Inquiries about stuff in scripture and faith

[Chick3nLittle]

I have a few questions:

Disclaimer: I am in no way doubting God’s love or forgiveness, I just struggle to interpret this.

1. Why did God choose the Israelites, instead of revealing himself to all peoples?
2. Is it better to kill a holy, righteous person or a horrible, evil person? My thinking is that a holy person is probably going to Heaven if they die, but an evil person will probably go to hell if they die, but if you let them live they may repent and be saved.
3. Why did God sanction the death of pagans in many occasions, including when Elijah executes the prophets of Baal. They could have repented.
4. I often pray through the intercession of deceased family members and friends, and I wonder, if they are in hell, is it still effective to pray through their intercession?

Thank you so much for your help!

 

[fhansen]

1. God, patiently, over time, revealed Himself to all humankind through a people He chose for that purpose. The dimension of time, within which we can grow in the knowledge of God both corporately and individually is apparently crucial, and a primary reason we’re here on this planet where we can work these things out with experience, revelation, and grace. Man fell far from the original Tree with the first sin. Salvation history is all about Gods patient work to bring us back. He will not totally override our wills, which is why this is all worked out through a human history where He resides in the background, gradually informing and cultivating man until we might be ready to embrace the light, over darkness.
2. God, knowing the heart and judging by it according to Scripture, judges based on what we did with what we’ve been given in terms of time, opportunity, experience, background, revelation/knowledge, and grace, with more demanded of those given more (Luke 12:48). From our perspective here on earth life appears quite cheap and expendable; we die like flies daily, both the young and the aged. But God, infinitely just, merciful, and fair-and knowing the beginning from the end- has it all figured out.
3. We can’t know the eternal fate of anyone. Again, God has this figured out.
4. We’re limited from our perspective and with our understanding and God knows this; we do the best we can. He knows the intentions of the heart and will certainly answer sincere prayers asking for the right things.

 

[Gorgias]

1. Why did God choose the Israelites, instead of revealing himself to all peoples?

He did reveal Himself to all peoples! Just not immediately. Rather, it was an ever-enlarging community, until it was to all people.

Why “not immediately to all”? Well… how would that have worked? The Bible tells us that Jesus became man “in the fullness of time.” Generally, that’s understood to mean that, in the 1st century A.D., following on the cultural and societal influences of the Greek and Roman empires, there was in place a network of roads and the implementation of a central gathering-place (the ‘agora’), and this was an enabler for the Gospel message to be able to be spread beyond a small geographical area.

If this was God’s plan, then He waited until human society created the means to spread His gospel far and wide.

1. Is it better to kill a holy, righteous person or a horrible, evil person?

Neither. “One may not do evil so that good will result.” (That’s from the Catechism. Another way of saying it is “the ends do not justify the means.”)

1. Why did God sanction the death of pagans in many occasions, including when Elijah executes the prophets of Baal. They could have repented.

All we can do with this question is play “what if”, right? OK – let’s look at the context and play the game:

• Queen Jezebel imported her pagan gods and pagan practices (and pagan priests!) when she married the King of Israel. He allowed these pagan practices to flourish.
• Suppose you’re a pagan priest, in a foreign land, protected only by your queen (against hostile natives). What do you think the chances are that you’re going to go against the wishes of your queen?

So, no… I don’t think they would have ‘repented.’

1. I often pray through the intercession of deceased family members and friends, and I wonder, if they are in hell, is it still effective to pray through their intercession?

God never lets a prayer “go to waste.” He hears your prayer, no matter who you’re asking to intercede for you.

Then again, you could always pray “Uncle Charley, if you’re in heaven, please pray for me”… right?