Can Christians create heaven on earth?

1. No. Cain built the first city, which is the origin of cities, and Cain is definitely part of the "city of men".

--People on earth will generally act out of self-love or fear of displeasing others, and you can never get a whole society to live in a completely altruistic way.

Can there be justice on earth?

1. There can be God's justice although humans are not just.

--People are deserving of death everywhere because of original sin, and some get what all deserve.

--Justice on earth mostly consists of punishment, just to hold the evil of the world in check.

--Whatever happened to the idea of justice as fairness, as in "a just society"?

2. Justice on earth is God's will; but even those who die unjustly who are righteous live now in heaven, where there is true justice.

What does God want from humans? Can they provide it?

1. God wants humans to live in harmony with God and each other.

2. Because of original sin, humans are incapable of doing either one.

3. Humans can only meet God's expectations by accepting God's help.

4. God wants people to do good through accepting the grace that comes through Jesus, which will allow them to love God more than themselves.

What's the relationship between human governments and Christian communities?

1. Governments are constructed by humans; the city of God is built by God.

2. We belong to the human city "by nature"; to the heavenly city "by grace".

3. Christians should not really be a part of the earthly city.

4. How one lives is more important than where one lives.

5. Government is limited in what it can do. It can't really legislate a better world.

6. A Christian should be wary of those in power on earth; they rarely use it for the betterment of humankind.

Is there a plan to human history?

1. You can see the plan in the archetype of Cain and Abel -- how the two cities coexist until the end of time.

2. Yes. Some are predestined to eternal life and some to hell.