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I'm 16, and I have betrayed myself and the lord. I don't know what I was thinking, I stopped praying for months, forgot about the Lord and forgot about myself. I was with so many men, all of which were much older than I, and it was all for this. This terrible mistake. I am currently five months pregnant with a married man's baby. I need help from God and I need help from myself. I need somebody to talk to and somebody to help me find my way back to my faith.

We cannot make other people holy by forcing them to change their actions. Holiness is a result of being changed from the inside. A facade of holiness is all we get from following particular rules. There are times forcing change can mitigate damage (e.g. substance abuse, gambling) and should be considered. But overall, when we make it about behavior rather than internal spiritual change, things often head toward arguments and strife. When we make it about better behavior resulting from growing spiritually, we get into a mode of promoting spiritual growth instead of arguing whose rules are right. Something to consider is if your main motivation is her spiritual wellbeing or being embarrassed about her behavior. You do not want to get into a mode where she just listens to music you don't like when you are not around. Getting into a mode of having "around spouse" behavior and "not around spouse" behavior is not a good long term habit to get into.

Hi Sarah, So young, yet you now have had one of the biggest wake up calls of your life. What could be worse? Worse would be still going on with how you were behaving. Now is your time to turn your life around and become responsible for your baby. The past is gone (like for all of us) and you have woken up early, so use this as a great opportunity to really turn to God and see how He will lead you and your baby into the rest of your life and eternity with Him and us all. We are all praying for you. Start preparing for the baby, ask the Lord to give you a heart for your child, seek out those who will help. and most of all forgive yourself as God has forgiven you. You were blinded but now you see. We have all been blinded, but now, thank the Lord we, as believers, now see. all the best and keep us posted as to how you are going, please. Marilyn.

Welcome and will be praying for you! The greatest encouragement is the promise from Lord Himself. He never leaves us or forsakes us. Wanted to post these verses as an encouragement. Romans 8:31-39New Living Translation (NLT) Nothing Can Separate Us from God’s Love 31 What shall we say about such wonderful things as these? If God is for us, who can ever be against us? 32 Since he did not spare even his own Son but gave him up for us all, won’t he also give us everything else?33 Who dares accuse us whom God has chosen for his own? No one—for God himself has given us right standing with himself. 34 Who then will condemn us? No one—for Christ Jesus died for us and was raised to life for us, and he is sitting in the place of honor at God’s right hand, pleading for us. 35 Can anything ever separate us from Christ’s love? Does it mean he no longer loves us if we have trouble or calamity, or are persecuted, or hungry, or destitute, or in danger, or threatened with death? 36 (As the Scriptures say, “For your sake we are killed every day; we are being slaughtered like sheep.”[a]) 37 No, despite all these things, overwhelming victory is ours through Christ, who loved us. 38 And I am convinced that nothing can ever separate us from God’s love. Neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons,[b] neither our fears for today nor our worries about tomorrow—not even the powers of hell can separate us from God’s love. 39 No power in the sky above or in the earth below—indeed, nothing in all creation will ever be able to separate us from the love of God that is revealed in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Welcome to worthy I don't think your life is over, but one thing you need to do for sure is stop this relationship with a married man. As for your child, I don't think you should call your baby a mistake. You are going to bring a baby into this world as a result of your mistake, but you need to love that child dearly. Stop sinning, and repent. Turn back to the Lord, He is waiting for you. Praying for you. God bless

I died an atheist (literally) and woke up as a believer. True story.

Our past is not held against those who are saved, yet they are not erased from our minds either. The memories remain to remind us why our past sins, though forgiven, should not be repeated. Satan knows this and will do his best to remind us of our past, in an attempt to discourage us. Carmen, from the 80's, had a story/song called Revival in the Land, where one of the lines is when the enemy reminds you of your past, remind them of his future. I always liked that saying. Yet, the best defense for continued thoughts is to remember Philippians 4:8 Finally, brethren, whatever things are true, whatever things are noble, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report, if there is any virtue and if there is anything praiseworthy—meditate on these things.

FOLLOW the SPIRIT and have SPIRIT SENSE . for mans wisdom is contrary to God. Follow the Spirit , heed the Spirit and you will not fulfill the lusts of the flesh For it is HE working in his own that which is well pleasing in his sight . Don't worry bout what others call common sense . JUST follow the Spirit and have Spirit sense . and read those holy scrips which make one wise unto salvation through faith IN CHRIST . All lambs , forward march IN the LORD our faith shall soon be tested by a massive persecutoin when once the one this all inclusive mindset an religion leads the world as one right to the dark one who by PEACE destroys many. NO fear , FOLLOW THE LAMB and proclaim the gospel of JESUS saves , and flee that gospel for all inclusive unity for world peace its leadilng all to the man of sin. Forgive all who would harm us , but never conform to the ways of the world .

That is so true, praying scripture can be so encouraging. Thanks for sharing Heleadethme.

It has been interesting to read through this post. One thing that has has always stood out to me is that my mom, dad and brother all have blue eyes and I have green eyes.

The real issue here is that people are seeing evil in everything they disagree with. For those who think stretching has to be based in a false religion knows nothing about sports, has never played sports, has never been to a physical therapist, or see evil in every shadow or under every rock. God gave us common sense, it should be used. Here are some sketches that are similar to what I do for stretches. Show me where these stretches are following the practices of yoga. I feel sorry for those who think these stretching exercises are evil. Those who do just judged every person who plays sports, those who are in physical therapy, those who try to relieve pain from being stiff after some activity ... the list goes on. You really should stop bearing false witness of people you never met and do not know. Speak about yourself. If stretching is a sin to you, don't do it. Who are you to judge another persons heart?!?!?

I was glad ForHisGlory mentioned adoption. You may wish to keep your baby but if you are not prepared for raising your baby at your age, please consider adoption. There are many loving couples looking to adopt a baby.

Hi Apetini, mmm my thoughts (woman`s perspective) is that you listen to some of the music she likes and ask her what she likes about it. This will show that you actual care to step over your preconceived ideas and see/hear from her side. She is a different person from you, (as if you did`t realise that) and we all need to appreciate & KNOW that the other person (whom we love) will step over themselves and at least try and understand WHY we/she likes something. So called Christian music is often very sensual, or in error doctrinally, or really just a money making venture. Some is good. However music is God given and just maybe there is something uplifting in what you both will hear. So I would suggest that when (or if) you listen to some music with your wife, first, make sure you say something encouraging, something you find good, even if its just the intro, or strings, or whatever....and later perhaps ask her about something you hear that is not so encouraging. have a go, Marilyn. Ooo just looked up `my chemical romance` on utube and hope its not what I saw. Does your wife know the pictures to go with that group? Hope its something else, otherwise you may both need to look at the words carefully. I just read your question to my hubby and he says that you should be careful not to base your thoughts on fear. `I`ll be swept away into sin.` And out of fear comes control, and that will only drive her away, (or anyone else we may try to control). It is the Holy Spirit who convicts and changes.

Welcome to Worthy Sarah, The road to repentance is admitting that you have done wrong. You have shown that you are remorseful for your actions. But your baby is not a terrible mistake. He/she is a living baby inside of you. You are probably scared and anxious. It's going to be ok. Give this to the Lord. He will fix all your mistakes if you ask Him. You may keep your baby or give it up for adoption. Pray for wisdom on that. God can and will redeem every one of our mistakes and decisions if we ask Him. It isn't going to be easy but you will get through it with His help. But I pray that you will not abort this baby. please take the advice of others here, find a Godly woman who can help you, who will listen, who will guide you. I pray the Lord will send someone local to help you.

The only thing you can do is give this to God. Ask God into your life to be your Lord and Savior and ask for forgiveness of your sins.

Are you part of a good church? Do you have a pastor or mature Christian woman you can talk to? There is a lot of practical stuff to be worrying about health wise. We can pray and offer a few words of encouragement or guidance from online, but it would be very helpful to have someone physically and spiritually along of you in the upcoming months. There are also potentially legal ramifications for the man (given that you are a minor). There is a lot of stuff going on and you need people alongside you. Spiritually, just start praying, reading your Bible (perhaps the gospel of John or one of the other gospels), and find some Christians to connect with (maybe a church, or bible study, prayer group, or a women's group at church). One of my nephews was born to his mom when she was a teen. It was a challenge for her. That was 30 some years ago and is now mostly a distant memory. He's turned into a great man (and now has 4 kids of his own) and she's a good grandmother now. Having kids is hard work and a challenge but rewarding.

“why did the apostles and Paul remain Torah observant? Why did Paul go to great lengths to prove to the Jews that he *wasn't* breaking the law of Moses? Why did Paul continue to make temple sacrifices and go to great lengths to observe the Jewish holy days? How come the apostles continued in their Judaism for decades after Jesus' death, and why did Jesus preach the law of Moses?” Most of the early Apostles were Jews – and therefore conditioned from birth to be subject to Law. Peter was initially resistant to the message of freedom from Law - God had to reveal this to him in a vision (Acts 10). In Acts chapter 11, the Jewish Christians called Peter to account for this new message, but after hearing his testimony, realised that salvation was offered to the gentiles also (i.e. those not under Law – see verse 18). Even so, Paul later had to correct Peter for hypocritically reverting back to the standards of Law (Gal 2:11-21). It was difficult for Jews to get their heads around freedom from Law. Even gentile Christians find it difficult to get our heads around grace – that God's favour towards Christians is independent of our actions. Most gentiles are also conditioned by upbringing into a merit-based philosophy. As for Jesus, He had a dual mission – to fulfil righteousness for all of humanity, and to fulfil the Law (the covenant between God and Israel). He therefore, through one sacrifice, qualified as the redeemer of both Gentiles (from sin) and Jews (from sin and the curse of the Law) – see Rom 2:12. Therefore Jesus could not interact with Gentiles in a manner that breached the Law. He could not teach freedom from Law until He had fulfilled it on the Jew's behalf. Nevertheless, gentiles with faith could still benefit from His ministry. Matthew 15:22 And behold, a woman of Canaan came from that region and cried out to Him, saying, “Have mercy on me, O Lord, Son of David! My daughter is severely demon-possessed.”23 But He answered her not a word. And His disciples came and urged Him, saying, “Send her away, for she cries out after us.”24 But He answered and said, “I was not sent except to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.”25 Then she came and worshiped Him, saying, “Lord, help me!”26 But He answered and said, “It is not good to take the children’s bread and throw it to the little dogs.”27 And she said, “Yes, Lord, yet even the little dogs eat the crumbs which fall from their masters’ table.”28 Then Jesus answered and said to her, “O woman, great is your faith! Let it be to you as you desire.” And her daughter was healed from that very hour. Even though Jesus' earthly ministry was specifically to those under Law, He foretold of a time when non-Jews (i.e. those not under Law) would be added to His flock. John 10:16 And other sheep I have which are not of this fold; them also I must bring, and they will hear My voice; and there will be one flock and one shepherd. As for Paul, he explained; 1 Corinthians 9:19 For though I am free from all men, I have made myself a servant to all, that I might win the more; 20 and to the Jews I became as a Jew, that I might win Jews; to those who are under the law, as under the law, that I might win those who are under the law; 21 to those who are without law, as without law (not being without law toward God, but under law toward Christ), that I might win those who are without law; 22 to the weak I became as weak, that I might win the weak. I have become all things to all men, that I might by all means save some. 23 Now this I do for the gospel’s sake, that I may be partaker of it with you. I think I should also explain that I was never suggesting that Christians are prohibited from participating in any aspects of the Law (that prohibition in itself would be a kind-of law – and a deviation from grace). But if we perceive such action as pleasing God or earning His favour, then we subject ourself to the perfect standard of the whole Law – and thereby reject grace. It is, for example, perfectly acceptable to give 10% of our income to the church. However, if we think that makes us any more righteous, mature, faithful, committed, or deserving of God's favour than any other Christian, we have strayed from grace into Law. Likewise, we are free to, or to not, circumcise our male children – but we would be wrong to assume that decision puts us (or our children) in any better stead with God. We can abstain from bacon if we choose, but there is no value in that decision before God with regards to righteousness (either for or against). Romans 14:6 He who observes the day, observes it to the Lord; and he who does not observe the day, to the Lord he does not observe it. He who eats, eats to the Lord, for he gives God thanks; and he who does not eat, to the Lord he does not eat, and gives God thanks. Colossians 2:20 Therefore, if you died with Christ from the basic principles of the world, why, as though living in the world, do you subject yourselves to regulations— 21 “Do not touch, do not taste, do not handle,” 22 which all concern things which perish with the using—according to the commandments and doctrines of men? 23 These things indeed have an appearance of wisdom in self-imposed religion, false humility, and neglect of the body, but are of no value against the indulgence of the flesh. “How could Jesus even be accepted by ANY Jews--let alone any disciples who preached him--if he in any way failed the Deuteronomy 13 test?” Agreed – if Jesus broke the Law, He would have been disqualified as the kinsman Redeemer of the Jews. He instead had to fulfil the Law to save the Jews. “It (loving God with all one's heart) does not preclude the notion that the actions, which demonstrate such dedication, are indeed God's own instructions.” That depends on who the instructions were intended for. If the purpose of one standard is to guide us into a new, better standard, then reverting to the first standard is a breach of both. “Seems like God's rules, which define sin, still apply to all of Israel, which is now all of us.” The Law does not “define sin”. The Law can reveal sin, but sin existed long before the Law. “The law tells us how to walk in love, peace, joy, etc--God spelled it out for us.” The Law doesn't tell us any such thing. The Law is purely about the letter, not the spirit. The Law is simply a list of rules for Israel to follow in order to fulfil their part of the covenant with God. The Law says; 'If Israel keeps these rules, God will bless and protect Israel, but if the rules are broken, Israel will be cursed'. It doesn't explain why or “how to walk in love, peace, joy, etc”, it just says 'follow the rules – or else!!!'. But Christians (both Jews and Gentiles) do what is right because we have the Holy Spirit – not because we find it on a list of rules. “He lists out how we should interact and some things which are abominations. Do those principles and rules stop applying?” Morality doesn't change with the instigation of a New Covenant. Those things which the Law said were immoral are still immoral. However the rules about “how we should interact” with sin are obsolete for Christians. We have the conviction of the Holy Spirit – and don't need to be told “thou shalt, or thou shalt not”. Christians understand that God is perfectly just, and that we have all sinned and need His salvation, and that God's primary motivation is to save sinners – not condemn us. The job of the church is to preach the gospel of grace to save as many as will hear it – not to stone sinners for committing “abominations” (as the Law would have us do). When the adulterous woman was brought to Jesus, He didn't dispute that she was worthy of death under Law, but questioned the authority of her accusers to cast judgement. “He who is without sin among you, let him throw a stone at her first” (Jn 8:7). The only One present Who had the authority to condemn her by the standards of Law, rather chose mercy; “Neither do I condemn you; go and sin no more.” (verse 11).

I think missmuffet's post pretty much has the right of it. The yoga that we see in the west is dumbed down to varying degrees, but still you'll often run into traces of the philosophy behind it and find some new agey ideas thrown in. I'm going to expand a little on something Cletus said. Kundalini means "serpent", and in the context of yoga it's regarded as a spiritual force. People practicing that sort of yoga have reported some very negative physical and mental side effects, which should really all add up to be a major red flag. Finally the Bible does tell us to avoid even the appearance of evil (1 Thessalonians 5:22). So even if you do feel that you can separate the physical aspects of yoga from the philosophical and spiritual aspects that tag along, you should still consider the message that the practice sends to others both inside and outside of the church.

No bunkers. No food caches. No guns. No gold. No Bitcoin. 7 TIPS FOR PREPARING FOR THE GREAT TRIBULATION 1. Cleanse yourself of every defilement of body and spirit, as necessary. By this we shall know that we are of the truth and reassure our heart before Him; for whenever our heart condemns us, God is greater than our heart, and He knows everything. Beloved, if our heart does not condemn us, we have confidence before God; and whatever we ask we receive from Him, because we keep His commandments and do what pleases Him. (1 John 3:19-22 ESV) If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness. (1 John 1:9 ESV) 2. Put on the whole armor of God. …Be strong in the Lord, and in the strength of His might… Take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand firm. Stand, therefore, having fastened on the belt of truth, and having put on the breastplate of righteousness, and, as shoes for your feet, having put on the readiness given by the gospel of peace. In all circumstances, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish the flaming darts of the evil one; and take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God… (Ephesians 6:10, 13, 14-17 ESV) 3. Pray. (For yourself, and for your brothers and sisters in Christ.) To that end, keep alert with all perseverance, making supplication for all the saints… (Ephesians 6:18 ESV) “But stay awake at all times, praying that you may have strength to escape all these things that are going to happen, and to stand before the Son of Man.” (Luke 21:36 ESV)/"Watch ye, therefore, and pray always, that ye may be accounted worthy to escape all these things that shall come to pass, and to stand before the Son of Man." (KJV) 4. Trust in the Lord. (Take Him at His word, prove it for yourself, and stand on it---as though your LIFE depends upon it.) “Blessed is the man who trusts in the LORD, whose trust is in the LORD. He is like a tree planted by water, that sends out its roots by the stream, and does not fear when heat comes, for its leaves remain green, and is not anxious in the year of drought, for it does not cease to bear fruit.” (Jeremiah 17:7,8 ESV) 5. Prepare your mind to suffer for Christ’s sake---and look forward to the joy and rest to follow! …Looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God. (Hebrews 12:2 ESV) Beloved, do not be surprised at the fiery trial when it comes upon you to test you, as though something strange were happening to you. But rejoice insofar as you share Christ’s sufferings, that you may also rejoice and be glad when His glory is revealed. (1 Peter 4:12,13 ESV) “Truly, truly, I say to you, you will weep and lament, but the world will rejoice. You will be sorrowful, but your sorrow will turn into joy.” (John 16:20 ESV) 6. Cast all your anxieties upon the Lord. (1 Peter 5:7) When I am afraid, I put my trust in You. (Psalm 56:3 ESV) When the cares of my heart are many, Your consolations cheer my soul. (Psalm 94:19 ESV) 7. Keep a loose hand on everything you have (your possessions, your loved ones, and your own life)---and prepare to lose it all for Jesus. “Whoever seeks to preserve his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life will keep it.” (Luke 17:33 ESV) "Whoever loves father or mother more than Me is not worthy of Me, and whoever loves son or daughter more than Me is not worthy of Me." (Matthew 10:37 ESV) If anyone is to be taken captive, to captivity he goes; if anyone is to be slain with the sword, with the sword must he be slain. Here is a call for the endurance and faith of the saints. (Revelation 13:10 ESV) ---- “What no eye has seen, nor ear heard, Nor the heart of man imagined, what God has prepared for those who love Him.” (1 Corinthians 2:9 ESV) ---- For the eyes of the LORD run to and fro throughout the whole earth, to give strong support to those whose heart is blameless toward Him. (2 Chronicles 16:9 ESV)

Praying!

Samson

That's easy if my spelling works. The husband of Bathsheba Uriah.

Welcome to Worthy Sarah

I totally and absolutely agree with your viewpoint, as it's my view of scripture as well. However, one of the main points I wanted to address, is how close we actually are to the coming of the tribulation. And if we're that close to the tribulation, how much closer are we to the Rapture? A secondary awareness I was trying to imply, is I always wondered how an inanimate object could come to life and speak, and do all those things described of the image of the Beast? With today's robotics, trans-humanism and AI, it's not difficult anymore to imagine how all these things are coming about. We are witnessing man's attempt to be and created their own god's. I believe from what I'm seeing, and the hunger of the world to accept any god other than the One true Living God, that AI worship is going to spread like wildfire.

Habakkuk

Beware the teachings of men, for God has sent strong delusion out among the churches being taught by those who did not love the true but preferred a lie. Come out of their snare. Read the words yourself, and ask God to send His Holy Spirit to help you, for the words must be discerned spiritually. As for your interpretation: All will be caught up, but not in some mass end times event, but rather as Paul stated, "each in his own order", i.e., each in his own time. After which comes the judgement, followed by "some going to everlasting life, some to shame and everlasting contempt." Tell God of your love for the truth...and you will be counted worthy.

As noted recently also: quote: " Posted Thursday at 03:21 PM Please brothers and sisters pray for Chinese fellow Christians. The national persecution on Christianity seems getting worse and worse now. Recently a megachurch in Shanxi Province has been demolished. It is a nationwide campaign to tear down Christian churches. Please pray for us and God remember your brotherly love. Thank you." As well as thousands of reports the last few years from VOM Voice of the Martyrs, world wide in 100+ countries.

excerpt: .... " Later that week, half the congregation of that church was executed.I heard later that the other half was killed some months ago. " Corrie ten Boom, et al. " .... ... There are some among us teaching there will be no tribulation, that the Christians will be able to escape all this. These are the false teachers that Jesus was warning us to expect in the latter days. Most of them have little knowledge of what is already going on across the world. I have been in countries where the saints are already suffering terrible persecution. In China, the Christians were told, "Don't worry, before the tribulation comes you will be translated – raptured." Then came a terrible persecution. Millions of Christians were tortured to death. Later I heard a Bishop from China say, sadly, "We have failed. We should have made the people strong for persecution, rather than telling them Jesus would come first. Tell the people how to be strong in times of persecution, how to stand when the tribulation comes, – to stand and not faint." I feel I have a divine mandate to go and tell the people of this world that it is possible to be strong in the Lord Jesus Christ. We are in training for the tribulation, but more than sixty percent of the Body of Christ across the world has already entered into the tribulation. There is no way to escape it. We are next. Since I have already gone through prison for Jesus' sake, and since I met the Bishop in China, now every time I read a good Bible text I think, "Hey, I can use that in the time of tribulation." Then I write it down and learn it by heart. When I was in the concentration camp, a camp where only twenty percent of the women came out alive, we tried to cheer each other up by saying, "Nothing could be any worse than today." But we would find the next day was even worse. During this time a Bible verse that I had committed to memory gave me great hope and joy. "If ye be reproached for the name of Christ, happy are ye; for the spirit of glory and of God resteth upon you; on their part evil is spoken of, but on your part He is glorified." (I Peter 3:14) I found myself saying, "Hallelujah! Because I am suffering, Jesus is glorified!" In America, the churches sing, "Let the congregation escape tribulation", but in China and Africa the tribulation has already arrived. This last year alone more than two hundred thousand Christians were martyred in Africa. Now things like that never get into the newspapers because they cause bad political relations. But I know. I have been there. We need to think about that when we sit down in our nice houses with our nice clothes to eat our steak dinners. Many, many members of the Body of Christ are being tortured to death at this very moment, yet we continue right on as though we are all going to escape the tribulation. Several years ago I was in Africa in a nation where a new government had come into power. The first night I was there some of the Christians were commanded to come to the police station to register. When they arrived they were arrested and that same night they were executed. The next day the same thing happened with other Christians. The third day it was the same. All the Christians in the district were being systematically murdered. The fourth day I was to speak in a little church. The people came, but they were filled with fear and tension. All during the service they were looking at each other, their eyes asking, "Will this one I am sitting beside be the next one killed? Will I be the next one?" The room was hot and stuffy with insects that came through the screenless windows and swirled around the naked bulbs over the bare wooden benches. I told them a story out of my childhood. "When I was a little girl, " I said, "I went to my father and said, "Daddy, I am afraid that I will never be strong enough to be a martyr for Jesus Christ." "Tell me," said Father, "When you take a train trip to Amsterdam, when do I give you the money for the ticket? Three weeks before?" "No, Daddy, you give me the money for the ticket just before we get on the train." "That is right," my father said, "and so it is with God's strength. Our Father in Heaven knows when you will need the strength to be a martyr for Jesus Christ. He will supply all you need – just in time…" My African friends were nodding and smiling. Suddenly a spirit of joy descended upon that church and the people began singing, " In the sweet, by and by, we shall meet on that beautiful shore." Later that week, half the congregation of that church was executed. I heard later that the other half was killed some months ago. ... ... ... " http://www.endtimepilgrim.org/corrie.htm

None of us is “ worthy”........ we are “ made worthy “ by faith in the Blood of the Lamb.

To the question of the O.P., I am not emphatic about what it is saying, but on the topic of being worthy . . . who is worthy except those whom the Lord has made worthy? Also, the Greek is not exactly crystal clear here. For example, it could also be translated: "pray that you have the strength to flee" which also ties in with Matt 24, where it says: 19 How dreadful it will be in those days for pregnant women and nursing mothers! 20 Pray that your flight will not take place in winter or on the Sabbath. 21 For then there will be great distress, unequaled from the beginning of the world until now—and never to be equaled again. Sounds as though it might be a vigorous journey, especially all of the "run for your lives, don't even go back to your house to get a coat" kind of talk. When the times are such that they are so horrible, that nothing like it has ever been seen, or will be again, we are talking about some pretty tough times!

Hi Dennis, I was referring to the passage in Luke. Marilyn.

Hi Dennis, And who is the Lord speaking to? Marilyn.

Why would God test unsaved people? What for? He's going to send them a strong delusion so that they believe the lie that the antichrist is God as judgment for their rejection of the gospel, and rain judgments down on them. It's not testing; it's judgment. The other scriptures that speak about the saints on earth during the Tribulation confirm that the testing is for His own people---God's worshipers on earth---the outer court of the heavenly temple. There won't be any saints raptured away from the Tribulation; if they leave this world before the last day when Jesus returns it will be through martyrdom. The saints who are in heaven now are the ones who have conquered the dragon---Satan--not the antichrist, by the power of the blood of the Lamb and loving not their lives unto death. (Romans 8:35-37) They are mentioned as an example for those who are to follow in their footsteps during the Tribulation, who will also have to conquer the dragon (Satan, who will be inhabiting the person of the antichrist during that time) just as the saints in heaven conquered Satan during their time. Much of the confusion about who is in heaven and who is on earth during the Tribulation and how they got there results from both a belief in a pre-Tribulation rapture (which is a false teaching/myth/lie) and a misunderstanding of the time and place of the thousand-year reign of the saints with Christ. But comparing scripture with scripture, with God-given discernment, can clear this up. Without His help, I don't know that it can be done; He must enable us to understand the meaning of the scriptures and bring them together for us.

The test is for the saints who dwell on the earth, not for unsaved people. Unsaved people have no need of testing; they have no faith to test. God will be testing His own people during this time and executing judgments of His wrath on unsaved people. (Revelation 3:10 KJV, ESV; 11:1,2 ESV; 13:10, 14:12 ESV)

Well under the all inclusive dung pile , that will soon change. We really will face persecution and even death. on that note shun that sorry all inclusive interfaith out of sight . If you have not already. Over here n America . We aint even began to see persecution. a few have began on a lighter scale like losing jobs etc. But soon it will be real hard core persecutions the likes of which we aint seen here . but soon will.

Never have I seen a larger collection of soft Americans who have no knowledge of the world outside their pampered isolated existence that believe the suffering of all the world's Christians is on par to their own suffering , which is really no suffering at all . Colossally self absorbed they are .

Im going to be frank right now. This pre trib saints and the poor souls that miss the train out of dodge defies intelligence. I was Assemblies of for several years and bought this idea hook line and sinker. I can only than God that challenged to prove it out. It is not scriptural but bits and pieces taken and re-fitted to say what it does not say. It is 100% fabricated and the merchandisers filled pews, wrote books, made movies and taking buckets of money to the bank. No lie is an incent lie. you cant take Gods word and us it for you own purposes. You bring judgment on your selves.

Thanks for the compliment and for the correction. Satan’s future is pretty bleak—-“ annhilation “ would be a blessing for him!

God asked Job where was he when God created the universe. Job did not seem to have an answer for that.....or any of the other questions God put to him.Who was Job to question God? God never did really reveal to Job that he was in the middle of a battle between God and Satan.He essentially told Job it was none of his business.Its not the explanation we want to hear, but God can do what He wants whenever And wherever He so desires.He does not answer to man and we are too ignorant to try to be God’s critic.So why do bad things happen to supposedly “ good “ people? It’s none of our busines—- not in this lifetime.

“This idea is the closest to harmonization which I've heard, which is that while God's law never changes, the expression of it has perhaps changed. One confusion about this notion, though, is the assertion that if one feels bound by one part of the law that he must keep all of it. These are Paul's words: Galatians 5:3 "Again I testify to every man who gets himself circumcised that he is obligated to obey the whole Law" ” The point of the Law is to demonstrate that God is perfectly just – and therein our need to be saved due to our inability to wholly keep that standard. Even one act of unrighteousness is enough to breach that perfect standard. The zero-tolerance nature of the Law is intended to reflect this perfection. If someone under the Law breaks the Law (at all), then they are condemned by the Law as transgressors. James 2:10-11 10 For whoever shall keep the whole law, and yet stumble in one point, he is guilty of all. 11 For He who said, “Do not commit adultery,” also said, “Do not murder.” Now if you do not commit adultery, but you do murder, you have become a transgressor of the law. God's favour and salvation can therefore only be attained through grace – because we have all failed the test of earning God's favour. God paid a very high price so He could forgive us independently of our merit. Choosing to be under Law is a rejection of that grace – because if righteousness could be attained through adherence to the Law, there is no need for Christ to be sacrificed for our sins. Subjecting oneself to any aspect of Law is therefore a choice to be accountable to a perfect standard – in its entirety, rather than accepting the grace of God offered through Christ. “it seems that new believers would still perhaps be expected to be observant, as a sign of devotion--what else could "love God with all your heart" mean?” It “could mean” choosing the system of grace purchased at such a high price; focussing our efforts on being reconciled to God and seeking His kingdom – rather than rejecting that grace by trying to earn our own righteousness through adherence to Law. It “could mean” recognising that the blood of Christ is sufficient to redeem us from anything we owed to either justice or the Law. “There are also plenty of places where he makes it clear that loving God does indeed mean keeping his commandments, even the "least" of the commandments. How else could these things be interpreted?” We need to read such claims in context. In Matthew 5, Jesus is explicit that adherence to Law is insufficient in God's eyes. The Law is a shadow of God's perfection. But what God really expects is that people be righteous in their hearts, not just their actions. This could only be accomplished through Jesus' vicarious fulfilment of the Law on behalf of the Jews (remembering that Jesus was talking to Jews (not gentiles) pre-sacrifice (i.e. pre-fulfilment) – and that only Jews were ever obligated to the Law to begin with). A person enters into a higher standard of righteousness than the Law when we surrender ourselves to Christ in faith – because we now have His righteousness and His Spirit. In a sincere believer, the influence of the Holy Spirit will trend a person's behaviour towards righteousness and away from sin. As Paul states, if we walk in love, peace, joy, patience, goodness, kindness, faith, gentleness and self-control, then there is no breach of Law (Gal 5:22-23). Ritual Law is also fulfilled in Christ; e.g. Jesus is our Sabbath rest (from the burden of sin and the Law), our tithe (the first-fruit offering), our circumcision (the removal of our flesh nature), and most importantly, our atoning sacrifice (without blemish). No one is encouraging anyone to break the Law – we are rather admonishing people to recognise Jesus' fulfilment of the Law; to accept that we have been purchased from further obligation or debt to either justice or the Law. “Perhaps Peter was convinced, but there was also this prophecy about how Peter would be led away one day. This has many times been interpreted as foretelling that Peter would be deceived: "Most assuredly, I say to you, when you were younger, you bound yourself and walked where you wished; but when you are old, you will stretch forth your hands, and another will bind you and take you where you do not wish." John 21:18 ” Again, context is important. Verse 19 explains that this was pertaining to the manner of Peter's capture and death – nothing to do with him being “deceived”. “But that's just the thing - there are multiple canonized Bibles. There isn't just "one" that we have today. The Ethiopian Bible contains 80-some books, for example. The truth is in there somewhere, but man put together the words of the teachers of the time, and the compilations differ. Here are several canonization lists: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Biblical_canon#Canons_of_various_Christian_traditions And before canonization, we had the early Christians, with nothing canonized, who varied in their textual selection even more so. The above referenced Wikipedia touches on this as well. If textual canonization is even slightly disputed, we must recognize that these compilations are man-made and thus potentially subject to fallacy.” Look at the New Testament table in your provided link. None of Paul's writings are disputed by any listed tradition. “We learn through Revelation that even many of the early churches were starting to get it wrong. Paul made reference to groups such as the Ebionites and Ephesians which rejected him completely (Ephesians are later commended in Revelation for rejecting a false apostle...who else could that be?).” Where is this information sourced? Paul was the founding Apostle of the church at Ephesus. Paul encountered problems with some of the Jews at Ephesus (and Diana worshippers), but not by the church. Also, the Ephesians are “commended in Revelation” for rejecting false “apostles” (plural) – not any particular “false apostle”. “This happened before official canons became more than just private reading lists. Is it any wonder that there's still confusion for us on this subject today?” I don't see any “confusion”. Paul has always been considered a legitimate Apostle of Christ – by the first church leaders (inc. Peter and James), and by the church at-large throughout history. You are finding confusion where none exists (which I would suggest speaks to a pre-existing agenda). “Awesome. I'm curious--what was it that convinced you? I guess it's different for everyone.” It was a process. I'd studied several belief systems (including secular beliefs) and found Christianity to be the most consistent by far with the reality I experience. At the time, there was a prophecy in Daniel that put me over the top. But looking back, I'd say that prophecy was more a case of 'the straw that broke the camels back' – rather than the weightiest factor in my conversion. “So far that seems like the most likely definition, yes. Since all have sinned, then it seems fitting that the definition of sin would be the very Torah which none of us could keep successfully.” Everyone from Adam to Moses sinned without a Torah. And gentiles sinned, even though the Torah was only given to the Jews. The Apostle John defined the commandments as faith in Jesus and love one another (1 Jn 3:23). So I disagree that commandments must always refers to the Law. Obviously, if the context justifies it, commandments can refer to the Law. But the take home message of Matthew 19 (in which Jesus does use the Law) is that we cannot enter eternal life without following Jesus – no matter how righteously we think we have behaved. Nevertheless, Jesus was right to say that if we keep the Law without fault, we earn the right to eternal life (but we know that is not a viable option – nor the intent of the Law). “Today, there are flavors of Christianity that do teach Torah observance. There are estimated to be over 30,000 Christian denominations. They differ in doctrines.” We are different parts of the whole body of Christ. Not all have the same revelation of grace. But even though some struggle to reconcile Paul with adherence to Law, Paul's inclusion in scripture has been consistently accepted by the Christian church throughout church history. “majority belief here doesn't necessarily equal correctness. (Matthew 7:14)” Paul's writings meet the same critical standards of other scriptures – in terms of overwhelming preservation and presence in the church since authorship, doctrinal consistency with the rest of scripture and acceptance by Godly authority throughout church history (from the earliest Apostles on). In the light of such strong support, the onus is on those opposing to make a convincing case against. Anyone can apply unreasonably rigid standards against any New Testament work they wish to dismiss. Jews dismiss the New Testament because they think its inconsistent with their understanding of God. Other non-Christians dismiss the entire Bible for like reasons. Paul's inclusion in scripture is at least as well supported as the rest of the New Testament by any objective standard.

“Torah has been God's definition of what sin IS through the ages” The Law contains ritual, administrative and moral rules. Therefore only a part of the law specifically pertains to sin. Sin also existed before the law. The law does not teach the spirit of morality, only the letter. In Christ, we don’t need to blindly follow a list of rules because we have the Holy Spirit to convict us of sin and guide us into righteousness. “Yeshua taught it and observed it.” Jesus was obligated to fulfill the law in order to qualify as the Kinsman Redeemer of the Jews. No one, not even Paul, is anti-Law. But the law has its place in contex – i.e. to guide people to faith in Christ through recognition that God is perfectly just, and we are incapable of attaining righteousness by our own efforts. Jesus taught that strict adherence to a list of rules is insufficient to attain the righteousness required for salvation. “Early Christians followed it” More accurately, it was debated in the “early” church. Some thought it was necessary (e.g. compelled gentile converts to be circumcised). Paul convinced the early church leaders (including Peter and James) that it was not. “The answer on what role Torah plays in gentile Christianity isn't clear to me” The Law demonstrates that God is perfectly just, that He cannot permit any transgression to go unpunished. It therefore demonstrates our individual depravity and inherent need for a Savior. The Law points us to Christ, the perfect, eternal sacrifice, whose perfectly innocent blood purchased humanity from the just consequences of sin. The Law guides us to faith, but could never purchase our righteousness. The weakness is in human flesh, not the Law. So a new covenant is required to save us, one which is between the Father and Son (rather than God and corrupted humans) – one that we cannot break (as the Jews perpetually broke the covenant of Law - see Jer 31:31-32). We can receive God’s free offer of salvation, or reject it – but we cannot break the covenant because we are not signatories. Once we come to faith, the list of rules is obsolete – the Law has done its job. Ironically, if we revert from grace back to Law, we reject the ultimate purpose of the Law. “The church founded by Yeshua has more than the writings of Paul documenting the early followers. There are many versions of the canonized Bible even. There are many interpretations of all those versions.” The canon we have is the one that God has preserved for His believers throughout time. This canon was originally recognised as the compilation of works considered unanimously to be scripture at the time of canonisation. Some groups included disputed texts in their own canons, but are only considered scripture by these groups. Though they have additional scriptures in their Bibles, I am not aware of any such groups that dispute Paul’s authority. “If you weren't indoctrinated with one tradition or another as a child, you'd come into everything trying to sort through the muck and decide what's valid and what isn't, and that's exactly where I'm at.” I converted to Christianity as an adult. The textual history is clear. God used Paul’s ministry to spread Christianity throughout the Roman Empire. Paul was respected by early church leaders as a legitimate Apostle of Christ. The early church agreed that Paul’s writings were scripture – and they were subsequently included and copied throughout history for our benefit (along with the other scriptures). “If one is to "love God with your whole heart", then surely it would mean keeping his commandments” You are interpreting “his commandments” to mean the Law. 1 John 3:23 "And this is His commandment: that we should believe on the name of His Son Jesus Christ and love one another, as He gave us commandment." The New covenant commandments are faith in Jesus and love for one another (i.e. “the fruit of the Spirit … against such there is no Law” Gal 5:22-23) – not strict adherence to a list of >600 specific rules; for which it has already been demonstrated that we are incapable of following completely. “Are they the works without which faith is dead? Maybe? And Paul's teachings seem to contradict this, making them potentially one of the false teachings that the apostles were warned about.” Both Paul and James agree that we are “created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them” (Eph 2:10). “We are commanded to test the spirits. Like I said before--if Paul's legit, I trust that this truth will prevail.” The truth of consistency between Paul and the other Apostles has prevailed for ~2000 years. “Luke was a supporter of Paul. Anything that Luke wrote, Paul might as well have written” Your claim is inconsistency between the Gospels and Paul’s teaching – yet a Gospel author explicitly advocates Paul’s ministry in scripture.

Sorry, I disagree with you. You say "If you christians were born in another country that had..." That is only your own idea. I was born in a country of atheists and in the family of atheists. According to your mental coping theory I was to become another atheist. There are very many Christians like me. That goes to show you that it is not that simple. Think critically. We are not illogical in our scientific work. The fact is there is a universal limitation which is evident in every field of science. Seeking logical answers to everything does not mean finding them everywhere. Romantic scientists in the 60's used to think that they would travel not only to other planets but to other galaxies. Now they know that cosmic radiation destroys everything living and no material can be protective. In a comparatively short period of time any protection becomes the main source of radiation. I just gave this example to show you that we are limited. Our knowledge also has its limitation. Universal limitation has no rigid boundaries. But the further you go the smaller steps you make. You are not likely to become a Christian but at least try to be less romantic when you are doing science.

Hello TruthSeeker 199 Glad to meet you, glad you came to Worthy. I can only tell you of my experience. I lived my life selfishly until I became dissatisfied with the "norm" (25) and realised that there had to be something more to life than what I was experiencing. The only church I had known was when my dad sometimes took the family to the local church, mostly Christmas and Easter. Somehow, deep within myself, I knew there was a God somewhere "out there". I began my real search, over two years, for the truth. I looked in many places - read books, looked into Eastern Mysticism, smoked marijuana etc. Nothing made sense to me, I would not settle for anything less than what I believed was the truth, and I was determined to find it. I began to have encounters in my life with people who pointed me, although I did not know it at the time, to God. I began to sense that I was "being drawn" inexplicably like a pin towards a magnet. I did debate with myself the idea of fighting this, but decided that I would go with it. After all, I was seeking the truth (excuse me). One day I met a woman to whom I described my experience thus far. She said, "You have tried everything else, why not come to church with me and see what you think?" I went and found a group of people praising God. All of a sudden, I had what I can only call "a revelation". The words came to me like some sort of bolt out of the blue: "JESUS CHRIST IS THE TRUTH". I went home that day and read the sinner's prayer over and over until I thought God had heard it! (27) That day was in the middle of February 1978. Since then I embraced following my Lord no matter what. He has bought me, taught me, and brought me into a real and true relationship with Himself and now abides IN ME and WILL NEVER LEAVE NOR FORSAKE ME, even until the end of the age. You must come as a little child, if you are to receive Him. "He came to His own, and those who were His own did not receive Him. But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, even to those who believe in His Name, who were born not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God." John 1:11-13. Love in Jesus' Name.

Blessings TruthSeeker Personally I don't follow any religion,I follow Jesus Christ and I would follow him "blindly" anywhere because I walk by Faith & not by sight,He has shown me the Way many times through complete darkness ,when I was unable to see It was in complete darkness when He Embraced me and Saved my life,I will follow Him to the ends of the earth Funny,it was after years & years of doing my best to refute the Word of God,my journey began in pre-Med.....all through Medical School I studied & researched many theologies,religions and even the occult.....I have done my due diligence to find contradictions in Gods Word,always resulting in more & more evidence and proof that every Written Word is the irrefutable,infallible Truth .....there was simply no denying it,Christianity was unlike any other religion in the world,it is a Relationship with God in Christ Jesus My personal Relationship with the Lord greatly interfered with my chosen profession,I had choices to make and I made them.....no regrets here,its been quite a journey I do hope you are earnestly seeking the Truth because if you are you will find it,that requires an open ,willing & teachable heart.....you must cast aside predisposed thinking and remain unbiased,not easy to do Since you are in medical school you have the opportunity to study Latin,that is a great resource and may I suggest Koine Greek......Research the historical Jesus for starters,its a good beginning....... With love-in Christ,Kwik

Regardless of religions or sciences there is a truth which is so profoundly real and doubtless that surpasses all reasoning. It is this Truth, when revealed to a person, that no amount of logic can shift it. To change from this Truth is like asking somebody to return to a world of fear and deception and not know any difference. But that can never happen because we do know the difference. It is only the non-believers that suffers from no differences. They don't know any different and therefore cannot understand us. But since we do know the difference we have chosen the better side.

You've made a lot of presumptions based on your own limited personal experience. You'll find no shortage of former atheists among Christians, and even on this very board. Many of the strongest Christians I know were no raised in the faith. I'd also point out that perhaps you're guilty of what you're accusing others of. You went to school and read and were taught many things. How much did you believe at face value, and how much did you really dig deep into? How much "critical thinking" have you actually done about the evidence and issues? Your screen name is TruthSeeker199. If that's what you really consider yourself to be, I'd recommend a book called "Evidence That Demands a Verdict" by Josh McDowell.

First of all born again Christians are not blind. We walk by faith in Jesus Christ and we have God's Word which is a Holy Bible. Life is full of choices and all human beings are going to have to make a choice to spend eternity in heaven or an eternity in hell. You do know who God is since you were born into a religious family. The choice is yours.

When taking physiology and cellular biology I was overcome with the Creator's wisdom in the intricacy of our bodies. How wondrously we are made! The chances of this just happening are infinitesimal. A person must get caught up in the pride of reasoning and educational pride to come to such an irrational conclusion that there is no Creator. Some think themselves to be god; some make mankind a god. My dad did. Fortunately he repented a year prior to his death, confessing that he had built his life upon the wrong premise. Philosophy classes had screwed up his life as well. People in other religions spend their lives seeking escape from life; some worship a god of hate; some live in fear; many in ethical religions are trying all their lives to be good enough; others are seeking God but never finding Him. Many do join churches to get more clients. Some of us attend a church because God has called us to Himself, Having repented we now have an ongoing relationship with our Creator. We desire to worship Him because He is worthy. We love Him because He first loved us and sought us, revealed Himself to us and enlightened us to understand the Scriptures. Having been around people in pain and who are dying, I have seen fear written on many faces, bitterness and hatred. But upon the faces of those who are indwelt by the Spirit of the Living God, I have seen joy and love, and people caring more about those they are leaving behind than about themselves. What will be seen in your face when you are dying? Pride, having done it your way? Defiance to the end, and then terror?

Thanks for your post. And yes, there maybe some benefits to the Christian community. It is interesting to note your ostensible reasons for being on this site. I know there are a lots of very smart folk on here, and they can furnish far better answers than I can. So rather than answer your questions, I would like to ask you one. But first, I will pose something to you. Something that I cannot prove, but that neither can you disprove. I propose that the human soul/spirit lives forever. I will also propose that when the body dies, that your soul/spirit goes somewhere. I propose additionally that there is no reincarnation (you will not come back as a dog or something) you will have to be somewhere for eternity. So I ask you; given the choice between a good place and a bad place, where would you chose to spend your eternity?

Welcome to worthy. So much to reply to. First, a little about me. Im older, got saved when I was 30. I have 3 degrees, including a doctorate in the medical field. In addition, I am quite familiar with many cultures, many religions. Im not saying this to impress anyone with my "smarts" but to show that I have a wide background beyond any religious views in the society I grew up in, as well as the ability to think critically. You wrote: Why do you christians blindly follow this religion? It is a false assumption to claim that Christians blindly follow this religion. I was into native type religions. I attended many native ceremonies that today few outsiders get to attend. I looked for God in many religions, many philosophies. I only found him when I was 30. Im not alone. Many folks I know are not blindly following the Lord. Their beliefs are solidly based on faith in the only truth that matters - Jesus is Lord and He died for our sins, so that we may be forgiven and be with our God forever. You wrote: If you christians were born in another country that had Buddhism as the dominate religion you would all be practicing monks right now meditating. That too is not true. My husband for instance is a native american, born and raised on the reservation. He was raised in a non Christian household with traditional navajo beliefs. Which are highly pagan. He attended the traditional medicine man healing ceremonies etc as a kid. Along the way he heard the gospel message from billy graham. He got saved. Meanwhile his entire family remained traditional. He prayed for them, witnessed to them, and had others praying for them. Eventually over the course of many years, they all got saved. You wrote: Think critically about the world and form your own perspectives in life. Please do not assume we do not think critically about our world or that we do not form our own persepectives in life. I assure you that we are quite independent thinkers. I still analyze my relationship with the Lord on a daily basis. Most Christians do. We look around our world and examine our place in it. We have not shut off our brain just because we are Christians. You wrote: Do not be afraid to accept that we truely do not know why or how all of this got here. The human experience is tough but beautiful when you embrace it and actively seek logical answers to life's most perplexing questions. I have actively embraced life, had many adventures in my life, accomplished many things. I seek and have sought in the past logical answers to lifes situations, some of which I hope you never have to face as they were extremely difficult to cope with. My beliefs in my Lord do not shut me off from seeking truthful answers. I have gained from my faith. My faith has been reinforced. Now its my turn to pose a question for you. You mentioned being raised in a Christian household. Did you just turn your back on the beliefs of your family or did you actively investigate their beliefs to see if they are true? If you did not actively investigate their beliefs, why not? Any seeker of truth, any scientist (as you are in the medical field), will investigate truth no matter where it leads.