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Hi Nubyrth I'm sorry that you're feeling a little lost here. It can be hard to figure out. There is a ton of content here to read, so you have to pick and choose what you want to participate in. Also, I learned that while in the chat room, if you want to talk about the faith or have questions, you just have to blurt it out. Sometimes it can be hectic in there, is why I say that. Why don't I give you a few pointers on how to get around here? Chat Room: Go to the top of your screen and you will see "Christian Chat" in between the Christian Forums tab and the Clubs tab. Click that link. You can also access the chat room at the bottom of your screen. Click on the pink and blue chat bubbles to get it to pop up. Christian Forums: To start a new topic in a category, click on Start New Topic on the top right side. To reply to a post in a thread that's already going, look at the bottom of the post you want to reply to. You will see a little plus sign and the word quote. Click only on the word "quote" and you'll be able to reply to that post. If you want to reply to the very first post in a thread, called OP for original post, then again, look at the top right side and click on Reply To This Topic. You can also simply "like" a topic without replying. At the bottom of each post, on the right, is a thumbs-up button. Hover over it and you will see several icon options to choose from: Thumbs Up, Love This, HaHa, Praying, Praise God, and others. Just click on the one you want. If you click on the Home button on the top left, you will be able to see all of the Forum categories. Each category has a description which you'll want to read. Some categories are only for moderators, and some you have to have a certain number of posts (usually 100), to be able to participate. But you should be able to post in most categories since you're a believer. I hope this wasn't too confusing and that it helps! If you have any questions or just want to talk, feel free to send me a message. At the top of your screen, next to your username, you'll see an envelope icon. Click on it, and enter my username in the form. You can do this to message any member here if you know their username. I hope to see you around. God bless! Melissa

To HONOR THE LORD and exhort others to do the same .

if we are supposed to come out of her, pray tell where are we supposed to go?

I'm afraid of eternity too. It's disturbing because it's something that we, as humans, can't comprehend. Personally, I try not to think about it. I know it's real and that I'm going to be there after I die in either heaven or hell. So, even though it's a scary thought, I'd much rather focus on spending eternity in Heaven. That is why I'm here; trying to get help to get right with God. Sometimes we have to face down our fears, you know? I'm not saying that I've been able to face down all of my fears either, but you have to at least come to the point where you accept the facts. I'm scared of the act of dying, but I know it's going to happen sooner or later, so I just try not to think about it until the time comes. There's no sense dwelling on things that we can't change. I don't know what else to say right now. But it sounds like you've been learning from some great believers here. Keep it up! You'll get there.

It's not that bad. I've interpreted far worse in public, bro. But if you would rather I send it in private, that's no problem. Glad to do it. Give me time. The first is a piece of cake, the second one is sort of basic. The third one takes some explaining. I can also send you some stuff that confirms that what He is communicating to you in these three (especially the 1st and the 3rd) is the same thing He is speaking to the end-time church in general. God bless. I'll send it when ready.

To the very point Rom 15:4-6 4 For whatsoever things were written aforetime were written for our learning, that we through patience and comfort of the scriptures might have hope. 5 Now the God of patience and consolation grant you to be likeminded one toward another according to Christ Jesus: 6 That ye may with one mind and one mouth glorify God, even the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. KJV

Act 17:10 Then the brethren immediately sent Paul and Silas away by night to Berea. When they arrived, they went into the synagogue of the Jews. Act 17:11 These were more fair-minded than those in Thessalonica, in that they received the word with all readiness, and searched the Scriptures daily to find out whether these things were so. The bereans were certainly praised for searching the scriptures every day. 2Ti 3:16 All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, 2Ti 3:17 that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work. (NKJV) Paul also says here, explicitly, that to be a complete man of God, understanding of the scriptures is necessary, that it is profitable for doctrine, reproof, correction, instruction in righteousness, and to be thoroughly equipped for every good work. The most literal understanding of the greek underlying this phrase "given by inspiration of God" here - theopneustos - is literally "God breathed." Why on earth would people avoid diligently studying the God breathed word that has been preserved for us by God himself. Isa 40:8 The grass withers, the flower fades, But the word of our God stands forever."

Personal relationship is not about do and get... it is about allowing The Resource of Life and Godliness to flow out to others and the result will be an intimacy of watching God work through you to others... there is nothing like it in this world and that fact alone establishes the faith beyond this life to the next!

Sometimes we oversimplify the complex. If we look at the Revelations, there are many ideas concerning the seven churches, and how some of them might improve. There is much in the scriptures about ridding yourself of leaven. It is so easy to point a finger of accusal. Here are my thoughts on the matter. If we endeavor to successfully 'keep our noses clean' we might say we are living an unleavened life. Problem is, there is an invisible line between unleavened and leavened. Yeshua instructed His disciples to beware the leaven of the Pharisees. He was indicating that the scriptures they purported to follow were seasoned with a sprinkling of leaven (their ungodliness). The scripture was 'correct' but their use of it was not. Their actions and intents belied the truth they were supposed to share. Once we cross that invisible line by judging our fellows we are in great danger of moving from unleavened living and joining the masses in the unleavened camp. That is probably why we are cautioned in this way: "You that are spiritual, in humility, bring the wanderer back, taking care that you do not fall also into sin". The problem with leaven as described here is similar to deception - you are completely unaware of its tendrils.

After reading many of the postings here, I believe there is absolute danger when the Law is set against Grace. I believe no true interpretation of the scripture can be accurate when the Law of God and Grace are opposing systems in doctrine. If the later were the case, it would mean that God had taken opposing and contradictory attitudes towards men in these two different ages and would be contrary to the character of God who states “I am the Lord, I change not” in Malachi 3:6. Instead of opposing systems, I believe that law and grace, as revealed in the Scriptures, are parts of one harmonious and progressive Godly plan. Many Christian leaders and world governments have publicly repudiated God’s divine Law and made the great things of God’s Law a strange thing. In return, God has visited us with a wave of lawlessness in our nations, churches, homes, schools and social lives. Anything now goes in our lawless generation that is devoid of God’s divine structure. There is nothing to guide the lives and thoughts of the young, assist the middle aged in raising and supporting a godly family or to comfort the old in the spiritual preparation of leaving this world; except the Word which contains the Law of God throughout. Christ said in Luke 24:44: “And he said unto them, These are the words which I spake unto you, while I was yet with you, that all things must be fulfilled, which were written in the law of Moses, and in the prophets, and in the psalms, concerning me.” After reading these words of Christ in the verse above, the question to ask yourself is: Was there anything written by the prophets or in the psalms that Christ would do away with the law? The answer, of course, is a resounding NO! Christ states in Luke 16:17 “It is easier for heaven and earth to pass, than one tittle of the law to fail.” God also declared, "This is the covenant that I will make with them after those days, saith the Lord, I will put my laws into their hearts, and in their minds will I write them"; Heb 10:16. Christ said in Matt 5:7 :”I came not to destroy, but to fulfill”; which is not to dissolve the obligations of the law and to release us from them, but to substantiate the law and make good all that it required. But what about “nailing it to the cross” as is commonly taught and proclaimed by those who I believe take Paul’s words in Col 2:14 out of context to make their point against obedience? Actually, Paul is saying that the curse of sin and death, which is exposed by the law of God, is nailed to the cross by Christ’s sacrifice; along with the Old Testament sacrificial law, as Christ was now the sacrifice for our sins. Paul in Romans 8:2 states; “For the law of the Spirit of life has set you free in Christ Jesus from the law of sin and death.” Paul also stated in Rom 2:13; “For not the hearers of the law are just before God, but the doers of the law shall be justified.” This present dispensation is spoken of as the age of grace, not because grace belongs to it exclusively, but because in it grace has been fully manifested by the death and resurrection of Christ. When John declared that 'the law was given by Moses, but grace and truth came by Jesus Christ' in John 1:17; he was contrasting law and grace, not as two contrary and irreconcilable systems, but as two related parts of one Godly system. The law was the shadow, Christ was the substance. The law was the pattern, Christ was the reality. The grace which had been behind the law came to light through Jesus Christ so that it could be realized. It is a erroneous conclusion that supposes the Old and New Testaments are antagonistic with each other. The Old Testament is also full of Grace and the New Testament is also full of Law. As a matter of fact, if you thinks about it, grace had been in operation from the beginning. It began in Eden with the first promise of redemption immediately after the fall. All redemption is from God’s grace; there can be no salvation without it, and even the Law itself proceeds on the basis of grace. The Law was given to Israel not that they might be redeemed, but because they had been redeemed. The nation had been brought out of Egypt by the power of God under the blood of the slain lamb, itself the symbol and token of God's grace. The law was added at Sinai as the necessary standard of life for a ransomed people, a people who now belonged to the Lord. It began with a declaration of their redemption; 'I am the Lord thy God who brought thee out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage' in Ex. 20:2. It rested on the basis of grace, and it embodied the principle that redemption implied a conformity to God's moral order. In other words, the very grace that redeemed Israel carried with it the necessity of revealing the law to Israel. The law was given that they might walk righteously in the relation which they now stood to God their creator as God is holy. The covenant of the law did not supersede the covenant of promise, but set forth the kind of life which those who were redeemed by the covenant of promise were expected to live. The Law was not a covenant of works in the sense that Israel’s salvation depended upon obedience to it. The devout Israelite was saved by faith in the promise of God, which was now embodied in the tabernacle services. He looked forward through the sacrifices to a salvation which they foreshadowed, and by faith accepted it, as we look back to the Cross and by faith accept the salvation which has been accomplished. The Old Testament saints and the New Testament saints are both saved in the same way, and that is, by the grace of God through Jesus Christ alone. Of course the people could not keep the Law. It only brought sin to light and proved that righteousness could not come from their own efforts. It has been often said, and said truly, "The New is in the Old contained and the Old is by the New explained" The Bible and the law as a whole, are not merely for the children of Israel while only certain parts of it are just for the Gentile believers. The Bible is a written revelation from God for the whole congregation of believers, Jew and Gentile alike are one in Messiah! I think the easy believism teachings popular today lead people into dangerous conclusions about spiritual rest and enduring " But he that shall endure unto the end, the same shall be saved." Matt 24:13

I have trouble just typing that word. Is anyone else here afraid of eternity? It disturbs me. Forever. Infinity. Never able to make it stop. I had believed that hell meant that a person ceases to exist. Blackness. Eternal sleep. So I wanted to go to hell. Now I know that hell is a conscious place. So I need to stop rejecting God and believe on him. But if my number one phobia is eternal consciousness, yet God IS eternal, he was and is and is to come. He's eternity. Eternity wants to live in me, and me in him? I'm afraid of "forever" yet God is bigger than forever. I'm afraid of God. God is my phobia? I'm afraid of infinity. God's already lived an infinite amount of time? All his attributes are infinite. I want to know and love him but that's asking me to know and love what I'm most afraid of.

You know guys, I have been there and done all that. Been 'nominal', been 'semi-empowered', been so very low that I thought the earth might swallow me up. Repented, sinned, prayed over. Submerged in strife and sadness. Battled the many breakdowns, yet still managed to keep going. Today I got the divorce papers to notarize. So sad how 20 years of hard graft and working sometimes 16 hours a day; travel until you really do not know which day it is... Very, very difficult social environments and still managing to provide. Yet in the end analysis, declared an un-person. Rejected. Really sad. So I can see that for us this world is not our final resting place. We should expect little peace and no security. We are just travelers and sojourners. We wait with patience for the end of the race and while we do this we try to drag as many as we can out of the fire as we journey on. It is not our duty to judge but to be a soothing salve on the hurts of others. Sure, we can adroitly step aside when we see strife and evil, but we humans are all on the SAME SIDE. Please understand that everyone we would be tempted to look down on in condemnation is in OUR BOAT. "There but for the Grace of God go I." That thought should be forever uppermost in our hearts of thanksgiving.

It maybe just different personality types or the difference between most male and females when it comes to discussions.. This seems to happen a lot less when i am in a discussion with another man..

Eternal life does cause a lot of people fear.. Because they are looking at it from their current condition of being a limited flesh Human Being.. Part of the process we shall go through as we enter into eternity will be a transformation of both our bodies but also our spirit.. Thus we will be changed from our current state of being into an one suited to existing for Eternity.. So short answer.. No need to worry because you will be changed to be able to handle Eternity..

In my mind, it is His Glory. Yes, God is a God of love, but He is also an angry God, a jealous God, a God who reserves vengeance for Himself, a just God, and much more..... (just saying)

It is a bit of a conundrum. I recall a catholic at confession. He had gotten drunk and was confessing. The priest told him to say a few hail Mary's and put five pounds in the poor box. The guy said he only had a ten pound note - did the priest have change? The priest said no but - OK, I absolve you of two drunken episodes then - and put the tenner in the box. ---------------------- It is this apparent flippancy that the Muslims object to I think. Saul confessed that the things he did not want to do (sins) were at war in his body and the the things that he did want to do, he did not seem able to do. "Oh wretched man that I am, who will deliver me from this body of flesh..." We know we are sinners and are ever reminded of it. The fact that we are saved means that the condemnation is not there as Yeshua took that condemnation on His shoulders. We all fall far short of the Glory of God without Yeshua to be our Propitiation and Redeemer. Our deserved death is swallowed up in His Victory. So when God looks at us He sees on that Mercy Seat the Blood of the Lamb that was sufficient for all the sin of the world. Thus the veil is rent and we can now boldly approach the Throne of Grace thru our Advocate, the Lord Yeshua.

When do the kingdoms of this world become Christ's? Revelation 11:15 "And the seventh angel sounded; and there were great voices in heaven, saying, The kingdoms of this world are become the kingdoms of Our Lord, and of his Christ; and he shall reign for ever and ever." At the 7th and last trump!

(Worthy News) - Any health care facility providing abortions in Tennessee will no longer receive any government funding, thanks to a new state law. The amount of state-funded health care will not be cut, just transferred to health care organizations that do not kill the unborn, Live Action reports: “Tennessee Governor Bill Haslam signed a bill this week that will soon strip Planned Parenthood and other abortion facilities of state funding. The state will now request a federal waiver which allows them to bar TennCare, Tennessee’s Medicaid program, from giving money to any abortion facility.” “Instead of directing funding towards abortionists, TennCare money will now be given to legitimate health care providers.” [ Source: CNS News (Read More...) ] The post Tennessee Defunds Planned Parenthood, All Abortion Providers appeared first on Worthy Christian News. View the full article

I ran across a message by Ed Smith yesterday. It is one of the few sermons I'm going to go back and listen to again. He made some accurate observations about how Christians actually behave at times. This is one of them. He made an interesting distinction between "head belief" and "heart belief". (He used different terms for these. I decided to use these terms to avoid some confusion.) He pointed out that when we feel negative emotions (fear, hurt, anger, frustration, disappointment), it is often because our head belief and heart belief do not match up. One example he gave was this, how do we feel if we lose a job? We can read many Bible verses about God caring for us, loving us more than sparrows, providing our daily bread, meeting our needs through His riches in glory, etc, which is head belief. The real test of what we really believe in our hearts is whether we sleep easy at night or lay there worrying about things. To the extent we believe that yes God is willing and able to meet my needs, we'll rest easy and not worry; to the extent that we believe that God is either unwilling or unable to meet our needs, we'll worry and lose sleep. He also observed that many of our most negative emotions come from heart belief in lies. The remedy is for the Holy Spirit to make God's truth come alive to us in some way that we become convinced of the truth. (I'm now introducing my take on things and not repeating what he said.) Often, our approach is to memorize Bible verses, repeat things to ourselves, and in general try to use head belief to make up for heart belief. When we are worrying about a lost job, memorizing every verse about God's providence is for the most part feeding our head knowledge. The real issue is that our heart believes something false. That false heart belief might be something like "God is punishing me" or "I'll be lucky to ever find another job" or "God cannot really take care of me, I must take care of myself", or "My wife and family think I'm a loser now". There is frequently some core belief we hold (often without recognizing) that is the real source of our negative feelings. It is not until God shines His light onto that particular false belief that we are holding that we can resolve this. The very same situation (e.g. job loss) can produce strong negative feelings in people for different reasons. Another interesting example he gave is having negative reactions when someone asks us to do something we do not want to. Our choice often seems to boil down to "say no and feel bad" or to "say yes and feel mad". (Again, my take and elucidation on this now.) Having only negative feelings reveals something wrong inside of us. We may falsely believe "I need to do this for people to like me", "I need to do this to be a good Christian", "I cannot trust anyone else to do things right so I have to do it myself", or some such other things. Instead of making our choice based on a heart belief conviction of "this is an opportunity God has placed before me" or "this is a distraction away from the path God has for me" in which cases or yes and no will be accompanied by neutral or positive emotions, the presence of strong negative emotions indicates we've got some sort of mismatch between head belief and heart belief. Having only the options mad or bad as reactions indicates something is wrong inside of us. As he noted, this surge of negative emotion in response to a person or situation often reveals problems inside of us. For example, having only the options to feel bad or mad when asked to do something we do not want to is not the fault of the person asking us. It is revealing a problem within us. This is something I'd sort of been aware of for some time, but he explained it fairly clearly and succinctly. When someone makes us angry or frustrated, we should ask ourselves what is wrong inside of me that I am reacting that way. I'll be blunt and perhaps step on some toes now. A post or response to one of our posts can cause a strong reaction such as anger or hurt or frustration. Why? What is it that wrong heart belief inside of us that leads us to that reaction? Perhaps things like, "I cannot trust anyone else to save this site from error", "People will think less of me because of what someone said", "God wants to smite me if I believe the wrong thing", "God only conditionally loves me so I have to be careful", "God is not capable of helping me to change", "People suck", "All Christians have something to hide", "All <fill in the blank> have something to hide", "God really cannot change someone, I need to step in", "God likes me more than that person", "God cannot protect me or others from that person", or a multitude of reasons that we don't recognize or admit to ourselves. When what someone else says or does triggers a strong negative reaction, it usually signifies something is wrong inside us. When our internal reaction to "error" or an "attack" (as we see it) are feelings that are predominantly calm, gentle, patient, kind, and caring, we are in a position to positively help and contribute. When our internal reaction to "error" or an "attack" (as we see it) contains anger, frustration, or other negative feelings and causes us to want to immediately fire something off, it's probably indicative that there is something wrong inside of us. We are then not responding from a position of God's leading and ministry but rather a position of doing something to try to reduce our own negative feelings. Other people's posts and responses do not cause our negative feelings and reactions, they reveal what is inside us. Often, those things reveal false heart beliefs or problems inside of us that are negatively affecting us. Reactions? thoughts? confessions? (Some of the examples of false beliefs given above were in my life at one time. Some were things I've observed other people admit to at times.)

7 Bible Truths Disproving Islam: Discussion between a Christian and a Muslim 1. God is a Trinity of the Father, and the Son and the Holy Spirit. Jesus Christ is God the Son. 1) a) In Matthew 28:19,20 Jesus said “baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost”. He stated that there is only one true God (from ‘NAME’ being singular) and that there are THREE parts or persons in the one true God. This proves the Trinity and that Jesus is God the Son. You are a trinity of one human with 3 parts (body, soul, spirit) each being 100% human. God is a trinity. b) v.17 “When they saw him, they worshipped him:” Jesus accepted worship, showing that he is God. c) v.18 “All power is given unto me..” Jesus set aside all power (as God) for 33 years to become a man. 2) Isaiah 9:6 says of Jesus: “Unto us a child is born (Jesus became 100% human when born of Mary), unto us a son is given (Jesus as the eternal Son of God was given from heaven):his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The Mighty God, The everlasting Father (Father of eternity), The Prince of Peace.” Only God is the Mighty God. (See Is.10:21; Jer. 32:18; Psalm 50:1; Habakkuk 1:12). So Jesus is God. 3) Isaiah 44:6 “Thus saith the LORD (Yahweh the Father) the King of Israel, and his redeemer the LORD of hosts (Yahweh the Son).” Here 2 members of the trinity (Father and Son) are both called God. 4) In Isaiah 48:12,13,16 God the Son, who created heavens and earth (v.12,13), tells his other work of saving in v.16 “Come ye near unto me (Jesus), hear ye this; the Lord GOD (Yahweh the Father), and his Spirit (God the Holy Spirit), hath sent me (God the Son coming to earth to do His work of salvation).” 5) David in Psalm 110:1 says, “The LORD (God the Father) said to my Lord (God the Son, Jesus Christ), Sit thou at my right hand (33AD to the judgment), until I make thine enemies thy footstool.” 6) Jesus in John 5:23 orders “That all men should honour the Son, even as they honour the Father.” Do you honour Jesus Christ as God, just as you honour the Father as God? You must or you go to hell. 7) Jesus in John 8:24 said “if ye believe not that I am, ye shall die in your sins.” Jesus here said He is the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob who appeared to Moses at the burning bush in Exodus 3:13-15. When Moses asked God’s name, God replied that it was “I AM” and “this is my name forever.”v.14,15. 8) Jesus in John 8:58,59 said “Truly, truly, I say unto you, Before Abraham was, I AM. Then they took up stones to cast at him.” The Jews knew Jesus was claiming to be God. Jesus endorsed this conclusion. 9) After Jesus rose, in John 20:28 “Thomas answered & said unto him (Jesus), My Lord and my God.” 10) Micah 5:2 But thou, Bethlehem Ephratah, though thou be little among the thousands of Judah, yet out of thee shall he (Jesus) come forth unto me (God the Father) that is to be ruler in Israel; whose goings forth have been from of old (qedmah: eternal, everlasting 6924), from everlasting (olam: eternity 5769, same as in Habakkuk 1:12 of Yahweh). Since Jesus is eternal, this proves Him to be God the Son. 11) In Ezekiel 44:1,2 God the Father calls God the Son, the God of Israel who entered Jerusalem’s east gate in 33AD on his way to the cross. “Then he brought me back the way of the gate of the outward sanctuary which looks toward the east: and it was shut (as it is today). Then said the LORD (Jehovah the Father) unto me; this gate shall be shut, it shall not be opened, and no man shall enter in by it; because the LORD (Jehovah the Son), the God of Israel, has entered in by it, therefore it shall be shut.” 2. Jesus Christ is the eternal, uncreated Son of God (128 times in NT, 5 times in OT) means: 1) Not as Mohammad and the Quran (Q6:101) think: “How can He have children when he has no wife?” “Allah who has not begotten a son, and who has no partner.” (Q17:111). “Never has Allah begotten a son” (Q23:91). Both Christians and Muslims agree that God never had sex to produce Jesus. 2) English has only one word for son which means “a male derived from his parents by sex.” The Greek language of the New Testament has 2 words for son: teknon meaning “derived from by sex” which never refers to Jesus as “Son of God”, and huios meaning “the same nature as”, the correct word. 5 examples of “huios” are: “son of peace” means that you have the nature of peace (Luke 10:36), son of consolation (Acts 4:36), sons of disobedience (Eph 5:6), Christians are called children of light (John 12:36), Judas was called “son of perdition” (John 17:12). All these are the word “huios” (5207, not 5043). 3)Jesus Christ is the “only begotten (mono-genes) Son (huios) of God”(John 1:14,18; 3:16,18; I John 4:9). “Only begotten” is “monogenes” in Greek. This means that Jesus Christ has “one and the same (mono), genetic makeup (genes) as God.” He has always been 100% identical to God in all details of His nature. Since Jesus Christ was born as a man of Mary, He is now 100% man and 100% God. 4) Jesus called Himself the “Son of God” in John 5:25 “The hour is coming, when the dead shall hear the voice of the Son of God”; 9:35 “Dost thou believe on the Son of God? he worshipped him (Jesus)”; 10:36 “I said, I am the Son of God”; 11:4 “the Son of God might be glorified”; 3:18 “He that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God”. Daniel called Jesus the Son of God: “the form of the fourth is like the Son of God.” (Daniel 3:25). David said God has a Son: “Kiss the Son lest he be angry.” (Psalm 2:12). Solomon said God has a Son: “Who hath established the ends of the earth? (God). What is his name, and what is his son’s name, if thou canst tell?” (Proverbs 30:4,5). Gabriel called Jesus the Son of God: ‘He shall be great, and shall be called the Son of the Highest (v.32), that holy thing which shall be born of thee shall be called the Son of God.’ (Luke 1:26-35). 3. Jesus Christ died on the cross for our sins & rose from the dead. How do we know this? 1) Jesus stated 29 times in the gospels that He would die on the cross and rise again. Matthew 16:21 “From that time forth began Jesus to show unto his disciples, how that he must go unto Jerusalem, and suffer many things of the elders, and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and be raised again the third day.” (Mark 8:31; Luke 9:22). 2) Hundreds of eye-witnesses of His death include Mary his mother who would certainly know her son, Mary Magdalene (Mark 15:40), Chief Priests who mocked him on the cross (Mark 15:31,32), a great company of people (Luke 23:27,48), John, Nicodemus, Joseph of Arimathea, the Centurion, Simon. 3) Old Testament prophets David, Daniel, Isaiah, and Zechariah said Jesus would die by crucifixion. Daniel 9:25,26 “After 62 weeks (483 years of 360 days from 5 March 444BC) shall Messiah be cut off but not for himself: and the people (Romans) of the prince that shall come (antichrist) shall DESTROY the CITY (Jerusalem in 70 AD) and the SANCTUARY (Temple in 70 AD).” Zechariah 12:10 “They (the house of David) shall look upon me (Jehovah) whom they have pierced.” Zechariah 13:6 And one shall say unto him (Messiah at his second coming), what are these wounds in thine hands? Then he shall answer, Those with which I was wounded in the house of my friends. Psalm 22:16 They pierced my hands and my feet. They part my garments among them, (Psalm 22:18). Psalm 16:10 Neither wilt thou suffer thine Holy One to see corruption. (the rich in his death. Isaiah 53:8 He was cut off out of the land of the living. He made his grave with the wicked, and with John 1:29 John the Baptist introduced Jesus as “the lamb of God which takes away the sin of the world” 4) Blood and water flowed from Christ’s wounded side (John 19:34,35). This water flowed from the pericardium and the blood flowed from the heart. The pericardium is a closed sac encasing the heart. Mallory and Wright’s Pathological Technique states “The normal amount (of pericardial fluid) is about a teaspoonful (5 ml), but may be increased to 100 ml where the death agony is prolonged”. * Jesus’ death was necessary to satisfy the perfect justice of God, the law of God and the love of God. 5) 11 Proofs of Jesus Christ’s resurrection are: The empty tomb and the ordered graveclothes, when the disciples examined the tomb (John 20:5-8). Over 500 people saw Christ over 40 days, after His resurrection. Most were alive in 59AD. I Cor 15:6. The change from Saturday to Sunday as the main day of worship (I Corinthians 16:1,2; Acts 20:6) The New Testament was written with the theme of eternal life through Christ’s death and resurrection. The mental change in Jesus’ disciples from cowards to bold preachers after Christ’s resurrection. The Church’s existence can only be explained by the miracle of Christ’s resurrection. The silence from the Pharisees and Romans who could have ended Christianity by showing His body. People recognised Jesus after His resurrection, identifying Him by the nail prints in His hands. The risen Christ had flesh and bones. He invited the disciples to “Behold my hands and my feet, that it is I myself. Handle me and see; for a spirit has not flesh and bones as ye see me have”. (Luke 24:39,40). Jesus Christ ate food after His resurrection. “They gave him a piece of broiled fish, and of an honeycomb. And he took it, and did eat before them”. (Luke 24:42,43). Two angels in Christ’s tomb declared that He had risen from the dead as He said (Luke 24:4-8). Conclusion: Mohammed in one unsupported opinion, violates the evidence and asks us to believe that: “They did not kill him (Jesus), nor crucified him, but it appeared so to them (the resemblance of Jesus was put over another man, and they killed that man)....Allah took him up to himself.” (Q4:157,158). a) An opinion needs no evidence to support it. Mohammed’s opinion in Q4:157,158 gave no evidence, since he lived 600 years after Jesus and 600 miles away. He was not an eye witness of Jesus’ life, death or resurrection. He has no authority and no credibility on Jesus since he never knew Him. (So obvious!) The facts of Christ’s death and resurrection are supported by the evidence of many expert witnesses. b) Would God darken the sun for 3 hours as Matthew, Mark, Luke, Amos, Thallus (“On the whole world there pressed a most fearful darkness” 52AD), Phlegon (80AD) record, for an unnamed nobody? c) Would God deceive all the witnesses & all mankind? No! God is not a deceiver but Allah is (Q15:39). d) Would an unnamed nobody on the cross pray “Father forgive them for they know not what they do”? Would an unnamed nobody on the cross promise a dying thief “Today shall you be with me in paradise” Would an unnamed nobody on the cross ask John to take care of Mary, Jesus’ mother? (John 19:26,27). Islam asks us to reject the laws of evidence on Christ’s death, but uphold them on all else. (4 witnesses). e) Quran’s lie gives no details and no witnesses. The Bible gives many details and many witnesses. 4. The Bible is not corrupted. Why do Muslims ignore the prophets’ writings in the Bible? Faced with the vast evidence for Christ’s death, resurrection and deity from the Bible, secular and Christian sources Islam says that the Bible is corrupted. How do they know that? If some Muslims say the Bible is corrupted, then they must prove their claim or leave Islam. “Prove all things.” (I Thess. 5:21). Question 1: Who corrupted the Bible? What was his name? (No Muslim knows this). Name the source? Question 2: Which parts are corrupted? Which parts are true? Why hasn’t Islam made a correct Bible? Question 3: When was it corrupted? What year? Name the source? How do you know the source is true? Conclusion: From Muslim leaders inability to answer these questions and prove their sources, we conclude that their claim is false, a lie, and a cover up to deny the overwhelming evidence for Christ’s death and resurrection, and to keep their people in ignorance and bondage to a deceiving religion. “Who is a liar but he that denieth that Jesus is the Christ (100% God and 100% man)? He is antichrist, that denieth the Father and the Son.” (1John 2:22). Don’t follow a liar & an antichrist. M sins 47:19;48:2 Question 4: How do we know that the Bible today is the same as originally given, without corruption? Answer: Three first century writers quote from every New Testament book (except III John) on 364 random quotes that are the same as our Authorized Bible today. (Ante-Nicene Fathers, Vol.1, p.45- 131). a) Ignatius (30 -107AD) a disciple of John, would have quoted from the original NT manuscripts that John wrote. He quoted from 25 out of 27 NT books on 245 occasions giving the same readings as the KJV Bibles of today. This shows that the NT books were immediately seen as Scripture. “JC our God”68 “Our Lord saying, Go ye and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, & of the Son, & of the Holy Ghost.” V 1,85 b) Clement of Rome (30-100AD) was a companion of Paul and Luke. He was at Philippi with Paul in 57AD (“with Clement also” Philippian 4:3). He quotes from 15 out of 27 NT books 49 times (Vol.1,1-21). c) Polycarp (65-155AD) was a disciple of John. In writing to the Philippian church in 115AD, he quotes 19 out of 27 NT books as Scripture on 70 occasions, showing that the NT canon was accepted. “To him who is able to bring us all into His everlasting kingdom, through his only begotten Son Jesus Christ” V1,43 (Source: The Ante-Nicene Fathers. Translations of the Writings of the Fathers down to AD325, Eerdmans,Michigan) 5. Allah is a false god (moon god of Arabia) with a different nature to the true God of the Bible. “I am the LORD (Yahweh) thy God, …Thou shalt have no other gods (eg: Allah) before me.” (Exodus 20:2,3). Allah is a pagan idol: M’s pagan father (Abdullah, servant of Allah) was named after idol Allah, 1/360 idols in Kaba. 1) Allah commands murder of unbelievers. ‘Muslims should strike off the heads of unbelievers in the battlefield and massacre them’ 47:4. The devil was a murderer from the beginning. John 8:44. Satan deceives world. Rev 12:9 2) Allah is a liar. ‘Allah misleads whom he will’. (Q74:39). ‘The devil is a liar and the father of lies’. (John 8:44). 3) Allah is a deceiver/seducer. 'Allah is the best of plotters.' (3:54; 8:30; 13:42). 'God of truth' (Deuteronomy 32:4 4) Allah does not love unbelievers. (Q30:45; 5:88). ‘Jesus healed all that were oppressed of the devil’ Acts 10:38 God of the Bible loves unbelievers (‘For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son… John 3:16) 5) Allah hates Jews. ‘Idolaters, Jews are the worst enemies of Muslims’ (5:82; 98:6). God loves Jews (Rom.11:28) 6) Allah hates Christians. ‘True Muslims do not choose to be friends with Christians’. (Q5:57). The God of the Bible loves Christians (I John 4:8-11). 'He loved us.’ ‘Your adversary the devil.’ (I Peter 5:8). 7) Allah hates Jesus Christ being Son of God. ‘Allah can destroy the Messiah’ (5:17). 'Father loveth the Son.' (John 3:35; 5:20). ‘The dragon stood before the woman ... to devour her child as soon as it was born.’ (Rev. 12:4). 8) Allah enslaves/binds people. ‘the slave-girls whom Allah has given you as booty.’ (Q33:50). ‘To proclaim liberty to the captives.' (Luke 4:18).‘snare of the devil, who are taken captive by him.’ (II Timothy 2:26). 9) Some demons serve Allah. ‘Some of us (demons) are Muslims.’ (72:14). 'All the holy angels.' (Matthew 25:31). 10) Allah wants people to go to hell. (Q11:119) 'I will fill hell with jinn and mankind.' (Q7:179; 32:13). ‘God is not willing that any should perish.’ (II Peter 3:9). It’s a sin to worship the wrong God (Allah), as it is to worship idols. 6. The Quran is a false book. It is not from the true God of the Bible. The Quran so blatantly contradicts hundreds of Bible passages on the most essential doctrines that it cannot be from the same God. What statements in the Quran show it to be a false, lying book? 1) 18:86 ‘They ask you about Dhul-Qarnain (Alexander). Truly, he followed a road, until when he reached the setting place of the sun, he found it setting in a pool of black muddy water. He found a people nearby.’ Question: Do you believe the sun sets in a pool of black mud? No! In 600AD where the sun went each afternoon was a great mystery. Mohammed tried to solve this mystery in 18:86, but he guessed wrong. God would not make this mistake. This is proof that the Quran is not from God but of man. Reject it. 2) Historical Characters out of their time. Pharaoh never knew Haman, each living 1000 years apart. 28:38 ‘Pharaoh (1500 BC) said: Make me, Haman (510 BC), bricks of clay and build me a tower (2250 BC) that I may climb to the God of Moses.’ Here the Quran has Pharaoh (1500 BC) telling Haman (510 BC) to build the Tower of Babel (2250 BC) with clay bricks to reach to heaven. (40:36). 3) Did Noah’s son drown (11:42,43) or survive (21:76)? Noah’s 3 sons (Genesis 7:1,7,13; 10:2,6,22) lived. 11:42 ‘Noah cried out to his son, who stood apart “Embark with us, my child. Do not remain with the unbelievers!” He replied: “I shall seek refuge in a mountain, which will protect me from the flood”....the billows rolled between them, and Noah’s son was drowned.’ (Q 11:42,43). Q 21:76 “Noah cried to us. We answered him. We saved him and all his kinsfolk from the great calamity.” 4) The Bible does not teach that Mary is part of the Trinity. ‘Then Allah will say: “Jesus, son of Mary, did you ever say to mankind: ‘Worship me and my mother as two gods beside Allah’?” (Q5:116) 5) Solomon did not die in the 7 years building his temple (I Kings 6:38), but ruled 40 years (I Kings 11:42) 34:14 When we decreed Solomon’s death, they (Jinn building his temple) did not know that he was dead until they saw a worm eating away his staff. When his corpse fell down, the jinn realized… 6) The Quran does not confirm or fully explain previous scriptures. How does it confirm the Bible? 5:48 ‘The Quran confirms the Scriptures which came before it.’ See Q 2:41,91; 3:81; 12:111; 46:12. 10:38 ‘This Quran confirms what was revealed before it and fully explains the scriptures.’ Note: The Quran does not confirm the Bible, but contradicts it on almost every page and on every doctrine, such as Salvation by Christ not by works, Jesus is Son of God, died, rose, Trinity, God, heaven, war. 7) 17:104 “We said to the Israelites: Dwell in the land. When the promise of the hereafter (Day of Resurrection) comes to be fulfilled, We shall assemble you altogether.” This is a false prophecy since Israelites have already been gathered together in Israel before the Day of Resurrection, not after. 8) Quran is badly written: repetitive, no love, hates non Muslims, hell threats, incomplete, no creation or end of the earth, no chronology, no historical narrative, fear, makes war a divine law, no logical train of thought, different literary style to Bible, contradicts Bible prophets, endorsed by Jinn (demons) 72:6,13 7. Islam seeks to take the world by violence, terror, Jihad. 12 violent Quran quotes are: 4:89 If they desert you, seize them and put them to death wherever you find them. 8:12 Allah revealed his will to the angels saying: “I shall cast terror into the hearts of the infidels, strike off their heads, strike off the very tips of their fingers.. for they defied Allah and his apostle.” 47:4 -6 When you meet the unbelievers in the battlefield strike off their heads, and when you have laid them low, bind your captives firmly . . . thus shall you do. Had Allah willed, He could Himself have punished them; but He has ordained it thus that He might test you. Those who are slain in the cause of Allah ...He will admit them to Paradise. 2:216 Fighting is obligatory for you, much as you dislike it. 2:244 Fight for the cause of Allah. 8:39 Make war on them until idolatry shall cease and Allah’s religion shall reign supreme. 8:67 A prophet may not take captives until he has fought and triumphed (made slaughter) in the land. 9:29 Fight against such of those to whom the Scriptures were given as believe neither in Allah nor the last Day, who do not forbid what Allah & his apostle have forbidden, & do not embrace the true faith, until they pay tribute & are utterly subdued.33:51 You may put off any of your wives you please,& take to your bed any of them you please 98:4-6 The unbelievers among the People of the Book and all the pagans shall burn forever in the fire of hell. They are the vilest of all creatures (worst created beings). 32:13 I will surely fill Hell with jinn and humans all. 4:34 As for those (wives) from whom you fear disobedience, admonish them, and send them to their beds apart, & beat (scourge) them. 9:123 Believers, make war on the infidels who dwell around you. Deal harshly with them. Conclusion: Caliph Yazid (724AD) wrote: “Muhammad the Hashemite manipulated people by his claim that he was a prophet, without true inspiration or an inspired book”. (The Islamic Caliphate, p59). Don’t let him manipulate you. Q: Why does Quran get the prophets names right (Moses, David) but God’s name wrong? Yahweh is not Allah. Ex 20:2 Q: M not a prophet : changing verses (16:101), no fulfilled prophecies(7:203), friend of demons 72:1-6-14; Lev 19:31 M caliphs attacked Iraq, Persia, Syria, Jordan, Egypt, N Africa, Turkey, India, Spain, France in 144 battles (632-743)

Well, I don't know that an interpretation is 100% accurate, LoL. I just sense it is. I have plenty of experience with it now, though, and I am right a very high percentage of the time, even when the one having the dream initially tells me they don't think it's right. We find out a month later that it was. But I have "missed" a few times as well, so I just sort of wait on time to tell me if I was right or not. About only dreams that relate to Biblical things, I have only interpreted for Christians before, and the Lord uses the same sort of imagery and metaphors in dreams as He does in scripture. Well, discernment actually is a form of spiritual revelation... maybe you mean like clairvoyance or something. No, I never had the gift when I was an unbeliever. In fact, I used to have dreams all the time that I had utterly no idea what they meant. Now I'm able to interpret them, but it certainly wasn't something I was "born with" or anything. Maybe I don't fully understand your question here. Oh Heavens, no. I think I'd be spooked. I just sense it. Sometimes when a dream is tough I have to sit there and look at it for a second. After a bit the Lord starts making sense of things, piece by piece, until the whole thing fits. I actually want to teach it to people. But while it is a skill that can be refined in a sense, it is ultimately a gift you have to pray for and receive from God first, so praying for gifts is where it starts. Very good questions, btw.

Like as We sent down on the dividers, Those who made the Quran INTO SHREDS. So, by your Lord, We would most certainly question them all, As to what they did. S. 15:90-93 Shakir Here are some of the various ways that Q. 15:91 has been translated: (So also on such) as have made Qur'an into shreds (as they please). Y. Ali Those who break the Qur'an into parts. Pickthall who dismember the Qur'an. Palmer who have broken the Koran into fragments. Arberry Who splintered the Quran into diverse parts. Tarif Khalidi Those who divided the Qur’an into parts. Maulana Muhammad Ali Those who break the Quran into separate parts. Hamid S. Aziz Those who have broken the Qur’an into fragments (as they please). Ali Unal and also divided the Quran believing in some parts and rejecting others. Muhammad Sarwar and who have broken the Scripture into fragments—Wahiduddin Khan And severed their Scripture into fragments. Muhammad Ahmed-Samira It is thus clear from this verse that the words of the Quran were being changed. As the late Islamic Scholar Alphonse Mingana explained: “Finally, if we understand correctly the following verse of Suratul-Hijr (xv. 90-91): 'As we sent down upon (punished) the dividers (of the Scripture?) who broke up the Koran into parts,' we are tempted to state that even when the Prophet was alive, some changes were noticed in the recital of certain verses of his sacred book. There is nothing very surprising in this fact, since Muhammad could not read or write, and was at the mercy of friends for the writing of his revelations, or, more frequently, of some mercenary amanuenses.” (Mingana, "Three Ancient Korans", The Origins of the Koran – Classic Essays on Islam's Holy Book, edited by Ibn Warraq [Prometheus Books, Amherst NY, 1998], p. 84; bold emphasis ours) The evidence also shows that such corruptions to the text continued long after Muhammad’s death. For instance, Mingana records the Muslim reaction to Uthman b. Affan’s burning and wholesale destruction of primary, competing Quranic codices: “The book, drawn up by this method, continued to be authoritative and the standard text till 29-30 A.H. under the caliphate of 'Uthman. At this time the wonderful faithfulness of Arab memory was defective, and according to a general weakness of human nature, the Believers have been heard reciting the verses of the Koran in a different way. This fact was due specially, it is said, to the hundreds of dialects used in Arabia. Zaid was again asked to put an end to these variations which had begun to scandalize the votaries of the Prophet. That indefatigable compiler, assisted by three men from the tribe of Quraish, started to do what he had already done more than fifteen years before. The previous copies made from the first one written under Abu Bakr were all destroyed by special order of the caliph: the revelation sent down from heaven was one, and the book containing this revelation must be one. The critic remarks that the only guarantee of the authenticity of the Koran is the testimony of Zaid; and for this reason, a scholar who doubts whether a given word has been really used by Muhammad, or whether it has been only employed by Zaid on his own authority, or on the meagre testimony of some Arab reciters, does not transgress the strict laws of high criticism. If the memory of the followers of the Prophet has been found defective from the year 15 to 30 A.H. when Islam was proclaimed over all Arabia, why may it not have been defective from 612 to 632 C.E. when the Prophet was often obliged to defend his own life against terrible aggressors? And if the first recension of Zaid contained always the actual words of Muhammad, why was this compiler not content with re-establishing it in its entirety, and why was the want of a new recension felt by 'Uthman? How can it be that in the short space of fifteen years such wonderful variants could have crept into the few copies preceding the reign of the third caliph that he found himself bound to destroy all those he could find? If 'Uthman was certainly inspired only by religious purposes, why did his enemies call him ‘THE TEARER OF THE BOOKS’ and why did they fasten on him the following stigma: ‘He found the Korans many and left one; HE TORE UP THE BOOK’? …” (Ibid., p. 84-85; bold and capital emphasis ours) In another article, Mingana cites Muslim historian al-Tabari who wrote that: “… ‘Ali b. Abi Talib, and ‘Uthman b. Affan wrote the Revelation to the Prophet; but in their absence it was Ubai b. Ka'b and Zaid b. Thabit who wrote it.’ He informs us, too, that the people said to ‘Uthman: ‘The Koran was in MANY BOOKS, and thou discreditedst them all but one’; and after the Prophet's death, ‘People gave him as successor Abu Bakr, who in turn was succeeded by ‘Umar; and both of them acted according to the Book and the Sunnah of the Apostle of God - and praise be to God the Lord of the worlds; then people elected ‘Uthman b. ‘Affan WHO … TORE UP THE BOOK.’” (Ibid., The Transmission of the Koran, p. 102; bold and capital emphasis ours) In this same article Mingana references another ancient writer regarding the compilation of the Quran. The author whom he quotes was a Christian apologist named Abd al-Masih al-Kindi. Al-Kindi wrote an apology titled The Apology of Al-Kindi at the Court of al-Mamun circa A.D. 830, approximately forty years before al-Bukhari compiled his hadith collection. Al-Kindi mentions the Muslim reaction to the conflicting readings that existed amongst the different Quranic codices that circulated shortly after Muhammad’s death: … Then the people fell to variance in their reading; some read according to the version of 'Ali, which they follow to the present day; some read according to the collection of which we have made mention; one party read according to the text of ibn Mas'ud, and another according to that of Ubai ibn Ka'b. When 'Uthman came to power, and people everywhere differed in their reading, 'Ali sought grounds of accusation against him. One man would read verse one way, and another man another way; and there was change and interpolation, some copies having more and some less. When this was represented to 'Uthman, and the danger urged of division, strife, and apostasy, he thereupon caused to be collected together all the leaves and scraps that he could, together with the copy that was written out at the first. But they did not interfere with that which was in the hands of 'Ali, or of those who followed his reading. Ubai was dead by this time, as for Ibn Mas'ud, they demanded his exemplar, but he refused to give it up. Then they commanded Zaid ibn Thabit, and with him 'Abdallah ibn 'Abbas, to revise and correct the text, eliminating all that was corrupt; they were instructed, when they differed on any reading, word, or name, or to follow the dialect of the Quraish. When the recension was completed, four exemplars were written out in large text; one was sent to Mecca, and another to Medina; the third was dispatched to Syria, and is to this day at Malatya; the fourth was deposited in Kufa. People say that this last copy is still extant at Kufa, but this is not case, for it was lost in the insurrection of Mukhtar (A.H. 67). The copy of Mecca remained there till the city was stormed by Abu Sarayah (A.H. 200); he did not carry it away; but it is supposed to have been burned in the conflagration. The Medina exemplar was lost in the reign of terror, that is, in the days of Yazid b. Mu'awiah (A.H. 60-64). After what we have related above, 'Uthman called in all the former leaves and copies, and destroyed them, threatening those held any portion back; and so only some scattered remains, concealed here and there, survived. Ibn Mas'ud, however, retained his exemplar in his own hands, and it was inherited by his posterity, as it is this day; and likewise the collection of 'Ali has descended in his family. Then followed the business of Hajjaj b. Yusuf, who gathered together every single copy he could lay hold of, and caused to be omitted from the text a great many passages. Among these, they say, were verses revealed concerning the House of the Umayyah with names of certain persons, and concerning the House of 'Abbas also with names. Six copies of the text thus revised were distributed to Egypt, Syria, Medina, Mecca, Kufa, and Basra. After that he called in and destroyed all the preceding copies, even as 'Uthman had done before him. The enmity subsisting between 'Ali and Abu Bakr, 'Umar and 'Uthman is well known; how each of these entered in the text whatever favored his own claims, and left out what was otherwise. How, then, can we distinguish between the genuine and the counterfeit? And what about the losses caused by Hajjaj? The kind of faith that this tyrant held in other matters is well-known; how can we make an arbiter as to the Book of God a man who never ceased play into the hands of the Umayyads whenever he found opportunity? (Ibid., pp. 108-109; bold emphasis ours) Mingana proceeds to quote what al-Kindi had to say to the Muslim whom was debating: Then al-Kindi, addressing his Muslim friend, says: ‘All that I have said is drawn from your own authorities, and no single argument has been advanced but what is based on evidence accepted by yourselves; in proof thereof, we have the Kur'an itself, which is a confused heap, with neither system nor order.’ (Ibn Warraq, pp. 109-110; bold emphasis ours) Lest the Muslims try to brush aside such statements as the ravings of biased anti-Islamic polemicists, they need to keep in mind what al-Kindi wrote. These men weren’t basing their claims on their own opinions or speculations, but were actually deriving them from what the so-called authentic Islamic traditions taught concerning the text of the Quran. Even now one can find evidence from the Islamic sources themselves to prove that the Muslims did in fact tamper with the text of the Quran. For instance, al-Bukhari confirms that Muhammad failed to compile the Quran in one manuscript and that Muslims were accusing each other of corrupting their scripture: III: The Collection of the Qur'an 4702. It is related that Zayd ibn Thabit said, "After the slaughter of people in the Battle of Yamama, Abu Bakr sent for me. 'Umar was with him. Abu Bakr said, ''Umar came to me and said, "Many Qur'an reciters were killed in the Battle of Yamama, and I fear that heavy casualties will be inflicted on the Qur'an reciters in other places and therefore much of the Qur'an will be lost. I think that you should collect the Qur'an together."' Abu Bakr said, 'I said to 'Umar, "How can I do something which the Messenger of Allah did not do?" 'Umar said, "By Allah, it is better." 'Umar kept at me about it until Allah opened my breast to that. I think what 'Umar thinks about that.'" Zayd continued, "Abu Bakr said, 'You are an intelligent young man and we have no suspicion about you. You used to write down the revelation for the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace. Therefore you are to search out the Qur'an and collect it.' By Allah, if he had obliged me to move one of the mountains, that would not have been weightier for me than what he commanded to do of collecting the Qur'an. I said, 'How can you do something which the Messenger of Allah did not do?' Abu Bakr said, 'By Allah, it is better.' Abu Bakr continued to keep at me until Allah opened my breast to what Allah had opened the breasts of Abu Bakr and 'Umar. So I began to search out the Qur'an and collect it from the palm stalks, thin white stones, and the breasts of men until I found end of Surat at-Tawba with Khuzayma al-Ansari which I did not find with anyone else: 'A Messenger has come to you from among yourselves. Your suffering is distressful to him...' (9:128)" The copy of the Qur'an in which the Qur'an was collected remained in the possession of Abu Bakr until Allah took him, and then it was with 'Umar until Allah took him, and then it was with Hafsa bint 'Umar." 4703. Anas ibn Malik reported that Hudhayfa ibn al-Yaman came to 'Uthman while the people of Syria were conquering Armenia and Azerbaijan with the people of Iraq. Hudhayfa was ALARMED by the difference in their recitation. Hudhayfa said to 'Uthman, "Amir al-Mu'minin! Deliver this Community before they disagree about the Book as the Jews and Christians differed!" So 'Uthman sent a message to Hafsa, saying, "Send us the pages in your possession and we will copy them and then return them to you." So Hafsa sent them to 'Uthman. He ordered Zayd ibn Thabit, 'Abdullah ibn az-Zubayr, Sa'id ibn al-'As, and 'Abdu'r-Rahman ibn al-Harith ibn Hisham to transcribe copies. 'Uthman said to the group of the three Qurashis, "When you and Zayd ibn Thabit disagree about any of the Qur'an, write it in the dialect of Quraysh. It was revealed in their language." They did that. When they had copied it out, 'Uthman returned the pages to Hafsa and he sent a copy of what they had copied out to every region and commanded that every sheet or copy which had any other form of the Qur'an should be burned. (Aisha Bewley, The Sahih Collection of al-Bukhari, Chapter 69. Book of the Virtues of the Qur'an; capital and italic emphasis ours) Another Islamic source writes: "If it is asked what was the point of ‘Uthman unifying people under a single copy of the Qur’an when Abu Bakr had already achieved that, then the response is that the aim of ‘Uthman was not to gather people in order to compile the Qur’an. Do you not see that he sent to Hafsa to ask her to give him the copy of the Qur’an so that it could be copied out and then returned to her? ‘Uthman did that BECAUSE PEOPLE WERE DISAGREEING ABOUT THE VARIOUS RECITATIONS owing to the fact that the Companions had spread to different areas AND HAD BEGUN TO STRONGLY DISAGREE, such as the conflict that took place between the people of Iraq and the people of Syria according to Hudhayfa. "They joined an expedition to Armenia and each group recited what had been transmitted to them. They disagreed and quarrelled AND SOME OF THEM CALLED THE OTHERS UNBELIEVERS, RENOUNCING THEM COMPLETELY, CURSING ONE ANOTHER. Hudhayfa WAS ALARMED at what he saw. As soon as he arrived back to Medina, according al-Bukhari and at-Tirmidhi, before returning to his house he went to ‘Uthman and said, ‘This Community has reached the stage where it will be destroyed!’ ‘Why?’ asked ‘Uthman. He said, ‘It is about the Book of Allah. I was on this expedition and some of the people of Iraq, Syria and the Hijaz came together.’ Then he described what had happened and said, ‘I fear that they will differ about their Book as the Jews and Christians differed.’ "This is the evidence of the falseness of those who say that the seven ahruf are the seven present readings, because there is no disagreement about them. Suwayd ibn Ghafala reported from ‘Ali ibn Abi Talib that ‘Uthman said, ‘What do you think about the copies of the Qur’an? The people have disagreed about the reciters until a man says, "My reading is better than your reading. My reading is better is more excellent than your reading." This is equivalent to disbelief.’ He replied, ‘What is your view, Amr al-Mu’minin?’ He said, ‘I think that we people should agree on one reading. If you differ today, those after you will disagree more strongly.’ ‘Ali said, ‘The correct opinion is yours, Amr al-Mu’minin.’… ‘Uthman returned the pages to Hafsa and he sent a copy of what they had copied out to every region and commanded of what sheet or copy which had any form of the Qur’an should be burned. ‘Uthman did this after gathering the Muhajirin and Ansar and a group of Muslims and consulting them about it… "Ibn Shihab said that he was told by ‘Ubaydullah ibn ‘Abdullah that ‘Abdullah ibn Mas‘ud disliked Zayd ibn Thabit copying out the Qur’an and said, ‘Company of Muslims, withdraw from making copies and entrusting it to one man. By Allah, I became Muslim while he was in the loins of an unbelieving father!’ meaning Zayd ibn Thabit. That is why ‘Abdullah ibn Mas‘ud said, ‘People of Iraq, CONCEAL THE COPIES OF THE QUR’AN YOU HAVE AND CONCEAL THEM. Allah says, "Those who misappropriate will arrive on the Day of Rising with what they have misappropriated."’ (Tafsir al-Qurtubi: Classical Commentary of the Holy Qur’an, translated by Aisha Bewley [Dar Al-Taqwa Ltd. 2003], Volume I, Introduction: ‘Uthmani Codex, pp. 52-53; capital and underline emphasis ours) There are several interesting points to glean from the above citation. First, the variations of the Quran were so great that Muslims started attacking each other and accusing one another of disbelief. This refutes the notion that the differences were minor, or merely dialectal in nature. Second, Hudhayfa’s statement regarding the disagreement among Muslims concerning the Quran being similar to the disagreements that Jews and Christians had in respect to their Scriptures is rather interesting since one of the main differences between them centered on the exact number of Books that God had inspired. For instance, the Jews who reject(ed) Christ did/do not accept the Christian Scriptures, and certain Christians regarded some of the OT apocryphal writings which the Jews had rejected as sacred Scripture. Hence, Hudhayfa’s comparison suggests that the various competing and conflicting Qurans which different Muslim groups were using did not contain the same number of chapters and verses, e.g. some of the Qurans had more chapters and verses than others. No wonder Uthman decided to burn copies of the Quran which were written by Muhammad’s companions! He had to get rid of the evidence which conclusively proved that the memory of the Muslims miserably failed to fully preserve the original wording of the Quran. Finally, notice that ‘Uthman decided to get rid of six of the seven ahruf or modes of the Quran, even though the hadith claims that Allah revealed all of them to Muhammad! Narrated 'Umar bin Al-Khattab: I heard Hisham bin Hakim reciting Surat-al-Furqan during the lifetime of Allah's Apostle, I listened to his recitation and noticed that he was reciting in a way that Allah's Apostle had not taught me. I was about to jump over him while he was still in prayer, but I waited patiently and when he finished his prayer, I put my sheet round his neck (and pulled him) and said, "Who has taught you this Sura which I have heard you reciting?" Hisham said, "Allah's Apostle taught it to me." I said, "You are telling a lie, for he taught it to me in a way different from the way you have recited it!" Then I started leading (dragged) him to Allah's Apostle and said (to the Prophet), "I have heard this man reciting Surat-al-Furqan in a way that you have not taught me." The Prophet said: "(O 'Umar) release him! Recite, O Hisham." Hisham recited in the way I heard him reciting. Allah's Apostle said, "It was REVEALEDlike this." Then Allah's Apostle said, "Recite, O 'Umar!" I recited in the way he had taught me, whereupon he said, "It was REVEALED like this," and added, "The Quran has been REVEALED to be recited in seven different ways, so recite of it whichever is easy for you." (See Hadith No. 514, Vol. 6) (Sahih al-Bukhari, Volume 9, Book 93, Number 640) The obvious question to ask is, who gave ‘Uthman and the other Muslims who agreed with him the right to destroy these various modes which Allah (supposedly) revealed to his (alleged) prophet, seeing that none of them were inspired messengers whom Allah spoke with? In light of such textual tampering, it shouldn’t come as a surprise to find Ibn 'Umar making the following candid admission: `Abdullah b. `Umar reportedly said, 'Let none of you say, “I have got the whole of the Qur'an.” How does he know what all of it is? MUCH OF THE QUR'AN HAS GONE. Let him say instead, “I have got what has survived.”' (Jalal al Din `Abdul Rahman b. Abi Bakr al Suyuti, al-Itqan fi `ulum al-Qur'an, Halabi, Cairo, 1935/1354, Volume 2, p. 25) Now we have a contradiction! The evidence which we presented from both the Quran and the early Islamic literature demonstrated that there were specific individuals who were corrupting the text of the Muslim scripture. However, this contradicts the following verses which say that no one is able to corrupt the words of Allah: Say: "Shall I seek for judge other than God? - when He it is Who hath sent unto you the Book, explained in detail." They know full well, to whom We have given the Book, that it hath been sent down from thy Lord in truth. Never be then of those who doubt. The word of thy Lord doth find its fulfilment in truth and in justice: None can change His words: for He is the one who heareth and knoweth all. S. 6:114-115 And recite (and teach) what has been revealed to thee of the Book of thy Lord: none can change His Words, and none wilt thou find as a refuge other than Him. S. 18:27 If the words of Allah cannot be changed and yet, as the Quran itself admits, there were people that corrupted its text then this leaves us with the following options. Allah is a deceiver since he had no intention of ever protecting his words or of making sure that no one would corrupt the Quran’s text. Allah is impotent and incompetent since he wanted to preserve his words but couldn’t. Finite creatures were able to thwart Allah’s purpose in preserving the Quran since they managed to change the text. The Quran is not the word of Allah which is why he never bothered to preserve it exactly as Muhammad recited it, and didn’t waste his time preventing individuals from changing it. Now this is already bad enough, but if we add to this the Muslim claim that the Qur’an is eternal and did not merely come into being during Muhammad’s lifetime, then we have an additional problem. So far, the evidence for changes of the Quran contradicts the promise that nobody can change the words of Allah. Thus Allah was either unwilling or unable to uphold this promise. However, if the text of the Quran is eternal and existed (with Allah) before it was revealed to Muhammad, then not only was the promise that “no one can change His Words” (Q. 6:115; 18:27) contained in the eternal Quran and falsified by history, but also the passage Q. 15:90-93 speaking about “… the dividers, those who made the Quran into shreds…” was likewise already contained in it before Muhammad was born. Thus, Allah from eternity contradicted himself by claiming both – the corruption and the unchangeability of the Quran. So much for the Quran being a perfectly preserved and consistent revelation.

Thanks for the information. Since Muslims on Christian forums are always attacking the Bible as being corrupted, it is good to know that the Quran has been changed, re-worded, etc. I hope our Muslim members will be willing to read the above and think about it. Put aside what you have always been taught about our Bible, and consider Jesus. We all need the Savior...no one is holy or good enough to stand before God on the Last Day on his own merits.

Thank you for your explanation. A question though. How do you know that your interpretation is one hundred percent accurate and can you interpret every dream or only those relating to biblical things. Could it be discernment that the interpreter is using rather than spiritual revelation. Or better yet, how do you get the interpretation, is it by a messenger or such. This is interesting and I want to know how this is achieved.

Yes, I agree it is difficult to get through to alot of Muslims because of their indoctrinization. So true that it will usually only be the Lord drawing them and opening their eyes to the truth, and their need of the Savior.

This is my conclusion remarks to this thread. As I live in my redeemed state and roam this world, I am thankful that I can go about living knowing that my sins are forgiven and also a price was paid for it at the cross. The new life came with instructions on how to walk upright and go in the straight and narrow pathways. I see that I cannot avoid every temptation that comes hurtling at me, as I put up that shield that blocks the fiery darts. When my heart convicts me of things that is not in line with what is taught in the word, then I know the knees must bend to the one who forgives. What I pray earnestly for, is that my faith does not subside, but indeed is increased as I see it as the pinnacle of my salvation and without it , I would be totally lost. Be assured, a believer faith would be tested, and I can only speak of my walk, that it can be excruciating as Abraham called to give up his only son. Only a couple weeks ago, I thought I would be no more here on this earth and I praise God for his mercy. Without faith it is impossible to please God.

It is sad to see these old churches standing vacant........But it is joy to see old country churches restored and still saving souls. I was saved due to a revival in old country church and two of the churches my family went to 80-100 years ago are still in good shape and still preaching the word! The picture attached is the church my great grandparents went to many years ago.

Yes we should. Scripture prophesies that in the end-times, He is going to pour out His Spirit upon all flesh (i.e. believers of every age group), and that our sons and daughters will prophecy, and old men will dream dreams and young men will see visions. Some think this passage was fulfilled after Pentecost, but a few verses later (Joel 2:31) Joel goes into how the sun will be turned to darkness and the moon to blood before the great and fearful day of the Lord comes. This means the fullest fulfillment of this passage is still ahead of us, not behind us. It is my experience that believers are having dreams and visions a LOT these days, but the problem is there are not a lot of good interpreters yet. As for becoming a seer, I suppose they mean in the occult sense. But I've heard it taught that the seer is also a Biblical concept. It's a matter of who you are receiving the visions from.

Ok, this one only takes a second. - The piece of fruit is spiritual food from God - teaching coming directly from Him rather than man, and is therefore true spiritual food - accurate teaching from God, given by the Holy Spirit. It represents things He has shown you directly in His word through your own studies, not just repeated by someone else and assumed to be true. - His word is also "light," and that it comes from a great distance represents coming from God Himself. - That it was "crisp and sweet" represents being full of life and vitality. Scripture sometimes refers to "tasting" of the things of God, that they are good. - Descending back to earth represents descending to the carnal realm, where false teaching is being eaten. Specifically you come through a church top. This represents that many of the churches at your disposal at this time were serving "diseased" fruit, i.e. bad and unhealthy teaching that led to spiritual starvation (this leads into your dream of the starving man in your closet. That man was you, probably especially at that time you had the dream, unless it was pointing more towards the future). - That the people in the church ate the diseased fruit yet thought it was great is an accurate description of much of the church today. They are receiving teaching that has very little spiritual life in it, but they don't know any better and think it's great because they have not eaten food directly from God by which to compare it. That's the basic meaning, and again, I can share with you a major vision published several years ago where the Spirit is communicating the exact same thing. God is calling those who have ears to hear to eat teaching that comes directly from His hand, as opposed to that which is worldly and unhealthy.

Dream interpretation? Certainly it is. It runs throughout scripture, including in the New Testament several times.

I wonder why this guy was at her house in the first place.

Hey frienduff. Let us on this. Don't let a dream scare you man, you are not like that from all the post I have read of your. Plus I know someone who would be disappointed not to hear it. He is your good post mate on this forum. my favorite avatar now.

You can PM the message . Praise the Lord .

Hey Frienduff! I was just reading through this, and I know what your dreams represent. They run together, and have to do with where you should expect to receive proper spiritual nutrition from, and what spiritual starvation will do to you. Want me to explain more? I can do a full write up if you like.

Satan is not blinding christians . He blinds the world lest they believe in the gospel. If we are born again we are no longer blind. But must put the armour of God on

Brother, if any thing I have said has made you believe that defeating sin earns our salvation, forgive me, for that is not my point at all. My point is that the victory of which I speak is our birthright and Satan is blinding us to that fact. As to whether or not Christians apply Romans 6 to their lives, let me ask a question. We all get tempted at times, amen? Temptatation is not sin. Yielding to it is. So, what if, when Satan shoots one of his flaming arrows at us, tempting us with our Achilles heel sin, and we actually met him with our shield of faith up that the old us actually is dead and we are now new creatures and WILL take the way of escape God has clearly promised, would our lives not be radically different? What prevents us from doing so? Not one thing. I have no doubt people read Romans 6 and understand it with their heads, but the question is, is the truth God presents us with, that we are dead and our lives are hid with Christ in God, met with a heart of faith? Do we believe it to be true in general, theoretically, or, have we set our face like a flint to not let go of this truth, for it is how we will find real victory. Have we made it OUR truth, right now, today? For when we do, it is a game changer. What causes us not to truly believe such a wondrous thing? In my case, part of my problem was that I still had some confidence in my goodness, my resolve, my strength. I had not come to the end, where I truly wanted to walk in victory but realized that I simply had NO ability to do so. It is when we come to the place that we ONLY believe that the last tumbler in the lock opens and we actually find we can believe that Christ must do EVERYTHING for us. Justification is by faith..... and so is our sanctification. Blessings, Gideon

You ask a hard question. I am not sure my answer is going to satisfy you. But.... here goes. My visittion eleven years ago was beyond supernatural. It was no vision. He did not speak to my mind. He appeared n front of me, and He spoke to me audibly. I did not see anything but intense, blinding golden light. I was on my face sobbing. And what He showed me has transformed me totally and continues to do so till this very day. I was an angry, hardened, frustrated legalist who hated myself because of my addiction to sin. Especially porn and masturbation. I was the poster boy for Romans 7 and of all men, the most wretched one I have ever known. You see, in all my failure, I refused to lower the standard that we are all called to depart from all iniquity and to walk holy before the Lord. But in doing so, it made guilt and condemnation hang over me constantly. If I read 10 chapters from God’s Word before bed, well if I really was serious, I should have read twenty. If I spent time working in my yard, it was prettying up my little kingdom and so I felt guilt for that. Watching tv? Guilty. Hobbies? Wasting God’s time He had given me. I lacked love, compasssion, patience and was anything but gentle. I could tell the truth, but speaking the truth in love? Forget it! In summary, I was a man most miserable. I saw clearly that what we called church offered no relief,and was far from what God wanted for us, but I had no practical answers for them, and certainly not for my own dilemma. What I did not realize that the road I was on had a purpose. It was to wear me out, and to break me of all confidence in my flesh. (That took 38 years, lol.) It was to get me to the point where I really did hate my old nature, but as to answers for getting freed from self, I was flat out of any. I had tried everything I could try, includibg a 21 day water only fast. I simply got skinnier.... and prouder, and then of course guilt for being proud. When God spoke to me that amazing night, and shared with me what I seem to be so poorly able to explain to you, I jumped at it. I reckoned myself dead to sin and alive to Him. I was a new man and confessed it as not just truth, but as MY truth. And glory to God, it worked. I am not lying when I share this. For two years straight, I was never once conscious of sinning, by thought or deed. Not once. I never gave into sin, and my heart soared in places I had not even know existed. Finally, I slipped and for two months felt I had committed blasphemy of the Spirit. Why did I fall? Because after that long, I was beginning to think sin was not even a possibility any longer. I was wrong. It is a walk of faith, a daily putting on the whole armor of God. I frantically strained to get back what I had walked in. Nothing. Finally I saw. What had I done the first time? Nothing. I simply believed I did not examine whether or not I was ‘serious’ about my walk. I didn’t let how I ‘felt’ influence me. I simply believed that what Jesus did for me was true. My sin changed nothing. The old me died when He died and when Christ rose from the dead, I rose too as a new creature. And the promised land of rest opened up to me once again. Total victory. For eleven years I have now walked this amazing walk. There have been a few slips along the way. Fighting our good fight of faith is a battle Satan cannot afford to lose. The goal is for us to become established in the faith, immovable, so yes, it is possible to let our guard down. Plus, I have had no one to guide me through the potential pitfalls except the Holy Spirit. Up until recently, few jave understood what I was trying to share Heck, they still don’t! LOL, so loneliness has been a point where Satan will attack. But as I look back, I had to come to understand what others will be facing when they too reckon themselves dead to sin and alive to God. And what is the result of eleven years of walking on the highway of holiness as a new creature? I have been transformed and even I cannot deny it. I pray this does not come across as pride, for in truth, this walk is the death nell to pride and self confidence. God has sicceeded in transforming an angry man into a gentle man, a man lacking compassion into one who hurts when others hurt. Whereas once I was my own worst enemy, I actually like who I see in the mirror. Self control, once I believed to be a necessity to defeating sin, is now in abundance because it too is a fruit of the Spirit. You see, we do not need self control to walk in the spirit, we need to walk in the spirit to get self control. Glory to God! Have I arrived? Ha! My wife would say no! The Highway of holiness is a journey, a walk of abiding in God, and just as He promised, as I abide, I find thankfully that I do not fulfill the lusts of the flesh and each day, I am consciously of Him changing me, pointing things out that I agree I want changed. Sooo..... onto your question. Am I a prophet? First, let me say this. God has never told me so. I want that to be perfectly clear. He has told me to speak what He shows me, and I have, and I will continuet to do so. Truthfully, , I get really nervous when someone calls themselves a prophet. Or worse yet, calls themselves an apostle. The truth is, and I mean this honestly, I do not know he answer to that question and I do not care. All I know is that God has made me a messenger to share a message, one that I believe Wil be a small part of triggering what I have shared, an awakening of both wheat and tares. The tares will choose to deny the message, the wheat will be awakened by the truth of who they really are and joyfully join me in lighting their lamps. I have never been told any dates, but know what is coming, fairly soon, and it is not pretty. We will have to actually act like family to make it. Our whole concept of ‘church’ is about to undergo a complete overhaul .God is going to bring us back to where we are truly content with food and clothing, and seeking to bless and serve others rather than ourselves. And in an imcreasibfly dark world, we will walk gloriously, and truly in victory. He has shown this to me as clearly as the sun will shine tomorrow. Amazing days are ahead! I know that is probably not what you wanted to hear from me. But if by a prophet, your definition is someone who receives a message from the Lord for the blessing of all, and shares it with any who will give ear, then so be it. I can accept that. I pray for all who read my posts, that you stop and just consider what it means if what I am sharing is indeed the truth. It means your Christian walk will soon become glorious, the liberty will be so greatl I know my words can often come across as hard, speaking in huge sweeping generalizations, but I pray you sense that they are shared in love, because I so want you all to discover the victory God has for each one of you. That is my hope and will continue to be as long as God has me to share here. I am now 68, with a wonderful wife Terry, who is 65. Together, we have 6 children, 11 grandchildren and 5 great grandchildren. The Lord has seen fit to bless us by having us adopt Jack, our 8 year old grandson, and Gaven, our 21 month old great grandchild. Last year, my wife, a life long non-smoker, was diagnosed with stage 4 cancer in both lungs and one kidney. But God has kept us in victory throughout, and has proved to me again and again that He means what He says that we will be kept regardless of the strength of the enemy. Her last PET scan? No cancer, glory to God. I received my call to ministry in 1986, 32 years ago, But it was only recently, three months ago, that He told me my time had come to step out and begin. And so I am in the process of writing a book, a field manual of sorts of getting into the promised land, and how to battle successfully in it. So I covet your prayers, for I have no real clue what I am doing. You guys are all in my prayers, and even if right now you do not agree with me,or believe that what I have received and share ad nausea is from God, I pray for you and covet your prayers as well. Many blessings to all, Gideon .

spouting such yet found lacking in the Scriptures Jesus The Christ has pre-eminence in all things. 1 Cor 11:3; Eph 1:22; Col 1:18.

Hello biblebunny, I've been reading your situation but you know what? Uncomfortable feelings actually indicate you’re on the right path. Really a comfort zone is a beautiful place, but nothing ever grows there. And I can see the pain in your words. I remember a time years ago when I was married and I had this loving christian Aunt that told me no, this guy wasn't for me but I was young and I thought if it didnt work out, the divorce would take care of it. (Boy, was i wrong) It would of saved me all the heartache and lifes issues and with having a child as well, and working, etc., had I listen to my Aunt and not married. Looking back, God had His hand in it, growing me through the pain and at the same time i learned alot about having a husband, seeing life thru both sets of eyes. Even though we weren't seeing the same dreams and hopes in life. I thought how did I not see this coming? A life lesson. I had alot to learn. I truly believe it was part of my path in life. The often-quoted phrase about when you are comfortable with life, you have ceased to grow as an individual. Therefore, experiencing uncomfortable feelings is actually a sign that you are going through a period of change, and in your case a heartbreak on top of it all. I think you already know from mentioning earlier in your post...that God was revealing this guys true nature. An eye-opener. Count this as a blessing in disguise. I'm sure with all of the betrayals you felt, was just tip of the iceberg of what might lay ahead that you had to encounter, such dishonesty and disrespect. You are the only person who can be held accountable for the life you choose to lead. If you want to turn your dreams into a reality, it is you who will have to take control and make it happen. The fear only grows when you reach the inevitable conclusion that you have no choice but to enact change if you are to quell the discontent that is brewing in your heart. Enjoy the ability to be with yourself. Get creative. Take classes and pick up a hobby that enriches your soul. Another person is not going to cure you from loneliness. It might even exaggerate those emotions. You have to learn to entertain yourself and enjoy the childlike moments that are fragments of your wholeness. Hope this helps some. God Bless you, and praying for you. God is there with you, always. desi

Yeah. I noticed a few of our Muslim members posting lately. I generally avoid debate with them because while they enjoy discussion and often have a genuine curiosity about things, they have often undergone so much indoctrination that it can be very difficult getting through to them. That's why in most cases the situation calls for the Lord reaching out to them Himself. So I generally just urge Muslims to pray to Jesus Himself to reveal to them who He truly is, and whether what Christianity says about Him is true or not. If they sincerely want to know, He will reveal it to them.

Jesus was speaking to His disciples and He said they knew the Comforter, which leaves Muhammad out since he came about 5-600 years later. And Jesus said the Comforter would indwell His disciples, which leaves Muhammad out since he was a man and as a man cannot indwell anyone. Muslim polemics and apologists are guilty of deliberately misleading Muslims.

Jhn 14:16 And I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter, that he may abide with you for ever; Jhn 14:17 Even the Spirit of truth; whom the world cannot receive, because it seeth him not, neither knoweth him: but ye know him; for he dwelleth with you, and shall be in you. Jhn 14:18 I will not leave you comfortless: I will come to you. Mohammad hasn't lived for ever much less with us, nor is he the Spirit of Truth. Mohammad can't be in us. Your muslim friends are relying on us being gullible and not knowing God's word.

I was born Muslim but never bothered believing in Islam or the claims of Islam since its own history betrays it.

The number of books depends on wheather to include the apocrypha or not, it never effects the actual theology of Christianity or the basic meaning of the Bible.

For over 30 years as a Christian, I took this verse along with Gen 6:5 and 8:21 as being proof that the heart was not to be trusted and never thought about it anymore than that. Perhaps 7 or 8 years ago, I ran a word study on "heart" throughout the Bible and was shocked at what I found. There are several hundred times the word heart is used. Here are a few that surprised me when I first seriously read them. 10 For wisdom will enter your heart, and knowledge will be pleasant to your soul. Prov 2:10 NIV Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; Prov 3:5 NIV Above all else, guard your heart, for everything you do flows from it. Prov 4:23 NIV My shield is God Most High, who saves the upright in heart. Ps 7:10 NIV The one whose walk is blameless, who does what is righteous, who speaks the truth from their heart; Ps 15:2 NIV I will praise the Lord, who counsels me; even at night my heart instructs me. Ps 16:7 NIV Though you probe my heart, though you examine me at night and test me, you will find that I have planned no evil; my mouth has not transgressed. PS 17:3 NIV Who may ascend the mountain of the Lord? Who may stand in his holy place? 4 The one who has clean hands and a pure heart, who does not trust in an idol or swear by a false god. Ps 24:3-4 NIV A good man brings good things out of the good stored up in his heart, and an evil man brings evil things out of the evil stored up in his heart. For the mouth speaks what the heart is full of. Luke 6:45 NIV But the seed on good soil stands for those with a noble and good heart, who hear the word, retain it, and by persevering produce a crop. Luke 8:15 NIV Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God. Matthew 5:8 28 One of the teachers of the law came and heard them debating. Noticing that Jesus had given them a good answer, he asked him, “Of all the commandments, which is the most important?” 29 “The most important one,” answered Jesus, “is this: ‘Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. 30 Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.’ 31 The second is this: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no commandment greater than these.” 32 “Well said, teacher,” the man replied. “You are right in saying that God is one and there is no other but him. 33 To love him with all your heart, with all your understanding and with all your strength, and to love your neighbor as yourself is more important than all burnt offerings and sacrifices.” 34 When Jesus saw that he had answered wisely, he said to him, “You are not far from the kingdom of God.” And from then on no one dared ask him any more questions. Mark 12:28-34 8 But what does it say? “The word is near you; it is in your mouth and in your heart,”[d] that is, the message concerning faith that we proclaim: 9 If you declare with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. 10 For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you profess your faith and are saved. Romans 10:8-10 NIV After reading through various lexicons and other references, I found that scripturally, heart often refers to our inner life, our thoughts, feelings, will, and volition. Our western mindset of the mind being good and rational and the heart being wild uncontrolled sin and emotion is not the same as scriptural usage. The word heart seems to be most often used to describe what a person is like inside. As in Luke 6:45, a good man brings good things out of the good stored up in his heart, and an evil man brings evil things out of the evil stored up in his heart. For the mouth speaks what the heart is full of. My understanding is that in the same way that scripture speaks of those who are righteous and those who are unrighteous, the inner life (or heart) of people can be righteous or unrighteous. As I see it, there are many verses in scripture describing the hearts of both the righteous and unrighteous. With regards to forming a definitive doctrine about the heart, I think that several dozen if not a few hundred verses need to be considered and compared. I spent literally decades of my life treating verses such as Jer 17:9, Gen 6:5, and Gen 8:21 as the definitive descriptions of Christians rather than as descriptions of the unsaved and unrighteous. As a Christian, I was rational (which appealed to the academic and scientist in me), always suppressing anything that might possibly be sin or the flesh, and basically trying to be a Mr. Spock from Star Trek to rationally understand, believe, and be accurate in all matters of truth and to make every decision in accordance with truth. Over the past decade, God has been freeing me from that bondage. I wasn't suppressing sin and the flesh in my life. I was suppressing who God intended me to be. I spent decades of my Christian life being more ashamed of who God made me to be than of confessing sins. Those times that the person God created tried to come out, that I pushed it back down because no good thing could be in me. Those times in my life where ministry seemed to naturally flow and I felt alive, I'd quickly panic that I was getting into the flesh and shut myself down. God finally released me. He stuck me in front of a mirror, showed me who He made me to be, and I left behind that caricature of a "good" Christian who was nothing more than a generic collection of gifts, talents, and time spent doing the right activities with the proper measure of control and reserve. Over the past decade, I've seen more sins, addictions, compulsive behaviors, and more unhealthy spiritual and emotional behaviors drop from my life than I had in the previous 3 decades. I've seen my ministering go from difficult labor to a natural outflow. I've found that Christian living is enjoyable and natural. I've found walking with God to be an adventure through the wilderness, not a dangerous minefield where I'm tasked with dragging heavy burdens according to a divine to-do list and schedule. I used to walk the Christian life like painting by numbers and painstakingly worrying about crossing each line rather than being an artist learning how to actually create works of art. I've seen God touch more people through me just being me in the past few years than in decades of carefully prepared lessons and teachings. Life is now about just walking with God and seeing the cool stuff He does. It is about living life as the unique individual God created me to be with my entire heart and being reflecting His glory in the way He created me to.

Seems like a wise precaution to avoid any possibility of an awkward moment happening..

If she us now married, and she goes on a date, is she now cheating with herself?

Some churches have done away with alter calls and degenerated into clubs--social organizations. The one I used to go to decided to lead people to the Lord in small groups instead, but it didn't happen. So people drifted from that church to the one I now attend and were truly saved, making a commitment, and then discipled; they become dynamic Christians.

Paul never taught Jesus + some church brings salvation. Paul never taught Jesus + certain sacraments brings salvation. Paul never taught Jesus plus legalism brings salvation. Paul never taught Jesus + time in purgatory brings salvation. Paul never taught circumcision brings salvation. Paul taught only Jesus + nothing else brings salvation. We cannot do anything, or add anything to all Jesus, the Father and the Holy Spirit did to save mankind. All we need do is believe in Him and in Him who sent Him.

I already knew. And thank you for the question mark as it triggered Holy Spirit.