited good. Put all the gurus, philosophers, and holy men together (if it can be done consistently) and they still cannot control tomorrow, much less solve today.

    Infinite evil

    If an infinitely powerful and totally evil person existed, then we would all be dead and/or continually tortured by now. The fact that there is true, unselfish goodness left in this world proves that an infinitely evil person does not exist.

    Infinite mixed

    Here is the compromise most religions have settled on. Logic quickly shows us we need an infinite God for an infinite eternity, while our lack of imagination, our contradictory environment, and our selfish desires tempt us to make God in our own image. We want a God like us. We want to be the favored chosen ones, even if it means excluding others who are equally or more worthy. We want to be good, but not real good. We want to keep our cool vices and project slightly false personas. Thus, we prefer deities who are a little bit naughty. We want a God who will excuse my transgression, but bring down justice on the “other guys” who threaten my comfortable convenience.

    Infinite good

    We are down to one last option, Will it work?

    Infinity is inevitable

    Did the universe have a beginning?

    No: Then it is infinite.

    Yes: Did it begin itself?

    Yes: Then it is infinite.

    No: Then Infinity began it.

    Did the universe have a beginning?

    This means, Was there absolutely nothing before the universe? Other universes in a multiverse do not count. Antimatter canceling matter to zero does not count. Those are two things, not nothings.

    No: Then it is infinite.

    Most scientists used to believe the universe had no beginning. It had an endless (beginningless) past. Whether they are right or wrong does not matter. If the universe has no beginning then it has infinity built into it. That means it has an infinite amount of time to complete evolution and acheive perfection, but look around....

    Yes: Did it begin itself?

    Yes is the answer to, Did the universe have a beginning. So the next question is, Did it begin itself?

    In this scenario there was absolutely nothing. No time. No space. No forces. No ideas or laws. Nobody around to see that nothing existed. There was not even light or dark. Just nothing.

    Yes: Then it is infinite.

    In this scenario, the universe just pops itself into existence. Whether it began big or little, simple or complex does not matter. It was an unexplainable miracle! Existence exists itself into existence from non-existence! It was infinite capability creating itself because it could pop anything else into existence easier than it could create itself.

    No: Then Infinity began it.

    If the universe was not around forever or did not make itself, then there is only one other option. Something or Someone outside and before the universe, with infinite power to create something out of nothing, had to make the cosmos. Infinity is inside or outside the universe, but either way, there is infinity.

    Mind bending miracles

    Science is the cataloging and analyzing of physical data. We have filled an enormous bucket so far, but the universe is a big ocean of 90% unknown energy with no boundaries. With infinity always ready and able to surprise us, we would be wise to conclude that miracles are always possible. Which means the universe will never be subject to our explanations. Infinity is inevitable, but whether we will be humble enough to accept it is questionable.

    4 miracles of existence

    A lab technician met a caveman deep in the mountains. She pulled out her flashlight and awed the caveman into worship. Over time, she taught him about light and electricity. He stopped worshiping her. Then she met a shining being who told her every secret thought, healed all of her infirmities, then granted her immortality. She learned some, but not every miracle, so she never stopped worshiping.

    I see at least four miraculous leaps of existence: nothing to law to something to life to mind.

    Nothing to law

    1) Before things exist, there need to be laws governing that existence or it will instantly stop working. There need to be established patterns of helpful vs harmful, allowed vs disallowed behaviors. There needs to be a conceptul framework that defines the existence of one thing and how it is similar to or different from other things. The first miraculous leap is nothing to law. Where do laws come from? (How can there be law without mind? See #4)

    Law to things

    With a framework of consistent laws in place, now things can be brought into existence and operated in harmony with each other. Creation can now work forever without destroying itself. The second miraculous leap is law to something. But what makes things obey law?

    Things to life

    Time, space, matter, and energy is good, but there is still not that undefined quality that we all experience and value, and of which science is incapable of fully defining–life. We know death is the cessation of life even though the physical parts continue to exist in disintegrated form. Plants and animals have another level of existence beyond that of dirt, even though they are made of dirt. The third miraculous leap is something to life. What sparked stuff into life?

    Life to mind

    Now we come to the level of consciousness, intelligence, spiritual choice, appreciation of beauty, formation of morality, and meaningful investigation into meaning itself. Seated in the brain, but so much more, is the human mind/spirit/soul. A body born of molecules in the shape of a human acquires personhood. How is that?! Where does that come from?! Why do we ask questions, make discoveries, and share experiences that no other species is even aware of?! The fourth miraculous leap is life to mind.

    Miracle layered upon miracle! Expression of infinity layered upon expression of infinity. What is this wonder in which we all exist and which we experience every moment of our lives?! I understand only a tiny bit of infinity, but rejoice in experiencing it every day!

    Any God worth proving cannot be proved nor disproved

    A very big being stands in front of you and booms down to you, “I am infinite.” How do you prove or disprove him? And what exactly are you trying to prove? Infinite size? Infinite power? Infinite knowledge, presence, or other ability? If He claims to be eternal, can you go to the end of endless time, look back, then say Yes or No?

    Would your test(s) vary according to the characteristic you are measuring? Is it possible to disprove infinity in one part while at the same time being unable to prove infinity in another part? What if He claims in infinity in a dimension we cannot access? What could you do if the being claimed to be infinite in an infinite number of ways?

    Worthy of proof

    The only kind of God that can fulfill our desire for eternal paradise is an infinite good God. That is the only God worthy of trying to prove, but, thankfully, is beyond proof. The very essence of what makes such a God appealing is that He is a good person. We connect with good people through faith, hope, and love, not proof.

    Let’s remind ourselves that faith, hope, and love are not blind, but based on patterns of experience. And that is exactly what we want, an eternal pattern of experience. We never want faith, hope, and love to die so let’s stop trying to kill it with once-for-all proof.

    We do not want to prove a God worthy of proof.

    Arguing the unprovable

    Coming face to face with an infinite being really doesn’t prove or disprove anything. Yet we argue as if it would. If God struck with you lightning or boomed at you from the sky, then what? Your doubt would only grow bigger because you would demand a bigger display. Seeing is not believing and we want to believe.

    So why do bother with these silly arguments? There is no way to ever ascertain certainty. Even in eternity, we still cannot prove tomorrow. We are, and will always be, incapable of measuring the immeasurable.

    Because we cannot measure, we can neither prove nor disprove.

    Daddy’s arms

    A child does not try to prove her daddy. She proves him every time she snuggles securely in his arms. She proves him every day as he provides for her and protects her. She trusts. She hopes. She loves. And she is loved. That is all the proof she needs.

    Belief in God is reasonable, natural, and hopeful

    Forgive the crude analogy, but in this chapter we have dissected God into the three essential parts: infinite, good, and person. This needed to be done because the word, God, is often used like a big box that people fill with their own ingredients. Just because the label says, God, does not mean you get infinite good person inside the box.

    This observation is important to note, because in the popular debates about whether or not God exists, I have never heard God defined. What kind of God exists? That is my question.

    As we have already seen, there are six options for belief in gods or God. Everybody believes in some kind of god. At the very least, a person will believe in the gods of “experts” and “authorities.” Arrogant people will believe in themselves as their own god. So to believe in an infinite good person kind of God is just as natural and reasonable.

    Belief in an infinite good person is reasonable

    We have already looked at the ingredients and each one meets a human need. Each one has plenty of evidence of its existence. Putting them all together is the best solution for our paradise instinct.

    Belief in an infinite good person is natural

    The high desert air of eastern Oregon is incredibly clear. You can see thousands of times more stars in the sky than you can see from the city. Their silent orbits draw the heart up and away from the constant stress of artificial life. The pristine beauty of the heavens speaks peace to the soul. In all that wonder, surely there is Someone who cares.

    Back on earth, in the foxhole of war or in the devastation of fire,earthquake, or hurricane, the heart also tends to look up for Help. When things beyond our control impact us, we look for One in control.

    Belief in an infinite good person is hopeful

    One thing is certain, we all die. Then what? Many people have had near death experiences, but no one has been truly dead for days then come back and verify to us what lies beyond the grave. From the human point of view, there is death, then there is black.

    We need an answer, but we want a good answer. We want hope that there is something better. We want hope that there is a paradise with open doors. Who else can give us hope but an infinite good person?

    WEIGH OPTIONS

    We have looked at the nature and importance of an Infinite Good Person. However, how can an IGP actually exist when there is so much evil in the world? We will now consider this very practical question.

    IGP never makes evil patterns

    In the previous section, we saw that there is plenty of evidence for an Infinite Good Person to exist, but that is not enough. We need actual connection and help, which is the topic of the next section, Quest for Connection. In this section, we need to address the biggest obstacle we all face–evil. Emotionally, it just doesn’t seem possible that an infinite good person and evil can co-exist at the same time. This section slows things down and considers many options.

    We start this topic with the reasonable assumption that an infinite good person is good. We are using that as our anchor point to see how far that gets us. We are not saying that we have proved the existence of an IGP. We are only saying, Let’s start with that assumption to see what else is consistent or inconsistent with it. This is sort of like a brainstorming session to see how far the ideas go.

    To help our thinking go a little faster and smoother, let’s shorten the cumbersome label of Infinite Good Person to just “Good.” That is the key quality with which we are concerned and it is neutral to all other religions‘ gods.

    Justice, the fair and proportional application of consequences to each action, is good. Therefore, being just and fair is part of Good. Therefore, the justice of Good would immediately wipe out any evil and instantly correct any mistake. A perfect universe stays perfect. What happens to somebody else who does evil is a trickier question that we will explore soon.

    For now, Good would never purposely do evil, and if infinite Goodness somehow made a mistake, then justice would instantly fix it.

    This means that when Good created the universe, Good made a perfect universe and keeps it perfect. This is the pledge and the responsibility of Good. Finite creatures cannot make and maintain the universe, perfect or imperfect. Infinite Good automatically made that promise as soon as people were born into the cosmos.

    To make our topic a bit more complex, but more complete, we need to consider people, because there is no problem if there are no people. Good could do whatever He wants with a universe devoid of people. So let’s take into account the very real probability that there are other intelligent beings in the universe.

    Why should we arrogantly assume we are the only ones? After the Dark Ages, science stopped viewing the Earth as the center of the universe. Today, religion and society should stop assuming we are the only ones.

    To setup our discussion, we have a world with lots of evil (and lots of good) and a universe probably with lots of people managed by an Infinite Good Person. How can that make sense? Let’s see.

    Finite person decided to start evil

    Good is the opposite of evil. Good does not do evil. Therefore, evil must come from somewhere else. It cannot come from the atoms, plants, and animals over which Good has total control. If there is a mistake in the formation of a planet, then the justice side of Good would immediately fix it or wipe it. Things without the capability of moral choices cannot be the source of moral sin.

    That quickly narrows things down to only one possibility. A person, a moral being, somewhere in the universe at some time in the past first chose evil into existence by choosing against good. That was totally irrational and inexcusable to choose against their own perfect happiness, but the freedom of choice is completely free to anything at anytime for any reason.

    We don’t like this conclusion, but we have to run with it, because Good is Good. That means there are no other possibilities.

    That means we now need to consider what options Good has available. To respond, or not respond, to evil and evildoers has enormous consequences.

    The first result is that Good was blamed, and still is blamed, for evil. That is the nature of sin. Evildoers disregard personal responsibility and blame others for the problem they themselves started. Evil blames Good for its own existence! Bizarre!

    What can an IGP do?

    Everything was good until there was evil. Contradiction and complexity were injected into the universe for the first time. People had never seen this before. Good had gifted people with faith, hope, and love, which grow by patterns. Evil was a break in the pattern.

    Good, the giver of choice, now had a difficult choice to make.

    Good could do nothing. Evil would continue to grow as evildoers continued to do evil. The once in a lifetime exception would become a regular occurence. Evil would become a part of the pattern of goodness. This would cause all good people to question and doubt. As the pattern of evil grew stronger, making the pattern of goodness weaker, then the faith of the people in Good would also weaken. Some would rebel out of frustration or discouragement. Evil would grow more. Ultimately, evil would destroy all good things in an uncontrollable feeding frenzy. Good himself would be killed because Good ceased being Good by compromising with evil. Good and evil would both cease to exist. Nothing would survive.

    Good could instantly kill evil. As soon as the first good person (let’s call them, saints) chose evil, then Good could have wiped out the evil action before the ripple effect spread. However, Good would have needed to also terminate the evil chooser, because more evil choices would follow. But how would the other saints in the universe understand? Suddenly, person X is gone. The saints must then trust Good that X sinned, something they had not seen before. They wonder, What kind of thought? What kind of action? Now they would begin to fear that Good was using force instead of faith, hope, and love. Now their faith is shaken and someone else would also pull back in fear, which would swiftly lead to evil. We are back to the cycle of ever-growing evil because Good over reacts.

    Good could redefine evil. Whatever unloving, self-centered, destructive choice the first evil doer made, Good could then immediately declare that to be good. Justice would not need to step in because there is no more evil. However, there are still the rippling side effects and the repetition of that first sin. Good would have to approve those also. Yet, whether you call those choices and consequences moral or immoral, it doesn’t really matter. People still get hurt. Suffering grows. We are back to a cycle of endless destruction that can only be stopped by the destruction of everything and everyone.

    Good could reset the universe. This is a somewhat sneaky solution that might not be all bad. As soon as the first evil choice is made, Good backs up the whole universe in time and adjusts things ever so slightly so that evil is not chosen. Everyone moves forward again feeling good in their blissful ignorance. However, this is a subtle form of control which calls into question the freedom of choice. Another version of this is to literally reboot the entire universe with new people and new memories. Again, this is not truly free freedom. Also, infinite Goodness fails at maintaining a universe solely by faith, hope, and love. The good news is that we don’t need to wrestle with the dilemmas introduced by this scenario, because it clearly has not happened. We are very much aware of past and present evil.

    All of these four major scenarios result in evil conquering the whole universe. What if there was a solution where evil was somehow limited to partial and temporary rule?

    Mercy briefly quarantines evil

    In our efforts to solve the problem of evil, we usually overlook the power of Good. Or, I should say, the unpower of Good, which is love. We can rid the universe of evil by leaving a gaping hole of emptiness, but why not try the sure, steady influence of love to fill holes and light the darkness? A universe truly devoid of evil is a universe filled with faith, hope, and love. This is who we are. This is what we need. This is what we want.

    If we feel that way, then what about Good? Infinite Goodness gave us those three gifts, so imagine how He infinitely feels!

    Good is not just Good inside itself like a perfect stone statue. Good reaches out with patterns of influence that inspire faith, hope, and love because Good believes in us, hopes the best for us, and loves us incredibly much. This is the complement to justice that eliminates evil. This is mercy that seeks to prevent evil and restore from evil. This is a Father and a Mother that comforts and helps their own children.

    So what would happen if mercy got involved side by side with justice after a person sins? This opens up a whole new scenario.

    Mercy seeks to transform evildoers

    Both mercy and justice want to protect the innocent. Therefore, they agree that evil must be stopped. However, mercy wants to try to redeem the sinner. Justice doesn’t care as long as the innocent saints stay safe. Therefore, justice and mercy agree to limits in both time and space for evildoers to be transformed. This is commonly called, a quarantine.

    Because the problem of evil is a problem of choice, this quarantine must maintain a delicate balance of both good and evil. Its patients are evildoers and they must learn both the pain of evil and the joy of goodness so that they sincerely choose to let go of evil and cling only to good. Then justice can terminate the evil without terminating the evildoer.

    Everybody wins if they cooperate. The innocent saints outside the quarantine learn about good and evil, which increases their FHL. The wicked sinners inside are transformed and get their perfect, immortal life back. The Good Father/Mother gets their children back. The universe is cleansed and restored with better, wiser, more loving people. Mercy wins, and so does justice.

    The big question is, How can mercy transform the evildoer?

    Infinite sacrifice transforms meek

    To understand the solution required we first need to understand the depth of the problem. The problem is a break in the patterns of faith, hope, and love. And that break was not accidental. It was purposely selfish. The first evildoer, like all those who came after, took without giving.

    They wanted to be trusted without giving trustworthiness in return. They pursued their hopes and desires for the future without regard for, and even at the expense of, the pursuits of others. The sinner wants to be loved, adored, and praised as number one without lifting up others.

    Selfishness is self-centeredness. It is not healthy self-care. Selfishness is all about elevating me, protecting me, enriching me, providing for me. Selfishness breaks and manipulates the bonds of FHL thereby lessening the value of other people.

    So will force, commandment, or display of power change the motivation of such a person? No, it will confirm their thinking that they must put up their guard, strengthen their defenses, and display their cherished traits even more.

    More evil justifies the evildoer and makes them feel even more falsely righteous. They will not surrender control to trust others. They will not modify their selfish dreams to allow space for others. More evil influences the selfish person to be even more evil, less loving, less sympathetic.

    The only way to overcome darkness is with light. The only way to warm a cold room is with heat. The only way to transform an evil heart is to offer it good, then wait for it to choose to receive it. And because once is not a pattern, good must be offered again and again and again.

    Selfishness is transformed only by selflessness.

    This means that the giving comes from more than then excess. Tossing a few coins from a wallet stuffed with bills might be the easing of guilt or the display of wealth or a pretend compassion. Giving to the point of sacrifice is what we are talking about.

    And what greater sacrifice is there than to lay down the entire life in service or even in death?

    Our original question is, How does an Infinite Good Person transform the mind and win the heart of selfish people?

    The only answer is 100% sacrifice, then wait to see if it is accepted. The sacrifice cannot be anything less than complete nor a guaranteed manipulation. Infinite Goodness must offer all of Himself on the altar of free choice leaving it to the person to approve or reject.

    That is infinite humility.

    Only such sincere, real humility can transform the selfish heart into the spirit of a meek and teachable saint.

    Therefore, if the sacrifice is accepted, the evildoer willingly lets go of evil and becomes selfless. This makes them safe to bring outside the quarantine zone into the light of eternity. Justice is satisfied. Saints already outside the quarantine are safe. Goodness is vindicated in all of its ways, and the universe rejoices in the victory of love.

    Justice terminates rebels

    What happens to those who reject the sacrifice?

    The quarantine of evil cannot continue forever. That would redefine it into good, which it clearly is not. Therefore, when a point is reached where all those inside and outside have made final decisions about good and evil, then it is terminated. Therefore, evildoers cease to exist.

    That sounds cruel, but it is actually merciful. The selfish heart hates true goodness and immortal life is all good. Everlasting life in a perfect universe would be endless torture to the evildoer. It is like moving the desk of the misbehaving student right next to the teacher’s desk forever!

    Because the sinner will not change their mind, there is nothing to be gained. Pointless pain is not good. Therefore, it has no place in eternity. Positive faith, hope, and love is sufficient in and of itself to propel the universe onwards and upwards forever.

    Universe 2.0 for saints!

    We like to say that there is no power stronger than love, but that is not quite true. Tested love is stronger than love.

    Once upon a time there was a group of friends. They did everything together. Confided in each other. Trusted each other. Then an enemy invaded their country. The war was terrible and the suffering was great. However, the friends stuck together, shared their meager rations, and worked to overthrow the enemy. Sometimes they were tortured to betray each other, but they would not. Then the enemy was driven back and the war ended. The friends never wanted another war, but because of the war, they now looked at each other in new and deeper ways. Before the conflict, they loved each other. Then their love was tested and triumphed. They were forever inseparable.

    One of those friends in the story was an Infinite Good Person. It was His sacrifice that ended the war. Therefore, it was His sacrifice that secured and guaranteed eternity.

    QUEST

    There are thousands of religions out there! Multiply that by the many factions and denominations within them and the options are almost endless. It will take many lifetimes to thoroughly examine them all!

    The good news is that we don’t need to become an expert in all the details. We need to focus on the essentials and the key fundamentals. If they fail there, then details are irrelevant.

    We start looking for a CCCC channel

    Nobody likes being lied to. We need a CONSISTENT source of truth

    If it does not tell us all the important truth, then it is almost like lying. We need the COMPLETE truth from beginning to end.

    If the truth does not give us life, then it is useless. We still die. Therefore, the channel of truth must deliver CREATIVITY.

    Fiction and fairy tales are entertaining lies without hard data to support them. Truth must CONFIRM itself in reality and history.

    These are very reasonable elements of what we are looking for. They are essential so that we are not deceived by supposed experts, gaslighters, and censors. They are essential to communicating truth from an infinite GOOD person who, for now, remains invisible.

    Popular options

    As the slide shows, we have serious problems with all the popular options. They are contradictory to each other and within themselves. Most have little to no confirmation beyond a simplistic, Trust me. The few religions that claim to teach an infinite good person bury their God in inconsistencies and incompleteness. Each option will be analyzed on a separate page, but for now, we conclude that mainstream religion is a confusing collection of contradictions.

    Jesus

    In our research, one person kept coming up over and over again. Over 5 billion people in Christianity, Islam, Hinduism, and others hold Jesus of Nazareth in esteem. He is considered a wise teacher, a good prophet, or a divine savior. What is it about this guy that he is so often recommended? To find out, we cannot ask the experts of confusion. We must get back to the source, which is the Bible. It was written by prophets and apostles who all pointed to him.

    Bible

    Just because the Bible claims to be the authoritative record of Jesus Christ is not enough. It must demonstrate all the qualities we seek: Consistency, Completeness, Creative power, Confirmation. As we move forward, we will take the Book at its word and see if it fails on its own. It must be tested like anything else.

    Principles of interpretation

    We have already confirmed a universal truth: We are interactive people of faith, hope, and love who learn and grow through patterns. If the Bible is not a book of truth patterns then it is written for someone other than humans. We will read it with the goal in mind of seeing if its teachings naturally fit into intelligent patterns or nots.

    GOD'S THIRD MINISTRY

    God did something good, then something bad happened, then there was a big complication. Through the cross, God now has a threefold ministry to restore all that is good.

    Before starting the overview, please notice that this presentation is in the form of a chiasm. That means the two halves mirror each other. The first three sections are problems getting progressively worse, while the second half is three solutions progressively getting better. The cross in the middle makes all the difference.

    Creation In the beginning, God created a perfect universe and perfect beings in it. He pledged to them that this would last forever. This was God’s first ministry.

    Rebellion When Lucifer rebelled and blamed God for sin, the second ministry began. God needed to prove to the universe that He was keeping His pledge. Satan and his cohort was given time and a remote planet to set up their kingdom. Everyone would see the hell the devils were making for themselves. By their fruits they would reveal the truth about themselves and God.

    Deception However, there was a complication. Through deception, Adam and Eve defected to Satan’s side permitting him to make Earth his kingdom. God’s third ministry began by Him stepping into the breach of the broken covenant by putting hatred against evil in every person’s heart. Human redemption would lead to clearing God’s name from Satan’s accusations which would then guarantee universal protection.

    Sacrifice In the fullness of time, the Son of God stepped down from heaven’s throne to this dark Earth. In a demonstration that shocked the cosmos, God showed that the law of self-renouncing love is the only pattern of everlasting happiness. Satan proved that selfishness leads only to suffering and death.

    One Now Jesus shows the universe that even the sinner can be transformed because he dies in Christ, then lives again in Christ. The only solution for the sinner is to live unselfishly for someone else who is Himself unselfish. These converted saints are gathered into God’s family called, church. Through the church the final and full display of God’s love and justice will be made. The Seed planted at the cross will ripen into a glorious harvest of perfectly united saints. Right here on Earth, the kingdom of heaven will shine over the kingdom of hell.

    Judgment Now there are no questions left in the minds of God’s loyal children. They despise sin and what it has done to sinners. They are ready to end it all.

    New Heaven When the last fires of death die, then the King of the universe re-arranges every atom in the universe. Love is now seen as never before, and as it always was. God was always the Creator and always the Savior. Now there can never be any doubt, because it is as obvious and visible as the scars in Christ’s hands. Love will remain on the throne forever uncontested, because it will forever burn in every heart greater and still greater.

    Creation

    When I held my daughter for the first time, I instinctively felt a pledge more deeply than words. My very being said, I will love you, provide for you, and protect you for ever. No expiration date. No scheduled end date. For ever and ever. She grew and rested, played and ate, within the warm shelter of that promise without ever knowing the technical details needed to keep that promise.

    Perfect physical universe with no promise

    He is the Rock, his work is perfect: for all his ways are judgment: a God of truth and without iniquity, just and right is he. (Deuteronomy 32:4)

    Thus says the LORD that created the heavens; God himself that formed the earth and made it; he has established it, he created it not in vain, he formed it to be inhabited. (Isaiah 45:18)

    God created a perfect universe with stars, planets, forests, lakes, animals, birds, but no people, yet. Without intelligent beings, God could remake or destroy the universe as many times as He wanted and no one would know or care. However, He made it to be inhabited by people so He made the best universe for people.

    Persons promised faith, hope, and love forever

    Whatever God does it shall be for ever: nothing can be put to it, nor any thing taken from it: and God does it, that men should fear before him. (Ecclesiastes 3:14)

    Forever + not too much + not too little = eternal perfection = good. That is the definition of good. Whatever works forever is good, anything less is evil. Everything God does is good, which is eternal, which can be trusted and respected by all people, who are spiritual beings created in the image of God. So He is guaranteeing perfect people in a perfect universe for ever.

    Behold, how good and how pleasant it is for brethren to dwell together in unity! (Psalms 133:1)

    It’s easy for God to guarantee a perfect physical universe, because He is in total control of its existence. However, love between people and love between people and God is a matter of personal choice. Yet, God promises an eternity of unity, based entirely on faith, hope, and love. Why? Because those are the primary positive motives of the human soul. They are the basis of every human choice. Positive choices result in the greatest good.

    Responsible to innocent children who had no choice in creation

    The blessing of the LORD, it makes rich, and he adds no sorrow with it. (Proverbs 10:22)

    Fear not, little flock; for it is your Father’s good pleasure to give you the kingdom. (Luke 12:32)

    My daughter had no choice in her birth. Every being to ever exist did not have choice in the matter. They are forced to be born, then given the power of choice to reject their parents, their God, their life. However, God fine tuned the universe to make it the most appealing to His children so they would feel life is worth living. He give them the perfect match of interests, talents, and position. Therefore, God is now responsible and accountable to His own children. This is how faith, hope, and love works. This is what loving relationships are all about.

    This promise of a good life worth living is the first promise from God to the universe. Anything that comes later is of lower priority to this promise.

    Rebellion

    A small country had been terrorized and controlled for years by a very brutal militia. When the rightful king finally regained the government, he asked what should be done with the terrorist group. The many victims wanted them executed, but relatives of the gang loyal to the king, and others in the nation, had hopes for their reformation. To avoid another civil war, the wise king kept them in prison to await further resolution.

    Lucifer focused on his lower nature until infatuated with self

    You were perfect in your ways from the day that you were created, until iniquity was found in you.... Your heart was lifted up because of your beauty, you have corrupted your wisdom by reason of your brightness. (Ezekiel 28:15-17)

    You have said in your heart, I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God: I will sit also upon the mount of the congregation, in the sides of the north: I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will be like the most High. (Isaiah 14:13-14)

    Lucifer was smart and beautiful. God made him that way. The problem started when the angel thought these qualities were his apart from God. He thought he deserved to be smart and beautiful. He felt these qualities entitled him to greater position and power.

    God gives us a sense of self, not that we should be proud and self-sufficient, but so we can have a sense of privacy, individuality, personhood. Lucifer began to look at self as a mini, self-sustaining god worthy of much more.

    Then blamed, lied, accused for not being enthroned

    The devil... was a murderer from the beginning, and abode not in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaks a lie, he speaks of his own: for he is a liar, and the father of it. (John 8:44)

    And he showed me Joshua the high priest standing before the angel of the LORD, and Satan standing at his right hand to resist him. (Zechariah 3:1)

    [Satan is the] accuser of our brethren. (Revelation 12:10)

    The first thing a sinner does is justify his decision. He will blame circumstances, people, God Himself–anyone and anything to defend himself because the Holy Spirit is no longer approving his conscience. He suddenly feels exposed because the inner light and peace is replaced by a fearful, empty darkness.

    Lucifer’s choice, and his determination to stand by it, was like a shock wave on a mirror smooth ocean. It was new. It was mysterious. It was scary. The angel’s accusations raised questions about God and government and morality. They needed to be addressed, but there was something even more concerning. Hitting deeper into every heart, down at the level below words, were feelings they had never felt before. Sadness. Insecurity. Foreboding. God’s promise appeared broken. Could He fix it? Was the heavenly family falling apart?

    God must inspire universe to eliminate evil to get back to #1

    Who shall not fear you O Lord, and glorify your name? for you only are holy: for all nations shall come and worship before you for your judgments are made plain. (Revelation 15:4)

    I heard a great voice of much people in heaven, saying, Alleluia; Salvation, and glory, and honor and power, unto the Lord our God: For true and righteous are his judgments. (Revelation 19:1-2)

    At the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth. (Philippians 2:10)

    God’s justice was ready to blink Lucifer from existence, but God’s mercy held Himself back. Perhaps the angel could be persuaded to repent? Whether or not, the peoples of the universe needed to understand the real issues involved as well as the ultimate solution of death.

    And what about God’s promise of cosmic perfection? Wasn’t He at least partially to blame here? Would the universal fabric of faith, hope, and love rip from end to end? Was God going to be proven a liar and a failure? The loyal universe still trusted God, but it was now from a new condition of groaning and travailing in pain. God must get them to understand everything so thoroughly that they would demand termination.

    Deception

    Daddy warned little Johny not to put any parts into his robot from his neighbor Loki. Later, Johny bought a new controller from Sammy but it fried all the electronics in the robot. Johny didn’t know Sammy got it from Loki, and he didn’t want to miss the special deal before daddy got home from work.

    Satan got Adam and Eve to repeat his choice

    And when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree to be desired to make one wise, she took of the fruit of it and did eat, and gave also unto her husband with her; and he did eat. (Genesis 3:6)

    Notice that Eve’s temptation focused on the same smartness and beauty that Lucifer indulged. Sin prioritizes the lower physical nature over the higher spiritual nature.

    Deception through ignorance meant selfish decision not final

    And the times of this ignorance God winked at. (Acts 17:30)

    I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your seed and her seed. (Genesis 3:15)

    [Christ is] the true Light... that lights every man that comes into the world. (John 1:9)

    Lucifer did not rebel against God out of ignorance, but Adam and Eve were partly deceived about what they were doing. This loophole, as it were, was something God could justifiably use to help humanity.

    God opted to invest in humanity to help quench #2

    But God, who is rich in mercy, for his great love with which he loved us, Even when we were dead in sins, has given us life together with Christ, (by grace you are saved;) And has raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus: That in the ages to come he might show the exceeding riches of his grace in his kindness toward us through Christ Jesus. (Ephesians 2:4-7)

    And he showed me Joshua the high priest standing before the angel of the LORD, and Satan standing at his right hand to resist him. And the LORD said unto Satan, The LORD rebuke you O Satan; even the LORD that has chosen Jerusalem rebuke you; is not this a brand plucked out of the fire? (Zechariah 3:1-2)

    Adam and Eve were told ahead of time not to eat the forbidden fruit. Their disobedience was enough to have them wiped from existence. However, the Father loved His children. With the Son, He found a way to save them and help solve problem #2. Human sinners could become proof against sin. It never needed to start and it could be overcome. Through the grace of God, humans would condemn Satan and become eternal trophies helping to prevent evil from repeating.

    Humans could desire truth, but not obey it

    The carnal mind is enmity against God: for it is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be. (Romans 8:7)

    For I delight in the law of God after the inward man: But I see another law in my members, warring against the law of my mind, and bringing me into captivity to the law of sin which is in my members. (Romans 7:22-23)

    The enmity implanted in the human heart is desire, not power. It is an unfulfilled desire that needs God’s power. Divine enmity inspires the sinner to hate sin, but it is not the ability to overcome sin.

    e) Old covenant temporarily enacted

    Wherefore then serves the law? It was added because of transgressions, until the Seed should come to whom the promise was made.... Wherefore the law was our schoolmaster to bring us unto Christ, that we might be justified by faith. (Galatians 3:19-24)

    God knew that implanted enmity was not enough. It would merely make the sinner conscious of guilt, then leave him in that sad situation. Therefore, a system of physical objects and actions was instituted to encourage the carnal mind to have hope.

    Sacrifice

    “It means,” said Aslan, “that though the Witch knew the Deep Magic, there is a magic deeper still which she did not know. Her knowledge goes back only to the dawn of time. But if she could have looked a little further back, into the stillness and the darkness before Time dawned, she would have read there a different incantation. She would have known that when a willing victim who had committed no treachery was killed in a traitor’s stead, the Table would crack and Death itself would start working backward."

    Incarnation showed God cared, understood creation

    Behold, a virgin shall be with child, and shall bring forth a son, and they shall call his name Emmanuel, which being interpreted is, God with us. (Matthew 1:23)

    Why didn’t God just come down and die for us? Why live a life of growth and effort and suffering? God cared enough to prove that He cared enough to help us.

    Temptation showed that lower nature could be overcome

    Seeing that the children are partakers of flesh and blood, he also himself likewise took part of the same; that through death he might destroy him that had the power of death, that is, the devil; and deliver them who through fear of death were all their lifetime subject to bondage. For truly he took not on him the nature of angels; but he took on him the seed of Abraham. Wherefore in all things it was needful for him to be made like unto his brethren, that he might be a merciful and faithful high priest in things pertaining to God, to make reconciliation for the sins of the people. For in that he himself has suffered being tempted, he is able to help them that are tempted. (Hebrews 2:14-18)

    Jesus lived in a physical body. He had a higher and lower nature just like us. He experienced the tension between the two just like us. Unlike us, He never gave into His lower nature. He blazed a straight path all the way from the edge of failure to permanent success. We now have footsteps to follow.

    Substitute provided forgiveness and life for humans

    Surely he has borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows: yet we did esteem him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted. But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed. All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way; and the LORD has laid on him the iniquity of us all. (Isaiah 53:4-6)

    Behold the Lamb of God, which takes away the sin of the world. (John 1:29)

    I am the good shepherd: the good shepherd gives his life for the sheep. (John 10:11)

    Enmity makes us want to find a way of escape. Footsteps to victory shows us the way of possibility. The body and blood of the Lamb finally gives us the power to walk the way. He takes the heavy burden of our guilty past off of our backs, and He gives us the energy to move our feet forward one step at a time.

    Infinite sacrifice vindicated God, doomed Satan

    For this purpose the Son of God was revealed, that he might destroy the works of the devil. (1 John 3:8)

    Father, glorify your name. Then came there a voice from heaven, saying, I have both glorified it, and will glorify it again. The people therefore, that stood by, and heard it, said that it thundered: others said, An angel spoke to him. Jesus answered and said, This voice came not because of me, but for your sakes. Now is the judgment of this world: now shall the prince of this world be cast out. And I, if I be lifted up from the earth, will draw all unto me. (John 12:28-32)

    He that has seen Me has seen the Father. (John 14:9)

    At the cross, the last lingering questions of a wondering universe were answered. God and Satan stood in stark opposition. God made a track of unbroken faith, hope, and love, while Satan attacked Him with falsehood, fear, and force. There was no more gray, only light versus dark.

    Cross guaranteed universe would be saved

    And there was war in heaven: Michael and his angels fought against the dragon; and the dragon fought and his angels, And prevailed not; neither was their place found any more in heaven. And the great dragon was cast out, that old serpent, called the Devil, and Satan, which deceives the whole world: he was cast out into the earth, and his angels were cast out with him. And I heard a loud voice saying in heaven, Now is come salvation, and strength, and the kingdom of our God, and the power of his Christ: for the accuser of our brethren is cast down, which accused them before our God day and night. And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb, and by the word of their testimony; and they loved not their lives unto the death. Therefore rejoice, you heavens, and you that dwell in them. Woe to the inhabiters of the earth and of the sea! for the devil is come down unto you, having great wrath, because he knows that he has but a short time. (Revelation 12:7-12)

    Heaven was now sure of God and Satan. They were fully ready to have the fallen angels executed. However, there were still questions, known and unknown, about humanity. To fully secure eternity, humanity and devils were given more time.

    One

    The officer pulled over the reckless driver, who pleaded for grace, “I won’t do it anymore!” The cop knew better. “If I forgive you, you will do it again and again, but if you really want to be a different driver...” With those words, the officer reached into the driver’s chest, pulled out the heart, then replaced it with his own.

    Self cannot be saved, only replaced by un-Self

    Let favor be showed to the wicked, yet will he not learn righteousness: in the land of uprightness will he deal unjustly, and will not behold the majesty of the LORD. (Isaiah 26:10)

    Can the Ethiopian change his skin, or the leopard his spots? then may you also do good, that are accustomed to do evil. (Jeremiah 13:23)

    Bring a sinner to heaven and all you get is a spoiled brat or a pseudo-saint who sees the gold but does not appreciate the true glory of God. It does not matter whether it is a cruel dictator, perverted psychopath, or a well behaved nice person, all sinners are motivated by self-gain. Any of them will ignite the fires of evil all over again, because the flames in their heart never went out. It is impossible to teach self to do good.

    The soul that sins, it shall die. (Ezekiel 18:20)

    This is the only solution. The only options offered to every sinner is to die in Christ or die out of Christ. Either way, the sinner must die.

    Sin does not arise on its own. It is chosen into existence. Therefore, the chooser must die. However, if the sinner dies, then the heavenly Father is sad.

    However, if the sinner could somehow miraculously die in Christ, then he could have heart, mind, and soul transplanted. The sinner dies and the sinner lives, but not the sinner, a new saint with a new inner nature from Christ and in Christ.

    What would persuade a selfish sinner to give up his life before he has gained heaven? Only the cross.

    Giving heaven to the sinner, like popular preaching assures, only increases the selfishness. Yet, the Lamb of God, bruised and bloodied by sins, offers a trade. Sorrow unto repentance breaks the heart and kills the sinner. Now the Resurrected One can remove the blackened soul and replace it with His own.

    Where there was darkness now there is light. Where there was desire for evil, now there is only good. Where there was death, now there is life, because the crucified sinner rises again as a saint in the newness of Christ’s life. The mortal body is mortified. Look anywhere inside and all you will find is Christ.

    I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ lives in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me. (Galatians 2:20)

    For he has made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him. (2 Corinthians 5:21)

    The outer man is no longer in control of the inner man. The carnal nature no longer rules the spiritual nature. The saint walks in the Spirit, not in the flesh. The sinner is truly dead. Heaven is safe.

    Saved Christian adopted by Father (#3)

    For you have not received the spirit of bondage again to fear; but you have received the Spirit of adoption, whereby we cry, Abba, Father. The Spirit itself bears witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God: And if children, then heirs; heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ; if so be that we suffer with him, that we may be also glorified together. (Romans 8:15-17)

    On an individual level, problem #3 is solved. The sinner is converted into a saint. The Father has His child back.

    Human church condemns angel rebellion (#2)

    But God has chosen the foolish things of the world to confound the wise; and God has chosen the weak things of the world to confound the things which are mighty; And base things of the world, and things which are despised, has God chosen, yea, and things which are not, to bring to nought things that are: That no flesh should glory in his presence. (1 Corinthians 1:27-29)

    Hear O mountains, the LORD’s controversy, and you strong foundations of the earth: for the LORD has a controversy with his people.... O my people, what have I done unto you and in what have I wearied you? testify against me. (Micah 6:2-3)

    A third of the angels invented their own problems, then blamed God and smeared His reputation. God would show them to be utterly false. The controversy with the selfish angels would be ended by the demonstration of God’s love through His church. The failure of angelic perfection in heaven would be shown to be without excuse by the success of the church in a fallen world.

    A human church shows a heaven in midst of hell (#1)

    By this shall all men know that you are my disciples, if you have love one to another. (John 13:35)

    And to make all men see what is the fellowship of the mystery, which from the beginning of the world has been hid in God, who created all things by Jesus Christ: to the intent that now unto the principalities and powers in heavenly places might be known by the church the manifold wisdom of God, according to the eternal purpose which he purposed in Christ Jesus our Lord: In whom we have boldness and access with confidence by the faith of him. (Ephesians 3:9-12)

    That he might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the word, That he might present it to himself a glorious church, not having spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing; but that it should be holy and without blemish. (Ephesians 5:26-27)

    Until we all come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ. (Ephesians 4:13)

    A child is known by his doings. A prophet is known by his fruits. A gardener is known by his harvest. The Savior is known through His church. Let the gospel go, not only into all the world, but also into all the church, then the end will come. The enmity planted in the heart of the woman at the beginning results in a church of saints perfectly united in loving teamwork at the end. Members that are one with God are one with each other, for God is one.

    Then the two harvests of both good and evil will be fully ripe. There will be no questions, no doubts, no guesswork. The church will stand apart from the world with no overlap. The church will condemn the world’s excuses and lies. The time and need for judgment will no longer be delayed, for the contrast will be crystal clear.

    Extra references

    There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit. For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has made me free from the law of sin and death. For what the law could not do, in that it was weak through the flesh, God sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, and for sin, condemned sin in the flesh: That the righteousness of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit. For they that are after the flesh do mind the things of the flesh; but they that are after the Spirit the things of the Spirit. For to be carnally minded is death; but to be spiritually minded is life and peace. Because the carnal mind is enmity against God: for it is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be. So then they that are in the flesh cannot please God. But you are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit, if so be that the Spirit of God dwell in you. Now if any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of his. And if Christ be in you, the body is dead because of sin; but the Spirit is life because of righteousness. But if the Spirit of him that raised up Jesus from the dead dwell in you, he that raised up Christ from the dead shall also give life to your mortal bodies by his Spirit that dwells in you. Therefore, brethren, we are debtors, not to the flesh, to live after the flesh. For if you live after the flesh, you shall die: but if you through the Spirit do mortify the deeds of the body, you shall live. (Romans 8:1-13)

    Therefore seeing we have this ministry, as we have received mercy, we faint not; But have renounced the hidden things of dishonesty, not walking in craftiness, nor handling the word of God deceitfully; but by revealing of the truth commending ourselves to every man’s conscience in the sight of God. But if our gospel be hid, it is hid to them that are lost: In whom the god of this world has blinded the minds of them which believe not, lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine unto them. For we preach not ourselves, but Christ Jesus the Lord; and ourselves your servants for Jesus‘ sake. For God, who commanded the light to shine out of darkness, has shined in our hearts, to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ. But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellency of the power may be of God, and not of us. (2 Corinthians 4:1-7)

    This I say then, Walk in the Spirit, and you shall not fulfil the lust of the flesh. For the flesh lusts against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh: and these are contrary the one to the other: so that you cannot do the things that you would. But if you be led of the Spirit, you are not under the law. Now the works of the flesh are plain, which are these; Adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness, Idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, variance, emulations, wrath, strife, seditions, heresies, Envyings, murders, drunkenness, revellings, and such like: of the which I tell you before, as I have also told you in time past, that they which do such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God. But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law. And they that are Christ’s have crucified the flesh with the affections and lusts. If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit. (Galatians 5:16-25)

    I therefore, the prisoner of the Lord, beg you that you walk worthy of the vocation with which you are called, With all lowliness and meekness, with longsuffering, forbearing one another in love; Endeavoring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. There is one body, and one Spirit, even as you are called in one hope of your calling; One Lord, one faith, one baptism, One God and Father of all, who is above all, and through all, and in you all. But unto every one of us is given grace according to the measure of the gift of Christ. Wherefore he said, When he ascended up on high, he led captivity captive, and gave gifts unto men. (Now that he ascended, what is it but that he also descended first into the lower parts of the earth? He that descended is the same also that ascended up far above all heavens, that he might fill all things.) And he gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers; For the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ: Until we all come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ. (Ephesians 4:1-13)

    Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus: Who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God: But made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant.... But now much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling. For it is God which works in you both to will and to do of his good pleasure. Do all things without murmurings and disputings: That you may be blameless and harmless, the sons of God, without rebuke, in the midst of a crooked and perverse nation, among whom you shine as lights in the world. (Philippians 2:5-15)

    Yea doubtless, and I count all things but loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord: for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and do count them but dung, that I may win Christ, And be found in him, not having my own righteousness, which is of the law, but that which is through the faith of Christ, the righteousness which is of God by faith: That I may know him, and the power of his resurrection, and the fellowship of his sufferings, being made conformable unto his death; If by any means I might attain unto the resurrection of the dead. Not as though I had already attained, either were already perfect: but I follow after, if that I may apprehend that for which also I am apprehended of Christ Jesus. Brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended: but this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before, I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus. Let us therefore, as many as be perfect, be thus minded: and if in any thing you be otherwise minded, God shall reveal even this unto you. Nevertheless, to what we have already attained, let us walk by the same rule, let us mind the same thing. (Philippians 3:8-16)

    If you then be risen with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ sits on the right hand of God. Set your affection on things above, not on things on the earth. For you are dead, and your life is hid with Christ in God. When Christ, who is our life, shall appear, then shall you also appear with him in glory. Mortify therefore your members which are upon the earth; fornication, uncleanness, inordinate affection, evil desires, and covetousness, which is idolatry: For which things‘ sake the wrath of God comes on the children of disobedience: In the which you also walked some time, when you lived in them. But now you also put off all these; anger, wrath, malice, blasphemy, filthy communication out of your mouth. Lie not one to another, seeing that you have put off the old man with his deeds; And have put on the new man, which is renewed in knowledge after the image of him that created him. (Colossians 3:1-10)

    And the Lord make you to increase and abound in love one toward another, and toward all men, even as we do toward you: To the end he may establish your hearts unblameable in holiness before God, even our Father, at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ with all his saints. (1 Thessalonians 3:12-13)

    Holding the mystery of the faith in a pure conscience. (1 Timothy 3:9)

    Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us, by the washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Ghost; Which he shed on us abundantly through Jesus Christ our Savior. That being justified by his grace, we should be made heirs according to the hope of eternal life. This is a faithful saying, and these things I will that you affirm constantly, that they which have believed in God might be careful to maintain good works. These things are good and profitable unto men. (Titus 3:5-8)

    Judgment

    The father went outside to plead with his eldest son, who for many years had worked hard in the church, obeyed all the rules, and attended church every week. The son complained he was not getting the credit he deserved. The father told him the door needed to close soon, and coming inside was all that mattered. The son sneared at such twisted priorities. Meanwhile, the door closed.

    True children are in Christ, out of sin

    Will You also destroy the righteous with the wicked?... That be far from You to do after this manner, to slay the righteous with the wicked: and that the righteous should be as the wicked, that be far from You. Shall not the Judge of all the earth do right? (Genesis 18:23-25)

    And they shall be mine, says the LORD of hosts, in that day when I make up my jewels; and I will spare them, as a man spares his own son that serves him. Then shall you return, and discern between the righteous and the wicked, between him that serves God and him that serves him not. (Malachi 3:17-18)

    As the Father has life in himself; so has he given to the Son to have life in himself; and has given him authority to execute judgment also, because he is the Son of man. Marvel not at this: for the hour is coming, in the which all that are in the graves shall hear his voice, and shall come forth; they that have done good, unto the resurrection of life; and they that have done evil, unto the resurrection of damnation. (John 5:26-29)

    Before there is execution of judgment there must be investigation to discern between the righteous and the wicked, between those in the resurrection of life and those in the resurrection of damnation. Christ and the angels need to look at one thing, and one thing only. Does the person walk in the flesh or in the Spirit? Is Christ enthroned in the mind or merely professed with the lips? Is the person teachable in all things by the Father, or not? No one in heaven will be permitted to serve two masters.

    Blessed are the meek, for only they inherit the earth.

    Sealed church has full enmity against evil

    Unto Adam he said, Because you have listened unto the voice of your wife, and have eaten of the tree, of which I commanded you saying, You shall not eat of it: cursed is the ground for your sake; in sorrow shall you eat of it all the days of your life. (Genesis 3:17)

    For the creature was made subject to vanity, not willingly, but by reason of him who has subjected the same in hope. (Romans 8:20)

    Hurt not the earth, neither the sea, nor the trees, until we have sealed the servants of our God in their foreheads. (Revelation 7:3)

    Human nature was deranged by eating the forbidden fruit. They could not trust God anymore, so they must learn about evil by actual experience. Now that it was in their systems, they must get sick, deal with the causes and effects, then pass it all the way through and flush it out forever. The only good purpose evil has is to teach its own evilness. Converted Christians are sealed and being sealed to one day become permanently sealed against sin.

    Time to eliminate sin and sinners

    It shall bruise your head. (Genesis 3:15)

    And Enoch also, the seventh from Adam, prophesied of these, saying, Behold, the Lord comes with ten thousands of his saints, To execute judgment upon all, and to convince all that are ungodly among them of all their ungodly deeds which they have ungodly committed, and of all their hard speeches which ungodly sinners have spoken against him. (Jude 1:14-15)

    And I saw a great white throne, and him that sat on it, from whose face the earth and the heaven fled away; and there was found no place for them. And I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God; and the books were opened: and another book was opened, which is the book of life: and the dead were judged out of those things which were written in the books, according to their works. And the sea gave up the dead which were in it; and death and hell delivered up the dead which were in them: and they were judged every man according to their works. And death and hell were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death. And whoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire. (Revelation 20:11-15)

    The saints on earth and in heaven are fully convinced of the goodness of God and the sinfulness of sin. Through Christ, their heels have been bruised. Now it is time to crush the serpent’s head.

    Death has no place in life. Hell has no place in heaven. Destruction has no place in creation. Therefore, death must die, hell must be burned up, destruction must be destroyed.

    And that servant, which knew his lord’s will, and prepared not himself, neither did according to his will, shall be beaten with many stripes. But he that knew not, and did commit things worthy of stripes, shall be beaten with few stripes. For unto whomsoever much is given, of him shall be much required: and to whom men have committed much, of him they will ask the more. (Luke 12:47-48)

    Every person is judged according to their works. Every person is finite, including the devil himself. Therefore, the time of the judgment will be finite. It will have an end. All will see that the Judge of all the universe does right, exactly right. Not too much. Not too little.

    New Heaven

    On this earth we preach about God. On the new earth we will gather sabbath to sabbath in His throne room to talk with Him. The Father and the Son will instruct us and we will share stories from the week. Church service will be a face to face family sharing time.

    Universe upgraded because of new desire, ability

    And I saw a new heaven and a new earth: for the first heaven and the first earth were passed away; and there was no more sea. (Revelation 21:1)

    What do you imagine against the LORD? he will make an utter end: affliction shall not rise up the second time. (Nahum 1:9)

    Fear not, little flock; for it is your Father’s good pleasure to give you the kingdom. (Luke 12:32)

    The faith, hope, and love of the entire universe has grown tremendously during the course of the great controversy between Christ and Satan. The war between good and evil has turned everyone into battle hardened veterans. Unlike before, they can now appreciate Universe 2.0.

    Power to keep eternal promise now revealed

    His glory covered the heavens and His praise filled the earth. His splendor was like the sunrise; rays flashed from His hand, where His power was hidden. (Habakkuk 3:3-4)

    And now abides faith, hope, love, these three; but the greatest of these is love. (1 Corinthians 13:13)

    There is only one thing greater than love–tested love. All heaven has seen God pass a test they never knew was needed. They have seen the Creator destroyed, the Lifegiver die, the Light go dark. Never again do they want that to happen. Never do they want to forget. So the marks of tested love are imprinted in the hands of the Savior of humans, angels, and all heavenly beings. Not merely a future promise, but the revealed and tested power of love keeps a new universe in which it is impossible for evil to rise again.