The God of the Bible: Patience, Longsuffering, Mercy, and Forgiveness

 The God of the Bible: patience, longsuffering, mercy, and forgiveness?

Exodus 34:6, "And the Lord passed by before him (Moses), and proclaimed, The Lord, The Lord God, merciful and gracious, longsuffering, and abundant in goodness and truth,

Numbers 14:18, "The Lord is longsuffering, and of great mercy, forgiving iniquity and transgression, and by no means clearing the guilty, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth generation." 

However, according to the scriptures, ALL mankind is guilty of sin. Wasn't that the purpose of Jesus dying on the cross, to take on the sins of the human race? Wrong. God has an election and predestination program. He declares in the Bible that he chose people he planned to save before the world was created. So, before the world was created, he looked down the corridors of time, chose people he wished to save, and condemned the remainder to perpetual punishment. Ephesians 1:4, "According as he hath chosen us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before him in love:", and

Colossians 3:12, "Put on therefore, as the ELECT of God, holy and beloved, bowels of mercies, kindness, humbleness of mind, meekness, longsuffering;"

Now, back to his 'everlasting' mercy and forgiveness. Tell me again why he created hell as an eternal torment for unbelievers considering the entire human race are unbelievers until God converts them. And we know this because of Ezekiel 11:19, "And I will give them one heart, and I will put a new spirit within you; and I will take the stony heart out of their flesh, and will give them an heart of flesh:" and Ezekiel 36:26, "A new heart also will I give you, and a new spirit will I put within you: and I will take away the stony heart out of your flesh, and I will give you an heart of flesh."

So, we are born (through no fault of our own) with a sinful, stony heart, which God could have restored after or even before the flood. William Shakespeare was probably onto something when he coined this term, "All the world's a stage, And all the men and women merely Players;" Well, the Earth is the stage, and the humans are the performers. We are nothing more than a game to this "God". Simply read the story of Job.

But I digress (again), back to his 'mercy and forgiveness'.

1 Chronicles 16:34, "O give thanks unto the Lord; for he is good; for his mercy endureth for ever."

Ephesians 2:4, "But God, who is rich in mercy, for his great love wherewith he loved us," (but only his elect, NOT the entire human race)

Titus 3:5, "Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us, by the washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Ghost;"

1 Peter 1:3, "Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, which according to his abundant mercy hath begotten us again unto a lively hope by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead,"

Daniel 9:9, "To the Lord our God belong mercies and forgivenesses, though we have rebelled against him;"

Ephesians 1:7, "In whom we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of his grace;"

Colossians 1:14, "In whom we have redemption through his blood, even the forgiveness of sins:"

Psalm 103:8, "The Lord is merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and plenteous in mercy."

Joel 2:13, "And rend your heart, and not your garments, and turn unto the Lord your God: for he is gracious and merciful, slow to anger, and of great kindness, and repenteth him of the evil."

And yet, he declares this:

Isaiah 6:9-11, "And he said, Go, and tell this people, Hear ye indeed, but understand not; and see ye indeed, but perceive not.

Make the heart of this people fat, and make their ears heavy, and shut their eyes; lest they see with their eyes, and hear with their ears, and understand with their heart, and convert, and be healed.

Then said I, Lord, how long? And he answered, Until the cities be wasted without inhabitant, and the houses without man, and the land be utterly desolate,"

Jeremiah 14:10-12, "Thus saith the Lord unto this people, Thus have they loved to wander, they have not refrained their feet, therefore the Lord doth not accept them; he will now remember their iniquity, and visit their sins.

Then said the Lord unto me, Pray not for this people for their good.

When they fast, I will not hear their cry; and when they offer burnt offering and an oblation, I will not accept them: but I will consume them by the sword, and by the famine, and by the pestilence."

Mark 4:11-12, "And he said unto them, Unto you it is given to know the mystery of the kingdom of God: but unto them that are without, all these things are done in parables:

That seeing they may see, and not perceive; and hearing they may hear, and not understand; lest at any time they should be converted, and their sins should be forgiven them."

Romans 9:15, "For he saith to Moses, I will have mercy on whom I will have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I will have compassion."

Romans 9:18, "Therefore hath he mercy on whom he will have mercy, and whom he will he hardeneth." ***Exodus 9:12***, "And the Lord hardened the heart of Pharaoh, and he hearkened not unto them; as the Lord had spoken unto Moses."

Psalm 7:11, "God judgeth the righteous, and God is angry with the wicked every day." I thought God was long-suffering and patient? And yet, Proverbs 14:17, " He that is soon angry dealeth foolishly: and a man of wicked devices is hated."