Budman

I've been hearing a bit about "territorial spirits" i.e., evil spirits that rule over a community, village, town, city or country; that is, they rule over a geographical area. Do you think this is a valid belief? warm regards -bud

Question: Should/Could God give Satan and fallen angels a chance to repent? warm regards -bud

Hmmmmmmm.... I'll say Billy Graham and Gene Simmons. Heaven vs Hell. Yeesh! warm regards -bud

'PA running Nazi propaganda machine' Report says Palestinian television promoting genocide against Jews Posted: January 26, 2005 1:00 a.m. Eastern By Aaron Klein

Here's another sick news story: Kuwaiti 'slit daughter's throat' A Kuwaiti man has reportedly confessed to killing his 14-year-old daughter because he believed she was having sex. Adnan Enezi - an employee in the Islamic Affairs ministry - had just returned from the pilgrimage to Mecca. He allegedly bound and blindfolded his daughter, Haifa, knelt her down in front of her two brothers and sister and then cut her throat. Forensic tests showed Haifa was still a virgin, police sources said. Mr Enezi is being questioned about the case. Thousands of women are killed by relatives each year in the Middle East and Asia in so-called honour crimes - usually over suspected adultery, pre-marital sex or after having being raped, or marrying without family consent. The suspect - who is also undergoing mental health tests - was separated from his wife, and has been imprisoned in Saudi Arabia for 18 months for his extremist activities, the al-Rai al-Am newspaper reported. The daily said that after cutting Haifa's throat the first time, he swapped the knife for one with a sharper blade as she bled and screamed in front of her siblings. Al-Qabas daily said the brothers and sister fled from the house after the murder, while their uncle took their sister to a hospital, but she had already died. warm regards -bud

I love Hebrews and Romans. Oh, and I like those two books in the Bible too! *snicker* warm regards -bud

Well then, I guess I have no business going to church, reading my Bible, praying, trying to lead others to Christ, or even being on a Christian message board. Right? warm regards -bud

Howdy Essaias, True. But the Bible says this: "And whosoever speaketh a word against the Son of man, it shall be forgiven him: but whosoever speaketh against the Holy Ghost, it shall not be forgiven him, neither in this world, neither in the world to come." (Matthew 12:32) That's just what I did. I spoke against Him. It doesn't say anything about requiring that I believe in what I said for it to be "the" sin. One of my favorite movies is Urban Cowboy. I think John Travoltas character "Bud" is really cool. Hence; Budman. warm regards -bud

Tanner, let us just agree to disagree, my brother. Thank-you for being a gentleman throughout the discussion. May God richly bless you. warm regards -bud

I am from Michigan also, and I too have seen lightning during a snowstorm. ...but only once. warm regards -bud

Tanner, I wanted to add: Consider that no man living today has seen the miracles performed by Jesus or his apostles afterward to have the opportunity to both reject them and attribute their power to Satan. The Jews in the first century committed a terrible sin in both seeing these miracles and then crediting them to the devil, and Jesus says the one who does this "hath never forgiveness." Wuest's Word Studies in the New Testament comments on Mark 3: The religious leaders of Israel were trying to break the force of the attesting power of our Lord's miracles done in the energy of the Holy Spirit, by saying that he performed them in dependence upon Satan, thus disproving his claims to Messiahship, and linking him with the devil. This is the so-called unpardonable sin. It cannot be committed today since the conditions are not here which made it possible in the first century. (Wuest. Vol. I, p. 76) However, we can arrive at a state in which we WILL NOT be forgiven if we refuse to repent, and we reject the Word of God. This is not the exact same sin as "blaspheming the Holy Ghost" committed in the first century. That was a malicious, willful denial of the power of God in the presence of a miracle. But in a similar vein, we can "Grieve the Holy spirit" (Ephesians 4:30) by rejecting the Word the Holy Spirit has given us. Today we can deny the Spirit by refusing to obey the Gospel and repent. Those who do so can even reach a "point of no return" by continually rejecting the calls of the Holy Spirit until they have become so calloused in heart that it is "impossible to renew them again unto repentance" (Hebrews 6:6). Such sin will not be forgiven, but the fault is not with God. It is one's inability to repent that makes him/her lost. There is no one time act of sin that can be committed today that will cause one to lose his candidacy for salvation, i.e., the unpardonable sin. As long as the sinner possesses a willingness to repent and wants to obey God, any and all sins can be washed away. It is only after a person keeps rejecting salvation, and fallen so far that they willingly, continually and habitually live a lifestyle of sin that "there remaineth no more sacrifice for sin" (Hebrews 10:26). This is described as sinning "wilfully" and will not be forgiven. The conscience has been "seared with a hot iron" (1 Timothy 4:2), and will no longer be affected by the Gospel. With reference to "speaking against" the Son being forgivable, Jesus is not saying that the Spirit was superior to him but that after his testimony is given there will be one more testimony -- that of the Holy Spirit -- the Word of God. This is the last effort of God to save sinful men; there will be no others! Consider the words of the Hebrews writer in Chapter 1:1-2: "God, who at sundry times and in divers manners spake in time past unto the fathers by the prophets, Hath in these last days spoken unto us by his Son..." Early in man's history God spoke to us through prophets, then Jesus came and declared the Father to us, and still speaks to us today through the written Word, the "Sword of the Spirit" (Ephesians 6:17). Men could reject the prophets, and even reject the teaching of the Lord, but the final testimony of the Spirit, God's Word, is the last chance. The conclusion then is that one cannot commit the exact same sin of blaspheming the Holy Spirit today after the manner of the Jews in the first century, for no one living today has seen with his own eyes the miracles performed by Jesus and his apostles. However, one can sin similarly by rejecting the Word spoken through the Holy Spirit to a point that he will no longer be moved by the Gospel message and thereby be lost in eternity. warm regards -bud

Tanner, Mark 3:28-30, "Verily I say unto you, All sins shall be forgiven unto the sons of men, and blasphemies wherewith soever they shall blaspheme: But he that shall blaspheme against the Holy Ghost hath never forgiveness, but is in danger of eternal damnation: Because they said, He hath an unclean spirit." This last verse makes plain what Jesus calls blasphemy of the Holy Ghost. In verse 22, we read that the scribes were trying to convince the people "by the prince of the devils casteth he out devils." Attributing the power of the Holy Spirit and the miracles Jesus performed to the devil. This is what I did! That is what I said! So tell me, going by Gods Word, did I or didn't I commit the unpardonable sin? warm regards -bud

When I was younger and far more stupid than I am today, I turned my back on God and got into satanism. I worshiped the devil, I prayed to the devil. I craved what other dumb kids like me did, power and respect. I thought Satan could give me both. While I was living in Las Vegas, I worked at a K-mart. A fellow who was a Christian was one of my co-workers. He spent a great deal of time trying to win me back to the Lord. To make a long story short, I asked him what was the worst thing a person could do to anger God. He told me about the "unpardonable sin." One day in my apartment, right in front of him, I blasphemed the Holy Spirit, I said some of the most vile and pornographic things a person could ever say about God the Father, Son, and the Holy Ghost. I even willingly opened myself up for possession. Shoot ahead about a year from that moment. I went through an exorcism. I repented in tears and agony over the things I had said and done, and I returned to the Lord. But, you're telling me that that was all for nothing. I am lost. That my efforts to live the Christian life, and to help lead others to Christ is just a big waste of time, because I have a home waiting for me in the lake of fire. No matter what. You're saying that no matter how broken I was, no matter how much begging I can do now, God has turned His back on me forever? You're saying that God is so petty that He will not reach down and lift up one of His children who went astray, who came crawling back to Him weeping and crying out in anguish for forgiveness? Is that the God you worship? That's not my God, friend. warm regards -bud

The case of "blasphemy against the Spirit" in the New Testament is mentioned in Mark 3:22-30 and in Matthew 12:22-32. The term blasphemy may be generally defined as "defiant reverence." We would apply the term to such sins as cursing God or willfully degrading things relating to God. It is also attributing some evil to God, or denying Him some good that we should attribute to Him. This case of blasphemy however is a specific one, called "the blasphemy against the Holy Ghost" in Matthew 12:31. In Matthew 12:31-32 the Pharisees, having witnessed irrefutable proof that Jesus was working miracles in the power of the Holy Spirit, claimed instead that the Lord was possessed by the demon "Beelzebub" (Matthew 12:24). Now notice that in Mark 3:30 Jesus is very specific about what exactly they did to commit "the blasphemy against the Holy Ghost." This blasphemy has to do with someone accusing Jesus Christ (in person, on earth) of being demon-possessed. There are other ways to blaspheme the Holy Spirit, but this was "THE" blasphemy that was unpardonable. This means that this unpardonable sin against the Holy Spirit cannot be duplicated today because Jesus Christ is not on earth but seated at the right Hand of God; however, the Holy Spirit still accomplishes supernatural things through His servants. Although there is no unpardonable sin today, we should always keep in mind there is an unpardonable state of existence--the state of continued unbelief. There is no pardon for a person who dies in unbelief. Remember what is stated in John 3:16 "For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish but have eternal life." The only condition whereby someone would have no forgiveness is if he or she is not one of the "whoever believes in him." warm regards -bud

Islam hasn't changed from its beginning. It's Islam or death. Plain and simple. It's the modern day spin-doctors who have turned it into a so called religion of "peace." warm regards -bud

I truly believe that Billy is the Paul of our day. warm regards -bud

Well said! warm regards -bud

I will admit that in the mid to late 80's I was a huge Stryper fan. Anyone remember those guys? warm regards -bud

From The New York Post: 'ISLAMIC HATE' EYED IN SLAYINGS By DOUGLAS MONTERO and STEFAN C. FRIEDMAN -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- January 16, 2005 -- The father of a murdered New Jersey family was threatened for making anti-Muslim remarks online

That was the coolest thing I've read in many a moon! What a great dad! warm regards -bud

Hiya dudes and dudesses, Do you prefer the older hymns, or the more modern music in Church? As for me, I like the older stuff better. warm regards -bud

I agree, DM. I really like Chick tracts. This was your life is, in my opinion, the very best. Check it out guys: This was your life warm regards -bud

Dear uvn477, Here is a site that may answer all of your questions: RaptureReady warm regards -bud

I'm just curious UF, If you died tonight, and actually found yourself standing before God, what would be the first thing you would say to Him? warm regards -bud

Pre-tribber here as well. I read every single one and I thought they were fantastic! I'm reading Billy Grahams autobiography "Just as I am" right now. It is awesome! warm regards -bud