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Psalms 34:7-9 "The angel of the Lord encamps round about them that fear him, and delivers them. (8) O taste and see that the Lord is good: blessed is the man that trusts in him. (9) O fear the Lord, you his saints: for there is no want to them that fear him." I believe in God and I believe in Jesus his Son. I try to follow their commands and I seek to live a life that is pleasing unto them but I am not afraid of the Lord. Godly fear is not being terrified of an angry and cruel God for the Lord God is love, and his kindness, tenderness, gentleness, goodness, love and mercy have no end. I have come to understand that godly fear is rooted in love, not in dread and terror. Godly fear is rooted in love and is within hearts of love. When our love is great we are willing to sacrifice and do whatever is needed to protect, shield, and nurture the ones we love, and we also do not want to fail them or disappoint them. As a child I was given correction by my parents, and it was always rooted in their love for me, but most of the time my correction was not the time out chair or standing in the corner, it was administered to my behind by a wooden paddle that my Father had named, "Love" and the word love was written upon it. They corrected me for they loved me, and their love was expressed in many ways and I have always known their love. The worst thing that I could imagine in my youth was not a spanking, it was my Father or Mother telling me that they were ashamed of my behavior or that they were disappointed in me. Godly fear is rooted in hearts of love, and I love the Lord and I do not want the Lord to be ashamed of my behavior or to ever be disappointed in me. Godly fear is not terror, it is love and it is love that leads us to worship and to glorify and honor the Lord God and Jesus his Son. I still desire my parents love and I still hope and pray that in me they are not ashamed and that my life has not been a disappointment unto them and I feel the same about the Lord. I do not fear evil but I fear to do evil, not because I am afraid of the wrath of God, I fear to do evil for I do not want the Lord to be ashamed of me or disappointed in me. Godly fear is rooted in hearts of love.

Hi Hartono, Ahh, I see you are reading them as two different groups. However, regardless of your segregating "tribulation saints" into somehow being "not the church", there is one faith, one Spirit, One Lord, and on and on. Those seen in the vision under the alter are awaiting the retribution of God which comes when Jesus returns. When He does those who "are alive and remain" will be caught up after the dead are raised. Nowhere can it be shown that they are all beheaded or all martyred. Your position is a framework used by pre trib supporters. That position is impossible according to scripture in my view. For pre trib to be true it would require multiple raptures/resurrections/comings-a disaster. All those who died in Christ will be resurrected when He comes and all believers whore alive at that time will be caught up!

As has been suggested, visit different churches, what you are looking for is the Holy Spirit's presence manifested in two ways, first Him talking to you through the pastor teaching the Word and second the Agape love of the brothers and sisters, ...you'll know this by the fact it's as if you are with family. Don't settle for anything less... Lord bless

Believers should not be terrified of God. Fearing God is having respect and awe for Him. A person also needs to have the knowledge of the p0wer of God.

I've often felt fear in this context to be a mix of awe and respect. Creating such a complex and functional universe is worth a hefty serving of both.

Shalom Mike, Great question. There are a number of reasons as to why it was such a great time, and that’s with my limited understanding on the matter. 1. Genesis 49:10 Prophecy – One of the earliest prophecies of the Messiah could not have been fulfilled until the right of capital punishment left Israel. This didn’t happen at any time, until approximately 6 AD, when Rome took the power (or scepter). According to Jewish record, the Sanhedrin walked the streets in sackcloth and ashes at that time saying “woe to us! The scepter has departed from Israel and Shiloh hasn’t come”. They were totally unaware than He was in Nazareth! 2. Time of Revolt – Israel was a political hot pot at this time. “Messiahs” were rising up to liberate Israel and failing. Galilee was actually a very dangerous area in terms of revolutionaries and violent revolts against Roman guards. Many were expecting a Messiah to come and violently take Jerusalem back at this time – but Yeshua came to lead Israel in the way of love and peace – getting Israel back on track, and remind them to be humble whilst under a God-ordained authority. 3. Extended Protection – Whilst under the Roman rule, Yeshua spoke openly and freely on controversial topics. The Jews were not legally permitted to kill him at this time. This is why some schemed and sought to get Rome on their side, ultimately succeeding to do so with a confusing case for Pilate. But this Roman rule gave Yeshua and His followers political and legal protection for a while. Such protection helped Paul out in many situations too. 4. Spreading the Gospel – The Roman empire became like an archaic internet network. Many provinces were connected across Asia Minor and Europe and all used Greek as a common language. This enabled the spread and sharing of the Septuagint (Greek Old Testament) and the Gospel, very quickly like a wild fire. No time in history before hand could have such a feat happened. 5. Solidifying Christianity – For all the harm Rome has done to the faith, we have to concede that they did help tremendously to solidify Christianity in the west, due to their incredibly strong authority. Yes, they took it to a dark place, but Rome was like a trampoline for the gospel! It spread from small little Israel to the mighty Rome to the whole world. At no other point in Israel’s history were such things possible. Not at the time of the patriarchs, the judges, the kings, the exile, the return or the Maccabean revolt. It was a special unique window – before Rome collapsed but after it was big enough to catapult the gospel around the world. That was the earliest time in history that such a thing could have happened. I hope that gets the ball rolling on some ideas for you. Love & Shalom

It is that God answers to no one and His decision is final for all eternity... this generates the beginning of wisdom that seeks His way, truth and life in all matters in all places throughout all time....

To me it's about having a deep reverence towards God....not actual fear.

I watch my starch intake some, and my sweets and fats. I have lost over 100 pounds, still a few to go though. For me, part of what makes losing weight a bit easier, is to not deny myself every thing I like, instead, I use these things as a bit of a reward for doing well on my diet efforts. Otherwise it is the self denial, that is tempting me to fail! Sort of like what Paul said in 1 Cor 7 about abstinence in marriage!

The statement of faith should state that the Bible IS God's word, not just that it contains God's word. It should be the only bases of doctrine, not tradition or logic or any other basis. A good church believes the Bible is " verbal plenary inspired in its original autographs." Or the very words are inspired that were written in the original language the first time.

A couple of suggestions, checkout the christianityexplored web site for churches in your area running this course. If they have a course due to start sign up. They meet in a home and it's a relaxed way to discuss Christianity. or you could contact the organiser and talk to him about attending his church, he'll be happy to answer any questions and even meet you in the car park. Otherwise google the church web site for information and pictures of worship services. Last suggestion dress smart casual and select a church from google that you like how it appears etc and just go for it. Most churches are happy for visitors. ( while on a walking holiday I've attended church in full walking kit, every one else was in suits ! )

Being at the foot of the Cross of Christ in faith secures “eternal salvation” (Heb 5:9; 2Ti 2:10), and progressing onward from there secures a life of manifesting it. It is said that “saints are saved from something, for something.” From death in self—to life in Christ. It is one thing to be redeemed, but another to manifest it. There is very little required in knowing the former, but it is the remnant of our lives which we will be learning from concerning the fullness of the latter. Thankfully, God “works” (Phl 2:13) in our walk to manifest what we already are in the Lord Jesus! The Cross of Christ prepares us for the life of Christ (Col 3:4), as death prepares for resurrection. Hence the instruction in Hebrews Six is to “leave the principles of the doctrine of Christ,” in order to “go on unto perfection” (not the perfection of redemption, which is fully administered at rebirth, but the mature walk in it). NC Ascended Affection Does any Christian say, “I am at the foot of the Cross?” The Lord Jesus is not at the foot of the Cross! The Cross puts a man in heaven. The Lord Jesus is in heaven. You are laboring about in the thoughts of your own heart, and have not followed Him in faith to where He is, if you are at the foot of the Cross (present-day Hessionism). How do I see the effect of the Cross now? By being in heaven. I have been brought in through the rent veil. If you were inside the veil, before the Father, you would know yourself worse—not one good thing in the flesh (i.e. the old man—NC). It is blessed to see a soul exercised even that way, as the prodigal son in the far country; but he had not come yet to his father then: he had not found out where he was. There was a mixture of self, not knowing his position nor his father, and talking about being a hired servant. He had not the father on his neck, or he could not have thought of being a servant (he had yet to realize the father’s love for him—NC). It is not humility, as people think, to be away from God, saying, “Depart from me, for I am a sinful man,” as Peter did. Is insensibility to God’s goodness humility? The prodigal could not dictate and prescribe when his father was on his neck; he had no business to be in the house at all as a hired servant. It is not humility, it is a mixture of self with the knowledge of having gotten out of fellowship with God. Where will you put yourself? You must take your position in the risen Lord Jesus or none. There is but one way of coming in; it is by the Lord Jesus who is in the glory. We have no title to any other place. How is the Lord Jesus there? Not in virtue of His High Priesthood, but He is there in virtue of the offering for sins for us (the priests offered for sins, but Jesus was Priest and the offering—NC). “I have glorified Thee on the earth. Father, glorify They Son.” That is the reason Paul speaks of the Gospel of the glory (1Th 2:14 – NC). Do not let us be looking for an earthly place the godly Jew had, but rather the heavenly place the Lord Jesus has. Nothing seemed to be a greater burden on the heart of Paul than to keep the saints up to their privileges in Christ. They saw He had died for them (and this had not the effect upon them it ought to have had), but they were also risen with Him; they were in Him in heavenly places within the veil; and how were they realizing it? “Ye are become such as have need of milk” (Heb 5:12). But see the state they were in (Hebrews 10) when their goods were taken, knowing that they had “a better and enduring substance” (v 34). Because they knew they had substance in heaven, they were willing to sacrifice what was here. When the Lord Jesus had not that place in the heart, they were not willing to give up those earthly things, and the understanding of the heavenly things would be dulled as a result. Freshness of affection and spiritual intelligence go together. My judgment is clear when my affections are warm. Motives that acted before, cease to be motives when my heart is centered upon Him. I can count all dross when force and direction are given to my affections. “If ye, then, be risen with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ sitteth on the right hand of God. Set your affection on things above, not on things on the earth” (Col 3:1, 2). - H H Snell (1815-1891)

We do need to be in awe of the One Who created our universe. To have such power and wisdom is beyond comprehension. But the only terror I have of my Father in Heaven is to fear losing His fellowship. His guidance and help each day are what I live for. To know His love and underserved mercy is my fulfillment. I feel like a gnat in God's world--here for such a short time. That God would have love for such a creature and want it as His own as a child is mind boggling. What is man that thou art mindful of him? We so easily become mired in the cesspool of sin, yet He rescues all who will receive His help. He made it possible for us be washed and cleansed, clothed in the righteousness of Christ and suitable for His kingdom. Why would he bother? There is no good reason except that He created us to be a part of His world and reclaims us from the destroyer. The good news is that of His loving kindness, His righteousness, grace and goodness. He offers peace and wholeness to all who have known the terror of evil. Healing and comfort are a part of His nature. He offers hope and imparts faith. What a holy and glorious God we serve! Hallelujah!!!

Hi Spock, I'm not following how you draw that conclusion. There is nothing in those verses or the surrounding verses that would lead me to believe that they are talking about the second coming of Christ (when he returns to set up his kingdom on earth). Can you provide any scriptural evidence that these verses are talking about the second coming of Christ. I'm confident since you are Spock that you have facts and logic. Thanks

I agree. As stated in my original post, "Godly fear is not being terrified of an angry and cruel God for the Lord God is love, and his kindness, tenderness, gentleness, goodness, love and mercy have no end." thanks for the input....

Or they are hallucinations and you had better make an appointment to see someone.

Making the Priestly Garments 'And they made coats of fine linen of woven work for Aaron, and for his sons, And a mitre of fine linen, and goodly bonnets of fine linen, and linen breeches of fine twined linen, And a girdle of fine twined linen, and blue, and purple, and scarlet, of needlework; as the LORD commanded Moses. And they made the plate of the holy crown of pure gold, and wrote upon it a writing, like to the engravings of a signet, HOLINESS TO THE LORD. And they tied unto it a lace of blue, to fasten it on high upon the mitre; as the LORD commanded Moses.' (Exodus 39:27-31) Praise God!

Esther 4:14 For if you keep silent at this time, relief and deliverance will rise for the Jews from another place, but you and your father's house will perish. And who knows whether you have not come to the kingdom for such a time as this?” Last night began the feast of Purim, which celebrates the deliverance of the Jewish people from one of many of Satan's attempts to purge them from the world. Mordechai gave Esther a great challenge then, "and who knows whether you have come to the kingdom for such as time as this?" This is a challenge for all of us! As each generation is raised up, God appoints men and women to rise up to the challenge of that age. We are alive in this day and in this hour (an amazing day and hour, at that) and God is saying, "Whom shall I send? And who will go for us?" He is awaiting those who will come forward and say "Hineni" here am I, in Hebrew! And if we fall short of this challenge, "deliverance may arise from another place!" Let's not let that happen -- God wants to use us! Let's rise to the occasion! God has great things ahead! The post Time to Step Up! appeared first on Worthy Christian Devotional - Daily Devotions. Read the entire devotional.

Even Jesus said "First count the cost" of being his disciple.

I've come to realize that attending a church would do me much more good than remaining as I am currently. I must also admit to still being really apprehensive about it; i'm not too fond of people, and the idea of it all just seems awkward to me. So, i'm wondering if you all might offer advice as far as finding the right church goes. We have lots of churches here in town, and i'm really unsure where to even begin. I also have some questions. How do you find out whether it is a formal or informal church? I'd rather not look goofy by showing up in a shirt and tie while everyone else is wearing Hawaiian shirts or something. Does a guy have to sing? I get worship, sure, but i'm not good at singing and I don't enjoy it. I think i'd rather spare God and everyone else such shrill dissonance. Could a guy just do "bible study"? I'd honestly rather just read the bible and discuss it. How do you know whether or not it is a good church?

Personally I believe, and many others also that the Creation account in Gen 1 of six days and one day was 6,000 years ago, Peter tells us with God a day is like 1,000 years, so then the prophecies about the coming Messiah given during first four millennium, were leading up to the the first advent of the Messiah, ...the Church age, called in Scripture the last days, or the last two millennium, that's a total of six days in God's timing, ...and the the final or seventh day or millennium is when Jesus will come back the second time as King of the Earth and rule and reign in Jerusalem for 1,000 years. Lord bless

It took years of God's directing to orchestrate my instant conversion. In short I was factoring the potential success of suicide by electric drill with a paddle bit to the ascending aorta, when a man started talking to me about Jesus. I started to debate him as he said in a authoritive voice that I recognized as oddly being the same as my step grandfather's from long ago. - "Stop debating, you are not clever as you think you are, it is now; there is no other time. Decide!" - I looked down to think out my next words then looked back up and he was gone. The garage doors still closed as they had been. Hey how did he get in here anyway? Who was that? So I went inside my home, sat down, flipped on tv to ponder all that, figuring to light up a cigarette. A regular Friday afternoon tv preacher was on the tv giving a most terrible presentation and telling of Jesus. Though his presentation was awful, I said "If that is true I want it!" And I was instantly indwelled with the Holy Spirit, to be a born-again believer in Jesus my Lord God and savior. I was given a gift also, one that is with me today after some 38 years. I am not a smoker of cigarettes. Never quit, just went from smoking some five and a half packs a day to zero, without quitting. Never had withdrawals, just never wanted a cigarette again. Can't say I quit, I had failed at quitting many times. Now instead, I just wasn't the same smoker of cigarettes anymore. That is the heart of a long "Job" story that had brought me through many years and moved me 2800 miles to that point in time and that place; all foreknown and predestined by God, so that I would be turned about from my rebellion against Him into a bond- servant of Jesus my Lord. Praise God for His mercy and grace upon me a sinner against Him.

Briefly..... I was in my apartment, just came home, higher than a kite. Felt this warmth come over me, knew it was God and that Jesus was the answer to.....??? This was 2 in the morning. I opened the phone book (dating myself here) put my finger down on my landlords fathers name and called him. He said he had been praying for me for 3 months. There's a lot more to the story than that but that's the short version. I once attended a workshop with a Professor of Evangelism in Ontario, Canada, John Bowen I believe his name was. He started the workshop by asking who of us had a "Damascus road experience". I was one of the few that put their hand up. it seems that is the norm. He went on to say that he often asks believers who their team was, people that had an effect here, left a seed there, said or did something that when all put together added up to all that was needed.

Pray first, pray second, pray third, and give thanks in each case. And remember even if you could find that perfect church it won't be anymore once you settle in. So might as well just pray and go pray and go pray and go till the Holy Spirit says stop here and volunteer to work the parking lot so as to miss all that worship music praising God, and the share a germ time before the sermon starts. Always bring your Bible always, that way as long as you carry it in your right hand you can avoid the handshakes of brethren trying to greet you. [Addendum to Heybro- It was humor for dr3032 the individual had stated they weren't too fond of people. My response is just carry your Bible in your right hand to avoid up close personal contact with handshakes.]

Interesting question. Bible does say that Jesus came in "fullness of time". Per God, it was the most appropriate time. I think lot of people explain it from a perspective that the world was better connected. Travel was easy. Roman empire was so vast and large that pretty much they were under total control. Spiritually Israel expected their Messiah anytime. We can come up with many factors. But there is no decisive answer. Scripture is silent. What we know is, it was indeed the perfect time. Because God choose it!

After thirty years of church (RCC) and never hearing the gospel, I happened to go to a funeral at a small Baptist church. The preacher told us at the end of the service, we must be born again, we needed to be saved. Light! The seed was planted, and it grew. Many loyal to Christ believers shared the word. The seed grew, the Holy Spirit gave me light, wisdom, knowledge, counsel. God gave me His salvation mercy. God is Light.....

Amen! I totally agree!

Forget age ... who the person that is God's helpmate for you? Seek the Kingdom of God and His righteousness ... then all these other things are added unto you. Keep it all in proper perspective ... and life will be much easier!

LifeLock has worked very well for me. Both LifeLock and American Express do a great job of tracking and reconciling errant and/or criminal activity. I have had my own ID stolen and used many times now, but never have lost a dime because of it.

Oh, it is very easy. If you pay someone you will never learn for yourself. That is mostly why people fall foul of data breaches. Just take it one step at a time. You will be able to do more than you believe right now.

and the 9th ck. is overturned again.

There's no need for God to hide the union between Christ and His church with a seal, in fact it is not a secret since it began.

25 And they made bells of pure gold, and put the bells between the pomegranates upon the hem of the robe, round about between the pomegranates; 26 A bell and a pomegranate, a bell and a pomegranate, round about the hem of the robe to minister in; as the Lord commanded Moses. (Exodus 39:25-26) The High Priest had bells and decorative pomegranates sewn to the garment – making a noise that warned people of his approach. The whole community would have cleared a path for High Priest, and nothing untoward would have come into his path or in his line of sight. People WANTED him to maintain a high walk with God. People NEEDED him to keep himself clean and ready for the work of intercession.

22 And he made the robe of the ephod of woven work, all of blue. 23 And there was an hole in the midst of the robe, as the hole of an *habergeon, with a band round about the hole, that it should not rend. 24 And they made upon the hems of the robe pomegranates of blue, and purple, and scarlet, and twined linen. (Exodus 39:22-24) * habergeon KJV Dictionary Definition: habergeon HAB'ERGEON, n. A coat of mail or armor to defend the neck and breast. It was formed of little iron rings united, and descended from the neck to the middle of the body. Definitions from Webster's American Dictionary of the English Language, 1828.

19 And they made two rings of gold, and put them on the two ends of the breastplate, upon the border of it, which was on the side of the ephod inward. 20 And they made two other golden rings, and put them on the two sides of the ephod underneath, toward the forepart of it, over against the other coupling thereof, above the curious girdle of the ephod. 21 And they did bind the breastplate by his rings unto the rings of the ephod with a lace of blue, that it might be above the curious girdle of the ephod, and that the breastplate might not be loosed from the ephod; as the Lord commanded Moses. (Exodus 39:19-21)

15And they made upon the breastplate chains at the ends, of wreathen work of pure gold. 16And they made two ouches of gold, and two gold rings; and put the two rings in the two ends of the breastplate. 17And they put the two wreathen chains of gold in the two rings on the ends of the breastplate. 18And the two ends of the two wreathen chains they fastened in the two ouches, and put them on the shoulderpieces of the ephod, before it. (Exodus 39:15-18)

You are loved sister Christine . Keep up with the wonderful lil gems in this section.

I would look at their Statement of Faith on their website. Then if that seems sound, you can always phone and ask them about informal or more formal dress for worship. You can always sing but maybe a bit softer. I would visit a few of the churches to see if you feel comfortable there....people are friendly, etc. Of course, if the first church you visit feels right, then that's it.

These days most churches have websites. Have a look - they will probably include some photos of the main service, so you'll be able to see how most people are dressed. One reason for belonging to a church is that you learn to rub along with people who irritate you in one way or another - just as they have to rub along with you. So what if you can't sing? That's probably true of half the people in an average congregation. But when everyone is singing together, those who can't sing get carried along by those who can. You won't be expected to do any solos! You probably could "just" do Bible study, but you'd only be getting half the experience. How do you define a "good" church? Does it really have to be "good", or would "OK" do? All churches have strengths and weaknesses, so it really depends on what aspects are most important to you. Again, research the websites to narrow down your choice. But do go somewhere! Even if you just sneak in and sit in the back row. I'm not a particularly social person myself, but that makes it all the more important to join a church, rather than avoiding it.

That is your preconceived reading, but it is NOT what is written! 2 not to become easily unsettled or alarmed by the teaching allegedly from us—whether by a prophecy or by word of mouth or by letter—asserting that the day of the Lord has already come. 3 Don’t let anyone deceive you in any way, for that day will not come until the rebellion occurs [KJV has "first" here] and the man of lawlessness[is revealed, the man doomed to destruction. So what comes FIRST, and first before WHAT? It is the apostasia that must come first. And that is first before the Day of the Lord. Your preconceived reading imagines it is first before the gathering! You are making "gathering" equal with "day of the Lord." That is a no no! They are not equal and don't mean the same thing. The DAY is an evil and dark day where God will destroy the world and the sinners in the world. It is OK that we disagree. You can be left behind if you choose, and it seems that is what you are choosing. It is sad that your preconceived glasses will not allow you to get prepared for His coming FIRST! Heb. 9:28 So Christ was once offered to bear the sins of many; and unto them that look for him shall he appear the second time without sin unto salvation. Now, WHO is He going to appear to? "unto them that look for Him." Are you looking for HIM or are you looking for someone else first?

You did not go far enough. The question is, CAN this word mean something else? It is a compound word - "apo" and "stasia." Here is what STrong's says about "apo:" of separation of local separation, after verbs of motion from a place i.e. of departing, of fleeing,... of separation of a part from the whole where of a whole some part is taken of any kind of separation of one thing from another by which the union or fellowship of the two is destroyed of a state of separation, that is of distance physical, of distance of place At the rapture, will some part of the entire population be taken? You know the answer is YES. Will those taken be separated by DISTANCE? Again the answer is YES. The other part of the compound word 'stasia" is where we get "stationary" or "not moving" from. Putting these two words together then can certainly mean a part of a whole group suddenly moved from where they were to a new location, and it happen so fast, the rest of the whole group seems stationary - not moving. I think Paul purposely used this word in a way that was not the normal usage of his time, and then wrote, "and now you know" so people would read it more closely.

We have already talked about this. I have said 2 Thess 2:1-8 speaks to the rebellion and the revealing of the beast holding back the return of Jesus and the gathering of the elect. There is no Micheal in this passage holding back anything. No Holy Spirit 'restraining'. And it certainly is not the 'church' restraining evil. You'll see. At least I think we all will. But at the end we will know the truth, which is; The rebellion of God's people, both Jew and Gentile, will occur with them flocking to the camp of the beast, the beast will be revealed in the rebuilt Temple at the Midpoint, and then, and only then, will our Lord Jesus be able to make His return and collect the dead in Christ and the living who remain; in the one and only gathering of it's kind anywhere in the entirety of the Word.

Actually, the KJV did a fairly good job with "taken out of the way." It could also be rendered "gone from the midst." What is happening is that the force doing the restraining is moved or gone so that it is no longer restraining. The truth is, Paul TOLD us who the restrainer is, but did it in a way most miss. Why did he write, "and now you know" unless he had just told them? All we need to is back up verse by verse and look for something that is "gone from the midst" or "taken out of the way." What we can find is in verse 3: which has another clue: in 3b the man of sin IS revealed, showing is that in 3a the one restraining had to be taken out of the way. The secret is in the word, apostasia. the KJV missed it with a falling away. A better translation would be a departing. It is a compound word, with "apo" as the first. And if we study Strongs, we see that this word can mean, "a part of a whole [group] removed spatially and taken somewhere else." For example, a similar Greek word is used for divorce, where of the two people in the marriage, one leaves and goes somewhere else. Since the theme of the passage is the rapture of the church, it makes good sense that this was Paul's intent. This interpretation also agrees with Paul in 1 thes. where the church is taken out before the DAY begins.

Hi shinyGS.... My oh My..... So you believe that Michael the Archangel is Jesus? Are you either a seventh day adventist....(or a Jehovah's witness?)....as they both claim this But when the archangel Michael contended with the Devil and disputed about the body of Moses, he did not dare to bring a condemnation of slander against him, but said, "The Lord rebuke you!" (Jude 9). Michael is one of the chief princes.... But the prince of the kingdom of Persia opposed me twenty-one days. So Michael, one of the chief princes, came to help me, and I left him there with the prince of the kingdom of Persia (Daniel 10:13). Jesus is NEVER called the chief prince. He is the King of Kings and Lord of Lords! And on His robe and on His thigh He has a name written, "KING OF KINGS, AND LORD OF LORDS" (Revelation 19:16). Nope, never going to convince me that Michael and Jesus are the same. One might say....."blaspheme"

I am going to respectfully disagree, Joe, with the person being revealed as the "Antichrist" at that time -- but instead as the "man of sin". The distinction is that the person becomes the Antichrist before being revealed as the man of sin. Israel and the world will think he is the messiah at that time. Becoming the Anti-christ, is becoming instead of and against Jesus -- the rightful person as the King of Israel, who came in the name of the Lord. So, becoming the Antichrist is when the person is anointed the King of Israel, illegitimate, at the start of the 7 year 70th week. When the Antichrist commits the 2Thessalonians2:4 act and reveals himself to be the man of sin, it plunges the world into the Day of the Lord beginning years. The verses relating "christ" as being the King of Israel are found in... John 12:12 On the next day much people that were come to the feast, when they heard that Jesus was coming to Jerusalem, 13 Took branches of palm trees, and went forth to meet him, and cried, Hosanna: Blessed is the King of Israel that cometh in the name of the Lord. Mark 15: 32 Let Christ the King of Israel descend now from the cross, that we may see and believe. And they that were crucified with him reviled him.

I believe they should be allowed to build a mosque, but not conver other places of worship into mosques or preach hate in them.

Doesn’t matter, Islam isn’t a race it’s a religion composed of numerous different ethnic groups and races. Criticizing a religiom, its teachings, or its practices for logical reasons doesn’t equal racism. I’m not saying that Muslims shouldn’t be allowed to build mosques I’m saying they shouldn’t be allowed to convert that Church into a Mosque by the Christian community. Not to mention the fight it would cause those poor Iraqi Christians.

Then Christina should make a huge outrage at this insult to our faith and to all persecuted Christians and martyrs in the Middle East.

I think the problem lies in that when a church is converted into a mosque....it is seen as a victory or putting down of our Christian faith by devout Muslims. That is the part I was surprised to learn in this thread....and I'm so sorry to hear it. How did Michigan end up with so many Muslims? Just curious... I live near a mosque that used to be a funeral home. Also, I have dear friends that were raised as Muslims but they don't attend mosque and the ladies don't wear head scarves either. They also prefer our Christian company....they don't like going out with strict Muslims.

I feel so sorry for my Iraqi christian brothers to once again be forced to put up with Islamic barbarism. There should be a petition for Christians all across the country to buy the property from the Muslims and return it to its original function as a Church.