The sensual paradise portrayed in Islam is a logical outgrowth of the unknowability of Allah. Absent the knowledge of God, descriptions of the afterlife in the The Quran and Hadith (traditions of Mohammed)i naturally abound with the knowable pleasures of this life: endless sexual outlets for men (always with virgins whose "virginity" is somehow renewed), and bountiful sumptuous food and wine (with no negative aftereffects). This depiction differs markedly with the heaven of Christians, where the beatific vision is the highest reward and pleasure. "We will be like Him, because we will see Him just as He is." (1 John 3:2) "This hope fixed on Him" isn't just realized with the knowledge of God--it comes with "collateral blessing," the transformation of believers into the very likeness of God. The pursuit of God and His likeness highlights how different Christianity is with Islam--a religion whose vision of sensual paradise points to its true origin, the world. Christ, whose kingdom is not of this world (John 18:36) seeks to satisfy mankind's "eternal itch," that of knowing God and looking like Him. "We all with unveiled face, are beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, we are being transformed into that very same image, from glory to glory." (2 Corinthians 3:18)
Seek His Face, Not Just His Hand
This episode addresses the motivation behind searching for God. While God honors "crisis" seeking, where He aids us in crisis moments, He intends that all believers become life-long "love"-seekers who hunger and thirst for God Himself. The program addresses the dynamics of how God transforms crisis-seeking to love-seeking, often by making lasting victory over sin and circumstances elusive, requiring persistent seeking after God Himself. This resting in God is discussed based on Ephesians 3:16-19, where progressive abiding in Christ leads to greater capacity for His rule, potentially leading to being "filled up with all the fullness of God." (Eph. 3:19) This quasi beatific vision is based on an intimate knowledge of the love of God where the diligent search for God is rewarded. The episode repeatedly emphasizes that mere crisis searching is unacceptable. Love seeking is the Biblical ideal that culminates in the knowledge of God.
Don’t Settle for Forgiven
Coming from Hosea 10:11-14, this episode emphasizes the hard work of searching after God after receiving God's righteousness in Christ. Many believers today content themselves with the imputed righteousness of Christ, where God declares them positionally righteous because of the blood of Christ, but don't make their actual condition a priority. Hosea tells us that we need to seek the Lord "until He reigns righteousness" on us. The righteousness here spoken of is actual righteousness where believers reverse bad sowing and plant new seeds of righteousness. Much of the episode addresses hungering and thirsting after righteousness (Mt 5:6), which is only satisfied when our condition matches our position in Christ. This craving for actual righteousness manifests in a life-long searching after God. The outcome of this search is transformation into the image of Christ AT THE SAME TIME we grow in the knowledge of God. We progressively know Christ, who is the Truth, and are made free. (John 8:32, John 14:6) It culminates in the beatific vision, where we are so radically transformed that we see God face to face. (1 John 3:2)