Per your personal interpretation, which is of course, shared by at least as many as interpret it otherwise.
I dunno, to me, the fact that so many contradicting interpretations of the same Scripture is alone enough to KNOW that God did not mean for this to be the way that leads to salvation.
When was the last time ANYONE purposely wrote a life or death letter to a group of people - and everyone got a different message even though they all read the same letter?
I think I understand your point.
Appreciate your tone.
Probably won't go around with you about it.
I also have other priorities this weekend.
Blessings,
2 Peter 3:5 'For this they willingly are ignorant of, that by the word of God the heavens were of old, and the earth standing out of the water and in the water:'
Now I think that the above passage would appear to take dead aim at the evolutionists that would arise in the future but before I'm jumped on for taking it out of context, perhaps the application (or at least the principle) is a little broader. I suppose that you could say that the differing views on this thread are all about 'contradictory interpretations' and 'different messages' but the Bible does talk about those that are 'willingly ignorant'. Those are not people that simply got a different message - these are people that have flat chosen to disbelieve the obvious (and do so by obfuscating and fooling their own inner self in a desperate attempt to make something true appear to be false and vice versa). Why? Because they simply don't like what they read/hear and don't like the attendant implications. What litnus test would you apply to tell the difference between those that genuinely have 'misinterpreted the message' and those that are 'willingly ignorant'? Well, I can't plug directly into your mind and soul to know how and what you truly are thinking but I know that God can. And it's obvious that God doesn't look kindly on those that go through all kinds of gymnastics and contortions to get around the plain truth that's contained in His Word.