this is why you need to take ALL the writings as a whole, EGW and the Bible, and Miller's rules point this out.

As Rosangela and Green so clearly point out, it is God that we need to be afraid of!!! Look, if you mess up, God will PUNISH you! It is God that kills, not sin.

Of course, if you REALLY want to see what God is like, then look at Jesus. Jesus is the exact representation of the Father, John 14:9. The Father sent the Son to save us, but if we reject the Son, they both will KILL us. Really? No. God is the restorer. All the writings must be put together, such as "God does not stand toward the sinner as an executioner of the sentence against transgression". THAT is a plain statement, for which all other statements on the topic MUST be considered.

APL,

You are not speaking truthfully. Rosangela and myself have but given you statements from none other than Mrs. White and the Bible. How can you set yourself up against them? How can you deem your own reasoning to be superior to their clear instruction?



You can choose death, in which case God will grant your wish, or you may choose life. You are not compelled against your will. You have a choice in how you live. But you will not afterward also choose your reward for your actions. The reward is plainly set out from the beginning. God has not deceived you. You may know the truth, and the truth will set you free from sin and its penalty. But should you choose to remain in sin, you will be consumed with it by God's glory.

What does "stand toward" mean, APL? Does it not mean "take the attitude of" or "represent [Himself] as"? God is not desiring the execution of any sinner. But that He will execute is nonetheless plain.

Blessings,

Green Cochoa.

Ellen White tells us the following:



This clarifies that even though man broke the law, the law which required the law-breaker to die, God would not abolish this law. It was still in force. The only thing God could do was to fulfill the law via the ransom of Christ.

It is clear that the law which requires one's death is the law of God, not the law of "sin." The origin of the death penalty is God's own character. Sin cannot exist in His presence. His presence is designed to be manifest everywhere throughout His realm--the Universe. It is only His mercy that has hidden His face from us to prevent us from an instant death. But He will not hide His face forever.

Blessings,

Green Cochoa.

And I have not given you statements from the Bible and EGW? I have. Miller's rules of Bible interpretation are good one to follow. The 4th one states the following:
4. To understand doctrine, bring all the Scriptures together on the subject you wish to know; then let every word have its proper influence, and if you can form your theory without a contradiction, you cannot be in an error.Isaiah 28:7-29; Isaiah 35:8; Proverbs 19:27; Luke 24:27; Luke 24:44-45; Romans 16:26; James 5:19; 2 Peter 1:19-20

Did you notice that Rosangela accused me of using EGW against herself? That is because she saw the obvious supposed contradiction. But there is no contradiction.

God is NOT the executioner. Sin, which it is full grown brings forth death, James 1:15

Romans 8:2 For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has made me free from the law of sin and death. In your reading of the 10 commandments, where is death talked about exactly?

No question, if God manifests Himself to us now, we would die. Is that execution or natural consequences of sin? "To sin, wherever found, "our God is a consuming fire." Hebrews 12:29." {DA 107.4} Now why is this so? There is good science behind this.

APL,

Did you notice I also accused you of using EGW against herself? That is because there was an actual contradiction. It is not a "supposed" one.

Blessings,

Green Cochoa.

EJW: "This probationary life is given us for the purpose of giving us a chance to acknowledge Him as Father and to become sons indeed. But, unless we come back to Him, we shall die as slaves of sin."

Satan is the destroyer; God is the restorer. {MH 113.1}

To say that God will and must be the one to end sin and sinners along with it, is to say that a governance under the principles of self-interest and self-exaltation is a valid alternative to existence and that if He did not employ force to end it "sin would never cease to exist."  The nature of sin has in it the inherent seed of death and it does not require the Creator's hand wielding a weapon of destruction to end it. Sin is entropic, de-evolutionary. Even without God laying a finger on anyone, this world is doomed to destruction all on its own. Look around you and do you see anything getting better? Are new species coming back into existence again? Is the water getting purer? The air? Are there less storms and earthquakes every year? Are we eradicating diseases? Are we learning to share and cooperate and stop warring with each other? You get the point. This is a dying planet. Left to its own, there would be no life left on the earth. {K. Straub}

APL,

It is interesting that in doing a search on the EGW CD, one discovers the following:

Search term: "God destroy*" (The two words must be together, but the latter will include destroy, destroys, and destroyed.)

God will destroy or has destroyed: 76 counts
God will not destroy: 7 counts
N/A (e.g. ...undermining your confidence in God, destroying ...): 3 counts

The actual total was 88 hits for this search term. Yes, my count came up short by two. I'm fairly certain they were not in the "God will not destroy" category, but even if they were, there are still nearly ten times as many quotes from the pen of Mrs. White saying that God WILL destroy as opposed to saying that He will NOT.

Just the facts.

Green Cochoa.

Did God destroy Jerusalem? Yes. HOW? Can you answer this simple question? The answer is CLEAR, in Great Controversy pages 35 and 36. I'll quote the last 2 sentences AGAIN for you:"The destruction of Jerusalem is a fearful and solemn warning to all who are trifling with the offers of divine grace and resisting the pleadings of divine mercy. Never was there given a more decisive testimony to God's hatred of sin and to the certain punishment that will fall upon the guilty." {GC 36.1}

Now HOW did God destroy Jerusalem?

APL,

If a horse has blinders put on it, does it then see error, or does it still see truth, just less of it?

I would say you have blinders on. What you present is sometimes true. But it is not the full picture.

Jerusalem was destroyed by God using foreign powers who were able to do their work because God no longer protected her. This is one of the myriad ways in which God is able to accomplish His purposes.

Let's pick another city: Sodom. How did God destroy Sodom?

That answer is also clear, but you won't dare answer this one.

Blessings,

Green Cochoa.

It is written:
Hosea 11:5-9
5 He shall not return into the land of Egypt, and the Assyrian shall be his king, because they refused to return.
6 And the sword shall abide on his cities, and shall consume his branches, and devour them, because of their own counsels.
7 And my people are bent to backsliding from me: though they called them to the most High, none at all would exalt him.
8 How shall I give you up, Ephraim? how shall I deliver you, Israel? how shall I make you as Admah? how shall I set you as Zeboim? my heart is turned within me, my repentings are kindled together.
9 I will not execute the fierceness of my anger, I will not return to destroy Ephraim: for I am God, and not man; the Holy One in the middle of you: and I will not enter into the city.