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If you know someone who is a doctor, or someone in your church is a doctor, have that person look over her medical chart. If your mother is brain dead, that is, no function remaining in her brain, then she is gone and it is just machines doing the work in her body. It could be possible that she is in a vegetative state but one that the hospital feels isnt worth keeping alive. In that case, do what you think is best and not what they are pressuring you to do. This is why it would be good to have someone who isnt part of the hospital to evaluate her and tell you their view of what is going on. Or try and get the hospital to explain it in detail to you. Keep in mind what the insurance is willing to pay for. If she is brain dead and you want to keep her on the machines, the insurance will not pay for it and it will get expensive. There is also someone called a patient advocate (or patient ombudsman) in the hospital whose job it is to be on the side of the patient (or you in this case) and can serve as a liason between the doctor and you. They can help you see how you can do things as you think it should be done. Contact that person.

i just realized how thumbs up works, and hope that every time that i gave a thumbs up that it wasn't saying stop fighting. That was never intended, just didn't realize it till a few minutes ago. When ever i gave a thumbs up it was meant as a good thing. So again forgive me if any body was offended.

Greetings in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, Unfailing Presence, how many heretical doctrines do you suppose have been created by an argument from silence? It has long been claimed that in the book of Revelation there is no mention of the church from chapter 4 to chapter 21, so, it is claimed by pre-tribers that the church must be in heaven at that time. However, a consistent application of that type of hermeneutic would necessitate that the church had been annihilated because, the word "church" is not found in respect to the activities John witnessed on the earth nor to the activities he witnessed in heaven. To be consistent we must also assume that 10 N.T. books: Mark, Luke, John, 1 Timothy, Titus, 1 Peter (the word church was added by the translators for clarification but is not in the text), 2 Peter, 1 John, 2 John, and Jude all have nothing to do with the church because the word isn't found in them. What foolishness to use the argument of silence to try to prove anything, let alone to contradict an obvious teaching of the Holy Scriptures concerning Christ's gathering to Himself of His church at His parousia, which takes place after the great tribulation, but before His wrath is poured out on the day of the Lord. There are many other words or truths by which the body of Christ can be recognized other than the word "church". I'm reasonably confident that you could provide a long list of them if you felt so inclined. You are absolutely right, Jesus will build His church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it. But that doesn't mean that the church will not experience great persecution. It has experienced, and is experiencing severe persecution even now. Millions have died as martyrs in the last 100 years alone and believers continue to be persecuted unto death today in various places around the world. Persecution is the lot of the follower of Jesus Christ. If we are to be partakers of His glory in the future we are to be partakers of His sufferings now. 2Ti 3:12 Yea, and all that will live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution. 1Th 3:3 That no man should be moved by these afflictions: for yourselves know that we are appointed thereunto. Php 1:29 For unto you it is given in the behalf of Christ, not only to believe on him, but also to suffer for his sake; 1Pe 3:14 But and if ye suffer for righteousness' sake, happy are ye: and be not afraid of their terror, neither be troubled; 1Pe 4:12 Beloved, think it not strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try you, as though some strange thing happened unto you: 1Pe 4:13 But rejoice, inasmuch as ye are partakers of Christ's sufferings; that, when his glory shall be revealed, ye may be glad also with exceeding joy. 1Pe 4:14 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 he is evil spoken of, but on your part he is glorified. Luk 6:22 Blessed are ye, when men shall hate you, and when they shall separate you from their company, and shall reproach you, and cast out your name as evil, for the Son of man's sake. Luk 6:23 Rejoice ye in that day, and leap for joy: for, behold, your reward is great in heaven: for in the like manner did their fathers unto the prophets. The only difference between the persecution experienced now and that of the great tribulation is that the scope and severity is greatly increased, so much so, that Jesus said that those days would be divinely shortened to save some of the elect (church) alive upon the earth. Mat 24:21 For then shall be great tribulation, such as was not since the beginning of the world to this time, no, nor ever shall be. Mat 24:22 And except those days should be shortened, there should no flesh be saved: but for the elect's sake those days shall be shortened. Prepare yourself so that you may overcome in this soon coming evil day. Rev 12:11 And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb, and by the word of their testimony; and they loved not their lives unto the death. All praise, honour, and glory be unto the Lamb.

And what did Joseph command concerning his own body when Israel was to leave eygpt.

embalmed, by the physicians.

To be a true believer is requires that we humble ourselves before our Creator God and surrender our lives to Him as Savior and Lord. We must choose between being a servant of sin or a servant of God. But we can't serve God in our own strength. We need His help to be able to follow Him and do His will. So we ask Him to come into our lives to change us to be willing and able to do His will. He gives us new attitudes so that we desire to be like Jesus, as well as the power of the Holy Spirit to enable us to follow Him. Slowly our character changes to produce love, joy, peace, long-suffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, meekness and self-control. That means less selfishness and more selflessness.

I listened to Trump speak today and he mentioned a new force, Space Force. He proclaimed the US is going to be doing much more in space, heading to Mars, and needs to create a Space Force instead of pulling from all other forces. Though I don't believe he will have enough time to get this too far off the ground, the thought is still distracting from the real future we are facing. On the other hand, being a Sci-Fi fan, it is fun to think of it.

Greetings in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, Years ago, in the course of my eschatological studies, I came across someone, I don't remember whom, that suggested that the "earth dwellers" was a kind of technical term for those who receive the mark of the beast and worship him in the last days. The statement meant little to me at the time, nevertheless it was filed away in my memory for a future day. Years later that day came. It was at the end of a time in my life, a period of God's correction of my eschatological beliefs. Over the course of many months my fervent pretribulationism was challenged and suffered many devastating blows. These were not the assaults of men, but of the Word of God upon a system of belief that was fashionable within the circles of my fellowship, but entirely without scriptural foundation. However, I was stubborn and not prone to change, so, as long as there was even a single verse I could hold on to that appeared to indicate that the church wouldn't be around for the great tribulation, I remained steadfastly pre-trib in my belief and preaching. The one verse that I had remaining, out of what had been seemingly a multitude, was Rev 3:10. "Because thou hast kept the word of my patience, I also will keep thee from the hour of temptation, which shall come upon all the world, to try them that dwell upon the earth." (Rev 3:10) I thought, surely this verse was clear, the church will be kept from the hour of temptation, we will not go through the great tribulation. I was very confident in my understanding of "kept ... from" (tēreō ek), I had spent much time studying and considering what that means. I defended the teaching, that the faithful church in Philadelphia would be kept from or out of the hour of temptation and that it wasn't saying that we would be kept through it, as many post-tribbers teach. (It is true that God will keep the 144,000 and the woman of Rev 12 who is hid and fed in the wilderness, both of these he keeps through the period of His wrath, but the church is out of here first.) I still have confidence that "out of" is the right understanding, God will remove His own before His wrath is poured out. So, I had my one verse for the pre-trib rapture, Rev 3:10. However, I was still unsettled. The problem was that the weight of the rest of the Scriptures contradicted my understanding of this one verse. Then came that day, that's when I remembered that someone had said that "earth dwellers" was a technical term for the Beast worshipers. Rev 3:10 used that term (earth dwellers), "them that dwell upon the earth". So, I began to verify that idea and then apply it to this passage. What I found brought a harmony in my understanding of the eschatological texts. "Because thou hast kept the word of my patience, I also will keep thee from the hour of temptation, which shall come upon all the world, to try them that dwell upon the earth." (Rev 3:10) When considering Rev 3:10, it is very important to understand the focus of the trial in context. It is that which will allow you to rightly understand what the notable hour of temptation is. In this verse, the focus is said to be upon the earth dwellers, “them that dwell upon the earth.” “The earth dwellers” is a technical term throughout the eschatological portions of the New Testament. The term is the combination of two Greek words (gē and katoikeō or a variation thereof). It always refers to those dwelling on the earth that worship the Beast and receive his mark (even in Rev 12:12). This can be understood to be true by observing this combination of words in the following texts. Jesus says concerning the Day of the LORD: Luk 21:35 For as a snare shall it come on all them that dwell on the face of the whole earth. Jesus uses this combination of words in an eschatological context. He says that the earth dwellers are going to be surprised by the Lord's coming and His wrath on the day of the Lord. They will be caught suddenly, unawares (Luke 21:34; 1Thes 5:3). However, Paul clearly teaches that the Day of the LORD will not overtake the watching believer as a thief. 1Th 5:4 But ye, brethren, are not in darkness, that that day should overtake you as a thief. 1Th 5:5 Ye are all the children of light, and the children of the day: we are not of the night, nor of darkness. So “them that dwell on the face of the whole earth” excludes the watching saints. This term is not all inclusive. It refers only to those who are caught unawares or suddenly by Christ's return. (The very elect will not be surprised, because we expect His coming and He has given us events to watch for which will indicate the season of His return and our gathering together unto Him.) Next, let's look at what John records concerning the two witnesses: Rev 11:7 And when they shall have finished their testimony, the beast that ascendeth out of the bottomless pit shall make war against them, and shall overcome them, and kill them. Rev 11:10 And they that dwell upon the earth shall rejoice over them, and make merry, and shall send gifts one to another; because these two prophets tormented them that dwelt on the earth. Notice here that the earth-dwellers rejoice at the death of God’s two witnesses, which no believer would do. These earth-dwellers are followers of the Beast and False Prophet and they rejoice when God's two witnesses are overcome and killed by the Beast. So, again we see that earth-dwellers excludes the saints. Let's look at another instance of John's use of this technical term. Here, it is used for those who are deceived by the false prophet: Rev 13:14 And deceiveth them that dwell on the earth by the means of those miracles which he had power to do in the sight of the beast; saying to them that dwell on the earth, that they should make an image to the beast, which had the wound by a sword, and did live. Take notice that the earth-dwellers here are deceived by the False Prophet into worshiping the Beast and receiving his mark, but Jesus said that it was not possible for the “very elect” to be deceived (Matt. 24:24). Eleven verses in the book of Revelation contain this technical term for those who worship the Beast and receive his mark. Recognizing that the focus of the temptation in Rev 3:10 is upon the earth dwellers, we know that it refers to God's fierce wrath at the beginning of the day of the Lord and not Satan's wrath (Rev 12:12) upon the elect and Israel in the great tribulation. It is God’s tribulation upon the unbelieving, Beast worshipers, who will persecute the church and Israel in the great tribulation, that is referenced in Rev 3:10. The persecuted saints are said to be kept from the hour of temptation, that is, removed from the sphere of God’s, day of the Lord, wrath. All praise, honour, and glory be unto the Lamb

I was running a bible study of young people, and he said the biggest things on his mind were his dirt bikes and that that was in the foreground and Jesus was in the background. We hear the same thing with others, tv shows, personal dramas, relationship dramas, these all take the foreground while Jesus is in the background. Have any of you had challenges with your children or young people you know, praying that they put God first but the things of things world swallow them up… In your experience what drives people away from Jesus, i.e too much time on facebook, Netflix, what have you found? And what have you found to be helpful in dealing with this Thank you friends Sal

I've been praying about this alot. Praying for improvement in the workplace and on the music being played. It's a twenty one year old "non-believer" in control of the music being played from her phone. You can't tell her much. And you can just about imagine what I have to listen to on a daily basis. On top of that there's yelling, disrespect, bitterness, no communication and a whole lot if complaining and emotions all the time... my question is do I stand and fight? Or do I walk away?

i am having a hard time at the moment been thinking about my step dad who died 6 years ago he took his own life i cant seem to get over his death i blame myself i think because i have mental health problems i should have known he died and i cant have him back i feel angry at him and angry at God but i keep going to church i love Jesus i sometimes wished that my step dad knew Jesus he didnt have a faith my heart hurts thinking about him normally by now when i feel like this i self injure i cant cope with the feels but my husband hides the things i can use to self injure with and locks up all the medication in the house if i had money id be drunk or i would have gotten high but am trying to stay clean for my marriage for my husband and friends i am really struggling am having problems with my body av been getting bad pains in my legs when i go up stairs luckly i live on the ground floor because i had problems like this before but i got told it was because of my weight the pains are back but my weight is lower than it was when i moved in here and that was 10 years ago am trying to exercise with it and it hurt a lot its not exercise that is doing it and i feel tired all the time unsure what is going on

(Worthy News) - Obamacare's future is once again in jeopardy, thanks to one of the law's most stubborn opponents — the U.S. Constitution. Twenty states are suing the federal government in Texas on the grounds that, since Congress zeroed-out the penalty for the individual mandate, the law is no longer constitutional. They're right. The U.S. Supreme Court deemed the individual mandate constitutional back in June 2012 by interpreting the provision as a tax — something Congress clearly has the power to impose. But the tax reform law enacted in December 2017 reduced the penalty for not having coverage to zero dollars, starting in 2019. So, as a matter of fact, there's no longer a tax for those going without insurance coverage. This, the plaintiffs argue, means that the defense that allowed Obamacare to survive six years ago no longer applies. And that makes the mandate unconstitutional. [ Source: Washington Examiner (Read More...) ] The post Op-Ed: The Constitution may finally catch up with Obamacare appeared first on Worthy Christian News. View the full article

I just want to vent a bit thank you. There is a family member who is a bit of a drama queen. She only calls me when she is freaking out over something. There is always an issue of some kind. I just listen to what she tells me is going on, offer some advice, that is about all I can do. But at times it can be draining on me. I freeze when I see her name pop up on the phone and hesitate to answer. As I know it is going to be another issue. There have been a few times when I just let the phone go to voice mail because I was in the middle of something and I just could not stop to deal with yet another drama filled issue of hers. I guess it is not very Christian of me to feel this way. But I am human. There is hardly ever a call from her asking me how I am doing, or what is going on in my life. It is always about her issues. Sometimes I feel bad I can't be of more help. Sometimes I feel bad that I don't pick up the phone. But sometimes it is just too much. Well as I said I just wanted to vent a bit about this to unload what I am feeling. Thanks for listing. God Bless.

Lack of teaching is the biggest problem facing the church. New believers are not discipled (taught) into (1) their inheritance in Christ (2) their right standing with God, and (3) Walking in the spirit. The church somehow thinks that they will pick these things up as they go along. This attitude explains the Laodicean mindset that is rampant in the church and the routine acceptance of the "nominal" Christian who has absolutely no idea of their calling in Christ Jesus.

Hi, You can remove any reaction by going back to the large thumbs up button and clicking on the X that appears to the upper right of it when you return to that button after having selected a reaction. There are ten choices in addition to thumbs up. You can slide your cursor to select any of them. You can also change them the same way, just go back to the large button and click on the X that appears at the upper right of that button. Then select a different reaction. So you can practice, might do so on this post if you want to try. I know I would like one additional one, "Praying", instead of "praying for you".

belshazzar

Thanks trevorL Yes indeed God raised Jesus from the dead. It is an essential doctrinal belief for all Christians too. Now read the following scriptures where Jesus uses this fact to reveal Himself as God.. John 2: KJV 18 "¶ Then answered the Jews and said unto him, What sign shewest thou unto us, seeing that thou doest these things? {19} Jesus answered and said unto them, Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up. {20} Then said the Jews, Forty and six years was this temple in building, and wilt thou rear it up in three days? {21} But he spake of the temple of his body. {22} When therefore he was risen from the dead, his disciples remembered that he had said this unto them; and they believed the scripture, and the word which Jesus had said." Jesus said He would raise His temple of His body after 3 days.. Why did He say this? To show us that He is LORD..

1) Who was the publican (tax collector)? a) Matthew b) Simon c) Philip d) James 2) Who were the sons of thunder? a) Simon and Andrew b) Philip and Thomas c) Bartholomew and Peter d) James and John 3) Which of the original 12 apostles had a wife who was mentioned in the bible? a) John b) James c) Peter d) Andrew 4) Which of these apostles was a fisherman by occupation in the bible? a) Andrew b) Philip c) Thomas d) Simon the Zealot (Zelotes) 5) Which 3 apostles were present at the transfiguration? a) Andrew, Philip, John b) Peter, James, and John c) Peter, Andrew, John d) James, Thomas, Philip 6) Who denied Jesus 3 times? a) Andrew b) John c) James d) Peter 7) Who replaced Judas after being chosen by casting lots? a) Matthias b) Barsabas c) Stephen d) Thomas 8) Who attempted to walk on water to reach Jesus? a) Bartholomew b) Andew c) Peter d) John 9) Who had a vision about unclean foods? a) John b) Philip c) Matthew d) Peter 10) According to the Gospel of Luke which apostle ran to the tomb of Jesus to see for themselves that the tomb was empty? a) John b) Peter c) James d) Thomas

Praying for you Turtle, remember God is with you in this difficult situation,just trust Him that He will let you know in His time what,s the right thing for your Mom,does she know Jesus Turtle? I,m so sorry to hear of you r trouble and sadness... Praying for you ,Angels ,big hug ❤❤

Yeshua Ben Yahwah

Praise the LORD , yes the blessed HOPE is what we wait for . His day. Glory hallelujah , praise be to the LORD> Sound it out this IS the BLESSED HOPE .

Yeah, I agree, space exploration is a waste of time and my taxpayer dollar. It's faulty to begin with, the premise is based on evolution and the goal is to prove there is no God. Everything to fit their model of the 'Big Bang' and our great, great grandparents walked out of a concoction of primordial stew dragging our knuckles.

Greetings in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, Unfailing Presence, to answer your question we must qualify what is meant by Christians. If we use the definition: "those who call themselves Christians", then the answer to your question is two fold. Of the 2.2-2.4 billion upon the earth that identify as Christian, most certainly, only a small percentage of them actually know Christ. This means that there are two different answers. One concerning the true believer and the other to those who only profess, but are not possessors. What will become of those who are professors but not possessors in the great tribulation? 1) When they begin to be persecuted they will be offended and fall away. Mat 24:9 Then shall they deliver you up to be afflicted, and shall kill you: and ye shall be hated of all nations for my name's sake. Mat 24:10 And then shall many be offended, and shall betray one another, and shall hate one another. 2Th 2:3 Let no man deceive you by any means: for that day shall not come, except there come a falling away first, and that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition; Mat 13:20 But he that received the seed into stony places, the same is he that heareth the word, and anon with joy receiveth it; Mat 13:21 Yet hath he not root in himself, but dureth for a while: for when tribulation or persecution ariseth because of the word, by and by he is offended. 2) They will hate and betray true believers, even their friends and family. Mat 24:12 And because iniquity shall abound, the love of many shall wax cold. Mar 13:12 Now the brother shall betray the brother to death, and the father the son; and children shall rise up against their parents, and shall cause them to be put to death. Mar 13:13 And ye shall be hated of all men for my name's sake: but he that shall endure unto the end, the same shall be saved. 3) God will send them strong delusion. 2Th 2:11 And for this cause God shall send them strong delusion, that they should believe a lie: 2Th 2:12 That they all might be damned who believed not the truth, but had pleasure in unrighteousness. 4) They will be deceived into worshiping the Beast and receiving his mark. Mat 24:11 And many false prophets shall rise, and shall deceive many. Mat 24:24 For there shall arise false Christs, and false prophets, and shall shew great signs and wonders; insomuch that, if it were possible, they shall deceive the very elect. 2Th 2:9 Even him, whose coming is after the working of Satan with all power and signs and lying wonders, 2Th 2:10 And with all deceivableness of unrighteousness in them that perish; because they received not the love of the truth, that they might be saved. Rev 13:13 And he doeth great wonders, so that he maketh fire come down from heaven on the earth in the sight of men, Rev 13:14 And deceiveth them that dwell on the earth by the means of those miracles which he had power to do in the sight of the beast; saying to them that dwell on the earth, that they should make an image to the beast, which had the wound by a sword, and did live. Rev 13:15 And he had power to give life unto the image of the beast, that the image of the beast should both speak, and cause that as many as would not worship the image of the beast should be killed. Rev 13:16 And he causeth all, both small and great, rich and poor, free and bond, to receive a mark in their right hand, or in their foreheads: Rev 13:17 And that no man might buy or sell, save he that had the mark, or the name of the beast, or the number of his name. 5) Upon receiving the mark they forever fix their eternal destiny. Their destiny is to be eternally damned, from which there is no repentance. Rev 14:9 And the third angel followed them, saying with a loud voice, If any man worship the beast and his image, and receive his mark in his forehead, or in his hand, Rev 14:10 The same shall drink of the wine of the wrath of God, which is poured out without mixture into the cup of his indignation; and he shall be tormented with fire and brimstone in the presence of the holy angels, and in the presence of the Lamb: Rev 14:11 And the smoke of their torment ascendeth up for ever and ever: and they have no rest day nor night, who worship the beast and his image, and whosoever receiveth the mark of his name. 6) They will be going about their business in peace and safety, building their comfortable societies, while the true church is being persecuted unto death. Luk 17:26 And as it was in the days of Noe, so shall it be also in the days of the Son of man. Luk 17:27 They did eat, they drank, they married wives, they were given in marriage, until the day that Noe entered into the ark, and the flood came, and destroyed them all. Luk 17:28 Likewise also as it was in the days of Lot; they did eat, they drank, they bought, they sold, they planted, they builded; Luk 17:29 But the same day that Lot went out of Sodom it rained fire and brimstone from heaven, and destroyed them all. Luk 17:30 Even thus shall it be in the day when the Son of man is revealed. 1Th 5:3 For when they shall say, Peace and safety; then sudden destruction cometh upon them, as travail upon a woman with child; and they shall not escape. What will the very elect be doing during great tribulation? 1) We will be experiencing unparalleled persecution. Mat 24:21 For then shall be great tribulation, such as was not since the beginning of the world to this time, no, nor ever shall be. Mat 24:22 And except those days should be shortened, there should no flesh be saved: but for the elect's sake those days shall be shortened. Dan 12:1 And at that time shall Michael stand up, the great prince which standeth for the children of thy people: and there shall be a time of trouble, such as never was since there was a nation even to that same time: and at that time thy people shall be delivered, every one that shall be found written in the book. 2) We will be hated of all nations. Mat 24:9 Then shall they deliver you up to be afflicted, and shall kill you: and ye shall be hated of all nations for my name's sake. 3) We will be betrayed by those close to us. Mar 13:12 Now the brother shall betray the brother to death, and the father the son; and children shall rise up against their parents, and shall cause them to be put to death. Mar 13:13 And ye shall be hated of all men for my name's sake: but he that shall endure unto the end, the same shall be saved. 4) We will be beheaded. Rev 20:4 And I saw thrones, and they sat upon them, and judgment was given unto them: and I saw the souls of them that were beheaded for the witness of Jesus, and for the word of God, and which had not worshipped the beast, neither his image, neither had received his mark upon their foreheads, or in their hands; and they lived and reigned with Christ a thousand years. 5) When we are persecuted we will be faithful unto death. Rev 20:4 And I saw thrones, and they sat upon them, and judgment was given unto them: and I saw the souls of them that were beheaded for the witness of Jesus, and for the word of God, and which had not worshipped the beast, neither his image, neither had received his mark upon their foreheads, or in their hands; and they lived and reigned with Christ a thousand years. Rev 6:9 And when he had opened the fifth seal, I saw under the altar the souls of them that were slain for the word of God, and for the testimony which they held: Rev 6:10 And they cried with a loud voice, saying, How long, O Lord, holy and true, dost thou not judge and avenge our blood on them that dwell on the earth? Rev 6:11 And white robes were given unto every one of them; and it was said unto them, that they should rest yet for a little season, until their fellowservants also and their brethren, that should be killed as they were, should be fulfilled. Rev 12:11 And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb, and by the word of their testimony; and they loved not their lives unto the death. Rev 14:12 Here is the patience of the saints: here are they that keep the commandments of God, and the faith of Jesus. Rev 14:13 And I heard a voice from heaven saying unto me, Write, Blessed are the dead which die in the Lord from henceforth: Yea, saith the Spirit, that they may rest from their labours; and their works do follow them. Rev 13:10 He that leadeth into captivity shall go into captivity: he that killeth with the sword must be killed with the sword. Here is the patience and the faith of the saints. 6) We will flee. Mat 24:16 Then let them which be in Judaea flee into the mountains: Mat 24:17 Let him which is on the housetop not come down to take any thing out of his house: Mat 24:18 Neither let him which is in the field return back to take his clothes. Mat 24:19 And woe unto them that are with child, and to them that give suck in those days! Mat 24:20 But pray ye that your flight be not in the winter, neither on the sabbath day: 7) We will be cut of from our respective societies. Rev 13:17 And that no man might buy or sell, save he that had the mark, or the name of the beast, or the number of his name. 8) We will suffer hunger, thirst, and exposure to the elements. Rev 7:14 And I said unto him, Sir, thou knowest. And he said to me, These are they which came out of great tribulation, and have washed their robes, and made them white in the blood of the Lamb. Rev 7:15 Therefore are they before the throne of God, and serve him day and night in his temple: and he that sitteth on the throne shall dwell among them. Rev 7:16 They shall hunger no more, neither thirst any more; neither shall the sun light on them, nor any heat. Rev 7:17 For the Lamb which is in the midst of the throne shall feed them, and shall lead them unto living fountains of waters: and God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes. 9) We will be sick, made naked, and imprisoned. Mat 25:34 Then shall the King say unto them on his right hand, Come, ye blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world: Mat 25:35 For I was an hungred, and ye gave me meat: I was thirsty, and ye gave me drink: I was a stranger, and ye took me in: Mat 25:36 Naked, and ye clothed me: I was sick, and ye visited me: I was in prison, and ye came unto me. Mat 25:37 Then shall the righteous answer him, saying, Lord, when saw we thee an hungred, and fed thee? or thirsty, and gave thee drink? Mat 25:38 When saw we thee a stranger, and took thee in? or naked, and clothed thee? Mat 25:39 Or when saw we thee sick, or in prison, and came unto thee? Mat 25:40 And the King shall answer and say unto them, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me. 10) Some will help us. (see the text above) 11) Those of us that endure to the end of the great tribulation will not see death but be saved or delivered (changed and raptured). Mar 13:13 And ye shall be hated of all men for my name's sake: but he that shall endure unto the end, the same shall be saved. Dan 12:1 And at that time shall Michael stand up, the great prince which standeth for the children of thy people: and there shall be a time of trouble, such as never was since there was a nation even to that same time: and at that time thy people shall be delivered, every one that shall be found written in the book. 1Th 4:15 For this we say unto you by the word of the Lord, that we which are alive and remain unto the coming of the Lord shall not prevent them which are asleep. 1Th 4:16 For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first: 1Th 4:17 Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord. Hallelujah

As a Christian I'm not to wish anyone ill will. I'm really trying so hard...

You may have a point. Rome allowed animal sacrifice in Jerusalem during the 1st Century. Maybe a leader in the near future will re-introduce or allow animal sacrifice in Jerusalem again. A future animal sacrifice system in Jerusalem would allow it to be stopped mid term thus fulfilling Dan 9:27. Thanks for the suggestion of animal sacrificing. In Christ Montana Marv

Hello dear. I am very sorry to hear about your mother. I can not and will not tell you want to do. As I feel this is a very private family matter. My only advice is that you find some alone time and seek God out in prayer over this matter. It also may help if you have a pastor you could speak too. Sometimes hospitals will have a pastor you can speak with. Again I am very sorry.

I enjoyed the overall presentation by our president today! He is outright stealing all that worked for President Reagan. President Putin presents a cruise missile, President trump raises the stakes. I find President's Trump's ability to get the message across to be really excellent. Praise God for the reprieve from the path the country was headed down. May the gambit prove to be a winning move for peace through power and for overall freedom with opportunity to worship and to praise our Lord, thanking Him for this astounding change from near surrender of all that is America back to having a spine and a goal to do that which is good and glorifies our sovereign creator.

Titus 2:12–13 12 training us to renounce ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright, and godly lives in the present age, 13 waiting for our blessed hope, the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ, The blessed hope is appearing of Jesus Christ

Interesting, I didn't hear that yet. Where did you hear it? My only problem with it is the money it will cost. I've heard several private companies are talking about a Moon Base or on Mars. I would think Mars is better assuming the probes we sent have found minerals or something of value. I saw an old movie 1 night that depicted an asteroid headed for earth. It turned out that both us and Russia had secretly put about 20 nuclear missiles in orbit that were used to destroy the asteroid. (the problem was they weren't put there for that reason) Maybe Trump wants nuclear missiles in orbit for 1 of several reasons. Regardless of this, that movie got me thinking of this. There's an awful lot of rocks floating in space but nothing big ever hits us. They now say Jupiter pulls most of the bid ones into it's gravity. That gets me thinking how marvelously God designed our solar system. Earth is pretty far in so the outer planets give us a lot of protection. It is wondrous. Then IMO if perchance a big rock gets past them God sends a holy angel to destroy it. I don't think earth will be destroyed until God wants it to be.

Greetings in the name of Jesus Christ our Lord, Last Daze, the scenario that you present has too many problems to be viable. 1) The first is that which I already showed you. Mark's gospel and Luke's gospel both present Christ's coming in the clouds as following the cosmic sign, not that it takes place after some unknown interval. Mar 13:24 But in those days, after that tribulation, the sun shall be darkened, and the moon shall not give her light, Mar 13:25 And the stars of heaven shall fall, and the powers that are in heaven shall be shaken. Mar 13:26 And then shall they see the Son of man coming in the clouds with great power and glory. Mar 13:27 And then shall he send his angels, and shall gather together his elect from the four winds, from the uttermost part of the earth to the uttermost part of heaven. Luk 21:25 And there shall be signs in the sun, and in the moon, and in the stars; and upon the earth distress of nations, with perplexity; the sea and the waves roaring; Luk 21:26 Men's hearts failing them for fear, and for looking after those things which are coming on the earth: for the powers of heaven shall be shaken. Luk 21:27 And then shall they see the Son of man coming in a cloud with power and great glory. Luk 21:28 And when these things begin to come to pass, then look up, and lift up your heads; for your redemption draweth nigh. Notice the flow in each passage from the cosmic sign right into Christ's second coming (parousia = His arrival and continuing presence) 2) The next would be the fact that the day of the Lord comes suddenly upon the Christ rejecting world, as a thief, at an unexpected time. 1Th 5:2 For yourselves know perfectly that the day of the Lord so cometh as a thief in the night. 1Th 5:3 For when they shall say, Peace and safety; then sudden destruction cometh upon them, as travail upon a woman with child; and they shall not escape. The same Greek word translated "sudden" here is used by Luke and is translated "unawares." Luk 21:34 And take heed to yourselves, lest at any time your hearts be overcharged with surfeiting, and drunkenness, and cares of this life, and so that day come upon you unawares. If there is a warning that the whole world sees, that takes place many days, months, or years ahead of Christ's appearing, it cannot be sudden destruction. See how Paul describes it: 2Th 1:6 Seeing it is a righteous thing with God to recompense tribulation to them that trouble you; 2Th 1:7 And to you who are troubled rest with us, when the Lord Jesus shall be revealed from heaven with his mighty angels, 2Th 1:8 In flaming fire taking vengeance on them that know not God, and that obey not the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ: 2Th 1:9 Who shall be punished with everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord, and from the glory of his power; 2Th 1:10 When he shall come to be glorified in his saints, and to be admired in all them that believe (because our testimony among you was believed) in that day. The believer's rest from persecution only comes in one of two ways: at the believers death or at Christ's coming. The rest from persecution for the believer happens on the same day that tribulation falls upon the unbeliever. Notice that apokalupsis translated "shall be revealed" is found in various passages referring to Christ's singular second coming for His saints. 1Co 1:7 So that ye come behind in no gift; waiting for the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ: 1Pe 1:7 That the trial of your faith, being much more precious than of gold that perisheth, though it be tried with fire, might be found unto praise and honour and glory at the appearing of Jesus Christ: 1Pe 1:13 Wherefore gird up the loins of your mind, be sober, and hope to the end for the grace that is to be brought unto you at the revelation of Jesus Christ; 1Pe 4:13 But rejoice, inasmuch as ye are partakers of Christ's sufferings; that, when his glory shall be revealed, ye may be glad also with exceeding joy. His revelation with His holy angels is one and the same as His appearing for His saints. There are not two second comings. 3) The saints are not appointed unto wrath. The wrath in question is God's, sudden, day of the Lord wrath. 1Th 5:2 For yourselves know perfectly that the day of the Lord so cometh as a thief in the night. 1Th 5:3 For when they shall say, Peace and safety; then sudden destruction cometh upon them, as travail upon a woman with child; and they shall not escape. 1Th 5:4 But ye, brethren, are not in darkness, that that day should overtake you as a thief. 1Th 5:5 Ye are all the children of light, and the children of the day: we are not of the night, nor of darkness. ... 1Th 5:9 For God hath not appointed us to wrath, but to obtain salvation by our Lord Jesus Christ, 1Th 5:10 Who died for us, that, whether we wake or sleep, we should live together with him. The word wrath (or-gay') appears in the book of revelation for the first time at the end of Rev 6 when the earth-dwellers are said to be hiding, because they recognize that the day of God's fierce wrath is upon them. The wrath of God doesn't fall until the first trumpet is blown in Rev chapter 8. Since the saints are said to be kept from the hour of temptation, which is God's wrath on the day of the Lord, we are raptured from the earth first. 4) Jesus says that His wrath falls upon the unbelieving world the very same day (24 hours) that His own are taken to safety. Luk 17:26 And as it was in the days of Noe, so shall it be also in the days of the Son of man. Luk 17:27 They did eat, they drank, they married wives, they were given in marriage, until the day that Noe entered into the ark, and the flood came, and destroyed them all. Luk 17:28 Likewise also as it was in the days of Lot; they did eat, they drank, they bought, they sold, they planted, they builded; Luk 17:29 But the same day that Lot went out of Sodom it rained fire and brimstone from heaven, and destroyed them all. Luk 17:30 Even thus shall it be in the day when the Son of man is revealed. 5) From that same passage we see that Jesus says it will be business as usual for the world when His wrath falls upon them. There is no tribulation for those who are persecuting the church until God suddenly begins to pour out His wrath upon them. They are caught by surprise, just like those in Noah's and Lot's days. They are caught like a thief, but the watching believer is not. Those of us left alive, when we experience great tribulation, will be looking for the cosmic sign and when we see it we will look up and lift up our heads because Jesus will be here for us at any moment. This is a true description of the only any moment rapture the Bible speaks of. Hallelujah

SAME THING, same way of living, they are DOing during TODAY.

Greetings Adstar, Acts 2:22-24 (KJV):22 Ye men of Israel, hear these words; Jesus of Nazareth, a man approved of God among you by miracles and wonders and signs, which God did by him in the midst of you, as ye yourselves also know: 23 Him, being delivered by the determinate counsel and foreknowledge of God, ye have taken, and by wicked hands have crucified and slain: 24 Whom God hath raised up, having loosed the pains of death: because it was not possible that he should be holden of it. Acts 2:32-36 (KJV):32 This Jesus hath God raised up, whereof we all are witnesses. 33 Therefore being by the right hand of God exalted, and having received of the Father the promise of the Holy Spirit, he hath shed forth this, which ye now see and hear.34 For David is not ascended into the heavens: but he saith himself, The LORD said unto my Lord, Sit thou on my right hand, 35 Until I make thy foes thy footstool. 36 Therefore let all the house of Israel know assuredly, that God hath made that same Jesus, whom ye have crucified, both Lord and Christ. Kind regards Trevor

Amen.......He exists in eternity, not bound by time.....and so He was able to appear many times in His body in the past...."His goings forth have been from of old".....even though His body was prepared, begotten, for Him at a point in time from earth's perspective. He is one and the same....Father, Son and Holy Spirit.......as we see from this verse: Isa 9:6 For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace.

Sorry for your dilemma. It is so very hard to endure. I too have been there, four times now, as a care giver and or responsible party. I just minutes ago got the news from my friend that his liver cancer is back. He is a bit angry that he has gone through so much trying to gain time to do more before dying. We will "talk" a bit later today about whether he will try to do more battle or not. But as to you and your situation; Pray first of course, read the word of God to get yourself focused. And then do what you can to honor your mother's request as long as it is not prolonging the agony of dying. Remember too, that as long as she is a believer in our Lord Jesus as her Lord and savior, that the worst day of her life is also the best, for she will graduate. For your sake, since you are going to have to live with the decision being forced onto you by circumstance, I suggest that if you have doubt that you then err on the side of further treatment. Do not put yourself in the situation where you will live with regret later. Sorry for the plight you are in. May God aid you as you take charge and do the duty left to you . Amen.

I feel like this is an answer that you should seek from the Lord rather than us. If I was in your shoes though, I think i'd go with keeping her alive. If it is her time, the Lord will have mercy and see her off easy. If it isn't, then she will wake up.

Not at all......Jesus IS God.....I was just trying to discuss more about His sonship, and ours.......one thought led to another, as sometimes happens.

Who can really understand these things........Jesus is the Word made flesh...and the apostles beheld His glory. He is the only begotten of the Father, but still somehow the Lord is one. We just need to believe it and not try to slice it and dice it too finely; don't go beyond what is written or we will miss the mark.

Well Christine, I'm delighted you asked Epaphras was most likely the founder of the Colossian Church. His commonality with the Apostle Paul would be he also was a fellow-prisoner, and minister of Christ. Epaphras was with Paul at Rome when Paul wrote to the Colossians. Other commonalities between them; they were both 5' 6" tall, 137 pounds, left-handed, liked to eat fish, had bunions on their right feet, had reddish brown hair and had freckles in their youth. Source: II Dennis 5: 19

For which New Testament assembly was Epaphras a faithful minister? And what experience did he share in common with the Apostle Paul?

I had to re-read my commentary in my bible about that one as I hadnt read it for a while and I can tell you that it doesnt necessarily mean what a lot of people here think. Its just saying that we all, saved or unsaved have a God-given conscience from birth and we all know how to use it to good effect if we havent allowed ourselves to sear it out of existence. We are all born with a basic knowledge of right and wrong and you can say that for many many people born into different religions or no religion. Does this mean then than that passage cannot imply that no one outside the body of Christ has any chance at all if they live and die without ever hearing even so much as the name of Jesus if they have lived a good life, having the law on their hearts as Romans 2:14 speaks of? I would rather not be the judge of that. And I do not believe that would be the case myself. I have heard, for example, some very credible stories about Muslims in the Middle East especially in Saudi Arabia saying that Jesus, the true Jesus came to them in their dreams and said to them I HAVE SAVED YOU. And it is only then they make some attempts to read the real gospel and not the spurious ones found in their Koran. But too many people like to use and abuse this passage as suggesting that people can have an excuse today when the gospel is being spread to every corner of the planet. And the fact is that some religions have some corrupted form of the gospel in them so they cannot say they havent heard something of the truth. Remember that Jesus said NO ONE cometh unto the Father BUT BY ME and elsewhere it says that one must profess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord. NO EXCEPTIONS.

That's an interesting question we all would like to know, but naturally it's in the Lord's hands and timing. Looking at everything that is shaping up and "all" the end-time prophecies converging at the same time. I'd say we won't have long to wait to see, providing how much we're allowed to see and witness here on Earth before being caught up? Conjecturing on my part and using common sense, I would suggest there will have to be a 'trigger' or flash point of some sort to get the ball rolling so to speak. What that trigger will be remains to be seen. It could be Israeli intelligence discovers something imminent coming from Syria, that provokes Israel to respond for her survival and demolishes Damascus over night? Could be Iran is about to do something to Israel, and Israeli Defense Forces strike Iran's Bushehr nuclear facilities. Could be the moving of some of the embassies from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem that sparks an inner circle coalition invasion. A logical 'guess' would be the destruction of Damascus comes first. Based on all the trouble Israel is having with Syria and the occupants therein. Last count, Israel has flown many sorties into Syria to destroy some of their constant threats. They are trying to provoke Israel into making them look like the aggressors and bad guys by sending a drone into Israeli airspace among other things. The Russians have now deployed to Syria a fleet of the worlds most advanced and destructive fighter / bomber jets, among a massive military base / seaport buildup by Russia, Turkey and Iran. Humm, Russia, Turkey and Iran, I know those main players from somewhere? Look at what has happened with Libya and Sudan also, two other main players in the Ezekiel 38: invasion. Look at how "all" these counties have become total dictatorships; Turkey, Libya and Sudan the latest due to Obama's Arab spring campaign. I look for Turkey to null and void or totally disregard their NATO membership in the near future. A lot going on presently and it will continue to escalate no doubt. Yeah, I know, I'm long winded and boring.

Yeshua means Yahweh is Salvation.

I think time exists there. Where there is a material change there is a correlation which we call time. There is theoretically no time where nothing is changed. Black holes have their beginning and their end. There is a change within a black hole within this span and this change destroys it. So time is applicable.

Greetings in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, Last Daze, Paul says that the church is not appointed unto wrath (God's day of the Lord wrath). 1Th 5:2 For yourselves know perfectly that the day of the Lord so cometh as a thief in the night. 1Th 5:3 For when they shall say, Peace and safety; then sudden destruction cometh upon them, as travail upon a woman with child; and they shall not escape. 1Th 5:4 But ye, brethren, are not in darkness, that that day should overtake you as a thief. 1Th 5:5 Ye are all the children of light, and the children of the day: we are not of the night, nor of darkness. 1Th 5:6 Therefore let us not sleep, as do others; but let us watch and be sober. 1Th 5:7 For they that sleep sleep in the night; and they that be drunken are drunken in the night. 1Th 5:8 But let us, who are of the day, be sober, putting on the breastplate of faith and love; and for an helmet, the hope of salvation. 1Th 5:9 For God hath not appointed us to wrath, but to obtain salvation by our Lord Jesus Christ, 1Th 5:10 Who died for us, that, whether we wake or sleep, we should live together with him. The church must be removed from the earth prior to the wrath of God being poured out upon the day of the Lord. God's wrath begins with the first trumpet judgement. 2Th 1:6 Seeing it is a righteous thing with God to recompense tribulation to them that trouble you; 2Th 1:7 And to you who are troubled rest with us, when the Lord Jesus shall be revealed from heaven with his mighty angels, 2Th 1:8 In flaming fire taking vengeance on them that know not God, and that obey not the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ: 2Th 1:9 Who shall be punished with everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord, and from the glory of his power; 2Th 1:10 When he shall come to be glorified in his saints, and to be admired in all them that believe (because our testimony among you was believed) in that day. Paul says that the saints will find rest from persecution on the day of Christ's revelation, the very same day His wrath begins to be poured out upon those who had been persecuting the church. Hallelujah

My friend of many letters, praise the LORD and know you are loved. Keep on IN the LORD . A mighty delusion is on the rise . While we know True gifts are still real. let us be on guard . the all inclusive group will have many false prophets arise and shew wonders that could seduce even the elect if it were possible. Soon we will see indviduals that rise up and talk of peace and unity AND have false signs and wonders but they do the work of SAYTAN. to get the world deiceved into a one big mindset which in the final hour worships the beast as one .

And to think of that some people don't think God is in charge of the weather?

Correct it was hailstones:: Joshua 10:KJV 11 "And it came to pass, as they fled from before Israel, and were in the going down to Beth–horon, that the LORD cast down great stones from heaven upon them unto Azekah, and they died: they were more which died with hailstones than they whom the children of Israel slew with the sword." Next question: What did Joseph order His servents to do to the body of Israel his father after Israel had died?

Yes. "Pursue love, and desire spiritual gifts, but especially that you may prophesy." - 1 Corinthians 14:1 Some people do not understand what it is very well, there are many types of prophecies. It does not mean they are adding a new Word to the Bible or something like that, prophecies will never contradict the Word of God; otherwise it is not from Him. "But he who prophesies speaks edification and exhortation and comfort to men." - 1 Corinthians 14:3 And it is very useful, that is why the enemy attacks the strongest gifts, including love which is getting colder and colder. "But he who prophesies speaks edification and exhortation and comfort to men." - 1 Corinthians 14:3 "He who speaks in a tongue edifies himself, but he who prophesies edifies the church." - 1 Corinthians 14:4

It is a fairly well-established fact that Jesus Christ was publicly executed in Judea in the 1st Century A.D., under Pontius Pilate, by means of crucifixion, at the behest of the Jewish Sanhedrin. The non-Christian historical accounts of Flavius Josephus, Cornelius Tacitus, Lucian of Samosata, Maimonides and even the Jewish Sanhedrin corroborate the early Christian eyewitness accounts of these important historical aspects of the death of Jesus Christ. As for His resurrection, there are several lines of evidence which make for a compelling case. The late jurisprudential prodigy and international statesman Sir Lionel Luckhoo (of The Guinness Book of World Records fame for his unprecedented 245 consecutive defense murder trial acquittals) epitomized Christian enthusiasm and confidence in the strength of the case for the resurrection when he wrote, “I have spent more than 42 years as a defense trial lawyer appearing in many parts of the world and am still in active practice. I have been fortunate to secure a number of successes in jury trials and I say unequivocally the evidence for the Resurrection of Jesus Christ is so overwhelming that it compels acceptance by proof which leaves absolutely no room for doubt.” The secular community’s response to the same evidence has been predictably apathetic in accordance with their steadfast commitment to methodological naturalism. For those unfamiliar with the term, methodological naturalism is the human endeavor of explaining everything in terms of natural causes and natural causes only. If an alleged historical event defies natural explanation (e.g., a miraculous resurrection), secular scholars generally treat it with overwhelming skepticism, regardless of the evidence, no matter how favorable and compelling it may be. In our view, such an unwavering allegiance to natural causes regardless of substantive evidence to the contrary is not conducive to an impartial (and therefore adequate) investigation of the evidence. We agree with Dr. Wernher von Braun and numerous others who still believe that forcing a popular philosophical predisposition upon the evidence hinders objectivity. Or in the words of Dr. von Braun, “To be forced to believe only one conclusion… would violate the very objectivity of science itself.” Having said that, let us now examine the several lines of evidence which favor of the resurrection. The First Line of Evidence for Christ's resurrection To begin with, we have demonstrably sincere eyewitness testimony. Early Christian apologists cited hundreds of eyewitnesses, some of whom documented their own alleged experiences. Many of these eyewitnesses willfully and resolutely endured prolonged torture and death rather than repudiate their testimony. This fact attests to their sincerity, ruling out deception on their part. According to the historical record (The Book of Acts 4:1-17; Pliny’s Letters to Trajan X, 96, etc) most Christians could end their suffering simply by renouncing the faith. Instead, it seems that most opted to endure the suffering and proclaim Christ’s resurrection unto death. Granted, while martyrdom is remarkable, it is not necessarily compelling. It does not validate a belief so much as it authenticates a believer (by demonstrating his or her sincerity in a tangible way). What makes the earliest Christian martyrs remarkable is that they knew whether or not what they were professing was true. They either saw Jesus Christ alive-and-well after His death or they did not. This is extraordinary. If it was all just a lie, why would so many perpetuate it given their circumstances? Why would they all knowingly cling to such an unprofitable lie in the face of persecution, imprisonment, torture, and death? While the September 11, 2001, suicide hijackers undoubtedly believed what they professed (as evidenced by their willingness to die for it), they could not and did not know if it was true. They put their faith in traditions passed down to them over many generations. In contrast, the early Christian martyrs were the first generation. Either they saw what they claimed to see, or they did not. Among the most illustrious of the professed eyewitnesses were the Apostles. They collectively underwent an undeniable change following the alleged post-resurrection appearances of Christ. Immediately following His crucifixion, they hid in fear for their lives. Following the resurrection they took to the streets, boldly proclaiming the resurrection despite intensifying persecution. What accounts for their sudden and dramatic change? It certainly was not financial gain. The Apostles gave up everything they had to preach the resurrection, including their lives. The Second Line of Evidence for Christ's resurrection A second line of evidence concerns the conversion of certain key skeptics, most notably Paul and James. Paul was of his own admission a violent persecutor of the early Church. After what he described as an encounter with the resurrected Christ, Paul underwent an immediate and drastic change from a vicious persecutor of the Church to one of its most prolific and selfless defenders. Like many early Christians, Paul suffered impoverishment, persecution, beatings, imprisonment, and execution for his steadfast commitment to Christ’s resurrection. James was skeptical, though not as hostile as Paul. A purported post-resurrection encounter with Christ turned him into an inimitable believer, a leader of the Church in Jerusalem. We still have what scholars generally accept to be one of his letters to the early Church. Like Paul, James willingly suffered and died for his testimony, a fact which attests to the sincerity of his belief (see The Book of Acts and Josephus’ Antiquities of the Jews XX, ix, 1). The Third and Fourth Lines of Evidence for Christ's resurrection A third line and fourth line of evidence concern enemy attestation to the empty tomb and the fact that faith in the resurrection took root in Jerusalem. Jesus was publicly executed and buried in Jerusalem. It would have been impossible for faith in His resurrection to take root in Jerusalem while His body was still in the tomb where the Sanhedrin could exhume it, put it on public display, and thereby expose the hoax. Instead, the Sanhedrin accused the disciples of stealing the body, apparently in an effort to explain its disappearance (and therefore an empty tomb). How do we explain the fact of the empty tomb? Here are the three most common explanations: First, the disciples stole the body. If this were the case, they would have known the resurrection was a hoax. They would not therefore have been so willing to suffer and die for it. (See the first line of evidence concerning demonstrably sincere eyewitness testimony.) All of the professed eyewitnesses would have known that they hadn’t really seen Christ and were therefore lying. With so many conspirators, surely someone would have confessed, if not to end his own suffering then at least to end the suffering of his friends and family. The first generation of Christians were absolutely brutalized, especially following the conflagration in Rome in A.D. 64 (a fire which Nero allegedly ordered to make room for the expansion of his palace, but which he blamed on the Christians in Rome in an effort to exculpate himself). As the Roman historian Cornelius Tacitus recounted in his Annals of Imperial Rome (published just a generation after the fire): “Nero fastened the guilt and inflicted the most exquisite tortures on a class hated for their abominations, called Christians by the populace. Christus, from whom the name had its origin, suffered the extreme penalty during the reign of Tiberius at the hands of one of our procurators, Pontius Pilatus, and a most mischievous superstition, thus checked for the moment, again broke out not only in Judaea, the first source of the evil, but even in Rome, where all things hideous and shameful from every part of the world find their centre and become popular. Accordingly, an arrest was first made of all who pleaded guilty; then, upon their information, an immense multitude was convicted, not so much of the crime of firing the city, as of hatred against mankind. Mockery of every sort was added to their deaths. Covered with the skins of beasts, they were torn by dogs and perished, or were nailed to crosses, or were doomed to the flames and burnt, to serve as a nightly illumination, when daylight had expired.” (Annals, XV, 44) Nero illuminated his garden parties with Christians whom he burnt alive. Surely someone would have confessed the truth under the threat of such terrible pain. The fact is, however, we have no record of any early Christian denouncing the faith to end his suffering. Instead, we have multiple accounts of post-resurrection appearances and hundreds of eyewitnesses willing to suffer and die for it. If the disciples didn’t steal the body, how else do we explain the empty tomb? Some have suggested that Christ faked His death and later escaped from the tomb. This is patently absurd. According to the eyewitness testimony, Christ was beaten, tortured, lacerated, and stabbed. He suffered internal damage, massive blood loss, asphyxiation, and a spear through His heart. There is no good reason to believe that Jesus Christ (or any other man for that matter) could survive such an ordeal, fake His death, sit in a tomb for three days and nights without medical attention, food or water, remove the massive stone which sealed His tomb, escape undetected (without leaving behind a trail of blood), convince hundreds of eyewitnesses that He was resurrected from the death and in good health, and then disappear without a trace. Such a notion is ridiculous. The Fifth Line of Evidence for Christ's resurrection Finally, a fifth line of evidence concerns a peculiarity of the eyewitness testimony. In all of the major resurrection narratives, women are credited as the first and primary eyewitnesses. This would be an odd invention since in both the ancient Jewish and Roman cultures women were severely disesteemed. Their testimony was regarded as insubstantial and dismissible. Given this fact, it is highly unlikely that any perpetrators of a hoax in 1st Century Judea would elect women to be their primary witnesses. Of all the male disciples who claimed to see Jesus resurrected, if they all were lying and the resurrection was a scam, why did they pick the most ill-perceived, distrusted witnesses they could find? Dr. William Lane Craig explains, “When you understand the role of women in first-century Jewish society, what's really extraordinary is that this empty tomb story should feature women as the discoverers of the empty tomb in the first place. Women were on a very low rung of the social ladder in first-century Palestine. There are old rabbinical sayings that said, 'Let the words of Law be burned rather than delivered to women' and 'blessed is he whose children are male, but woe to him whose children are female.' Women's testimony was regarded as so worthless that they weren't even allowed to serve as legal witnesses in a Jewish court of Law. In light of this, it's absolutely remarkable that the chief witnesses to the empty tomb are these women... Any later legendary account would have certainly portrayed male disciples as discovering the tomb - Peter or John, for example. The fact that women are the first witnesses to the empty tomb is most plausibly explained by the reality that - like it or not - they were the discoverers of the empty tomb! This shows that the Gospel writers faithfully recorded what happened, even if it was embarrassing. This bespeaks the historicity of this tradition rather than its legendary status." (Dr. William Lane Craig, quoted by Lee Strobel, The Case For Christ, Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1998, p. 293) In Summary These lines of evidence: the demonstrable sincerity of the eyewitnesses (and in the Apostles’ case, compelling, inexplicable change), the conversion and demonstrable sincerity of key antagonists- and skeptics-turned-martyrs, the fact of the empty tomb, enemy attestation to the empty tomb, the fact that all of this took place in Jerusalem where faith in the resurrection began and thrived, the testimony of the women, the significance of such testimony given the historical context; all of these strongly attest to the historicity of the resurrection. We encourage our readers to thoughtfully consider these evidences. What do they suggest to you? Having pondered them ourselves, we resolutely affirm Sir Lionel’s declaration: “The evidence for the Resurrection of Jesus Christ is so overwhelming that it compels acceptance by proof which leaves absolutely no room for doubt.” Recommended Resource: The Case for the Resurrection of Jesus by Gary Habermas. Source: www.gotquestions.org Quasar93

Amen. Dig in people dig in. A great door from which a great FLOOD of adversaries comes forth soon. its building in the minds of many even now as we speak. Let us have no fear of what is coming. Just embrace the LORD and know the REWARD is great. eternal life is something none of us deserved, but by grace have received. Jesus bled for all, soon many of us will bleed for him. Just remember pray forgiveness for them. But understand truly a great massive persecution against us is building . It had to end in someones generation. And the signs show us very clear what days these be. Just be blessed and praise the LORD.