Firstly you have to understand that Jesus Himself predicted that the Jewish people as a whole would reject Him. His parable in
Matthew 22 is meant to convey this fact. Paul the apostle even addresses this fact in
2 Corinthians 3:12-16, where he describes their minds as being veiled to the scriptures.
Matthew 22 (as was all of the new testament) was written entirely after the fact. It's telling that he knew that the Jewish people wouldn't take him seriously, especially since Jesus doesn't match what they believe their Messiah would be. Anyone who expects to not be taken seriously ahead of time can often be pointed out for what they are, a charlatan (not saying that was the case here, of course) - that said, why would God, an all omnipotent and omniscient being be so wishy-washy with his chosen people? In the Old Testament, there was no mistaking God and his will, he would pull no punches, even with his own people if they weren't doing exactly as he wanted - now if Jesus comes and pretty much the entire Jewish population spare 12 don't accept his claim, then it's hardly their fault he isn't clearer.
In
John 5:46 Jesus told us that Moses wrote of Him.
There are actually three ways in which Moses wrote of Jesus. First he gave several examples of Jesus’ direct pre-incarnate visitations to earth. Second Moses stories in the Torah often were foreshadows of Jesus life and ministry. And Third, there were at least 6 Messianic prophecies written by Moses and fulfilled in Jesus.
Again, this is all easily explained by post-fact reinterpretation. Whoever wrote the new testament had all the information available to them minimum decades after the fact while writing it. I haven't been indoctrinated into this line of thought, so it's harder for me to just accept this to be the way you've reinterpreted it to be.
I haven't included the rest of the monumental wall of text because it doesn't really justify anything outside your reinterpretation, which I've already pointed out. Perhaps if you could point out the 6 specific prophesised foretellings made by Moses regarding Jesus, we could look at those?
I am merely repeating what the scriptures say about all of us...myself included.
And of course, there's no reason why anyone should take any of this text to be authoritive, happy to hear any justifications otherwise though. In the mean time, I'll set it aside awaiting such info.
If you are talking about those who were born on earth and have since gone on to dwell in heaven then yes they do have free will and there is no need for animal sacrifice.
So why not have that same system here on Earth if it can actually be done? There's no need for any sacrifice of any sort at all, and the fact that Heaven demonstrates this is evidence enough.
If you are talking about angelic beings created in heaven then no they do not.
Hadn't even considered Angels.
As for the system of animal sacrifice it was a representation of the real sacrifice that was to come.
Why was any kind of sacrifice neccesary? it just isn't as demonstrated by Heaven.
Yes it was bloody and revolting and God intended it to be this way. He wanted us to have a good grasp on what a cost, the death of His only begotten Son was to be. The penalty for sin is death and He would come and pay our sin debt.
What brutal bloodlust nonsense that is. It just isn't a requirement, and that all of the modern world has more humane justice systems in place than old testament levitical law is proof enough.
Does an all powerful God have the ability to come up with a better plan? I don't see how He could and still be called just. If you saw a judge letting criminals go without punishment you would call Him an unjust judge and be outraged.
Go find any modern nation today for a better judicial system. I agree a Judge letting criminals go without punishment is bad, debatable though if it's worse than a Judge wheeling out his Son and condemning him to punishment in lieu, let alone death - what kind of monster would THAT Judge be? To give you an idea, that Judge would himself be convicted of a number of crimes, that's how bad that Judge is.
What you need is a judicial system that is fair and balanced, weighing up all the facts of the case and the criminal who has been found guilty should make amends, and should make amends to those they've done wrong by, whether it be the state or other people. what shouldn't happen is someone else being convicted and sentenced in their place, no matter who that person is. that's about as bad as a judicial system could get. Sorry, but Scapegoating just isn't justice...
How much more shall the Judge of the universe judge sin? His plan is genius and I can think of no other way to create free will agents who can freely express love for Him and experience His love.
then you either lack the foresight to see the merits of pretty much any other more appropriate system, or you are morally vacuous with an inability to see the problem with it. or a combination of the two.
Love requires free will in order to be at all meaningful. Free will demands three elements in order to be truly free. Ability, opportunity, and unambiguity.
If all of these things are available in Heaven, then it can be available here too.
Of course we have to have the ability to choose or not to choose, but we also have to be given the opportunity to make that choice.
Can you choose in Heaven? Did Satan have a choice?
If God looked down the corridors of time and decided to only create those who would choose to love Him then He would be unjust because this would not be true free will.
I'm not sure I agree with this point. It depends on what you think happens to those people who don't believe in your particular version of your particular God. According to your doctrine, do the souls non-believers spend an eternity being tortured in the afterlife? If so, do you think that's just? No finite crime deserves infinite torture.
Also those who do make the decision to love and serve Him would have no sure way of knowing rather they truly had free will without seeing that there were plenty who chose not to. In this way our free will is made unambiguous.
If there's free will in Heaven, then none of the sacrifice clauses and scapegoat requirements are needed. This is just an arbitrary condition placed on this life by your God, and the fact that Heaven can get by without these arbitrary requirements while still allowing free will is evidence enough that it can indeed be done.
That's wrong....
