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†. Matt 5:7 . . Blessed are the merciful, for they shall obtain mercy.
Christ wasn't talking about forgiveness in that beatitude. The word for
"merciful" is eleemon (el-eh-ay'-mone) which means: compassionate (as an
adjective). And the word for "mercy" is eleeo (el-eh-eh'-o) which means: to
pity (as a verb).
So then, what Christ says is: if somebody is by nature cruel, hard hearted,
and thoughtless; then they will get no sympathy from God whatsoever.
Webster's defines "cruel" as: (1) disposed to inflict pain or suffering, (2)
devoid of humane feelings, (3) causing or conducive to injury, grief, or pain,
and (4) unrelieved by leniency.
A glaring example of cruelty is North Korea's Kim Jong Un, a dictator who
squanders billions of dollars on national defense while the growth of
something like than 30 to 40 percent of North Korea's children is stunted by
malnutrition; and adequate health care is available only to a relatively
privileged few. There are actually hospitals in North Korea without electricity,
medications, and anesthetics. Potable water is another scarcity in North
Korea.
You know, after watching a couple of documentaries on NetFlix, I've come to
the conclusion that North Korea is being governed by men gone mad.
But there are cruelties far more common than Jong Un's; for example:
demeaning comments, carping criticism, ugly remarks, bullying, relentless
ridicule, neglect, sniping, denigrating labels, hounding, stalking, grudging,
continual fault-finding, gossip, slander, social sabotage, and biting sarcasm,
et al. Viz: toxic behaviors.
There are actually kids growing up in homes where their parents never give
them even one atta-boy. As a result, they grow up feeling ugly, unwanted,
stupid, useless, and unnecessary. There are also kids growing up in homes
where mothers never hug them nor bother to take the time to forge a bond
between mother and child. Thus they grow up with reactive attachment
disorder; feeling convinced that no one could possibly ever love them or be
their best friend forever.
†. Matt 9:13 . . But go and learn what that means: I will have mercy, and
not sacrifice.
Did Christ say that the Aaronic sacrificial system is defunct? No. In order to
properly understand his statement; it's necessary to go back into the Old
Testament from whence he got it.
†. Hos 6:4-6 . .What can I do with you, Ephraim? What can I do with you,
Judah? Your love is like the morning mist, like the early dew that disappears.
Therefore I cut you in pieces with my prophets, I slaughtered you with the
words of my mouth; My judgments flashed like lightning upon you. For I
desire mercy, not sacrifice, and acknowledgment of God rather than burnt
offerings.
In other words, God accepts Temple sacrifices when they're offered by
people who exemplify the milk of human kindness, and He fully rejects the
offerings of insensitive jerks, which is exactly what the Pharisees of his day
were. They knew, and they practiced, the letter of Moses' covenanted law
they dotted all the I's and they crossed all the T's. But they utterly failed to
exemplify the spirit of the law; which is summed up in just one simple
statement:
†. Matt 7:12 . .Therefore all things whatsoever ye would that men should do
to you, do ye even so to them: for this is the law and the prophets.
The spirit of Israel's covenanted law applies to Christians too. Maybe your
record of church attendance is 100%, and you tithe faithfully every week;
but let me tell you something: God is rejecting every last bit of your
superficial worship if you are by nature a mean person. You'll be better off
spending Sunday morning at a sports bar rather than wasting God's time at
church.
†. Mic 6:8 . . He has told you, O man, what is good-- and what does Yhvh
require of you but to love kindness.
FYI: A kind person isn't necessarily a forgiving person. I mean, after all, the
Bible's hell is populated with multiplied thousands of people right now this
very moment whom God is never going to forgive-- ever. Dante's sign over
the entrance to Inferno has it right.
All Hope Abandon,
Ye Who Enter In.
People are depicted at Isa 66:23-24 and Rev 14:10 suffering in fire and
brimstone right where Christ and the holy angels can watch their agony like
spectators at a sporting event. Yes, the Bible's hell is definitely a place of
zero forgiveness.
Conclusion: The merciless shall be judged harshly, and then afterwards;
slammed with cruel and unusual punishment. Fair's fair.
†. Jas 2:13 . . For judgment will be merciless to one who has shown no
mercy
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