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He who is not with Me is against Me; and he who does not gather with Me scatters. Therefore I say to you, any sin and blasphemy shall be forgiven people, but blasphemy against the Spirit shall not be forgiven. Whoever speaks a word against the Son of Man, it shall be forgiven him; but whoever speaks against the Holy Spirit, it shall not be forgiven him, either in this age or in the age to come. NASB Whoever is not with me is against me, and whoever does not gather with me scatters. And so I tell you, every kind of sin and slander can be forgiven, but blasphemy against the Spirit will not be forgiven. Anyone who speaks a word against the Son of Man will be forgiven, but anyone who speaks against the Holy Spirit will not be forgiven, either in this age or in the age to come. NIV What is the unpardonable sin? Since the verses say "Anyone who speaks a word against the Son of Man will be forgiven" does this mean that since Jews and Christians both believe in the same creator that if a Jew weren't to believe, that they would still be saved? "but anyone who speaks against the Holy Spirit will not be forgiven, either in this age or in the age to come." What is speaking against? Could someone be forgiven if they were to come to a point that caused a them to say "I hate you"? Or is it about speaking to others against the existence like an athiest would? What exactly does this mean?

Hell is a firey pit of torment for unsaved sinners http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pQin1VX0bA0 (wolf in sheep's clothing?) Or: Hell is eternal death in which the unsaved perish and do not deserve life and are not conscious while the traditional christian "hell" is a result of pagan mythology and scriptual misunderstanding (lies?) I've read that hell isn't really eternal suffering, and that those who don't recieve eternal life perish forever. But at the same time, I don't want this to be an example of what 2 Timothy 4:3 says. שְׁאוֹל - shĕ'owl: 1) sheol, underworld, grave, hell, So what's the truth here?

Does this refer to statues of Jesus and drawings of angels? What exactly does this mean? Does it mean art in general, or does it simply mean not to worship or idolize an image? Does the ark of the covenant count as a graven image?

I was reading Exodus 15, where it says the LORD made a Law and a Decree (15:25). Then in Exodus 15:26 it says "If you listen carefully to the Lord your God and do what is right in his eyes, if you pay attention to his commands and keep all his decrees, I will not bring on you any of the diseases I brought on the Egyptians, for I am the Lord, who heals you" And I was wondering; does this apply to the Israelites only? Or does this Law and Decree apply to anyone in general? When I read it Job came to mind, and I understand that the purpose of Job's suffering was to make him stronger, but it seems to negate Exodus 15:26, but I know I'm probably either reading too far into things or misunderstanding something. I know the Bible is strong; it is not wrong.

Did our souls exist before we were born? For he chose us in him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in his sight Ephesians 1:4

There are people in this world today who have never read the Holy Bible nor heard of the Jesus of the Bible because they were raised in another religion. Some countries such as those in Saudi Arabia have a ban on the Holy Bible, and Christian missionaries are forbidden from evangelizing there. So, it would make it difficult for anyone to read the Bible or hear the gospel preached in such countries, and it would not be their fault. Romans 1:20 New King James Version (NKJV) 20 For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even His eternal power and Godhead, so that they are without excuse, Instead of quoting scripture, why don't you just simply say what's on your mind? Are you telling me that it is wrong to pray for God's mercy for everyone including those who don't know him and only pray for Christians? I think the word of God says what needed to be addressed, and pretty much addresses anything that needs addressing, don't you? If you prefer my words then I will say it like this, it would be their fault, despite what you want to think, as God clearly indicates in the scripture I posted, they are without excuse. God bless. With this I disagree.....because we were once the Gentiles. God revealed Himself only to the Jewish people. After that, Christ sent His Apostles to preach the Gospel to the world so the Gentiles would know about Him. If you truely believed this, then there is no reason for Christians to go out into the world to evangelize. The fact that we evangelize shows that there are still people out there who do not know Him, and it is not their fault. If a little child was born into a Hindu family and that child dies, will that child be in Hell for you? We spread the Gospel because Christ commanded us to do it so that other people would know Him and also be saved. I doubt that any child that has not reached the age of accountability would be in hell, nor did I ever say any such thing. You can assume things about me and others all you like, I am not going to argue or reason with you, because I have seen in this thread and others that you simply refuse to acknowledge anything from scripture that does not align with what you would like to believe. God bless. I don't ignore scripture. I simply perfer that you say what is in your mind. If you believe that all people already know God, then perhaps, you should ask yourself why you continue to evangelize? The fact that you continue to evangelize only shows that you took that scripture out of context. It was addressed to Christians, not to the pagans. St. Paul did not write that letter to the pagans, but to the Christians in Rome and he was addressing the issue of homosexuality. Quite honestly, all I can think of after reading this conversation is

Isaac Ambrose and Thomas Watson The last one I don't really agree with, since I feel that there has to be work, in a sense, with faith. Good faith brings good works, and faith without works is dead. James 2:19 says that the Demons believe in one God also, and they shutter. Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them. For verily I say unto you, Till heaven and earth pass away, one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass away from the law, till all things be accomplished. Whosoever therefore shall break one of these least commandments, and shall teach men so, shall be called least in the kingdom of heaven: but whosoever shall do and teach them, he shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven. For I say unto you, that except your righteousness shall exceed the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, ye shall in no wise enter into the kingdom of heaven. Matthew 5:17-20 For as the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without works is dead also. James 14:26 Thomas Watson's quote reminds me of something that would be in Psalm. And Isaac's reminds me of the right Jesus attitude; to hate the world and the things in it, for the world has become plastic and decieved. However love the people of the world, and don't comform to the evil ways.

Did the firstborn of Egypt end up in heaven, despite that they were born of the oppressive Egyptians? And since they're firstborn, does that mean that they could have been any age, and were of the age of accountablity?

When I read this, September 11th came to my mind. When that event happened, many in the Muslim world were joyous and celebrating. I don't think being joyful at the death of innocent people is something to celebrate. In fact, I don't think the death of anyone (including those who are sinful) is anything to be laughed at. Even the death of Osama Bin Laden should not be laughed at. As Christians, we are called to love and pray for the enemy. God will be the one to bring justice. Indisputable.

I know that humor can be offensive and whatnot, but is there anything that would lead us Biblically into knowing what we should and should not laugh at?

What verse or book does Peter compare the end to the flood again? 2Pe 2:4 For if God spared not the angels that sinned, but cast them down to hell, and delivered them into chains of darkness, to be reserved unto judgment; 2Pe 2:5 And spared not the old world, but saved Noah the eighth person, a preacher of righteousness, bringing in the flood upon the world of the ungodly; 2Pe 2:6 And turning the cities of Sodom and Gomorrha into ashes condemned them with an overthrow, making them an ensample unto those that after should live ungodly; 2Pe 2:7 And delivered just Lot, vexed with the filthy conversation of the wicked: 2Pe 2:8 (For that righteous man dwelling among them, in seeing and hearing, vexed his righteous soul from day to day with their unlawful deeds;) 2Pe 2:9 The Lord knoweth how to deliver the godly out of temptations, and to reserve the unjust unto the day of judgment to be punished: Thank you.

What verse or book does Peter compare the end to the flood again?

Just as the Flood was Global, so will be the Final Judgment. I don't think it was global. If it was truely global, every culture on earth would have a flood legend or myth. There are cultures that have no legends or myths of a flood; therefore, it could not be global. There are some things in the Bible that are more allegory. The Great Flood is one of them. Thanks for your replies, guys. Selene, I can see how a local flood could be percieved from the word. However, of cultural myths and legends about floods don't exist; YHWH destroyed all flesh (except for noah of course). How then would other cultures even be able to write about a flood that happened? Some cultures do have flood myths and others don't. For example, the island (Palau) not far from mine has a flood myth, but my island has no flood myth. This is why I said, the Great Flood was a local event rather than a global event because there are cultures that do tell of a great flood in their country and others don't have it at all. If there was a Great Flood, only the Bible would record it, but other cultures around the world have stories of a Great Flood as well. And these stories are just as old as the Bible. Yes, but the local flood theory doesn't say it killed off some people. The local flood killed off all. Either way the whole population (excluding Noah and his family on the ark) were destroyed. So even if it were local, there's no why anyone could have had legends about it because they were still destroyed. But there are stories of a Great Flood in other countries and among many different cultures. The stories in other cultures also never suggested that it was a local flood as well. All the stories say it was a global flood. In the eyes of these ancient observers, it may appear as the entire world was affected, but they would not know that at all from where they are standing. Today in our modern world, we can tell if an event was worldwide or local because we have satellites in space to show that. Through these satellites, we can see the entire world. But to people of the ancient world, they only see with their own eyes. Our eyes today is different from the eyes of the ancient people. I think in order to understand the Bible, we need to look at it from their point of view rather than our modern point of view. There are plenty of stories similar to Biblical accounts. If it were completely global, there is no way that ancients could have recorded it. They would have been wiped out. If it were local, and there were accounts from other people, that would contradict what the Bible says about all of humanity being destroyed at the time. People didn't scatter around the world until after the Tower of Babel was destroyed. Before the flood, there was only civilization around the Mesopotamia world, so how could they have recorded it if there weren't people around the entire globe? This is pretty simple to me. It was a legend passed down by the descendants of Noah who repopulated the earth. So all those people scattered and carried the flood legend with them. Well, of course Noah would have told stories, as well as his family, but that still doesn't show how accounts would have been written elsewhere in the world to show that it was global.

Just as the Flood was Global, so will be the Final Judgment. I don't think it was global. If it was truely global, every culture on earth would have a flood legend or myth. There are cultures that have no legends or myths of a flood; therefore, it could not be global. There are some things in the Bible that are more allegory. The Great Flood is one of them. Thanks for your replies, guys. Selene, I can see how a local flood could be percieved from the word. However, of cultural myths and legends about floods don't exist; YHWH destroyed all flesh (except for noah of course). How then would other cultures even be able to write about a flood that happened? Some cultures do have flood myths and others don't. For example, the island (Palau) not far from mine has a flood myth, but my island has no flood myth. This is why I said, the Great Flood was a local event rather than a global event because there are cultures that do tell of a great flood in their country and others don't have it at all. If there was a Great Flood, only the Bible would record it, but other cultures around the world have stories of a Great Flood as well. And these stories are just as old as the Bible. Yes, but the local flood theory doesn't say it killed off some people. The local flood killed off all. Either way the whole population (excluding Noah and his family on the ark) were destroyed. So even if it were local, there's no why anyone could have had legends about it because they were still destroyed. But there are stories of a Great Flood in other countries and among many different cultures. The stories in other cultures also never suggested that it was a local flood as well. All the stories say it was a global flood. In the eyes of these ancient observers, it may appear as the entire world was affected, but they would not know that at all from where they are standing. Today in our modern world, we can tell if an event was worldwide or local because we have satellites in space to show that. Through these satellites, we can see the entire world. But to people of the ancient world, they only see with their own eyes. Our eyes today is different from the eyes of the ancient people. I think in order to understand the Bible, we need to look at it from their point of view rather than our modern point of view. There are plenty of stories similar to Biblical accounts. If it were completely global, there is no way that ancients could have recorded it. They would have been wiped out. If it were local, and there were accounts from other people, that would contradict what the Bible says about all of humanity being destroyed at the time. People didn't scatter around the world until after the Tower of Babel was destroyed. Before the flood, there was only civilization around the Mesopotamia world, so how could they have recorded it if there weren't people around the entire globe?

Just as the Flood was Global, so will be the Final Judgment. I don't think it was global. If it was truely global, every culture on earth would have a flood legend or myth. There are cultures that have no legends or myths of a flood; therefore, it could not be global. There are some things in the Bible that are more allegory. The Great Flood is one of them. Thanks for your replies, guys. Selene, I can see how a local flood could be percieved from the word. However, of cultural myths and legends about floods don't exist; YHWH destroyed all flesh (except for noah of course). How then would other cultures even be able to write about a flood that happened? Some cultures do have flood myths and others don't. For example, the island (Palau) not far from mine has a flood myth, but my island has no flood myth. This is why I said, the Great Flood was a local event rather than a global event because there are cultures that do tell of a great flood in their country and others don't have it at all. If there was a Great Flood, only the Bible would record it, but other cultures around the world have stories of a Great Flood as well. And these stories are just as old as the Bible. Yes, but the local flood theory doesn't say it killed off some people. The local flood killed off all. Either way the whole population (excluding Noah and his family on the ark) were destroyed. So even if it were local, there's no why anyone could have had legends about it because they were still destroyed.