brakelite

The general consensus among contributors here is that the 1000 years to come (a Sabbath) entails an earthly rule. When I read the scriptures describing the state of the earth, no way could I equate that time with any 'sabbath'. Not a building left intact on the planet. Billions of torn, shredded, mutilated bodies strewn everywhere. The entire landscape not just altered, but destroyed. And then there's the constant darkness... You fellas may think thats all fine and you are looking forward to all the work, but me, nuh. No way. This life has been hard enough, I'm looking forward to a true rest. When Jesus comes to take His bride home, I'm going with Him. I'll let Him do all the clean up work when He recreates this place.

Satan is a master of deception...one of his tricks is to get people to believe that once they confess Jesus everything is hunky dory and nothing can go wrong, like having their names scrubbed from the book of life. Jesus said there was a condition to ones name remaining on the books. That is to overcome. Revelation 3:5. As to Satan's other arts of deception, there are many. First, disguise the nature of the beast and its image. Anyone who does not accurately identify Antichrist, will end up on the side of Antichrist. All the reformers agreed as to who Antichrist was. Today, no-one agrees with them anymore and look to imaginary monsters in the future, while cosying up to the very one the reformers accurately identified, and died at his hands with that testimony on their lips. Never mind the future, already most of the Christian world worships at the Antichrist's feet. It is only a matter of time before they accepthis mark, with full assurance that they are doing God's will!!!

http://www.666numberofthebeast.com/666numberofthebeast.html

@guestman do you realize that in defending your church's claim to be counted as the true people of God you have provided us with a very long list of things you have done for God, as if to say, "hey Jehovah, look at all we've done for you, now you owe us our rewards". Not once did you mention anything God has done for you. Do you realize that scripture teaches we are saved from eternal destruction only on that basis? Now to Christ, upon whom your salvation is reliant. The casual reader, when reading Psalm 45:6, might take this to be simply the Psalmist's ascription of praise to God, but when we turn to the New Testament, we find that it is much more. We find that God the Father is the speaker and that He is addressing the Son, calling Him God. See Heb. 1:1- 8. This name was not given to Christ in conse­quence of some great achievement but it is His by right of inheritance. Speaking of the power and greatness of Christ, the writer to the Hebrews says that He is made so much better than the angels, because “He hath by inheritance obtained a more excellent name than they.” Heb. 1:4. A son always rightfully takes the name of the father; and Christ, as “the only begotten Son of God,” has rightfully the same name. A son, also, is, to a greater or less de­gree, a reproduction of the father; he has to some extent the features and personal characteristics of his father; not perfectly, because there is no perfect reproduction among mankind. But there is no im­perfection in God, or in any of His works, and so Christ is the “express image” of the Father’s per­son. Heb. 1:3. As the Son of the self - existent God, He has by nature all the attributes of Deity. But the point is that Christ is a begotten Son and not a created subject. He has by inheritance a more excellent name than the angels. He is “a Son over His own house.” Heb. 1:4; 3:6. And since He is the only-begotten Son of God, He is of the very substance and nature of God, and possesses by birth all the attributes of God; for the Father was pleased that His Son should be the express image of His person, the brightness of His glory, and filled with all the fullness of the Godhead. So He has “life in Himself;” He possesses immortality in His own right, and can confer immortality on others. Life inheres in Him, so that it cannot be taken from Him; but, having voluntarily laid it down, He can take it again. Christ “is in the bosom of the Father;” being by nature the very substance of God and having life in Himself, He is properly called Jehovah, the self existing one and is thus styled in Jer. 23:56, where it is said that the righteous Branch, who shall execute judgment and justice in the earth, shall be known by the name of Jehovah-tsidekenu -- THE LORD, OUR RIGHTEOUSNESS.

I agree entirely. Literal death. Yes. So how do you reconcile a literal death with eternal life in hell?

Women in Bible propecy are symbols of the church. A pure faithful woman, (Isa 54:4-6; Jer 6:2; Isa 51:16; Hosea 2:19,20; )God's people, a harlot, an apostate church. (Ezek. 16; Jer 3:20; James 4:4; ) The reference in Revelation 12 does not refer to Mary, as giving birth, but to Israel, to the church, God's true people who waited in expectation of their Messiah, such as Simeon and Anna, as opposed to the majority of the priests and religious leaders of the day who didn't have a clue. It's the same today. Only those waiting in expectation, "looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our savior Jesus Christ", Titus 2:13, are a part of that same group of people. You all should be far far more concerned about Matthew 24:9 ‭Then shall they deliver you up to be afflicted, and shall kill you: and ye shall be hated of all nations for my name’s sake.‭ ...which warns us of a time soon coming when all nations shall hate the last remnant of Christ's church. See also Luke 21:17 ‭And ye shall be hated of all ‭men‭ for my name’s sake.‭

Thankyou. I agree about the mystery of lawlessness. Mystery, Babylon the Great began at Babel, and has been developing ever since. During OT times Satans target through the developing pagan church/state enemy of Gods people was of course Israel. But more specifically the tribe of Judah, and even more , the family of David. Why? To destroy the root of Messiah of course, but failing that, the prime target in NT times, is today Gods church. Not Israel the nation in the Middle East. That is a red herring, Satan has established to disarm the people of God and make them blind and complacent regarding their true enemy. With the union of church and state in America, and a growing intimacy with Rome and spiritualism, she will attain the maturity Satan has been aiming for all that time. An amalgamation of secret societies, apostate Protestantism [the harlot daughters] and Rome will then unite with the kings of the earth to enforce her false doctrines and lead the world into false worship. Islam and other world religions will also join in the great deception, leaving but a small persecuted remnant who keep the commandments of God and have the faith of Jesus. [Rev 14:12].

@JohnD You speak a great deal about believing scripture, and along the way intimating a stubborness in others because they see things differently,even a reluctance on your part to bother with them. I find that incredibly arrogant. I believe scripture. In fact it is because I believe scripture that I reject the current formula that defines the Godhead. For goodness sake, you said yourself that the Father is the source of authority in the Godhead,and I agree, and so did Jesus...see John 17:3. So where is the perfect equality there? As to the begotten concept. The best known scripture in the Bible is John 3:16 yes? I believe that text. In fact, because God is telling me that He sent His only begotten Son to die for me, I believe He had a Son to send. Not created, as were the angels, not adopted as are we, but begotten in the 'express image of His person'. And when I read Hebrews 1:2, I understand that it was by His Son that God made the worlds. I believe therefore that God had a Son pre-incarnation who created all things...the very same Son who declared concerningHis Father, "a body hast thou prepared for Me".

"Your entire premise is base on your stubborn refusal to accept what scripture teaches that one God consists of three equal persons." I stubbornly refuse to accept three equal persons because the very fact that the Son is begotten, and the Father unbegotten, makes them different. This removes nothing however from Jesus' divinity, which He naturally inherited from His Father. But if one is to claim Jesus as equal in every respect, then He must of necessity cease to be begotten,which in your case is a "stubborn refusal to accept what scripture teaches" that God gave an only begotten Son. Begotten means literally, unique. If Jesus is unique among the members of the Godhead, how can He be equal?

The trinity as taught by the church today , although differing slightly from denomination to denomination and from Catholicism to Protestantism is basically 3 co-equal beings being one God. Question: if Jesus is a begotten Son, and thus the Father and the Spirit unbegotten, as taught by the earliest church fathers, and referring to His pre-incarnation existence how could they possibly be equal without denying the begotten nature of Christ, thus denying His Sonship?

It becomes clairvoyancy the moment you ignore scripture and attempt to understand prophecy outside of God's guidelines. Jesus said John 14:29 ‭And now I have told you before it come to pass, that, when it is come to pass, ye might believe.‭ John 16:4 ‭But these things have I told you, that when the time shall come, ye may remember that I told you of them. And these things I said not unto you at the beginning, because I was with you.‭ Mark 13:29 ‭So ye in like manner, when ye shall see these things come to pass, know that it is nigh, ‭even‭ at the doors.‭ Luke 21:31 ‭So likewise ye, when ye see these things come to pass, know ye that the kingdom of God is nigh at hand.‭ ...and many more like the above....history repeats and only as we consider history can we comprehend the future.

Luke 10:19 ‭Behold, I give unto you power to tread on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy: and nothing shall by any means hurt you.‭ Satan is a defeated foe. While he does have power, he can only exercise that power upon those who allow him to. However, he can certainly incite others to hurt you. But whatever pain or suffering you may have to endure in this life, know that your eternity is assured so long as you remain clinging to Jesus. The devil can never take that away from you.

To establish a people in righteousness that He may dwell among them. Exodus 25:8 ‭And let them make me a sanctuary; that I may dwell among them.‭ Psalms 68:18 ‭Thou hast ascended on high, thou hast led captivity captive: thou hast received gifts for men; yea, ‭for‭ the rebellious also, that the LORD God might dwell ‭among them‭.‭ Revelation 7:15 ‭Therefore are they before the throne of God, and serve him day and night in his temple: and he that sitteth on the throne shall dwell among them.‭

Then we must be reading different Bibles. The wages of sin is death. Romans 6:23

How would you know what an appropriate response/retribution would be? The wages of sin is death. Do you think you could do better than that? Better to forgive...treat others as you would have them treat you if you were in their position.

I am not an advocate for eternal torment, and everyone there affected by the heat differently. My reading of all scripture informs me that sinners enter 'hell' together, after the second resurrection, each one suffering according to their degree of guilt, until they are finally destroyed.

Never mind the reprobate question, there are two other more important things you need understand. First, the heart is blinded by sin, but hardened by continual rejections of God's offers of mercy. Second, never allow sin to deter you from accepting God's mercy. Don't try to clean your life up or improve yourself firs...becoming a better person before coming to God is like saying "look what I've done, now you owe me." The offer of mercy is closed ONLY to those who don't accept it. Even the most vile sinner can find forgiveness. Today is the day of salvation. Don't put off to tomorrow what God is offering you right now. Today, you are listening, tomorrow you may not be the same person, and you may not so easily discrrn His voice speaking to you...you heart is hardeing each time you put Him off. Dont delay, seek the kingdom of God and His righteousness now.

If everyone in this discussion spent their time in prayer instead of reading and listening to clairvoyants' opinions and prognostications regarding the future, they might come closer to understanding the reality of times in which we are about to enter. All this proclaiming "I know the truth" and "everyone else is wrong" makes me fear for you all. Does anyone here consider the possibility that none of you are even remotely close and everyone, including myself, may be totally deceived? Never preclude the possibilty of being wrong.

While I can understand why many could believe this, I would suggest that as one looks at the parlous state of America and what is generally considered 'Christianity', I can very easily see how an apostate form of Christianity could well be legislated in America. I remember 9/11 vividly, and the aftermath. Every one and his pet dog went to church. The churches were crowded, and George Bush climbed into the pulpit, declaring war on Islam, and proclaiming that anyone not for him, was against him. I was angry at that, who did he think he was? Such arrogance! And later disclosures of government collusion and on ground demolition only confirmed what I felt at the time. There are more disasters to come. Some man-made, some natural. People are going to feel intensely insecure. And those disasters are going to get more intense, and more frequent, and cover greater area. Those churches are going to be filled again, and 90% of those attending will not have the faith that will grant them the peace in the midst of the storm. I can see a majority of those flooding the churches demanding their governments do something. "God is judging us! We must repent! Make laws that demand people go to church!!! Make them stop working on Sundays!!! Outlaw abortion! Jail the homosexuals!! ............"

There is in heaven, as we speak, a High Priest, Jesus Christ, who is risen, and now ministering on our behalf before the throne of His Father. He is the eternal Son of God who for the purpose of dying on our behalf, became a man, and taught that all who came to Him in faith may be reconciled into fellowship with the Father. That is the gospel. You are welcome to believe it, and accept the promises associated with it. Then, and only then, will you understand who truly are chosen servants of God.

I think God's purpose revolves around this request from His own lips..."make Me a sanctuary that I may dwell among them"...God is today making individual sanctuaries that "Christ may dwell in us, the hope of glory". Thus why we need to be living lives of holiness and consecration. God cannot dwell in the presence of sin. Paul said, 1 Corinthians 1:9 God is faithful, by whom ye were called unto the fellowship of his Son Jesus Christ our Lord. The apostle John declares 1 John 1:3 That which we have seen and heard declare we unto you, that ye also may have fellowship with us: and truly our fellowship is with the Father, and with his Son Jesus Christ. Revelation culminates in His eternal presence with the children He has redeemed, "dwelling among them" for ever and ever.

There are many false ideas,some slightly awry, some bearing a dangerous mixture of truth and error. Yet others, are built on human philosophy and esoteric mysticism that is essentially pagan, yet using Christian terms and words, a deceitful ploy used by new agers and Luciferians. Your link above is of the latter. It undermines truth, makes ancient literal history a metaphor, and reduces the real Son of God to an idea. Pure new age. Garbage.

Closely linked with the false worship one must adhere to in order to buy and sell,is deception. The world is deceived into this worship...the world is lied to. Thus we cannot be talking about the image being some sort of statue...the beast is a political/religious power...the image to that beast must therefore also be a religious/political power. Now worship is submission...a form of surrender. True worship of the Creator, Jesus Christ, is submission to His Lordship over our lives. Worship of the image, and the beast it is a copy of, is submission to its laws and demands regarding some form of religious practice which is contrary to God's commandments, as the people who accept the mark,those who falsely worship, are set in contrast to those who keep God's Commandments and have the faith of Jesus. Because the world is predominantly nominally Christian , no-one is going to be deceived in worshiping or surrendering to an Islamic state as many suggest is the "antichrist"power. No, the final religious world church/state union Babylon the Great is nominally Christian, which means the deception is over Christian worship.

When I began considering this,my first reaction was no way, never, impossible for anyone who kills themselves to be considered saved. However, after reading some of the posts here, I have moderated somewhat. Yes, the issues are complicated. Yet is seems to me inconceivable that if someone is in a relationship with the all powerful all knowing loving God, He would not bring about circumstances, give hope, light and healing, to avoid such a catastrophe as the loss of one of His own. After all, isn't that the reason Jesus came, and now ministers to the downtrodden and despairing? His promises of hope and healing are real...the promises of joy, security, and life irrevocable if accepted in faith...can anyone please God without faith? Is suicide an expression of faith, or of a lack of faith? But mental illness is a complicated and serious problem, and we know God is a merciful God....in such cases we must leave God to judge, knowing He is just. Outside of mental illness however, I have little qualms in stating that self murder is sin, and can not be repented of.

So on account of one parable, which clearly does not teach instant transportation into heaven or hell, (what kind of heaven is it that is within talking distance to the lost, and does a soul really have a tongue, and a finger) we proclaim Solomon,under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, was wrong? One must bear in mind that Solomon wasn't the only one in the OT to teach that when one dies, one does in fact die. In fact, the only person in the OT that taught man did not die, was Satan. And almost the entire Christian church, which claims the OT scriptures to be inspired, disbelieves the words and testimony of the prophets, and believes the father of lies! Why is it that Christians are so determined to believe such tradition in direct opposition to God's word? Oh, and to clear up another confusion. If you believe God's word that people do in fact actually die, you will better understand the story of Saul and Samuel, and incidentally, every other report, story, tale, and encounter with so-called spirits of the dead purporting to be human spirits. LIES!