The Seat of the Scoffer

"SATAN!" was the online chat/cry at a PokerStars.Net pretend cash game Tuesday. Someone responded to a flop of 6-6-6 -- and that opened the door for us to have a fascinating discussion with two other players.

flopblogger: That's from Rev. 13 of the Bible, you know. [NOTE: actually verse 18]
Dealer: atlas91, it's your turn. You have 8 seconds to act
atlas91: who cares
flopblogger: Those of us who want to live forever care. :-)

Why should you care? Because a couple of chapters later, the apostle John writes these prophetic words:

And I saw what looked like a sea of glass mixed with fire and, standing beside the sea, those who had been victorious over the beast and his image and over the number of his name. They held harps given them by God.... -- Revelation 15:2

Overcome that Satanic number (whatever it means, and that's admittedly open to question), and God will reward you with a harp -- and eternal life which goes with it. The conversation continued, with a third player joining in:

atlas91: good luck with that
Dealer: ibgoho, it's your turn. You have 8 seconds to act
flopblogger: It's not luck. It's Who you know.
ibgoho: Whats "the bible"?
Dealer: ibgoho, it's your turn. You have 8 seconds to act
atlas91: ya rgt.u people crack me up
flopblogger: The Christian Scriptures.
ibgoho: Who are these "christians"?....
flopblogger: Those who have accepted Jesus as their Savior.

The apostle John put it in clear terms, in another book of the Bible:

Everyone who believes that Jesus is the Christ is born of God.... -- I John 5:1

It then became clear that "Atlas" was a scoffer when it comes to God and Jesus, while "Ibgoho" was more of a mocker:

ibgoho: HA! Fools!
Dealer: atlas91, it's your turn. You have 8 seconds to act
ibgoho: Jesus shaves?
flopblogger: That's Psalm 14:1.
Cardye: you having church at the poker table wow!!!
flopblogger: about fools.
flopblogger: Don't know if He shaved or not. :-)

We actually double-checked a Bible before writing that reference: "The fool says in his heart, 'There is no God.' They are corrupt, their deeds are vile; there is no one who does good." Atlas apparently then lost it a bit, because he started writing like he was shouting:

atlas91: god was created bucuz somebodie knew man would do whatever with out consiqence.so fwlala GOD
Dealer: atlas91, it's your turn. You have 8 seconds to act
ibgoho: Jesus approves of my winning ways
atlas91: THERE IS NO
Dealer: ibgoho, it's your turn. You have 8 seconds to act
atlas91: ELSE....
atlas91: I TRUST IN PEOPLE NOT SOME FIGMENT OF UR IMAGINATION
flopblogger: And that Bible says God created us.
flopblogger: But people let you down, don't they?

The discussion eventually turned into the "chicken or egg" argument -- did God create humans, or vice versa? To be sure, all sorts of people-made gods have been around for millennia. But Christians believe the words passed on to Moses long ago:

You shall have no other gods before me.... Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. -- Deuteronomy 5:7, 6:4

The God of Judeo-Christian history has stood the test of time -- mainly because He invented it.