Human Suffering . . .

[JAG ..]

. . . for the Christian in light of Eternity.

Let us assume a worst case scenario. John Christian lived 100 years suffering severely
every year he lived. He even hurt as a new born, and was still hurting when he entered
Kindergarten. He hurt all the way through High School and never stopped hurting until
the day he died.

John Christian spent his entire life in severe pain and all his money on doctors trying
to get rid of the pain. He never succeeded. When he turned 75 he quit trying and
decided to "just live with the pain" on out to the end and he did exactly that and died
at age 100, in severe pain, but trusting the Lord Jesus as his Savior. [Note: I don't
think the Lord has ever allowed such as this to occur for one of His children, but
remember I need a "worst case scenario" here in order to make my point.]

So John Christian, after living 100 years in severe pain dies and goes to Heaven to
be with his Lord Jesus for all Eternity.

Lets see what the percent ratio of 100 years is to Eternity:

After John Christian had been in Heaven for 200 years, you'd have this fraction:

100 divided by 200 = 0.5



After John Christian had been in Heaven for 500 years, you'd have this fraction:

100 divided by 500 = 0.2



After 10,000 years, you'd have this fraction:

100 divided by 10,000 = 0.01



After John Christian had been in Heaven for 100,000 years, you'd have this fraction:

100 divided by 100,000 = 0.001



After 1,000,000 years in Heaven you'd have this fraction:

100 divided by 1,000,000 = 0.0001



After 10,000,000 years in Heaven, you'd have this fraction:

100 divided by 10,000,000 = 0.00001



After 50,000,000 years in Heaven, you'd have this fraction:

100 divided by 50,000,000 = 0.000002



After John Christian had been in Heaven for 100,000,000 years, you'd have this fraction:

100 divided by 100,000,000 = 0.00000.1



After 500,000,000 years, you'd have this fraction:

100 divided by 500,000,000 = 0.0000002



Question: How many zeros would you have after John Christian had been in Heaven for
999 trillion years?


Moreover, isn't it true, that as Eternity rolled on, there would never come a time when
you would not be adding more zeros?

What the point? This: At some point the 100 years of severe suffering experience by
John Christian in this life would become, in his mind and in his total experience, a
fraction so small as to be, for all practical purposes, totally and absolutely non-existent.

And again, remember that as Eternity rolls on, the zeros would never cease to be
added to the 0.

At some point in Eternity, you have 999 trillion to the power of 999 trillion . . zeros.
And once you reached this point, you would not even have "got started good" in adding
zeros to the 0.0

We have a name for all this. We call it God's Mercy and Grace. The Sovereign God will
one day, for all practical purposes, reduce out earthly suffering, with regard to our
total experience, in percent ratio, to a fraction so small that it will be, de facto,
non-existent. (Of course, all this is assuming that we have the "passing of years", in
Eternity. Eternity may have a totally different concept of Time than we now experience.
But either way, it will all be good for we the people of God.)

 

[Eugene]

But either way, it will all be good for we the people of God.

So John Christian, after living 100 years in severe pain dies and goes to Heaven to be with his Lord Jesus for all Eternity.

Hi JAG .., I'd like to add that in addition to the low percentage of suffering; also considered enduring, John Christian's sufferings awarded him as being a joint heir with with Christ (Rom 8:17), and by not denying Jesus, according to 2Ti 2:12 If we suffer, we shall also reign with him.

 

[Edward]

. . . for the Christian in light of Eternity.

Let us assume a worst case scenario. John Christian lived 100 years suffering severely
every year he lived. He even hurt as a new born, and was still hurting when he entered
Kindergarten. He hurt all the way through High School and never stopped hurting until
the day he died.

John Christian spent his entire life in severe pain and all his money on doctors trying
to get rid of the pain. He never succeeded. When he turned 75 he quit trying and
decided to "just live with the pain" on out to the end and he did exactly that and died
at age 100, in severe pain, but trusting the Lord Jesus as his Savior. [Note: I don't
think the Lord has ever allowed such as this to occur for one of His children, but
remember I need a "worst case scenario" here in order to make my point.]

So John Christian, after living 100 years in severe pain dies and goes to Heaven to
be with his Lord Jesus for all Eternity.

Lets see what the percent ratio of 100 years is to Eternity:

After John Christian had been in Heaven for 200 years, you'd have this fraction:

100 divided by 200 = 0.5



After John Christian had been in Heaven for 500 years, you'd have this fraction:

100 divided by 500 = 0.2



After 10,000 years, you'd have this fraction:

100 divided by 10,000 = 0.01



After John Christian had been in Heaven for 100,000 years, you'd have this fraction:

100 divided by 100,000 = 0.001



After 1,000,000 years in Heaven you'd have this fraction:

100 divided by 1,000,000 = 0.0001



After 10,000,000 years in Heaven, you'd have this fraction:

100 divided by 10,000,000 = 0.00001



After 50,000,000 years in Heaven, you'd have this fraction:

100 divided by 50,000,000 = 0.000002



After John Christian had been in Heaven for 100,000,000 years, you'd have this fraction:

100 divided by 100,000,000 = 0.00000.1



After 500,000,000 years, you'd have this fraction:

100 divided by 500,000,000 = 0.0000002



Question: How many zeros would you have after John Christian had been in Heaven for
999 trillion years?


Moreover, isn't it true, that as Eternity rolled on, there would never come a time when
you would not be adding more zeros?

What the point? This: At some point the 100 years of severe suffering experience by
John Christian in this life would become, in his mind and in his total experience, a
fraction so small as to be, for all practical purposes, totally and absolutely non-existent.

And again, remember that as Eternity rolls on, the zeros would never cease to be
added to the 0.

At some point in Eternity, you have 999 trillion to the power of 999 trillion . . zeros.
And once you reached this point, you would not even have "got started good" in adding
zeros to the 0.0

We have a name for all this. We call it God's Mercy and Grace. The Sovereign God will
one day, for all practical purposes, reduce out earthly suffering, with regard to our
total experience, in percent ratio, to a fraction so small that it will be, de facto,
non-existent. (Of course, all this is assuming that we have the "passing of years", in
Eternity. Eternity may have a totally different concept of Time than we now experience.
But either way, it will all be good for we the people of God.)

I like that perspective. I use it frequently! When in times of tribulation (whatever form) I tell myself (or others), that 200,000 years from now that we'll look back and laugh at at our "growing pains".

I'm not exactly sure how the passage of time in heaven will be. I heard one pastor illustrate it like this. Imagine the room that you are in, as eternity, where God dwells. Then he held up a water bottle and said, now imagine this is our cosmos and all that we know of it. God is outside the 'bottle' so is able to see the end from the beginning. He was also able to take John out of it and forward to see the last days so that he could write about it, then return him to Patmos. Makes sense to me.

Another Pastor illustrated it like a parade. We are on the ground level watching the progression go by...and God is way up high in a helicopter, so is able to see the beginning and the end of the procession. That too, is a good illustration.