128. if he is defeated, he must suffer the things you have just told me about, but if he is victorious, he will receive the rewards that I have just mentioned.
129. That is why Moses long ago urged the people to choose life so that they might live.
130. But they did not believe him or the prophets who came after him, and they did not believe me when I spoke to them.
131. So the sadness over their destruction is nothing compared with the great joy over the salvation of those who believe.”
132. I answered, “Sir, I know that God Most High is spoken of as merciful because he shows mercy to those who have not entered this world.
133. He is called compassionate because he shows compassion to those who repent and obey his Law.
134. He is thought of as patient because he is patient with his own creatures who have sinned.
135. He is known as generous because he prefers to give rather than to demand.
136. And he is known as very forgiving because he continues to forgive sinners of the past, present, and future.
137. If he did not continue to forgive, there would be no life for this world or the people in it.
138. He is spoken of as pardoning because, if it were not for his goodness in pardoning sinners, not one person in 10,000 would gain life.
139. He is called judge because he pardons and blots out the many sins of those who were created by his word.
140. If he did not, only a handful of the whole human race would be left.”