Willa

Some professional women have their certificates in their maiden name and their business set up in their maiden name. So the hyphen ate the name to bring continuity, or so they say. But in most cases I wonder if there might be a lack of committment involved. I signed my name as Mrs.(husband's name) for 20 years. Now I just use my first name and our last name.

Romans 13:1-2 Let every soul be subject to ruling authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and the authorities that exist are appointed by God. Therefore whoever resists the authorities resist the ordinance of God, and those who resist will bring judgement on themselves.NKJV In our form of governement the authority is the law, and the persons are just enforcers of the law. Therefore the signing of the marriage license is what makes you married in the eyes of the law and civil authorities, thus also in God's eyes. Emotionally, I would not have felt married without being married in my church and in the presence of family and a few friends But most people today don't do that. Many people can't afford a church wedding, largely because the cost has gone up tremendously. Many spend $20,000 on a wedding or much more. That is totally unnecessary. A big reception, a dinner, rehersal dinner, alcohol and all the decorations are not necessary. These are mostly ethnic traditions with some superstitions thrown in.. I have been told that a bibical wedding was arranged by parents and they bartered for the bride. Then the groom to be goes home and adds a room to dad's house. He returns only when dad has approved of the workmanship. Then the groom snatches away his bride to take her to dad's home for a marriage supper, a week long celebration and much wine. I don't think that would be my choice for a wedding.

Perhaps Jesus changed His mind.

I cannot even stretch my imagination to see how you arrived at some of your conclusions. Perhaps I am just slow to understand. While we may be mentioned in the Bible as "the young lions" since England used the lion and many of us were Brittish colonies, I cannot see us mentioned much in prophecy. Your ideas are certainly unique. It would be nice to be able to tie Johnson to this or school prayer to the the ceasing of oblation, but you are taking it all out of the context of Israel and the near east. The Bible was written by the Hebrew people and mostly for the Hebrew people. We gentiles are fortunate to get the crumbs that fall from the Master's table. The whole world does not revolve around the USA, as some people here in the US would think. Did you ask the Holy Spirit to guide you into all truth when you began your study? That usually helps me a lot, since the things of the Spirit are understood by the Spirit of God. They are spiritually discerned. I cannot comprehend them with my own understanding. It is true that there have been many with the spirit of antichrist. Hitler, for one. Some people even are delusional and think they are a god as did the Roman emporers. But I still cannot come to the same conclusions as you. Perhaps it will make more sense to me in time.

Amen!! The first chapter of Ephesians tells us who we are IN CHRIST. The key is the in Christ. This is who we all are who are born again. God is transforming us into His likeness. The rest, even the physical impairments, will disappear in their importance as we look at peoples hearts, as God sees them. As God transforms us, we not only see people through rose colored glasses, or in this case blood colored glasses, we see people as being lost and miserable or else being "in the process of reflecting Christ." Yes, their faults are dim but present; yet it is their strengths that we notice and how they are beginning to look like their Dad. It always saddens me when people THINK they see Christians as God sees them but in reality they see only the faults, real or imagined. It means that they see God as a harsh and judgemental God, as the man who buried his talents who called God a hard Man. God is a hard taskmaster to His enemies but full of grace and compassion for sinners, and for those who will call upon Him and be faithful to Him. Matt 25:24-28 Maturity in Christ causes us to not care very much about what people think. We care most about what God thinks. Romans 12:2 And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is the good and acceptable and perfect will of God. 2 Cor. 4:16-18 Therefore we do not lose heart. Even though our outward man is perishing, yet the inward man is being renewed day by day. For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, is working for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory, while we do not look at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen. For things which are seen are temporary, but the things that are not seen are eternal. Why do people want to change themselves? The world wants to fit us into its mold. It tells us via the media that we must look like this, dress like this, use these cosmetics, be young and look young, act young , smell like this perfume, drive this car, have this many children, and most of all, be "politically correct". It is brainwashing, and I am rebelling against the world's system. By the way, guys, there is nothing wrong with wanting to be healthy. But men are much more impressed by "definition" of muscles than most women are. I have always considered the competition body builders as appearing uh, deformed--especially when they can't fit into normal clothing but have to have it tailored. Not that it matters how they look. God looks at the heart--right? P.s. Notice how Steven can say in a dozen words what I ramble on about forever.

I grew up in a home where there was a lot of affirmation and love. My husband grew up in the opposit type of home. His dad actually told my parents that hubby would never amount to anything.. The thing that affected hubby the most is that I used to tell him that I love him just because "you are you". He didn't have to achieve or make the most money; I just enjoy him for himself and I enjoy his company. I guess my dad had said the same thing to him. However, because he had never received affirmation or even thank yous from his parents, he didn't know how to give them. That often made me feel very unappreciated. I would tell him I loved him and he would ask "what for". He always felt like I was manipulating him. It took him decades to understand that those were my true feelings and my true devotion to him. Then in a marriage class I learned that most men feel that supporting their families is how they express love and appreciation. I felt ignored when he worked long hours, so learning that really helped me. He wasn't working to get away from me but to express love. Often men and women think very differently. Perhaps women need verbal affirmation more than men. But I think all of us need it. Some people can't trust it when all they have received has been manipulation. Some think "you wouldn't say that if you really knew me." But God gave us affirmation. Yet while we were yet sinners Christ died for us. It was not because we deserved it but because He made us. We are His creation, the work of His hands, and he loves us in spite of ourselves. This is grace.

I am oh so glad that we in the states did not revive wearing hats. All the goofy ones that we saw at the royal wedding! It was the horse race scene in May Fair Lady revisited. Our church has a philosophy that calling attention to ourselves detracts from our focus on God. I can't think of that happening more than when trying to peer through big hats. But the one your friend wore was rather attractive, NCN, and not too distracting.

AMEN!

The biggest problem is that since Darwin decided that we evolved from animals, and abortion became legal, human life is no longer held sacred. I usually say: if you think you are made in the image of God, you probably think and act accordingly. If you think you evolved from an amoebe or an ape, you probably think and act like one.

Our 10 year old son was trying to help catch a field mouse under our refrigerator. It ran up his arm, he screamed and flipped it onto me. Now THAT freaked me out. Don't like stepping barefooted on dead mice that our cat used to drag in either. Also terrified of high cliffs and standing on steep icy roofs. Then there was the rope suspension bridge over a DEEP chasm in British Columbia. Our grade school age sons started jumping on it so it was "galloping" in waves from one end to the other. I could barely move I was so terrified. Its more of a fear of falling than a fear of heights. Don't like, bees or mosquito swarms and they occasionally freak me out; we have a lot of rattlesnakes here and they alarm me because I saw what they did to an arm before there was antivenom. Other snakes don't bother me..

Quick note: it's REVELATION, not Revelations. (Yeah, it sounds like I'm being picky, but there is a reason for that. There is only ONE Revelation (unveiling) in the book, and it is from Jesus to John.)Nero is a head of the Roman Beast. He is the Beast by personfication. Rulers often become synonymous with their nations. A modern example: America. Washington, Lincoln, Roosevelt, Truman, Kennedy were all at one time, personfications of America. One couldn't really think of the USA without one of these men coming to mind during the time of their rule. And so it was with Nero. Nero persecuted the fledgling church for 42 months. God gave him permission to do it, ostensibly to fulfill the Danielic prophecy. He (Nero) spoke blasphemous things (bringing accusations against) the God of heaven, and his Tabernacle (believers). Nevertheless, it's not Nero who came back to life, but the EMPIRE. Nero's death nearly tore the Empire apart, but it survived. So then, it is not necessary for Nero to have died and then come back to life. I thought that the revelation was of Jesus Christ. Jesus was revealing Himself as the Lion of David as well as the Lamb of God. We are supposed to keep out eyes on Jesus, not on the things of the world going on around us, aren't we? Just a thought.

Many disasters are predicted by scientists. In the Northwest USA we are overdue for volcano eruptions. Mt Rainier has a very thin shell and an eruption can be set off by next to nothing according to public broad casting. In fact, most of the major volcanos in the northwest have gone off within 20 years of Mt. St. Helens. We are 13 years overdue. Meanwhile, the continental shelf is asking for category 9 earthquakes in the Seattle area as well as off the coast of Newport OR. There are major faults from Seattle to Eugene OR. Then the volcanic activity in Wyoming under Yellowstone extends for a few hundred or so miles around that area and is also speculated to explode. The San Andraus fault goes down to LA. That would take care of us in the west coast, and would finish off the economy of the US. That does not take into account tornados and hurricanes that may come our way. Our economy is already shot, and China owns us. Thanks to the current administration. I doubt if we will be considered much of a threat. Mt 24:7-8 For nation will rise up against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. And there will be famines, pestilences, and earthquakes in various places. All these are the beginning of sorrows." We have been having drought and floods for years now. Our food supply is dwindling, and now China is buying most of our hoggs. Buy up hams now, gentiles. So eat drink and be merry, or redeem the time: witness, pray, and look up, for your redemption is drawing near.

Now I'll be watching each post to try to figure out whom you are talking about.

Cheesecake with no topping, but lots of it. Jello cheesecake with gramcracker crust is fine with me.

Lamad, remember that no scripure is of private interpretation. 2 Peter 1:20. When I prayed about a certain scripture, God gave me other scripture to help me arrive at the correct interpretation. But I keep it in a category of "wait and see" or "I will ask Jesus that when I see Him" because it conflicts with another widely held interpretation. Even Paul went to Jeruselem to confer with the elders to be sure he was preaching the same thing the rest of the church was preaching, and he was also taught be Jesus. Your revelation is very interesting and one to consider. Our creator of this board, George, also has studied much and had enlightenment from God, and he has a very unique interpretation that holds a lot of weight also. He I know to be a Godly man and I highly respect him. Our pastor has yet another interpretation that is still different, and I also respect him and the way he interprets scripture. Time will tell. But I do believe that we are getting closer to the end, and that we should always be ready to meet the Lord. And as events unfold in the near east and around the world, we are beginning to understand more of Daniel's book that was sealed until the last days. So I want to thank you for sharing with us. Differing views are always welcome. But this is not a debate. We have another area where we debate. Moreover, only the leadership on this forum are allowed to teach. Otherwise, when you intoduce something like this it is always with a "what do you think" attitude. That is why others are telling you what they also think. They and their views should always be treated with respect even when a person is convinced they are dead wrong. That is why Timothy was cautioned: And a servent of the Lord must not quarrel but be gentle to all, able to teach, patient, in humility correcting those who are in opposition,---2 Tim 2:24-25. Blessings, Willa

Looking back, when I first repented and received Christ I left the church my mom attended, for one across the street where I could get something out of the sermon. Their Jr. High group was at least disciplined, friendly and Bible centered. But I kept searching till i found one that taught the basics of Christianity and answered my questions. We now have individual mentoring for that age group for those who desire it, as well as a seperate discipleship class..

Actually, it is tradition that says they visited Jesus when He was born. However, Scripture says in Matt 2:1, NASV: AFTER Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king, magi from the east arrived in Jeruselem-- V.9 After hearing the king they went their way; and the star, which they had seen in the east, went on before them until it came and stood over the place where the Child was. v.11 After coming into the HOUSE they saw the Child with Mary His mother. Notice that they came into a house, not a stable. It was their home, possibly in Nazaeth. Moreover, the word for Child was used of a toddler as well as that of an infant. However the word used in Luke 2:16 for infant was properly used of a fetus, an unborn child, or in this case a new born infant., which was the Babe lying in the manger that the shepherds found. It is possible that, after the circumcision of Christ and the purification of Mary, they returned home to Nazareth where they were found by the Maji. We do not know the number. Only the gifts are mentioned. But is is likely that they came in a caravan to protect them from highwaymen and to carry provisions for the long journey. Now every time I see a nativity I want to remove the wise men. Oh, well.

Because He lives, I can face tomarrow Because He lives, all fear is gone Because I know, Who holds the future And live is worth the living, just because He lives. Bill Gaither, I think wrote this. I asked for it to be sung when my parents died.

You absolutely did not come across as judging me. I had not provided enough detail about the situation for you to know if the verse applied. I so appreciate the way that you did it. It is God's word that is suitable for reproof and correction. I have done some more digging. Using e-sword, which is free online, by the way, I learned that reproof means to present proof, convincing, presenting evidence leading to conviction. This was obtained from Strong's lexicon (Greek dictionary) and Barnes commentary. I also learned that the pointing of fingers was done in scorn, using the middle finger. Humm. Well, I know I didn't do that. lol Never would have guessed that one! Again, Barnes, as well as Jamison, Faucet and Brown commentaries.

Coheir, i believe the use of finger pointing in Isaiah was meant in an accusing way, which I did not do. The person had asked for advice and I gestured with my first finger saying "This is something you might try" to solve her problem. I personally do not consider it a sin to do so but maybe it is bad manners in some circles. It is not considered rude in the area where I live. The third person was actually fault finding and pointing the finger at me accusingly, though not physically. But my intent was to help the lady with a problem and to come along side her, and I genuinely had compassion for her and gave her a hug. I have no idea why her friend got nit picky with me, but I did pray about it and asked God to confirm it if it were true.. She also went on and told me that there was "something wrong with my life and that is why I had no power." I don't even understand what she was talking about. But I have become very wary of people who vaguely accuse me of having "something wrong with my life" , especially when I have a clear conscience and have prayed about their accusations. God did not confirm what they said but told me it was a lie. But thank you for taking time to reprove me.. You did so kindly and I appreciate that. I very well may be wrong about my interpretation of Isaiah and If so I will definitely have to mend my ways.. Perhaps it would be best if I did not take any chances and try to break the habit. Blessings, Willa

I have been a christian for 55 years. In all that time, not counting my husband, I have only been reproved twice. But I have been judged very often. The people who judged were not only condemning, even when doing so gently, they were also dead wrong when I prayed about it. The other two were speaking humbly and with genuine concern. They pleaded with me to reconsider my actions. The key is love. They really cared about me. (This is also true of my husband, but I never really liked it when he told me because God had already told me and I didn't like it the first time.) In fact, the other situations were things I already knew but at that time I was unable to deal with it because God needed to heal some areas of my life. But I was able to receive it because of the love which motivated them. Most of those who judged me were, in fact, self righteous and blind to their own sin which was sometimes the very thing they condemned me for. Log in the eye syndrome. I told them they were probably right but God was not presently dealing with that in my life. I usually repent quickly when God shows me something. One pastor gently told me that there was something wrong with my life because of my taste in music; even classical music was evil unless it was Bach or hymns. He proceded to tell me various things that he guessed were wrong with me, all of which were totally rediculous. I tried to point out how untrue this was by kindly and respectfully pleading and reasoning with him. He could not be reasoned with but dug in his heals. Another person criticised me for pointing my physical finger at someone while talking to them. That my be bad manners but it was not a sin leading to death, and they did so with a very superior attitude. The list goes on. Jesus also bore unrighteous accusations. And we are told it is better to be accused of something falsely than if it were true. We should be able to judge good from evil if we are acquainted with Scripture. Jesus speak about this fairly often, that we will someday judge even the angels. And 1 Cor. 13 tells us that without love we are just a clanging symbol or a noisy gong. Love and humility are everything when reproving someone. You can't find that in the dictionary. It is in the Bible.

Bopeep, I agree with the others on this. It has everything to do with today. A missionary to the Phillipeans once came to our church telling how a deadly snake was in a school yard near the door, and school was about to let out. While trying to remove the snake the missionary was bitten. Usually it would kill within a couple of hours, but his wife prayed for him and he was healed. Sadly, he was not being thankful that his name was written in the Lamb's book of life. Instead he was boastful as though he were something special to have survived it, as though he had in himself this power. It reminded me of Matt.7:18-22, Vs. 22 "Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your Name, and in Your name cast out demons, and in Your name do many miricles? 23 And in that day I will declare to them 'I never knew you; depart from Me you who practice lawlessness.' V 20: --you shall know them by their fruits." NASB Another missionary was asked about miracles in the New Hebrides. He said that a credible native pastor had told of a widow whose son had died the day before. In the tropics he had already begun to decay and "stinketh". The pastors prayed and he arose from the dead. The missionary then said that the pastors are simple people who just believe the scriptures. But the greater miracle was that the whole island came to Christ as a result. This missionary had it all in perspective. The salvation of souls is the greatest miracle, not treading on serpents and living or even raising the dead, both of which certainly demonstrate God's power. "--and over all the power of the enemy-" Jesus did miracles to demonstrate that he also had power to forgive sins. Matt 9:6 "But rather be glad that your names are written in heaven."

Try counting their eyes. They are as bad as the living creatures in EZ 1:18. They see you coming is all directions. Remember, Bealzabub is lord of the flies.

Eph 1:4 ---just as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before Him in love,, having predestined us to adoption as sons by Jesus Christ to Himself, --- 1 Peter 2:9 But you are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, His own special people, that you may proclaim the praises of Him Who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light; God speaks of believers as being chosen. John 1:12 But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, to those who believe in His Name; In John 8:42-44 Jesus speaks of those who reject His being from God as being sons of the devil, and those who love Jesus as being children of God. (In verse 58 Jesus claims to be the I AM, which is the name God gave Himself in Exodus 3:14.. Vs. 59 they try to stone Him to death for claiming to be God.) The children of Israel have been promised the land of Israel. I believe God will restore the Jews in Israel to faith in Him and His Messiah. There is no promise for the rest of the world who have chosen not to believe.

Marv, in 19:11 Jesus has many crowns, and He returns with many riding horses who are clothed in white linen. It is also possible that the one on a white horse wearing a single crown in 6:2 was a false Christ, the antichrist, even. An honost question: who are the 24 elders?