PURPOSE

The purpose of this document is to illustrate that all the Divine threats and Divine disgraces that we read about in the Old Testament are only the manner of expressing what most humans still cannot understand.

Most humans understand being punished by someone else, but they do not understand or do not want to understand that whatever disgrace falls upon them could have been averted by changing their behavior.

In other words: Most humans just do not want to hear that whatever tragedy happened to them, "they had it coming!" or it was the best option for them in accordance to the Infinite Wisdom of God - in which case it was not a tragedy - it was a Blessing in disguise.


BACKGROUND

For example, let us just take some typical readings from the Book of Judges:


This typical "wrathful God" is seen throughout the entire Old Testament - but that God does not exist as such. The "action reaction" sequence is written that way because it was the only way humans then (and many still today) can understand and act; act through fear.


DETAILS

Let us take a look at the world today - globally and, in many cases, right under our own roof - misery upon misery everywhere we look. Suffering, the ever present humanitarian crisis, terrorism, civil wars, natural disasters, etc., etc.

Remember the devastating earthquake that all but destroyed whatever little Haitians had? How about the Tsunami that swept through South East Asia (1) ? The Middle East which is bleeding everywhere; Africa which has not stop bleeding since it was "liberated" from their colonizers; etc. etc.

Is that the result of a "wrathful" God punishing them?

Allow us to - once again - make something perfectly clear: God DOES NOT punish! Love cannot punish - period!

We cannot say that "gravity punished" someone who, after falling of a 12th story building rooftop, died. That someone defied the Law of Gravity and the consequence was death.

If one takes into account the Law of Gravity and functions in accordance to it, the chances of a mishap will be very remote. The same applies with Divine Law. We have the choice to function in accordance to it or simply defy it and assume the consequences of doing so.

What happens is that when man defies Divine Law - that is, he drifts away from God - man is exposed to the forces of evil in proportion to how far away he has drifted away from God.

Look at this image:


There is an ample and fully illuminated center. Those who move/live in that ample and brilliantly illuminated space are under Divine guidance and protection from harm - they are functioning within the safe zone promised to those who live under Divine Law. As one moves away from that center, you can see that darkness starts to encroach on the "living space" denoted by the darkening bands moving away from the center.

As the "living space" becomes darker, its "residents" become more susceptible to the forces of darkness - thus, exposed to more physical and spiritual danger. That is, as one moves away from the very ample safe zone at the center, danger increases.

Then - an atheist would ask: "What kind of a god your God is that allows such suffering and so many deaths?" To which we would answer:

and


CONCLUSION

Once again we remind one and all - miguel de Portugal does not make the laws nor has the power to change them. All he can do, in the Name of God, is explain how they work.

The choice is ours - we either strive to function within the safe boundaries of Divine Law (without fanaticism) or we can expect more misery than we can imagine - specially if we are counted among the Elect.

Our dear Teresa de Jesus (de Avila) explained a similar concept - the long way - in The Interior Castle (or The Mansions) centuries ago. Independently, God revealed this concept to miguel de Portugal in the greatly simplified and easier to communicate form for which the concentric circle image was used.


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(1) A theological explanation for the South East Asia Tsunami in 2005

(2) Pain is the megaphone that God uses to assist the deaf in hearing Him

(3) Mercy in Action - illustrated through the Plague of 1918 and the Atomic Bombs over Japan in 1945

(4) Who are the Elect? How God determines who makes up His Elect?



En Español:  Dios No Castiga - Nosotros elegimos libremente nuestras desgracias

Em Português:  Deus Não Castiga - Nós escolhemos livremente os nossos infortúnios

Published on August 20th, 2013