Your response: The dead hear nothing. Not knocking, not gate-bells, not door-knockers.... nothing (Ecclesiastes 9:5)
Yes, I know that's what the construct says. But someone forgot to tell Jesus:
"I am standing at the door and knocking! If anyone hears my voice and opens the door I will come into his home and share a meal with him, and he with me." Rev 3:20.
That, my friend, is the Gospel. Call me silly, but I just don't think the King of Heaven is knocking at doors that can't be opened. Anyone means -- well how can I explain this to the closed-minded? -- ANYONE! And that is Good News!
P.S. I know it won't bother you but you have drastically misquoted Eccl 9:5 which clearly in context (that dirty word again) is referring to physical death after physical life. Real good hermeneutic work there, OP.
P.P.S. I know you prefer to believe the construct and disbelieve the Bible. But this is too important to potential lurkers not to rebut your foolish hopelessness. Jesus brings Hope to ALL, you and your buddies to the contrary notwithstanding. He knocks for ALL and ANYONE can receive Him.
"I am standing at the door and knocking! IF anyone hears my voice and opens the door I will come into his home and share a meal with him, and he with me." Rev 3:20.
Jeus affirms that not all hear why won't you?
Luk 6:27 But I say unto you which hear, Love your enemies, do good to them which hate you,
Who hears ? Not dead men
That's exactly right, Winston (despite your hermeneutically incorrect PROOF-TEXTING of Revelation 3:20, which is an Epistle to the Church).... Anyone may respond to the Gospel Call. Jesus Christ is NOT going to turn away ANY who respond!!
But NO-ONE ever will respond unless the Father causes them to respond (John 6:65, Acts 13:48), because in His Natural State, Man hates God. (Romans 8: 5-8)
P.S. I know it won't bother you but you have drastically misquoted Eccl 9:5 which clearly in context (that dirty word again) is referring to physical death after physical life. Real good hermeneutic work there, OP.
Actually, I am *delighted* that you point this out, WC. (in debate, we call this "sand-bagging"). The Bible does NOT describe Spiritual Death exclusively in terms of the relative "morbid neutrality" of Physical Death... but in terms of active opposition.
The Biblical Doctrine of Man’s Depravity
The Natural Man comes from the womb speaking lies (Ps. 58:3), and is spiritually insane in his heart (Ecc. 9:3), and he only performs unrighteous actions (Is. 64:6), and he cannot receive the Spirit (Jo. 14:17), and he does not seek God (Ro. 3:10-12,23), and he cannot will anything Godly (Ro. 7:18), and he is violently hostile to God (Ro. 8:5-8), and he is not able to action God-pleasing selections of Will (Ro. 8:5-8), and he cannot understand the Gospel (1 Co. 2:14), and he cannot confess Jesus is Lord (1 Co. 12:3).
Given the VIOLENT HOSTILITY to God which exists naturally in the hearts of all Natural Men, it is FOOLISHNESS to imagine that ANY natural man will EVER "choose God" without the *prior* re-engineering of his Heart by the sovereign and unilateral action of the Holy Spirit.
To pretend that a Man will turn to God without God turning that man's heart whithersoever He wills (Proverbs 21:1)... is to cast your lot with the Lie of the Serpent. (Genesis 3)
Well, let's look at yours:
Revelation 3:14,20 "And to the angel of the church of the Laodiceans write,... Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and dine with him, and he with Me."
Oh, BTW, winston, to dine with Jesus and hear His voice is to feast on His written word and have fellowship with the Living God. Seems to me like among other things that this is an admonition to READ THE BIBLE.
Yep, I guess that this must also mean that the Incas were in Jerusalem according to your logic because even though Jesus is speaking to the churh this must be ANYONE and everyone without exception. Wow, your butchery of the scriptures is amazing!