kwikphilly

I've been there and was never harassed or spit on but to tell you the truth ,spit on and harassed is not life threatening and I'm sure that can happen in New Jersey as well depending on what neighborhood you might find yourself in.We don't,however run the risk of having our land,property or possessions being confiscated or being tortured & killed for being a Christian- not in Israel either You've a very tainted perception of the Nation of Israel,it's not one of my favorite places to visit on the planet and I'd not want to live there or anywhere but here in the States but it's certainly not at all what you visualize--- meeting Israeli people ,especially the Jews there I felt very much like I was in Italy- the hospitality is unlike anything we have been brought up with and I'm not talking about hospitality for toursim,I'm talking about a culture,tradition and a way of life

Greetings again Luther! Why in the world would I be interested in reading some " magazine" article or anything from "wikapedia"?I actually started here saying I do not and will not entertain any such nonsense- you talk alot about propaganda yet don't even realize you're entertaining it and perpetuating it.... Ever been to Israel,Arabia,,Egypt? Anywhere in the Middle East?Ever spend anytime abroad or visiting foreign Nations?I have seen many many Countries on the planet throughout my lifetime which always reminded me of how very little I actually know about how other people live,think,believe and perceive.So for me to hear you speak so badly about a Nation that is a Democracy it just saddens me.You say youve" uncovered" many truths--- it makes me smh,there is but One Truth Go spend some time in Israel and then come back and tell me about the " side" you've discovered..... go to Isreal and and talk about what you believe,talk about Jesus & then skip on over to occupied Palestinian territory and do the same to get a feel for the land... go see Yemen,Iran,Saudi Arabia,Iraq,Syria,Oman,Qatar,Jordan and don't forget to wear a cross around your neck....then tell me about Israel

Well Luther,you have no idea what I think about the ' God's Chosen People"- or Judaism but it doesn't much matter because there's only 2 kinds of people in this world- Believers & unbelievers,I'm about as impressed with organized religion as Almighty God is,meaning not in the least ... Sacrifice & burnt offerings,traditions of men and such do not please God..... As I said early on I really don't believe most of what people chatter about that I've not seen first hand so I'll not comment on things I don't know about- what I do know is that there is blood on everyone's hands in war- just as there was blood on Davids hands from the shedding of blood and surely King David went into battle with God- God Said he was not suitable to build the Temple because of it BUT what better example is there of one who shed blood by the Sword and was clearly ON GODS SIDE. So we must not be so quick to pass judgement. I do not support Israel because I think they are still God's Chosen people as in the Nation Israel from the time of Jesus earthy Ministryp,in my eyes they are unbelievers and God is no respecter of persons- however God Has a Plan for Israel and Salvation is His Plan,is it because being born a Jew makes anyone more favorable to God or is it ultimately for a Testimony to His Glory ?He could have picked Eskimos for His Divine Purpose but He Didnt,He Chose them and they rejected their Messiah. However,I do support Israel for many reasons and they are not a violent organization hellbent on death and destruction under the guise of doing it in the name of a false god Regardless,defending terrorists is absurd and that's what I'm taking from your posts .... I thought you were simply against killing ,violence and war amongst any nation but it doesn't seem the narrative In His Love,Kwik

Blessings @Luther I watched an interesting movie yesterday" American Sniper" - a true story about a Navy Seal that had 160 confirmed " kills" - you probably heard of him,Chris Kyle - he served 4 tours in Iraq- a Christian man and boy did his service mess with his head I thought of you as I watched and wondered about many things when he made his first " kill" as "Overwatch" protecting the Marines on the ground below- he killed a little boy( in the movie) and mother who pulled out some sort of grenade launcher.....it kind of puts a different perspective on what actually goes on in war So it's called a ' righteous kill" not murder,not an innocent though in my mind I have to wonder how that must be to live with,innocent or not innocent it's still a human life- I'm Grateful I'm not the one in that position but no doubt to protect ' my own' Id have made the shot This is the world we live in- no one comes out ahead,there's no winners,war is pretty senseless but so is the lust for power,money & control - all because man refuses to humble himself before the Mighty Hand of God Most High Every knee will bow one day- until then,pray and walk in the Love of Christ❤️ Israel didn't choose the position she is in nor ever initiated war with anyone from 1948 to present day....every enemy that has started war against Israel have attempted to obliterate the little Country from existence- none succeeded....... I'd say God Has Had a Hand in that because it's still standing However,I don't Believe Israel has won any wars either.A ceasefire is not winning a war,none of her enemies have been defeated,have they?So what has actually been accomplished according to the world? Well,their is a Purpose for Israel as we watch prophecy unfold what is Written shall come to pass

Thanks for your reply Luther-it is urgent to Preach the Gospel NOW just as it has always been- Today is the Day of Salvation ,the Word Spoken 2000 yrs ago has never changed...... We have to Understand though that a Born Again Believer still struggles with the flesh,because they may get caught up with the cares of this world and lean on their own understanding doesn't necessarily mean they are not on the Lords Side-there is the carnal mind,intellect,emotions etc... that can hinder access to the Mind of Christ - these are great obstacles as are the distractions all around us all everyday,so perhaps pray to be less judgemental and accusatory- God Knows the heart,He Knows our own hearts better than we do Luther,I understand how troubling the state of the world and society can be but fear not,don't be anxious for anything- Trust God,He Will not Allow anything to take place that doesn't or isn't taking place without a Purpose I know what you mean that God's Will is not for anyone to kill anyone and He Doesn't Bless for destruction but He is in Control,He Does Allow,Help,Prohibit,Protect,Enable or Disable and He Blesses who He Does for His Ultimate Plan& Purpose Praise God in all things

Blessings Luther I've not read all,probably not even " most" of the posts in this Thread but from what I have read I think I may understand where you are coming from- without getting into religious Doctrines & who believes what it just seems to me that's not even your point,you are grieved by people killing people,casualties of war with whom you believe are innocent men, women &children- does that about sum it up? Can't say I would disagree with that except that I have no idea if what we are lead to believe is what really is.... I'm not an eye witness,are you? Personally I don't believe most of what is fed to us on the news,by investigative journalists,reporters,commentators and least of all- bloggers of little renowned with big opinions and zero credible resources. And as far as what is shown in videos or even " live" footage as they claim I may believe half .....but one thing is for certain,lives are lost- for what? A strip of land? Well,George is there and has seen and heard firsthand so I would tend to believe what he says he has witnessed..... and even more importantly he knows better than most about living in Israel,the atmosphere and general mindset of her peoples.Nothing annoys me more than a foreigner living in another Country telling me how Americans think,live and what " they" believe in judging solely on the propaganda they are fed regarding our Govt or politics in general So are we talking about " war" or race,religion or agenda..... the agenda of course is Written in the Scriptures,mankind is pretty insignificant whether they believe they are carrying out their own agenda or not,they are not but the condition of EACH man's heart is Known by God,races,religious groups and organizagions will not be Judged,individuals will and each man will either stand at the Mercy Seat of Christ or before the Great White Throne The reason I'm even posting is to ask you- what would you hope for? How would you resolve this conflict? How would you want Isreal to respond to being attacked ? Or a much simpler question,what if it were your home and family?What is the answer to have Peace- well,haven't you read,there is none really,not on this earth and any peace found amongst the nations and it's people are only temporary anyway just as this life is on this earth.....for now I just really don't get it when anyone cannot understand that death is not the worst thing that can happen to a person- If there are truly " innocent " lives lost then they've not been lost at all- do you really Believe our Mighty God would Allow anyone to die without an opportunity to choose Him or do you Believe someone other than HIM has the Power to decide their Eternal fate,to take that choice from them... I can't believe it,God is Just Well,it's only my 2 cents- I hate war,evil and violence but if innocent blood is shed then they will Receive their Just Reward I understand you hate war but blaming all of Israel for protecting herself is a bit much- what did you think about Hiroshima & Pearl Harbor? By the way,I'm just really curious to understand your reason behind this Thread, I'm not really seeing what message your trying to deliver or the purpose of the Topic- I'm interested in understanding peoples motivations,hopes etc....or maybe " venting "❤️ With love in Christ,Kwik

Blessings to you Brother I have the very same picture stored away thats hanging on your wall ,it was hung in my bedroom in my parents first apt in NYC,from when I was a baby- I've kept it all these years You play the harmonica beautifully,thank you for sharing your songs of Praise & Worship with us- Glory to God! In His Love,Kwik

If you want to enjoy a really wonderful movie today then Watch " On a Wing & a Prayer- streaming on Tubi,Free It's a true story that happened in 2009 on Easter Sunday Tears of Joy running down my cheeks, Indeed we Serve the One True Living God Hosanna in the Highest! Enjoy!

Happy Easter to Everyone Our Redeemer Lives Glory to God! Thank You Jesus❤️🙏

Blessings Brother- Thank you,always a pleasure.....It is certainly not the first time I have heard what you've written ,as I mentioned these are widely accepted beliefs held by many Christians I will be happy to respond as you ask when I have time..... although you said " then I will have an argument" I know WE will not,lol Even with a different view that's not going to transpire❤️ I doubt there'll be too many on your back,I think most do interpret these Scriptures as you have..... personally ,I'm not hardcore Convicted on the location of Hades and I'm not the one who said Jesus Promised the theif on the Cross he'd be going to Heaven or the Kingdom or equated Paradise as such Anyway,I will keep it in mind to come back Meanwhile,if you celebrate Easter Sunday then have a Happy Resurrection Day Celebration with your loved ones! In His Love,Kwik

Blessings Adhoc Nice to see you,been quite awhile..greetings! Not so sure these are ' facts' but many would agree on your interpretation,it's likely more a probability than a possibility that Jesus Preached to the Old Testament Believers who were disobedient & held captive somewhere' below"since He Descended but I'm not sure what or where that would be and that it be called ' Paradise',I'd have to lean more towards NOT..... In any interpretation there leaves many questions as there is nothing very clear about this place or realm There just seems a lot of speculation despite the Story of ' Lazarus " depicting a great chasm dividing two regions in Hades- one side torment and the other side at Abraham's Bosom ..... Interesting,but Paradise? And no ,Paradise is not " Heaven" but I Believe Paradise in whatever realm it has been sealed off in will be on earth with the Tree of Life available when God's Heavenly Kingdom Comes to earth.... I've always Believed the Garden of Eden is a literal place & still exactly where it was created to be,it's just in an unseen realm with those angels still guarding the entrance- it was Paradise.Some Interpret it symbolically,the state of perfection & bliss of the beautiful and pure Relationship with God prior to the fall..... It's probably all of that and more than we can imagine Interesting though,with every interpretation there seems speculation( mine as well,lol)

I guess everyone is just going to have to wait and see what happens after the physical body dies and when we Rise up in spirit......will we even notice or remember those things,I doubt it coming from the confines of space and time and on to Eternity I don't think there's much importance in where commas are though it's the simplest way to explain without getting into the complexities in translating the Ancient languages grammar with,for example,the different declensions( or absence of)- which of course affect the I,me & mine and conjugation which would indicate tense and what that " tense" relates to......it's what Jesus Spoke at that very moment ,it could've been translated as " I'm telling you right now" but that was not Written that way in Koine Greek. What is most important about that Ancient Greek phrase " Truly ,I tell you today" is the affirmation,the promise that there is a Place with Jesus,Life after death is sure for the Forgiven

I liked that you mentioned in your other post that even though everyone ( except Noah & his fanily) perished in the Flood doesn't mean all were not Saved....sure,what about babies and little children ? No doubt they were Saved,God is Just,Merciful ,Loving and Everything Good With love in Christ,Kwik It's always notable to bring attention to the fact that this life is not " the end" and that there are worse things than to lose our physical life on earth(& better things too)

So many times I hear a love song and can't help but think of Jesus.... the crooner is pouring out his or her heart expressing his feelings to the one he loves or about the one he loves and singing praises about why he is so madly in love with this person.... the songs always describe a personal,intimate relationship That's what Christianity is ,it's an intimate an personal Relationship with God in Christ. So the original Topic that motivated me to begin this Thread was about Jesus Presence and what that means to a Christian...we were asked to interpret the Scriptures,Id like to ask" How do you describe Jesus Presence" or how do you Know He is Present? We each have our own Relationship and some might even hear His Still Small Voice audibly while others "Hear" His Voice ( or His Will) upon your heart . We probably have tons of incidences we can share with others about our daily interactions with our Living God.... we do not have a one sided fantastical or imagined idolization about someone we've read about- we don't read about God,we Know God because of His Presence in our lives,He Has and Does Reveal Himself to those who earnestly seek Him with all of their heart,soul and mind..... and we do Fall in Love with the One Who First Loved us Until we MEET Him we do not have any Relationship- you can have a personal relationship with someone you don't know and have never met.... listen to a love song and then read the Book of John and you will hear Jesus Love Song Written just for you So how did we meet our Greatest Love? No doubt everyone has their own story- I don't even know how I always Knew Jesus Loved me as a little girl,I'm sure I must've heard His Still Small Voice in the Love Songs to me as my Dad read the Scriptures aloud at bed time but I cannot remember what I felt or knew back then- I only remember I always Knew He IS as real as anyone on this earth and was always NEAR.....and then I got older , I went my own way,He Never Left I often wonder if I was Born Again as a little girl and then later struggled between flesh and spirit,the spirit of pride lured me into the darkest,most wicked places that glittered as gold and I never resisted any temptation but when the time came,gripped by fear for my life and completely powerless my spirit Knew exactly WHO to call immediately,without any hesitation- my Savior,my LORD and Savior - the King of kings,Lord of lords....and He Was Always There,Waiting,Allowing me to get myself in an awful mess that I'd realize I cannot live or do anything without Him.... it's only because of Him that I even survived my years out in the wilderness,I was spared many times doing my own thing,reckless and wild Anyone remember having a secret admirer? A kid that longed to be with you but you were too busy having fun with a certain crowd that kid wasn't a part of-you barely noticed him but he was there,then something happens and he's like a knight in shining armor that rescues you..seemed to come out of nowhere?Then you get to know that kid and start a relationship,funny thing is he's the coolest cat you ever knew....then you see he's in your homeroom ,lives 3doors away and has all the same classes as you do.... he's always been there but you just never noticed,never took the time to get to know him even though he picked up the books you dropped,gave you a pencil,opened the door for etc,many times in your everyday life I'm sort of rambling right now but oh yes,Jesus is very Present in my life-Hes never intrusive or invasive,He's Patient and a perfect Gentleman so it's up to me to invite Him to Drive my car or Lead the Way everyday❤️because He Does Know the Way I should go better than I

Great to see you also,I see your contributions often ,always uplifting in Christ's Love Blessings to you

Blessings & Greetings Everyone! I've had some really interesting dialogue with some of you in the last 2 days- someone asked how Christians " interpret "the Scriptures regarding Jesus Presence.Personally I found this a profound and thought provoking question as I'm sure many people interpret the subject very differently- metaphorically,spiritually,literally etc but for the Born Again Believer there is no interpreting ,Jesus Abides in us,our Heavenly Father is Omnipresent,Holy Spirit Indwells- GOD is our Ever Present Help,He Inhabits our Praise.....We serve a GOD that is a Triunity,Father,Son and Holy Spirit - His Presence IS,He IS the Great I Am!!! HALLELUYAH! So with the Hope of being Encouragers ,perhaps one of our many readers who may be asking " Where are You Jesus "? With Great Expectations of feeling POW after an Alter Call or are sadly disappointed by not " feeling" what they thought that might feel like- I started this Thread. I've copied a statement here by my Brother @Alive I hope will join in to share & no doubt he will confirm that everyone's experience is different,it is uniquely yours,between God & yourself and not to be compared. He said You see,Jesus Presence is so much more than a " feeling" ,I can only describe for you " a Knowing" this Knowledge is Revealed by the Power of Holy Spirit & Received by the Eyes of Understanding deep within your own spirit,by Spirit I think by hearing from the Body of Christ and His many members that it will edify and build up...Our Redeemer Does Live in each of us so let us pour out the Love of Christ upon you,that you may Receive His Blessed Assurance.... this is where Jesus IS,RIGHT HERE in our midst @warrior12 said I myself had the experience of being overwhelmingly surrounded by the Glorious Presence of Lord Jesus for a " moment" at the time I desparately called on Him in the middle of an occult ritual- from that moment on I was changed for the rest of my life- for those of us that have spiritual warfare experience and know the presence of demons we can tell you the unseen realm is as real as ours- yes,our Jesus Will never Leave us and thank God for that! I open the floor to whoever would like to share,bear witness or Testify - this Topic can Move in a couple of directions and may each be a Blessing to all With love in Christ Kwik Special invite to @King Phenomenon

Btw- I think we've gotten off Topic here and as I've suggested to @other one I believe it would make for an Interesting Thread of it's own- perhaps you'd like to start one and I'd be happy to engage with you on the Topic to further our Discussion,be my pleasure- tag me if you do❤️ With Love n Blessings,Kwik

Happy Passover to you also @Retrobyter Oh don't worry about what I think about extremely long posts with entire Chapters of Scripture copy/pasted and if that's what it takes for you to get ' your point' across then go for it,only I must confess I won't make it all the way through---no disrespect intended( which I believe you know me long enough & well enough to know that, lol) but I'm on a little android and it's not easy- I always have my Bible opened beside me and know my Scriptures well so I need not scroll n scroll n scroll n scroll- you see? I cannot speak for anyone else but that's the case for myself As far as the 38th Chapter of Job you are partly correct but that means you are also partly mistaken because the Creation is in fact described when God Laid the Foundations of the earth & established boundaries of the sea.... That took place in The Beginning( 6Day Creation) BUT also the events of ' the Flood's are mentioned as well.... Specifically and while it's not the focal point of Job 38:8-11 the Word of God refers to His Control over the seas which is indeed referencing the flood... The focus is on Gods Creation and asking Job( my own words) " Where were you when I formed the earth,made the stars and made everything out of nothing at all).... We also see God's process of Renewal and Restoration in this lovely Word to Job,from Creation to a death and resurrection so to speak- quite a Foreshadow of the Seed to Come With love in Christ,Kwik Share as you like- my own post is too long for my liking!!!! Rofl

Blessings @Vine Abider I've posted many a comment on the difference between happiness and Joy,the Fruit of the Spirit JOY,the Joy of our Lord Happiness is a fleeting emotion,it is a carnal " feeling" brought on by carnal desires- "Gee,that new car made me so happy" for a time or " Oh wow I got a raise" and you're happy for the moment or " I'm so happy I met you" until you're not- lol What will make us happy? Whatever does fill our desire of that day,week or year will only last until we want either bigger,better,newer,cooler The Joy of our Lord is Eternal- even grieving the loss of a loved one we can still have Peace,Comfort and Joy because His Grace is Sufficient!Halleluyah! It is Christ Abiding in us that we Have Abundant Joy- we have died to ourselves and lack nothing,we are Filled with Holy Spirit -In Christ we need or want for nothing,in Spirit ..... sometimes we can even forget we are hungry or thirsty having the Heart & Mind of Christ With love in Christ,Kwik

This would be a really good Topic as so many people thing everyone is a child of God- how often we hear people say(,people with little religion or Faith in them) " We're all God's children" this is the furthest thing from the Truth- humans are all God's Creation In His Love,Kwik

I'm sorry but I do not agree with your interpretation and imo in this instance I wouldn't even debate it because for me it's as clear as can be exactly how it is Written Googling many single places " sons of God " is mentioned in the Bible ,posting many single verses of Scripture is out of context and in their own context and not addressing the context of the Book of Job that I gave context,specifically..... it does not negate a different application Both humans & angels are both referred to as " sons of God" in the Written Word of God.Angels are God's Creation though not made in His Image,unlike human beings. Still,they are God's Creation and therefore referenced in Scripture are His Spiritual sons-perhaps the distinction is made when Revealed,seems obvious to me Anyway- Im not going to go through each reference to show the different applications,it just made for a really long post and is a Topic that people seem to disagree on often The Bible suggests Angels were Created before humans- folks even debate that( lol) - When God Laid the foundations of the earth (Job 38:7)it was a Joyous Event ,the angels were there & they were singing - man was not yet Created With love in Christ Kwik

Blessings @Retrobyter I will have to beg to differ as we see Heavenly Entities or beings or angels referenced to in the Book of Job as " the sons of God,along side satan---- could not be humans ( Job 1:6 ,2:1 ) and then again in 38:7 " all the sons of God shouting for Joy" The verse describes the morning stars singing--- must be angels,right? With love in Christ,Kwik

It can be an interesting perspective for the Mature Believer ,I rarely recommend " commentaries" as it is and I agree it's more a commentary or an interpretation than a ' translation "

I agree it's an easier read for most folks and a good translation- especially for beginners,people get very caught up in which " translation " to choose but realistically one should Know the Word of God is Revealed by Holy Spirit- God Reveals Himself to those earnestly Seeking HIM - I Believe in any translation!❤️And He Will Guide the Believer where he needs to go,even in purchasing Bibles With love in Christ,Kwik I do suggest beginners avoid Amplified versions until well versed

Hi @borndagain Not sure I understand what you mean by " brand" of Bibles - publisher? Are you asking about high quality publishers or considering " versions" in regards to accuracy ? Zondervan is probably the biggest publisher and makes good quality Bibles but there's also Crossway,Cambridge ,Nelson,Oxford and so many others .... Trinitarian Bible Society is very popular as well You said you & your wife want some " bling" too- what kind of bling? Jewelry or sequined Bibles? My suggestion to you is to download a Bible app such as BibleGateway.com on your phone and start reading the Word of God in perhaps something easy to read like the NKJV and you can opt to " parallel" read that along with a KJV for starters- then while your are following a sermon( if in fact you do) then you can opt to read along in any Version So before purchasing " a Bible" you can see what you prefer first Knowing about donations & tithes are fine but these are not obligatory mandates- God So Loves a cheerful giver & burnt offerings and sacrifice does not please Him.... doing so because you Love Him and its your hearts desire to Bless orhers as youve been Blessed is Pleasing & Acceptable in Gods Sight- understand the principle of first fruits and what that means as for tithing Hope that is helpful advice for you and your wife- seek God with all your heart,mind & soul- He Will Direct your path With love in Christ,Kwik