Leaderboard

OVERVIEW OF THE OLD TESTAMENT Throughout the history recorded in the Old Testament and through the poetic and prophetic sections we see that there is one great purpose moving through the ages, the eternal design of the Almighty God focused on His Son. In the first five books, the Pentateuch, written by Moses we read not only of the wonderful creation and of its marring, but of God`s great plan to bring restoration. Thus we see that God has planned that a man from Adam`s race, and who is also His Son, will be the sacrifice prepared. We are also shown the necessity of a High priest to come before a holy God, and one that has the ability to lead the people and speak for God, a prophet. Then in the History books of Israel entering into the Promised Land and dwelling there, we read that the Lord reveals Himself as the captain of the Lord`s army, and later in His majesty as King upon His throne. These awesome visions signify His great dominion, His authority and power. In the collection of poetry and wisdom we gain a greater appreciation of the Lord as Redeemer, Mediator and Saviour. The writers tell of the experiences of the heart and practical advice in everyday life. There is also many wonderful hymns that exalt the Lord`s attributes, His names, His word and His goodness. No wonder this section is the most popular. Finally the prophetic section reveals not only God`s purpose for Israel at the time written but also gives a greater view of the Gentile and Israeli future events. These will culminate in God`s final purpose of all coming together, in harmony, in the New Heavens and New Earth. Thus God has unveiled in the Old Testament the great problem of sin in the universe, and the overcoming of that through His beloved Son. The writers by the Holy Spirit reveal in symbolic language, types and shadows the great masterpiece of God, His Son who not only is to be the salvation of the world but also its great ruler, through His people Israel. Yet there is one amazing part of God`s plan not revealed to the ancient writers. And this is what the New Testament is all about - the final capstone in God`s design of the ages.

OVERVIEW OF THE BIBLE God`s word contains 66 books, written by 40 authors, under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit. It is God`s plan and purpose through Christ for mankind. The Old Testament was written mostly in Hebrew (a few short passages in Aramaic). Then about a hundred years before the Christian era the entire Old Testament was translated into Greek, being the predominant language of that time. The New Testament was written in the Greek language and our English Bible is a translation from the original languages. The authors were kings and princes, poets and philosophers, prophets and statesmen. Some were learned in all the arts of the times and others were unschooled fishermen. Other books are soon out of date but the Bible spans the centuries. God starts with the creation of the world and the heavens, revealing mankind, his perfect, yet vulnerable state before the fall. Then we read of the effect of sin and its consequences, revealing a fallen angel, Satan, who is against God. God then sets in place His means of restoration, His Son to be the way to deal with sin. God continually works with mankind till sin reaches its climax, then comes judgment by flood. From then on we see God working with a family, (Noah) and later tribes and nations, (Egypt, Assyria). God raises up His nation to rule the world righteously. However even amid rebellion throughout the centuries God never casts away His people, Israel. Their purpose to rule the world under God, is put on hold when they reject their Messiah. The death, resurrection and ascension of the Lord Jesus Christ is central to God`s word. We see that God had planned His Son to be the way back to relationship with the Father. Then we read of a new group, the Body of Christ that is made up of Jews and Gentiles. These believers have the very character of Christ within and will eventually rule and reign with Him in the third heaven. Operating from the third heaven, we read of the Lord Jesus Christ putting down all rebellious rule and authority. First He deals with the world system, its armies and leaders. Then we see Satan and his fallen angels put into the pit. Israel under the Lord, then rules the world for a thousand years. Satan is finally loosed and when he gathers the world`s armies against Israel, they are dealt with by fire from heaven. Finally there is the Great White Throne Judgment, and the creating of a New Heavens and New Earth. Every realm is ruled by the Lord under His rulership - the Body of Christ is the third heaven, the Old Testament saints in the New Jerusalem which comes down out of heaven near the earth, and then on the earth, Israel ruling the nations. As God says - `His good pleasure that He purposed in Himself, that in the fullness of the times, He might gather together in one, (harmony) all things in Christ, both which are in heaven and which are on earth - in Him.` (Eph. 1: 9 & 10)

The pope said something else in the article that is in scriptural error. He said we are all children of God. Really? Then is the bible in error when it says: John 1:12 But as many as received Him, He gave to them authority to become the children of God, to those who believe on His name, 13 who were born, not of bloods, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but were born of God.

Would Jesus lie and say its ok kid your dad didnt look to me for salvation but who cares about that, he is in heaven cause people think he is a good guy? That denies scripture. Jesus would have used that as a teaching moment. To show that He alone is the way. You say no one knows how things work out when we die, and yet the bible is clear. Belief in Jesus saves. Denying Christ and relying on works does not save.

May I offer a thought on the balance between technical study and spiritual revelation? These two sides are not at odds. They go together like a hand in a glove. The more soberly we study God's word in detail, the more alive it should become to us. Likewise, the more personal and vivid our walk with the Lord is, the more we should delight in cracking open His word. Yes, there are some people who study technicalities just to be a smart-alec. To the other extreme, there are also some people who play fast-and-loose with Bible study because they think details don't matter. One extreme is as bad as the other. For each and every one of us, a vivid personal walk with the Lord should result in Scriptural accuracy.

The pope is a liar pure and simple.. I am glad my Rock is the Word of God and not the word of that deceiver..

The pope's defenders here use all-or-nothing logic. They say the pope had to choose between "happy in heaven" or "burning in hell" and there was no in between. This is a false dichotomy. Unbelievers tell children every day that some dead relative isn't in heaven. Many atheists out there hold to their convictions stronger than many Christians, and they hold to atheist teaching even during funerals. We've offered many answers the pope could have given, and his defenders keep ignoring them. They are not here to defend his sensitivity; they are here to defend the false answer. It's one thing to say you can't judge, you don't know, or you're hoping for the best. It is quite another to say an atheist is in heaven because he was a good man. Because he was a good man. Let that sink in. Not because Jesus may have spared him. Not because he may have encountered God. Because raising a good child was enough to make him a good man, and that's the qualification for heaven. Let's remember, this is the same pope who interviewed with an atheist reporter last month and basically said the same thing. How many times does this have to happen before people get it through their heads that it's what the pope really thinks?? People say the child will one day grow up to know better. If he grows up Catholic, he'll grow up being told how the pope is in charge and the pope knows best, and he'll remember that personal word from the pope for his whole life. And what, you really think he will turn 18 or so and then make the painful, agonizing choice to say the pope lied and his father might not have made it? That's a pretty big stretch. Once this becomes more mainstream "Christian" teaching, good luck telling any unbeliever they need Jesus to make it to heaven. Why should they believe you when the pope says otherwise?

The pope is a Jesuit. They make up their own rules. If it advances the cause of the papacy they will convince anyone of anything.

This was part of a series of character studies that I recently posted online. My interest in Rahab started long ago, as I heard the stories, but rarely ever read the story for myself. If you follow my posts, then you would know that I have gone through some dark times. I suspect that the sentence, "train up a child in the way that they should go" played a role in this freedom and understanding that I now have, for I knew that I needed to plant my heart and mind firmly in God's word. Sadly, when I started doing that, I found myself bored and confused; it was difficult to focus, and I kept hearing this voice in my head, saying, I have read this before. Anguished by this lack of motivation I talked bluntly and plainly to God about the situation, and I asked Him to make Himself real to me. I don't remember when my attitude changed, but it was shortly after that prayer. Soon after, I found myself seeing these Bible characters as real, with flesh and blood. Things quickly changed and I could see them struggle just you and I do. Rahab was one of those characters. It has been several years since I last looked at Rahab, but my interest resurfaced recently as our men's group watched and listened to Francis Chan teach on the book of James, a book that references Rahab and her faith. Look at what James had to say about the dear lady. James 2:25 In the same way, was not Rahab the harlot also justified by works when she received the messengers and sent them out by another way? As typical with men, there is the subtle laughter as they try to adjust their thinking to accept the fact God would use someone like a whore. I cannot remember the question asked, but I immediately began talking about this amazing woman and what she did. I then asked, how would I know any of those things, because I read through the Bible; that, and I have studied these characters multiple times as they are integrated into our lives as believers, at every turn. This story of Rahab, like most everything else in scripture, has a background, and for us, that background comes primarily from the camp of Israel. So let's quickly look at that. Moses has died, and the leadership role is now being passed to Joshua. The entire first chapter of Joshua is essentially a directive to be strong, but there is an astounding statement that seems to make them invincible. Joshua 1:3 CJB I am giving you every place you will step on with the sole of your foot, as I said to Moshe (Moses). The connotation is, in battle. Consider how they, through the ten spies, step on the land of Canaan. Did they completely take the land God spoke of? No, and yet, in the long run, God's word is still valid, for the ground has been given to Israel. (Still today, there is bitter disagreement and fighting over this.) Chapter one ends with a uniform agreement on the part of Israel's fighting forces. Joshua 1:17-18 NASB "Just as we obeyed Moses in all things, so we will obey you; only may the LORD your God be with you as He was with Moses. 18) "Anyone who rebels against your command and does not obey your words in all that you command him, shall be put to death; only be strong and courageous." I am not sure how to perceive this. Would the fighting men kill anyone that resisted one of Joshua's directives? The next plan we see is this, Joshua 1:10-11 NASB Then Joshua commanded the officers of the people, saying, 11) "Pass through the midst of the camp and command the people, saying, 'Prepare provisions for yourselves, for within three days you are to cross this Jordan, to go in to possess the land which the LORD your God is giving you, to possess it.'" I always assumed that Jericho was one of the first cities Israel conquered, however, when you look at a map which indicates the traditional path that Israel took into the promise land. The chart shows them traversing north along the Eastern side of the Jordan and then crossing above the Sea of Galilee and then dropping down south on the Western side of the Jordan, into Jericho. As a visual learner, I now have the placement of Jericho square in my thinking, and it is the next stop. Joshua 2:1 NASB Then Joshua the son of Nun sent two men as spies secretly from Shittim, saying, "Go, view the land, especially Jericho." So they went and came into the house of a harlot whose name was Rahab and lodged there. This ugly tale is where we first meet Rahab. Without a doubt, our introduction leaves something to be desired, as she is a harlot. What are the problems with this introduction? We immediately start assigning personality traits, personal habits, and a lack of intelligence and integrity; all of which are things we cannot discern as yet. Let's start dissecting this. “then Joshua the son of Nun sent two men as spies secretly from Shittim, saying, "Go, view the land, especially Jericho.” Jericho was not the only thing on their list. The more they moved through the land, the greater their chances of being seen. The idea that Jericho was the top of Joshua's list was evident. Secretly is the Hebrew word cheresh, and can also mean silently. Webster's dictionary tells us that secretly is defined as: Privately; privily; not openly; without the knowledge of others. “So they went and came into the house of a harlot whose name was Rahab,” You are a stranger, in a strange land, and, you may not speak or read the same language, yet, you come into the house of a harlot. Think about that for a moment. I brought this up before the men that morning. A short time later, one of the men pushed his electronic pad at me. On it, was an etching found in stone, in front of a building that had been dug out of the ashes of Pompeii. It was overtly sexual and easily identifiable. It required no additional explanation, and the implications could easily mean a house of whoredoms. Working from the premise that we have no other information to build this story on, there is NOTHING in scripture that defines how the spies would have known this. If we lack documented, historical information, then all we have is conjecture, and sadly, inference opens the door to Rahab pandering these new men in town. Taking this debauchery one step further; what is there that explains why the two spies were going into her house? I want to believe that they were above self-indulgence, but it cannot be ruled out. You should be thinking along the same lines as I am, about now. While finding a friendly voice in a strange place might be considered a Godsend, the spies still need to investigate, and this would allow them to move about freely for a short time. Quickly, they explained the grave nature of their business and how quickly they could kill her. But then, they are trying to gain an ally and temporary safety. “and lodged there.” Lodge is Hebrew word shâkab and means to lie down (for rest, sexual connection, decease or any other purpose.) The intent is not to pass on more twisted thinking, but to make a point. We have sterilized God's word to the point that we cannot see that these were people, with frailties, just as we all have. If you follow the scriptural text, you will not see judgment coming from God about their actions. However far this went is none of our business, but in our quick judgments and condemnations, we dispatch people, like Judas Iscariot, to hell, while condoning the actions of these men. After all, it was war. Joshua 2:2 MKJV And the king of Jericho was told about it, saying, Behold, men from the sons of Israel came in here tonight, to search out the country. Apparently, someone had seen them and knew where they came from. What was even worse, is that the Israelis had been seen going into Rahab's house on the wall. Joshua 2:3 MKJV And the king of Jericho sent to Rahab, saying, Bring out the men that have come to you, those who have entered into your house. For they have come to search out all the country. The king has sent messengers, probably armed guards, willing to kill. The demand is to bring out the men that come to you. Okay, here is where things get a little confused. Joshua 2:4 CJB However, the woman, after taking the two men and hiding them, replied, "Yes, the men did come to me; but I didn't know where they had come from. Think about what just happened. Messengers, capable of killing you, demand that you bring out the men that came into the home. You want me to believe that the guards just stood outside and waited for her to return? But what if she was aware that this entourage was coming, would she hide them before they started knocking? So, she, knowing that they want these men, hides them and lies about where they are. Her statement, “ Yes, the men did come to me; but I didn't know where they had come from.” To some degree this statement was right It wasn't long before they revealed their mission to her. Consider how she with minimal information, made a life-changing decision to believe the Israeli spies. She continues the deception. Joshua 2:5 CJB “The men left around the time when they shut the gate, when it was dark. Where they went I don't know; but if you chase after them quickly, you will overtake them.” The Israelis were still in the house. Joshua 2:6 CJB Actually she had brought them up to the roof and hidden them under some stalks of flax she had spread out there. Does it make sense that they would merely take her word, No, or why else would she hide them under the flax? Joshua 2:7 CJB The men pursued them all the way to the fords at the Yarden; as soon as the pursuit party had left, the gate was shut. Not finding them, the king's messengers go in pursuit. Joshua 2:8 CJB The two men had not yet lain down when she returned to the roof. As we wandered through the book section at our local warehouse store, I looked at a devotional journal that focused on women of the Bible. Rahab was listed, as she should be, but the author's version of the story was what we come to expect when tradition rules our thinking; as it conflicted with what the Bible says. How easy it is to twist a story. Joshua 2:9-11 NASB and said to the men, "I know that the LORD has given you the land, and that the terror of you has fallen on us, and that all the inhabitants of the land have melted away before you. 10) "For we have heard how the LORD dried up the water of the Red Sea before you when you came out of Egypt, and what you did to the two kings of the Amorites who were beyond the Jordan, to Sihon and Og, whom you utterly destroyed. 11) "When we heard it, our hearts melted and no courage remained in any man any longer because of you; for the LORD your God, He is God in heaven above and on earth beneath. Without this information, we could never adequately understand what transpired that made her heart turn toward the God of Israel. What did she tell us? I know that the LORD has given you the land. This statement is a verbal demonstration of her acceptance. That the terror of you has fallen on us, and that all the inhabitants of the land have melted away before you. We see terminology like this all throughout the Bible. And yet, when you read the biblical stories, you come to find that in reality it means quite a few. The number is significant enough to be on the alert for spies. For we have heard how the LORD dried up the water of the Red Sea before you when you came out of Egypt. Consider how many, choose to dispute or deny, the Red Sea crossing. Here is this woman, whom many would disregard, spelling out a common understanding and belief about Israel's passage through the Red Sea, on dry land. What you did to the two kings of the Amorites who were beyond the Jordan, Sihon, and Og, whom you utterly destroyed. And lastly, the most impactful statement of all of them. When we heard it, our hearts melted and no courage remained in any man any longer because of you; for the LORD your God, He is God in heaven above and on earth beneath. When it comes to making a confession of who God is in your life, this would be it. Having written recently about Jonah, one of the things we learn of, is that Jonah was a sign. Can you see that God's guidance and actions have been signs? Many of you are aware of Rahab already. You may also be mindful that she becomes an integral aspect of the lineage of Jesus, our King. In spite of ugly titles or your bad reputation, the God who knows the beginning from the end will find a way to draw you into the kingdom. You could not convince me that this woman did not have a changed heart; a change we like to call salvation. Soon, the action will get more intense as Israel, following God's directions, marches around the wall. This amazing woman will continue to play a miraculous role.

Friend, if she is close to "our God," then she shouldn't be committing adultery with you. When I first read your post and you mentioned going to confession, I wondered if you had ever truly been born again as Jesus teaches us in John 3. Please think about what is more important.... your relationship with Christ and your soul, or this woman who is leading you astray.

I liked the Popes comments, if true. God can decide anything. Who are we to question God? God bless our Pope.

I would have told him the truth....that none can say for sure who is in Heaven except God Himself.

Jesus Christs own words regarding adulterers and seeking after signs. Matthew 5:28, But I say unto you, That whosoever looketh on a woman to lust after her hath committed adultery with her already in his heart. Matthew 12:39, But he answered and said unto them, An evil and adulterous generation seeketh after a sign; and there shall no sign be given to it, but the sign of the prophet Jonas: Matthew 16:4, A wicked and adulterous generation seeketh after a sign; and there shall no sign be given unto it, but the sign of the prophet Jonas. And he left them, and departed. MY advice is get out of that situation and repent immediately before your called before God and stand in judgment. There's no Heaven for those who live in or commit adultery. Lev 20:10, And the man that committeth adultery with another man's wife, even he that committeth adultery with his neighbour's wife, the adulterer and the adulteress shall surely be put to death.

Hello. Im a lot lost and need to talk with someone please.

For about 30 years of my life I was a Christian that had relationship with Christ, that was turbulent at best. Knew that I knew Him, and also knew that He knew me. Could never overcome my desire(s) for sin. I could do “ok” for a month sometimes even more. But I’d find myself always choosing to sin once again. It got to the point where I screamed and screamed, but it never did any good. I would once more choose to sin. It finally got the the point where I told God, in not to friendly words “that He was unfair, for He put put me in a no win situation, I had come to see that if I was to continue to live, I would continue to choose to sin. No, if, ands or buts. I was evil at heart I would willing choose sin if given a choice. I screamed at Him that as long as I lived I would sin! I told Him I knew I was wrong/evil but “I” was the problem, “me” would choose sin. I told Him that since I could not stop myself from choosing sin, the only way for me to stop, was for me to kill myself. I told Him that I’d rather be punished for 40 years of sinning than 50, so my death had to happened. I told Him, I knew it was wrong, but it’s the only thing I could do to stop myself from sinning. So I took a gun and started practicing putting it up to my head. Crying the whole time. Telling Him how mean and unfair He was, because He put me in this position. Called Him all sorts of names. Was so angry at Him. I couldn’t even talk nicely to Him. Being so firmly convinced that only my death would end my sinning. So I cried some more and screamed some more. In the space of about three days God made me to understand that which I had wished for, my “death” was exactly what my salvation in Christ consisted of. He made me to “see” that when He died, He took “me” all of me, with Him to death. Which meant, that I had what I wanted “my death”. I “saw” that it was a accomplish fact. This put such a smile on my face and a joy so deep in my heart I couldn’t believe the joy and peace, and knew it to be true. That when “Christ died I died” and I was free from “me”. For I was my worst enemy, I was the one who would choose to sin. But “I” had died, so it was just a matter of reckoning it so. Have I been sinless since than? Sad to say no. I found myself deliberately choosing to “not” reckon myself dead on a few occasions. Lost all my peace and joy, but I knew how to get it back. It most definitely was a dark and long road back, but I “knew” that if I just continued to reckon myself dead the darkness would lift and the joy of God would return. It made me so miserable that to “not” reckon myself dead, became a scary and deadfull thing. Still need to fight the fight of faith, to continue to reckon myself dead, but as long as I do. Victory over the “old man” is a certainty. Just thought I share how the Lord has worked in my life. Hopefully it will encourage someone to know there is hope for victory over sin. In my life it was when I was willing to die rather than sin, when God opened up this truth to me. When I was willing to give up the life of this world rather than sin. Oh the blessing and fellowship with Christ has been a ongoing pleasure. Bring conformed to His image is the only thing of any importantance now. Or as it’s says in scripture; “nothing profits but the new creation” much love in Christ, Not me

YHWH does not need a wife in order to have a son. He brought about the miracle of the conception of Jesus by His power. Why does your Allah need a wife in order to have a son; doesn't your Allah just say "be" and it is? In my opinion, the fuss over the word "begotten" (monogenes) proves that the one true God (YHWH) had nothing to do with the production of the Qur'an. Christians do not believe God had sex with Mary and Jesus was the result, as the Qur'an implies; YHWH, who is all-knowing, would never have made that mistake.

Maybe you should try to listen to God instead of your church... because this 'IS' Jesus/God talking directly to you: John 14:21 21 He that hath my commandments, and keepeth them, he it is that loveth me: and he that loveth me shall be loved of my Father, and I will love him, and will manifest myself to him. KJV because what your claiming as love for God... God doesn't see as love!

Yes, it DOES affect theology considering the books teach anti Christian beliefs.

Very interesting, but I just have one or two queries. I've never heard this idea before - Numbers 22,25 make it clear that Israel's camp in Shittim was "opposite Jericho". There would have been no difficulty crossing the Jordan north of Lake Galilee, and no need for a miracle. The 'traditional' site of the crossing (and the only one that makes sense) is in the south, close to Jericho, where the river is wide and deep. Sorry, but I thought this etching indicates the opposite - that a brothel sign is identifiable in any language. And if part of their mission was to assess the morale of the Canaanites, surely a brothel is a good place to go, like the local pub? You're going to meet a lot of people there who are likely to be relaxed, even drunk, and talkative. (This doesn't rule out that they sampled the entertainment on offer, of course)

As Israel celebrates Yom Ha'atzmaut – Independence day – Israelis are often reminded of the price that was paid for freedom. But today, in that spirit, I want to recall a time when a heavy price was paid for a translation of our Bible. The post Don't forget the Price that was Paid! appeared first on Worthy Christian Devotional - Daily Devotions. Read the entire devotional.

Is that what your personal relationship with Christ is telling you I’m saying? If so, once again I’m at a loss for words concerning you. So, I will wish you God’s love in your life and leave you to the care of God. Much love in Christ, Not me

Jesus said to the apostles i have many things to say to you but you cannot bear it. You have to be wise and tender how you treat children. This post is not about interfaith. Why change the topic again ?

I have never heard it called “absolute fall-on-your-face-in-tears-of-joy” but it is a very apt description. Blessing to you my brother in Christ. Much love in Christ, Not me

Greetings Your closest friendnt, I appreciate your interest and invitation. What I would like to present is what I would teach our children as a framework or basis to consider other aspects of this subject. This was my experience up to say the age of 19, when I then needed to consider additional concepts such as the meaning of Yahweh and Elohim and the subject of God manifestation and also compare other ideas, such as the strange teaching in a few local Churches, called the Trinity. Our Sunday School teaches at three levels, Junior, Intermediate and Senior, and subdivide the lessons into five years in each category, staring with Genesis and ending with the Apostles. This makes 15 years, and is suitable to cover all this from the age of 4 to 19. We are introduced to the one God as creator in Genesis 1-2, the promise concerning the seed of the woman who would overcome sin and its effects in Genesis 3:15. We learn of Abraham and his call to the land that he and his seed would receive for ever, and see in the offering of Isaac a pattern of greater things to come, in the offering up of God’s Son, in his crucifixion, death and resurrection. The Angel of Yahweh appeared to Moses, and revealed the Name of God as Yahweh, “He who will be or become”, and this Name was revealed to indicate that God would be active in delivering Israel out of Egypt. We read of the promises to David concerning his seed who would also be the Son of God. Coming to the NT, we read of the conception and birth of Jesus the Son of God in fulfilment of this promise to David in the following terms: Luke 1:30–35 (KJV): 30 And the angel said unto her, Fear not, Mary: for thou hast found favour with God. 31 And, behold, thou shalt conceive in thy womb, and bring forth a son, and shalt call his name JESUS. 32 He shall be great, and shall be called the Son of the Highest: and the Lord God shall give unto him the throne of his father David: 33 And he shall reign over the house of Jacob for ever; and of his kingdom there shall be no end. 34 Then said Mary unto the angel, How shall this be, seeing I know not a man? 35 And the angel answered and said unto her, The Holy Spirit shall come upon thee, and the power of the Highest shall overshadow thee: therefore also that holy thing which shall be born of thee shall be called the Son of God. As a result Jesus was born as a human, a man child, a descendant of Adam through Mary his mother, and yet was the Son of God because God was his father in the conception / birth process. God is the Father, first because he is the father of Jesus the Son of God, in his conception and birth, and then also the Son of God in his character and in his resurrection. Luke then records that Jesus grew in wisdom and understanding: Luke 2:40,52 (KJV): 40 And the child grew, and waxed strong in spirit, filled with wisdom: and the grace of God was upon him. 52 And Jesus increased in wisdom and stature, and in favour with God and man. At the time of his ministry, John records that they beheld the moral glory revealed in Jesus, the only begotten of the Father: John 1:14 (KJV): And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth. When Paul wrote his Letter to the Romans, he states that the Gospel is centred in the fact that Jesus is the son of David and Son of God by birth, and declared to be the Son of God by his moral character, and because he has now been raised from the dead, and he is now seated at the right hand of the One God, His Father Psalm 110:1: Romans 1:1–5 (KJV): 1 Paul, a servant of Jesus Christ, called to be an apostle, separated unto the gospel of God, 2 (Which he had promised afore by his prophets in the holy scriptures,) 3 Concerning his Son Jesus Christ our Lord, which was made of the seed of David according to the flesh; 4 And declared to be the Son of God with power, according to the spirit of holiness, by the resurrection from the dead: 5 By whom we have received grace and apostleship, for obedience to the faith among all nations, for his name: Kind regards Trevor

The popedom is evil. That said, if asked I would not under any circumstance hurt that child with a; of course your dad isn't, he is awaiting the White Throne Judgement and will be cast into the Lake Of Fire. Come on people, no one is that cruel to a kid. It would be worse than telling a kid easter egg hunts are a sinful spring fertility rite of pagans, so your mommy that has you dressed up as a rabbit chasing after eggs is at best a wiccan. No, one just says; why that is a pretty color purple on that egg isn't it? A royal color how nice.... Not all truths are beneficial all the time. A little compassion may be better than a truth declared without compassion and love. The pope's evil will become known to the child at a more appropriate time if the Holy Spirit is still in charge and makes the specific call to each unsaved person that is to be saved. Seems to me God is still sovereign, and that the Holy Spirit still reveals the truth of the word of God calling each unsaved person to their own individual repentance and to Jesus as Lord and to their salvation. even the pope cannot prevent that call. The truth is not going to save the father, nor is it going to enhance the child's receiving the call by the Holy Spirit. Better to let the child who is not of age of accountability be comforted, and let him grow without extra pain in his young body spirit and soul. A crushing is not what he needs. More likely he has need of compassionate comfort for his spirit so that he may still grow to maturity, the age of accountability, and to then be better able to handle the idea that in reality only a remanent are saved, and then by the grace and mercy of God alone. In the meantime teach the love of God and demonstrate it, do not be the self appointed avenger, the mean spirited professing Christian, making children feel awful. May God have mercy on even the pope for his act of kindness to a child.

Yea its going to really help that boy by telling him his father is in burning hell. Yes it would make understand . I think not. That hard for a adult to bear. My father not saved. I feel super bad. But God is good. I trust him. But that boy is too young.

I had actually requested the thread be closed. After 23 pages, everyone had had their chance to speak as they believed, and several times, we got so far off topic, I had to re-read my own OP, LOL. As to the battle you mentioned, it seems for many that the hard part is finally being convinced of two things. 1) Walking righteously is important for every single saint and is God’s will for us. 2) When we try, which we should, we find that we fail. Fail enough, and we finally come to the place where we see we need new natures in order to do it and walk in victory over the world, the flesh, and the devil. As children of God, we all have been given new natures as our birthright. But possessing them, and declared positionally holy and putting them on so that we can be changed by the Lord to become truly holy are two totally different things. We have to learn that before we can put the new one on, we have to put the old nature off, and there is the battle. Self cannot, or most times, will not, crucify itself. That is why we can make resolutions, try harder, get accountability partners, and make all sorts of efforts to force us to resist evil and sin. But the lesson that needs to be learned is that we will not ever stop being fleshly if we believe our old nature simply needs to be improved. No, it needs to die, and that happens by our reckoning it dead, not by killing it by our vain tryings. I should know. I tried fro 38 years. LOL. Getting out of the wilderness of unbelief and self effort happens only when we have come to the point of having NO confidence in our fleshly efforts, and we know God must make us victorious Himself. And praise God, when we finally come to Him broken and hungry, as wretched men, like Paul did in Romans 7, we find the actually crossing over into the land of promise, ceasing from our own works is quite easy. What a relief when we finally see it, amen? Blessings, Gideon

I may have to correct my statement it may not be directly from Catholic's but then again maybe so, in any case the use is well ingrained in Catholic practices. Although the Latin term oratio dominica is of early date, the phrase "Lord's Prayer" does not seem to have been generally familiar in England before the Reformation. During the Middle Ages the "Our Father" was always said in Latin, even by the uneducated. Hence it was then most commonly known as the Pater noster. The name "Lord's prayer" attaches to it not because Jesus Christ used the prayer Himself (for to ask forgiveness of sin would have implied the acknowledgment of guilt) but because He taught it to His disciples. Many points of interest are suggested by the history and employment of the Our Father. With regard to the English text now in use among Catholics, we may note that this is derived not from the Rheims Testament but from a version imposed upon England in the reign of Henry VIII, and employed in the 1549 and 1552 editions of the "Book of Common Prayer". From this our present Catholic text differs only in two very slight particulars: "Which art" has been modernized into "who art", and "in earth" into "on earth". The version itself, which accords pretty closely with the translation in Tyndale's New Testament, no doubt owed its general acceptance to an ordinance of 1541 according to which "his Grace perceiving now the great diversity of the translations (of the Pater noster etc.) hath willed them all to be taken up, and instead of them hath caused an uniform translation of the said Pater noster, Ave, Creed, etc. to be set forth, willing all his loving subjects to learn and use the same and straitly commanding all parsons, vicars and curates to read and teach the same to their parishioners". As a result the version in question became universally familiar to the nation, and though the Rheims Testament, in 1581, and King James's translators, in 1611, provided somewhat different renderings of Matthew 6:9-13, the older form was retained for their prayers both by Protestants and Catholicsalike. As for the prayer itself the version in St. Luke 11:2-4, given by Christ in answer to the request of His disciples, differs in some minor details from the form which St. Matthew (6:9-15) introduces in the middle of the Sermon on the Mount, but there is clearly no reason why these two occasions should be regarded as identical. It would be almost inevitable that if Christ had taught this prayerto His disciples He should have repeated it more than once. It seems probable, from the form in which the Our Father appears in the "Didache", that the version in St. Matthew was that which the Church adopted from the beginning for liturgical purposes. Again, no great importance can be attached to the resemblances which have been traced between the petitions of the Lord's prayer and those found in prayers of Jewish origin which were current about the time of Christ. There is certainly no reason for treating the Christian formula as a plagiarism, for in the first place the resemblances are but partial and, secondly we have no satisfactory evidence that the Jewish prayers were really anterior in date. Upon the interpretation of the Lord's Prayer, much has been written, despite the fact that it is so plainly simple, natural, and spontaneous, and as such preeminently adapted for popular use. In the quasi-official "Catechismus ad parochos", drawn up in 1564 in accordance with the decrees of the Council of Trent, an elaborate commentary upon the Lord's Prayer is provided which forms the basis of the analysis of the Our Father found in all Catholic catechisms. Many points worthy of notice are there emphasized, as, for example, the fact that the words "On earth as it is in Heaven" should be understood to qualify not only the petition "Thy will be done", but also the two preceding, "hallowed be Thy name" and "Thy Kingdom come". The meaning of this last petition is also very fully dealt with. The most conspicuous difficulty in the original text of the Our Father concerns the interpretation of the words artos epiousios which in accordance with the Vulgate in St. Luke we translate "our daily bread", St. Jerome, by a strange inconsistency, changed the pre-existing word quotidianum into supersubstantialem in St. Matthew but left quotidianum in St. Luke. The opinion of modern scholars upon the point is sufficiently indicated by the fact that the Revised Version still prints "daily" in the text, but suggests in the margin "our bread for the coming day", while the American Committee wished to add "our needful bread". Lastly may be noted the generally received opinion that the rendering of the last clause should be "deliver us from the evil one", a change which justifies the use of "but" in stead of "and" and practically converts the two last clauses into one and the same petition. The doxology "for Thine is the Kingdom", etc., which appears in the Greek textus receptus and has been adopted in the later editions of the "Book of Common Prayer", is undoubtedly an interpolation. In the liturgy of the Church the Our Father holds a very conspicuous place. Some commentators have erroneously supposed, from a passage in the writings of St. Gregory the Great (Ep., ix, 12), that he believed that the bread and wine of the Eucharist were consecrated in Apostolic times by the recitation of the Our Father alone. But while this is probably not the true meaning of the passage, St. Jerome asserted (Adv. Pelag., iii, 15) that "our Lord Himself taught His disciples that daily in the Sacrifice of His Body they should make bold to say 'Our Father' etc." St. Gregory gave the Pater its present place in the Roman Mass immediately after the Canon and before the fraction, and it was of old the custom that all the congregation should make answer in the words "Sed libera nos a malo". In the Greek liturgies a reader recites the Our Father aloud while the priest and the people repeat it silently. Again in the ritual of baptism the recitation of the Our Father has from the earliest times been a conspicuous feature, and in the Divine Office it recurs repeatedly besides being recited both at the beginning and the end. In many monastic rules, it was enjoined that the lay brothers, who knew no Latin, instead of the Divine office should say the Lord's Prayer a certain number of times (often amounting to more than a hundred) per diem. To count these repetitions they made use of pebbles or beads strung upon a cord, and this apparatus was commonly known as a "pater-noster", a name which it retained even when such a string of beads was used to count, not Our Fathers, but Hail Marys in reciting Our Lady's Psalter, or in other words in saying the rosary.

May He guide YOU to the truth, Michael, before it's too late.

If God told him to do it then it's part of His plan. And God did not tell Moses to worship anything but Himself.

I would have said "The bible says that only those who believe in Jesus go to heaven. We dont know what he believed in the last moments of his life, but the Lord knows. We can trust the Lord to do what is right." Which is truth. The Lord alone knows who is His and who isnt. The Lord knows the heart of any one of us, what we believe regarding His Son. It is possible, without knowing the circumstances of his death, that he turned to Christ before he died.

When ever Jesus prayed, where ever He prayed, He always prayed to the Father. He never once prayed to anyone or anything else.

This was difficult for me to read. While I'm against the RCC and everything it teaches, at the same time, how could anyone with a heart tell a grieving little boy that his dad is in Hell? It's so sad. Do we lie to children so as to save their tender feelings? If the child was older, I wouldn't have as much of a problem in telling the truth; even though by doing that, one could turn the boy against God. In any case, if this young man was baptized into the RCC, then he's going to be taught falsely for his entire life. How would anyone here answer the boy's question? I'm just curious.

Nihilism is the belief that all values are baseless and that nothing can be known or communicated THEN nihilism is a lie from HELL. EVERY WORD of GOD is absolute truth and can be known IF one is truly OF HIS SPIRIT .

First question: Pre-tribuation [1 Corinthians 15:51-52; 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18; 1 Thessalonians 5:1-9; 2 Thessalonians 2:1; Revelation 3:10; 20:4 .... those on thrones] Post-tribulation [those that die in the tribulation period] Second question: pre-tribulation saints [Revelation 3:10; 20:4 .... those on thrones] Post tribulation saints [Revelation 14:13; 20:4 .... those that die in the tribulation period and are resurrected at the end of the tribulation period] All who are not believers during the tribulation period will have a chance to repent and if killed they will be resurrected at the end of the period [Revelation 3:15-22] Those who believe and are alive at the end of the tribulation period will enter the Lord's millennial kingdom as mortals [of Israel: Matthew 24:29-31]; [of the Gentiles: Matthew 25:31-40]

let's call it what it is shall we... catholic doctrine is demonic hogwash.

Psalm 2:7 is a prophecy about Jesus, so it's still talking about Jesus Christ.

If Allah had willed to choose a son, He could have chosen what He would of that which He hath created. Be He Glorified! He is Allah, the One, the Absolute. Qur'an 39:4 Wonderful Originator of the heavens and the earth; How can He have a son when He has no consort? He created all things, and He hath full knowledge of all things Qur'an 6:101 So now stop playing and answer my question, is Allah incapable of creating a son or is he capable but not wanting. I was born Muslim, but I left Islam when many of your so called scholars wouldn't answer questions like this.

Thanks for your testimony and I had the same experience years ago about Christianity....I had just got home from church and the sermon convicted me of ANOTHER sin I had committed....(my church taught if you sin after salvation then you are a backslider)...so I went to the front, got prayed for, rededicated my life for the umpteenth time....so when I walked in my house I threw myself on the floor and cried out to God and said I give up...this Christianity thing is just too hard and no matter how hard I try not to sin I mess up. Well that day God spoke to me for the first time....(LONG story)......and let me know that He was my Father and no matter how many times I mess up He would never stop loving me and that as a loving Father He would correct me and chastise me as needed but that I was His child and it was His job to raise me up into a mature adult in Christ. I love my Father!!! I never suffered condemnation again after that....conviction, yes, but not condemnation.

We should do our best to resist sin as much as we can. We should ask God for His help to enable us to be more loving towards our neighbors.. But no one ever achieves perfect sinlessness while living in these faulty flesh bodies.. The Standard of God is perfection.. So automatically every human who has the knowledge of Good and Evil has sinned and thus they have all fallen short of the standard of perfection and none of them can justify their own entry into Gods perfect existence.. So the only Way left for us to make it is to be justified by the Atonement of the LORD Jesus Christ.. We need to be Deemed worthy, because we cannot be worthy.. It is impossible to be righteous up to the standard of God by our own efforts.. It is only possible to be deemed righteous by having our unrighteousness covered and thus hidden by the atoning Blood of Jesus.. Some people are good at putting on a show of being good and they hide their sins well.. But God see's all and knows all, So all men need His Atonement.. We should never resist the conviction of the Holy Spirit and we should immediately acknowledge our sins as sins and thank the LORD for His Atonement that He secured on the cross that covers us for each sin we sin.. Conviction is not a pleasant experience and those who truly believe Jesus ( His teachings ) will do their best to avoid being convicted as much as they can..

Okay enoob57....you presume to know what is displayed in "our" present assemblies....speak for your assembly not mine.......the fact that you have not experienced the supernatural power and anointing of the Holy Spirit in your life is sad......but as for the rest of us who have we give God all the Glory for answering our prayers and manifesting His presence in our midst. And scripture does say that signs and miracles can come from Satan.... how quick people jump on that train and say this is the only one who has power to perform miracles today. This is what the Pharisees and Sadducees accused Jesus of...that His power came from Beelzebub...Jesus had the perfect answer for them. But isn't it ironic that people can believe in Satan's power and ability to perform signs and wonders in the last days but not God? SMH...... http://revelationofjesus.net/important-questions/can-satan-perform-miracles.html "Some believers have decided that since Satan will work miracles at the end of time, the safest plan is simply to reject all miracles. But miracles and signs are a fundamental manifestation of the power that God gives to His people when they believe in Him. “And these signs will follow those who believe: In My name they will cast out demons, they will speak with new tongues, they will take up serpents and if they drink anything deadly it will by no means hurt them; they will lay hands on the sick, and they will recover” (Mark 16:17,18)." I have been respectful to you....not calling you names, making accusations or any thing derogatory....you do not reciprocate that same respect towards me so as I first stated I don't mind sharing back and forth but I prefer not to participate in striving against a brother or sister in Christ. I am an honest person about my faith and my beliefs and I supply scripture to support my beliefs. I am done with this debate.....moving on....I will leave this as I agree to disagree.... God Bless....

But didn't Jesus say that these things I do will you do also and even greater because I go to my Father which is in heaven? John 14:12 Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that believeth on me, the works that I do shall he do also; and greater works than these shall he do; because I go unto my Father. Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers (12) Verily, verily, I say unto you.--Comp. Note on John 1:51. He that believeth on me, the works that I do shall he do also.--He that by faith becomes one with the Son shall have the Son, and therefore also the Father, dwelling in him (John 14:11; John 14:20; John 14:23), and shall himself become an instrument through which God, who dwelleth in him, shall carry into effect His own works. He shall, therefore, do works of the same kind as those which the Son Himself doeth. And greater works than these shall he do.--Comp. Notes on John 5:20, and on Matthew 21:21-22. The explanation of these greater works is not to be sought in the individual instances of miraculous power exercised by the apostles, but in the whole work of the Church. The Day of Pentecost witnessed the first fulfilment of this prophecy; but it has been fulfilled also in every great moral and spiritual victory. Every revival of a truly religious spirit has been an instance of it; every mission-field has been a witness to it. In every child of man brought to see the Father, and know the Father's love as revealed in Jesus Christ, has been a work such as He did. In the world-wide extent of Christianity there is a work greater even than any which He Himself did in the flesh. He left His kingdom as one of the smallest of the influences on the earth; but it has grown up as a mighty power over all the kingdoms of the world, and all that is purest and best in civilisation and culture has found shelter in its branches. Because I go unto my Father.--The better reading is, because I go unto the Father. The words are to be connected not with one clause only, but with all the earlier parts of the verse. They are the reason why the believer shall do the works that Christ does, as well as the reason why he shall do greater works. The earthly work of Christ will have ceased, and He will have gone to the Father. The believers will be then His representatives on earth, as He will be their representative in heaven. Therefore will they do His works, and the works shall be greater because He will be at the Father's right hand, and will do whatsoever they shall ask in His name

Nonsense.

The above books must be the Catholic Apocrypha. Christian scholars do not accept the Apocrypha as the inspired, authoritive word of God. They contain errors and contradictions to what the Bible teaches. The New Testament quotes the Old Testament hundreds of times....but the New Testament never quotes the Apocrypha.

Your post was fairly concise and informative. Unlike the tomes I write that masquerade as posts. Often, what we see in our lives can be symptoms of deeper issues. Frequently compulsive behavior, addictions, mental obsessions, and the like are symptoms of things. Some of us carry around spiritual and emotional wounds and pain from trauma that injured us in some way. Often, associated with these things are lies that we start believing about ourselves. These things can start to define reality for us. When we try to deal with things through will-power, self-discipline, or other coping mechanisms, we can mitigate things to some extent, but the root causes remain. Spiritual and emotional wounds are every bit as real as physical wounds (and indeed, deep emotional trauma can produce measurable physical changes). In the same way, a physical injury like a broken leg prevents us from freely running, jumping, and dancing, spiritual and emotional injuries can cause behaviors that go beyond our our willpower to change. The biggest question is what is God's priority in your life right now? While the transgender and sexuality issues may seem at the forefront, perhaps God's first priority for you is spiritual growth. Maybe starting to establish a regular prayer and devotions time and starting to read the Bible or other devotional books, or maybe going prayer group, or women's ministry, or something like that. Perhaps there are other things in your life that God wants to work on and heal inside of you. To some extent, we all carry these types of things around inside of us without being aware of it. I spent years having panic attacks going to the dentist. I prayed about it, and tried about every mitigating thing I could, and it didn't help much. Finally, one day as I was going in, God convicted me that I did not trust people to help me. Instead of seeing the dentist and hygienist as two competent people who were there to help me, I was distrusting them. I walked in, realized that I was placing myself in the hand of two gentle, friendly and caring women who wanted to do something to help me that I couldn't do for myself, and for the first time actually believed and felt that, and I no longer had issues. I also realized that I had been doing that my entire life. It produced a big change in my life because I was willing to start trusting people in all aspects of my life. This one extreme symptom (almost passing out at times in the dentist office) was simply an indicator that there was a root problem in my life that God wanted to deal with. I was oblivious to all of the other effects that was having in my life and relationships. I think that the big question is what are the things that God wants to free and liberate you from in your life? There might be a few things He wants to heal or change that are affecting several aspects of your life. One of the biggest challenges all of us face in life and as Christians is coming to see ourselves through God's eyes. He made each of us to be unique treasures and works of art that reflect His glory in some way unique to us. We need to learn who God created us to be and then to learn to walk consistently with Him as that person. I've often observed that when people create a strong part of their identity in activities, belonging to various groups, relationships, and causes, it is because they do not have a sense of who God made them to be. They try to create value and meaning by things from outside of themselves. Instead of seeing themselves as the precious handiwork of a Loving Creator, they see themselves having value by external things. Related to this is that some of the things inside of us are indeed a part of that work of art God is creating, and some of the things inside of us are garbage dumped onto us by others and added to by ourselves. We need to let God haul out the garbage and clean out those things that are not a part of the work of art. I've seen some people cling to the garbage and have done it myself. For example, I had been proud of being independent and not needing much help. I wasn't independent, I was a distrustful fool who prevented many people from doing things for me in my life. That was part of the garbage God hauled out of my life. We all have garbage that we mistake for virtue and value that God needs to get rid of. So anyway, you are a precious treasure created by the Almighty. He wants you to learn to consistently walk with Him and become that unique person He intends for you to be, and to walk together with Him on a grand adventure through life.

I'm happy to help out. One of the challenges when listening to anyone on spiritual matters is understanding what they mean when they use particular terms. For example, some people use the word "God" very differently. For Christians, there is a sentience and personhood associated with God. For some people, the word "God" just means the entire universe in a non-physical way but there is no personality associated with. For some people, "God" is simply a word used to describe the unknowable that transcends the physical world. Various groups mean different things when they talk about "God". My (limited!) understanding is that a Buddhist means something far different when they talk about God than when a Christian does. My understanding of Buddhism is that it teaches that each of us is trapped in a continuing cycle of death and rebirth where we die and keep coming back to existence (which according to some Buddhists is into one of 6 different realms, heavenly, demi-god, human, animal, hungry ghost, or hellish). The ultimate goal (nirvana) is a state where we are freed from this cycle. As far as I can tell, the end goal nirvana is a state of transcendence where we basically lose all identity, desire, and uniqueness. The 4 Noble Truths of Buddhism are 1. we cling to impermanent states and things (which cause suffering), 2. this clinging to impermanent things (by which I think they mean our human lives) traps us in an unending cycle of dying and being reborn in some form, 3. nirvana is a state where we've escaped this cycle of dying and rebirth by no longer clinging to life and the world, and 4. nirvana can be achieved by the proper spiritual disciplines of meditation, self-discipline, and following the 8-fold path (which is in essence a "ten commandments" for Buddhists). My understanding of Buddhist belief is that "God" is basically a word that applies to everything that exists, both physical and non-physical. In addition, my understanding is that Buddhists also believe that because some people (I'm not sure the word they use) are rebirthed into various realms (including heavenly and demi-god), that there are many "gods" that exist in some manner and my understanding is that they believe that these "gods" can interact with humans. In contrast, in Christianity, it is our identity as a unique creation of a personal (not impersonal) God that defines who we are. In Christianity, it is about God taking the initiative to change us and transform us into the unique treasure and work of art that He intends for us to become. While it may often seem that Christians are big on rules (and some groups are!), at its heart, Christianity is about us being transformed by God's power working inside of us. It is not that we work to keep the right rules and do the right thing, it is that we are transformed into a person who just naturally does the right thing. The main point of Christianity is that we are each unique creations that a personal God wants to have a relationship with. When a Christian talks about God being omnipresent, what they basically mean is that the entire physical universe is in God's presence. This is different from the eastern pantheistic view that everything is God and God is everything. One of my observations of a few people I knew from India (who were Hindus and Buddhists) is that there is a tendency for them to look at Christianity, grab a few parts of it that resemble some Buddhist practices, and talk about how much they are similar. I'm not saying this as an accusation of lying or prevarication, but rather that I think that they sincerely believed that Christians were just Buddhists that were just not yet as enlightened as they were. My understanding is that some of them view Jesus in the same light as Buddha or any of the gurus who have advanced spiritually. They were okay talking about Jesus being divine (but likely in the Buddhist sense of having been reborn into heavenly or demi-god realms). In reality, as far as I can tell, they mean very different things at times though the same words are used. For example, to a Christian, meditation is an active state of mental processing where we consciously decide to think about spiritual things, reflect on what God is doing, and are in general mentally active. It is about choosing to think about good and positive things, to plan ahead, to reflect, and in general to take time out from the world to take stock of our lives and retreat from the world to be with God for a time. In contrast, my understanding is that meditation as practiced by many eastern religions is more of a mind-emptying exercise of trying to use chants or other methods of trying to achieve states of selflessness and non-thinking similar to what nirvana is supposed to be. A Buddhist can talk about rebirth, but meaning one of many deaths and rebirths in a cycle that is to be escaped. In contrast, the Christian talking about rebirth (or being born-again or born anew or born from above) is talking about God's Spirit coming to live inside of us to change us into the person God created us to be. Overall, I'd expect a committed Buddhist to use many words used by Christians (but meaning something different), to be okay with Jesus to some extent and perhaps even view forgiveness of sins through some idea of helping to get rid of bad karma, to freely talk about God (but meaning the universe in some sense), and to encourage (eastern) meditation and various practices of self-discipline to help us lose ourselves. However, this is far different from Christian practices which are mean to draw us to a personal God who has created us to live life as a grand adventure walking along with Him. For the Christian, God is He (Who has revealed Himself and can be known to us) in contrast to God being an It that we someday hope to shed our identities and become part of. For the Christian, it is about finding ourselves and fully becoming the unique person God created us to be. My understanding for the Buddhist, is is about finally shedding our last connection to life and the world, stopping trying to cling to our personality, uniqueness, and life, and becoming an identity-less part of the universe. For the Christian, freedom from the bondage of the world is for the purpose of fully becoming the person God created us to be with our individual interests, passions, desires, gifts, talents, and outlooks on things. My understanding for the Buddhist is that freedom from the world is for the purpose of escaping individual identity. This is the long version. But basically, this is why I think that Buddhism is ultimately incompatible with Christianity. At a fundamental level, in one we are striving to leave our identity behind to become a part of God/Universe, in the other, God the transcendent personal Creator has formed us as independent personal beings who were meant to enjoy life as a grand adventure walking with God who knows us and calls us by name. So, while some words and practices sound similar, at their core, there is a huge gulf between them.

No, The God of our Lord Jesus Christ is not guiding her. The god of this world is guiding her. She is encouraging your sin. And her teaching is leading you away from Jesus Christ. She is leading you straight to hell! Gal 5:17 For the desires of the flesh are against the Spirit, and the desires of the Spirit are against the flesh, for these are opposed to each other, to keep you from doing the things you want to do. Gal 5:19 Now the works of the flesh are evident: sexual immorality, impurity, sensuality, Gal 5:21 envy, drunkenness, orgies, and things like these. I warn you, as I warned you before, that those who do such things will not inherit the kingdom of God.

Here's a pattern I've seen on this forum and others: 1. An idea, situation, or belief is presented with scripture and at times other information (commentary, other scripture, translation details) to support it 2. A response is added saying effectively "Scripture says this. You're wrong" 3. The original source or perhaps someone else adds a question such as this: "The original translation is based on this word which could mean these three things. Depending on the bible version, the meaning and how it's applied is different. Which meaning and application is correct?" 4. The next response is generally a personal attack on the original source. "You keep twisting scripture. The Word is perfect. You are evil and trying to make us sin." 5. At times, the attack also attempts (and frequently succeeds) in dragging the discussion into a side argument involving unrelated topics.

The pro0blem with CTs is that the supporters of them get all bent out of shape if countered,. Really rude at times and accuse anyone who doesn't agree of not believing Scripture. I'll cite the flat earthers, for instance. And yes, I know the FEs will howl but I'm just keeping it real.

LOL. I have a problem with the very first reference! you say the earth was made waste. That implies there was something there to be made waste OF. The Bible does NOT say that. I really dont see L.F anywhere. Who taught you this? And, please dont say that you were just looking through the Bible and came to that conclusion. Who got you thinking about this?