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my bride went home a few years ago so I've pondered on this a lot. the Bible makes it clear we're not "married" as we were here, but it's difficult for me to imagine there won't still be something very unique about our relationship in eternity. The one with whom I became one flesh was used by Him to mold me into what I now am. She remains a part of who I have become. I don't know how all that will actually be expressed but I feel pretty confident that unique, common experience will remain in some fashion.

In Jesus’ teaching about no one knows the day or hour of His coming He teaches about an evil servant: Therefore watch; for you do not know what hour your Lord comes. But know this, that if the steward of the house had known in what watch the thief would come, he would have watched and would not have allowed his house to be dug through. Therefore you also be ready, for in that hour you think not, the Son of Man comes. Who then is a faithful and wise servant, whom his Lord has made ruler over His household, to give them food in due season? Blessed is that servant whom his Lord shall find him doing so when He comes. Truly I say to you that He shall make him ruler over all His goods. But if that evil servant shall say in his heart, My Lord delays His coming, and shall begin to strike his fellow servants, and to eat and drink with the drunken, …the Lord of that servant shall come in a day when he does not look for Him, and in an hour which he does not know. And He shall cut him apart and appoint him his portion with the hypocrites. There shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth. Matt 24:42-51 That evil servant says, in his heart, …that means the evil servant has made a decision as to when his master was to return, ignoring what Jesus said,…NO ONE knows the day or hour, and it didn’t occur, …the Lord delays His coming. So what does Jesus say this evil servant does, …he strikes his fellow servants. Which tells us the evil servant was not about the business the master had left for him to do, i.e. …instead of preaching the Gospel to the lost he has his own personal agenda, …he profess to be a servant of the Master, but doesn’t exhibit, manifest any Holy Spirit Agape love towards his fellow servants, …and he gave himself over to the pleasures of this world, …and, instead of humbling himself and considering/esteeming the other servants more higher than himself when/in serving his Master. So how does that play out at Worthy? Isn’t is an interesting observation that those that preach against a pre-Trib rapture of the Bride of Christ fall into the same camp who preach against OSAS, and…, they are the most vehement in condemning those that do believe in the pre-Trib rapture and OSAS, …is it not true that most of the heated disputes between supposed brothers and sisters in the Lord Jesus Christ are about these two subjects? Nah, …it’s just coincidence…

My final thought on tattoos. If you like them. Good for you. If you don't like them. Don't get one. Works for me.

Thanks! ❤️ Im sure God knew beforehand this topic, like many other non essential topics, would cause “division” within the Body of Christ......but I believe it is up to us to apply Christ’s greater teaching.....”They will know me by your love for one another (Body of Christ)......” When we get that down watch satan flee........unfortunately he has gotten a lot of miles out of dividing us over doctrines. Sigh!

God you know; The prayer of the heart that says; God, you know. A simple looking towards God for help, for advice, for directions, in big or small areas. A turning of the heart to God. A hope in Him alone. When we realize, we really don’t see, we really don’t know, we really don’t understand. This openness before God is a most blessed place to be. This heart that rests not in it’s own abilities, but in the hope of God Himself being and doing something for the heart that the heart can not do for itself. God you know. A heart that looks for Him in all things. God you know. A heart that sees it’s own helplessness. A heart that sees it wants to know but just doesn’t. This heart will be fed, this heart will grow. For this heart has repented, it has stopped looking to itself and started looking to God alone. God you know. A heart that would be stayed upon; God, you know, because it itself just doesn’t......... Blessing to all that search into this God who has called us onto Himself. Much love in Christ, Not me

Years ago atheists had access here and they were counter witnessing to immature Christians, basically corrupting their faith. This site is also accountable for encouraging Christians to grow in faith and not be harmed by atheists who are intent on causing harm. In my opinion, it is good for there to be a place for Christians to fellowship without unbelievers and for there to be a place for atheists to be witnessed to by well grounded Christians.

Jesus is the door through which all enter eternal life. Entering the narrow gate is not easy. Like a running athlete straining towards the finish line. No amount of effort saves us. Salvation is by the grace of God. The reason it is difficult is because there is so much human pride, our natural love of sin and our love of the world.

Of much teaching on this ,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,, "and there are few who find it" Mathew 7 : 13 NOT BECAUSE IT IS HIDDEN,,,,,, FOR INDEED IT IS LIGHT UP LIKE CHRISTMAS,,,,,,,, BRIGHT IS THE LIGHT ON THIS PATH... But in sin our view of it is heavy blurrrrrrrred, hidden from us, and once we find this path our greatest fear is turning off it. We don't need to strive ; as in this path is rest peace love and the best possible life while we remain here. Sounds simple and friends I believe it is... Kevana p.s. this is how my wife sees the path

You have a way about you where you can say SO MUCH ....in so few words. Amazing....

The Epistle to the Hebrews The drift and end of this Epistle, is to show that Jesus Christ the Son of God both God and man, is that true eternal and only Prophet, King, and high Priest, that was shadowed by the figures of the old Law, and is now indeed exhibited: of whom the whole Church ought to be taught, governed and sanctified. Book Of Hebrews, Chapters, and Summary Book of Hebrews - ESV - Bible Study Tools

It does sound refreshing though.

@Not me Amen. This so spoke to my heart, brother! Thank you for posting it. I would like to share a testimony that ties in with this. This "God you know" journey for me began on March 9th of last year when my mom's heart stopped. I almost lost her in that moment. When they revived her, the extensive loss of oxygen involved had left her severely paralyzed and brain damaged (unable to communicate.) She went through an undescribable ordeal for nearly a year. During this time, I discovered how utterly precious she was to me. God taught me much responsibility in being her health care agent and power of attorney. He strengthened me many times to remain true to my sacred promise I'd made to keep her on life support and get her the best medical care I could. He caused me to trust Him for He alone holds the power of life and death. Though this broke my heart, I felt peace in the end that I did what I had to. God guided me over and over again on medical decisions and brought mom through each crisis to the amazement of the doctors. Though most all of them pressured me to pull the plug, some respected me in the end for refusing to. The Lord was glorified in the process. It was the hardest trial I ever had to go through. But God was faithful. And all the while, I was seeking His presence and to please His heart. During this time period, the days turned into weeks turned into months... And it was like you described it in the post and the words I'd quoted above. My helpless, confused, hungry, repentant heart ever crying out: "God you know."

That God always loves us, even if we don't know or understand everything. This is a blessed place to be, to realize. This is resting in Christ.

Bless you, dear heart. That's extremely noble of you, but I'd still not want my kin folks parked on my porch when I got home from work. Calling out orders for food on top of that, crosses all boundaries of decency. Just my thoughts on the situation. I really feel for you, and you are gonna have a baby after all.

Hate to burst any bubbles here but I know many folks, even on this site, who are not pretrib and are osas.

I think you are pretty much on point here ( my condolences for your loss) but I got a sneaking hunch that because God loves fellowship, I think that whatever degree of fellowship you have with anyone, in Heaven it will be magnified many times over. So I think you got nothing coming but an eternity of some great fellowship with your Spouse who beat you home. Those are my thinks anyways. Blessings and again my condolences, Much love in Christ, Not me

God bless you Jostler, love you bro.

I got my own fork and spoon, hint hint. lol blessing from a empty tum-tum Much love in Christ, Not full

Be submissive to one another.1 Peter 5:5 5 Likewise you younger people, submit yourselves to your elders. Yes, all of you be submissive to one another, and be clothed with humility, for “God resists the proud, But gives grace to the humble.”. 1 Peter 5:6-7 6 Therefore humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you in due time, 7 casting all your care upon Him, for He cares for you. Mark 8:35 35 For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake and the gospel’s will save it. Matthew 23:11-12 11 But he who is greatest among you shall be your servant. 12 And whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted. In this world we are called to be different ,we have to stand up for Jesus and do what He tells us to do. Amos 3:3 3 Can two walk together, unless they are agreed? Nehemiah 4:6 6 So we built the wall, and the entire wall was joined together up to half its height, for the people had a mind to work. Acts 4:32 32 Now the multitude of those who believed were of one heart and one soul; neither did anyone say that any of the things he possessed was his own, but they had all things in common. Psalm 133:1 133 Behold, how good and how pleasant it is For brethren to dwell together in unity! Isaiah 61:3 3 To console those who mourn in Zion, To give them beauty for ashes, The oil of joy for mourning, The garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness; That they may be called trees of righteousness, The planting of the Lord, that He may be glorified. Ephesians 4:22-24 22 that you put off, concerning your former conduct, the old man which grows corrupt according to the deceitful lusts, 23 and be renewed in the spirit of your mind, 24 and that you put on the new man which was created according to God, in true righteousness and holiness. Ephesians 5:21 21 submitting to one another in the fear of God. Matthew 23:11-12 11 But he who is greatest among you shall be your servant. 12 And whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted. Luke 22:25-27 25 And He said to them, “The kings of the Gentiles exercise lordship over them, and those who exercise authority over them are called ‘benefactors.’ 26 But not so among you; on the contrary, he who is greatest among you, let him be as the younger, and he who governs as he who serves. 27 For who is greater, he who sits at the table, or he who serves? Is it not he who sits at the table? Yet I am among you as the One who serves. Philippians 2:3-7 3 Let nothing be done through selfish ambition or conceit, but in lowliness of mind let each esteem others better than himself. 4 Let each of you look out not only for his own interests, but also for the interests of others. (taken from study notes from Jack Hibbs sermon.)

Another of my all time favorites. What a Friend We Have in Jesus What a friend we have in Jesus, All our sins and griefs to bear! What a privilege to carry Everything to God in prayer! Oh, what peace we often forfeit, Oh, what needless pain we bear, All because we do not carry Everything to God in prayer! Have we trials and temptations? Is there trouble anywhere? We should never be discouraged— Take it to the Lord in prayer. Can we find a friend so faithful, Who will all our sorrows share? Jesus knows our every weakness; Take it to the Lord in prayer. Are we weak and heavy-laden, Cumbered with a load of care? Precious Savior, still our refuge— Take it to the Lord in prayer. Do thy friends despise, forsake thee? Take it to the Lord in prayer! In His arms He’ll take and shield thee, Thou wilt find a solace there. Blessed Savior, Thou hast promised Thou wilt all our burdens bear; May we ever, Lord, be bringing All to Thee in earnest prayer. Soon in glory bright, unclouded, There will be no need for prayer— Rapture, praise, and endless worship Will be our sweet portion there.

Of my favorite hymns is In The Garden. C Austin Miles wrote it after a vision of Jesus and Mary was he was alone in his basement one day. I come to the garden alone, While the dew is still on the roses; And the voice I hear, falling on my ear, The Son of God discloses. Refrain: And He walks with me, and He talks with me, And He tells me I am His own, And the joy we share as we tarry there, None other has ever known. He speaks, and the sound of His voice Is so sweet the birds hush their singing; And the melody that He gave to me Within my heart is ringing. I'd stay in the garden with Him Tho' the night around me be falling; But He bids me go; thro' the voice of woe, His voice to me is calling.

The heart of the unbeliever has been hardened. They can make a choice to open their heart to Jesus Christ. It is never too late to come to Christ no matter what they have done. Christ is there to forgive. But having a discussion with an atheist is frustrating. They want to argue on and on about how being a Christian is a waste of time. I have had so many atheists tell me that Christianity is like having a crutch.

@pg4Him Thanks. I forgot to mention to you this hymn thread to post lyrics in and to lift up the name of Jesus. Our sister, pg4Him reminded me today of a wonderful hymn with a powerful background to it (So I started a thread called "The Stories Behind The Songs.") Here are the lyrics to the hymn she brought to my attention in another thread: It Is Well With My Soul 1. When peace, like a river, attendeth my way, when sorrows like sea billows roll; whatever my lot, thou hast taught me to say, It is well, it is well with my soul. Refrain: It is well with my soul, it is well, it is well with my soul. 2. Though Satan should buffet, though trials should come, let this blest assurance control, that Christ has regarded my helpless estate, and hath shed his own blood for my soul. (Refrain) 3. My sin, oh, the bliss of this glorious thought! My sin, not in part but the whole, is nailed to the cross, and I bear it no more, praise the Lord, praise the Lord, O my soul! (Refrain) 4. And, Lord, haste the day when my faith shall be sight, the clouds be rolled back as a scroll; the trump shall resound, and the Lord shall descend, even so, it is well with my soul. (Refrain)

I believe in post trib. But believe if your born of the spirit you will never lose your salvation through christ.

Final thought on tattoos. They're a permanent form of artwork on the body, that's more difficult to blot out and erase, than were our sins from our eternal souls.

This has already been posted: These are they that come out of the great tribulation, and they washed their robes, and made them white in the blood of the Lamb. Rev 7:14 ASV Notice, they washed their robes..., Whereas we, the church, it is Jesus who has washed us: John to the seven churches which are in Asia: Grace be unto you, and peace, from him which is, and which was, and which is to come; and from the seven Spirits which are before his throne; And from Jesus Christ, who is the faithful witness, and the first begotten of the dead, and the prince of the kings of the earth. Unto him that loved us, and washed us from our sins in his own blood, Rev 1:4,5 Two completely different groups of people, also, And one of the elders answered, saying unto me, What are these which are arrayed in white robes? and whence came they? And I said unto him, Sir, thou knowest. And he said to me, These are they which came out of great tribulation, Rev 7:13, 14 Which means John didn't know who they were, John definitely knew who the Church was Rev 2 &3, but these people he didn't, ...it's not the Church!

That would be in error. While the wrath being foisted on the redeemed is of the evil one, unlike where the seals are broken by Messiah, the wrath that the redeemed are suffering under today is not because the Lord is starting events. It is solely the discretion of the evil one. The primary focus at this time is the redeemed of the church. The primary focus of the tribulation period is not, as explained in my last post. It is because the time is short and that calamities are coming upon the condemned that the outpouring of the wrath of the evil one is piled on those who have come to faith in Messiah. In either case, the wrath upon the redeemed is solely the discretion of the evil one. Again, it is not the focus of the tribulation period that is being brought about by the Lord. The saints part of that period is just a side note. And not keeping this perspective of the Tribulation period takes away from what the purpose of that period is all about. And its primarily purpose has nothing to do with saints.

Oh, don't start that argument... LoL

Wow, what words! Thanks for such a testimony as to the working of God in your life. Your testimony did strengthen my hope and my faith in God. Once as Debp brought forth this “rest” is entered into by experience, our love for God and all others just explodes for we see we are all in need of the exact same thing, and that is more of Christ. Blessings for sharing your heart. Much love in Christ, Not me

I gave you a “heart” even though I believe you are in error about your rapture timing (7th trump). I believe you will find out the truth when you are called up BEFORE any trumpets are blown! The “heart” is given to show we are not separated by beliefs in any non essential doctrines......Satan will not use that to divide us. Cheers PS. I believe you NAILED THE eternal security doctrine though....100%

Can an atheist really contribute to a thread on biblical topics? They lack the Holy Spirit and the understanding that comes from Him.

Thomas how many threads must you post on this issue? George has stated why and he is led by the Lord with this ministry? How many times must you rebel against the way this is set up? Cant you keep your complaints to one forum and one thread instead of all the ones you have going?

If you feel led of the Lord to say anything, do so gently. Perhaps you could mention something like you need your rest so maybe they could leave a little earlier. Just a thought....you will know what is best.

We are all going to be Home in Heaven one day. Either by the return of Jesus, or He calls us Home. I've been thinking the last few weeks, that we all know one another on here. But if one of us suddenly gets called Home to Heaven, then we won't know about it on this forum, unless somehow a message could get passed on by a family member, or friend. The only way we would have an idea that someone has gone Home, is that they wouldn't appear on the forum again. Praise Jesus though, that in the not too distant future, we will all be there. Celebrating and worshipping Jesus for eternity!

amen I also am reminded that before time began, before anything that has been created was created, He was a family. Father, Spirit and Son self-existant in a delightful dance of loving, preferring one another above themselves, joyfully embracing Oneness in family. We can see that by blending the revelations in Proverbs 8 and the creation account and also begin to discern that the highest, most complete image of God found in this earth is contained in the human family. Yes we do reflect His image individually, but "male and female created He THEM".....adam is both a proper name and a LABEL describing "humanity" without reference to gender. His plan for mankind is family based and dynastic. Modeled after His own image. The Bible says He chose Abraham in part because He knew Abraham would teach his children the things of God that were revealed to him. What is Issac without Sarah? What is Israel without Rachel? A people became a clan, and tribes, and a nation.... I suspect when we see HIS government, it will obviously be a theocratic monarchy....but i bet the rest of society will be organized around clans, tribes, peoples and nations ....FAMILIES. His highest, fondest will is to invite us up into His own family....as sons and daughters of His own, to delight in us forever. And He paid ALL HE HAD to obtain that for Himself and to us. He gave up the most precious thing any of us has....Himself, to have us?? hahah....i don't know how you could have kids here, and not be bonded by that shared love and desire to see them grow and become all He has called and appointed them to be and not still have that unique bond and focus when we get home....just seeing family is something of such esteem in His eyes. Then there's grandkids.......lol....

As much as i want to scream. I think its best i stay quiet and in prayer

I banned Firm Foundation and Bloodbought from this thread as they hijacked the thread into their own debate which has been going on in many other threads on the forums. Stick to the topic!

It is 110 today. I would melt in synthetic.

This is interesting......let me think this out.... So you think those who believe in a post Trib also believe OSAS is false. Interesting. I never thought about putting those together. I can see it kind of making sense though. The people who believe in post Trib are thinking they have to persevere and fight until the end to survive. It appears that kind of mentality is similar in believing you have to ENDURE TO THE END for ones salvation. So yes, I do believe you could be right.....the greater % of people who are post tribbers probably are not OSAS advocates. Great observation, amigo!

My response is simply this out of the Word..... 1 Samuel 16:7 But the LORD said to Samuel, "Do not consider his appearance or his height, for I have rejected him. The LORD does not look at the things people look at. People look at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart."

Wow! When I left to go swimming this topic was on page 10. I get back and it is on page 18. I got some reading to do. I have giving up on the debate. I am now in read and make goofy comments mode. Since no one ever changes their mind about these things anyway.

Oooch, this calls for some wisdom from above. I’d just keep this before God, and wait on a clear direction from Him. For without His guidance this could open up a whole can of worms. Best wishes, He may be using this in your life to force you further and closer to Him, you never know??? Blessings and prayers, Much love in Christ, Not me

Amen to that, kevana!

I’m not sure what your question is, but if you are asking why some people make a big deal about some aspects of the civil law set forth by Moses, but ignore others....why is this so? I think I’ve said this a few times...I call it the cafeteria plan. I believe some people choose to be vocal about the laws other people aren’t following, but they are adhering to........but remain silent about the laws they are “breaking” because they don’t want to adhere to those laws. It wasnt until I realized you must forget all of them to be under the New Covenant that I became free from concern like getting a tattoo, eating bacon, shaving my beard, mixing fabrics, etc..... Laws for a different time, different people.... TOTALLY FULFILLED BY JESUS! In conclusion, to stay on topic....don’t fret about getting tattoos, and if people try to guilt you, just see them as Judaizers (legalists) just as Paul saw them. He worked hard to minimize their influence over people....so should you.

I didn't know they were expensive - another reason not to get one.

A guy I used to work with had this BIG gorgeous tattoo on his arm! It said in beautifully tattooed letters “ KAREN”. I enjoyed meeting his wife of 30 years—- JOYCE! Never had the nerve to ask her opinion of tattoos .

Humility is submissive. It is honoring others as well and looking up to and valuing others. Pride would oppose others for the sake of argument. Pride fosters a rebellious self serving spirit.

First let me say that I don't have a tattoo and I find most tattoos either inappropriate, too large, or just silly. But, I do have to ask. What about the verse before the one you cited. You cited verse 28. Verse 27 says that men are not to cut their hair at the temple [sideburns] nor their beards. You've seen the orthodox Jews today who still uphold the law who wear their hair like this. How do you reconcile not keeping this law.

Just curious Do you keep all 613, or at least the ones you are able to? I know you can’t follow the laws related to the Temple since there is no temple. https://havurahshirhadash.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/12/mitzvot1.pdf