CarolineS

This is good news. We should pray that many souls are converted. CarolineS

No, I am not talking about the Mormans or JW's. Where did you get that impression? In Christ, CarolineS

I agree. The antichrist is not a single man, it is a system. The Greek definition of "antichrist" is of one who sets himself up "in the place of" Christ. There are four Bible references to antichrist and one to antichrists. So that's where we should start. John writes that many antichrists had already appeared in his day. He identifies them as coming from inside the church: "Little children...as you have heard that the Antichrist is coming, even now many antichrists have come, by which we know that it is the last hour. They went out from us...they went out that they might be made manifest, that none of them were of us." 1 John 2:18-19 He also tells us that antichrist is anyone who denies the Father and the Son--the ones who try to deceive us with false Christian doctrines: "Who is a liar but he who denies that Jesus is the Christ? He is antichrist who denies the Father and the Son. These things I have written to you concerning those who try to deceive you" 1 John 2:22,26 The antichrist spirit was already at work in the early Christian Church--deceiving people about the nature of Christ, denying that He came in the flesh: "...Every spirit that does not confess that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is not of God. And this is the spirit of the Antichrist, which you have heard was coming, and is now already in the world" 1 John 4:3 "For many deceivers have gone out into the world who do not confess Jesus Christ as coming in the flesh. This is a deceiver and an antichrist" 2 John 1"7 So what does scripture tell us about the antichrist? 1. There were many antichrists in John's day 2. These antichrist came from within the church, so they appeared to be Christians 3. The antichrists taught deceiving doctrines that somehow denied the sovereignty of the Father and the Son 4. The antichrists deny that Christ was incarnated in man's flesh nature We should also look at Thessalonians. "Let no one deceive you by any means; for that Day will not come unless the falling away comes first, and the man of sin is revealed, the son of perdition, who opposes and exalts himself above all that is called God or that is worshiped, so that he sits as God in the temple of God, showing himself that he is God" 2 Thess 2:3-4 Paul tells us that Christ does not return until after the man of sin is revealed. First, there is a falling away from the truth, an apostasy. To exalt the man of sin above God, the false system of worship is set up--and revealed. Then Christ returns. The antichrist or man of sin is a system, not one single person. The little horn power, the man of sin, the antichrist and the beast all refer to a system that will be in place in the last days. In Christ CarolineS

Soul sleep is correct. This is what happens when people build on false doctrine. First of all, according to God's Word, souls do die! We are souls, and souls die. Man is mortal. Only God is immortal. The concept of an undying, immmortal soul goes against the Bible, which teaches that souls are subject to death. <Ezekiel 18:20> "The soul that sinneth, it shall die." People do not go to either heaven or hell at death. They go to their graves to await the resurrection day. <John 5:28,29> "All that are in the graves shall hear his voice, And shall come forth." <Acts 2:29,34> "David..is both dead and buried, and his sepulchre is with us into this day." "For David is not ascended into the heavens." <Job 17:13> "If I wait, the grave is mine house." <Job 14:12> "So man lieth down, and riseth not: till the heavens be no more, they shall not awake, nor be raised out of their sleep." I think we need to look at the big picture. Why would Satan want people to believe that we are immortal? Why would he want us to think we continue living in a spirit form immediately after we die physically? In Christ, CarolineS

Greetings, I am surprised no one has heard of the Ten Commandments Commission and the first annual Ten Commandments Sunday taking place on May 7, 2006 in Washington, DC. Our church is offering a free book about the Ten Commandments to anyone who is interested. The books are being ordered at church, we only have to pay for the shipping. The book is called: The Antichrist Agenda Ten Commandments Twice Removed. If anyone is interested in the book, just PM me and I will send you a copy. In Christ, CarolineS

Good for Madonna. I hope she is leaving soon. I wonder if she could take some of her Hollywood friends with her? CarolineS

Greetings, I wanted to draw attention to this topic because I am concerned as to where this movement is going. We now have a group of Christians who have started a grass roots movement to restore the Ten Commandments to their rightful place in society. This group is inviting all Christians to join in a national and global movement to restore the word of God to our nation. Christians are encouraged to join together in unity with one voice to support the bedrock principles that made our country great--the Ten Commandments. Some of the supportors listed on their site are: Chuck Colson James Dobson Rev. Jerry Falwell Rev. Pat Robertson Rabbi Yehuda David Greenberg Jay Sekulow (and these are just a few I wrote down) The site states, "we are committed to bring the Word of God back to our nation." Don't you see how easily this could lead to some type of legislation or laws regarding the Ten Commandments? This could lead to some type of Sunday law. I have heard ministers state that we need to return to the law of God to get our nation back on track. Some have even suggested that Sunday should be a day of rest or a family day. What does this movement mean to those of us who keep the Sabbath? What will it mean in the future? I think we need to stay informed of this Ten Commandments group. They have good and sincere intentions, but I think they could take us somewhere I don't want to go. In Christ, CarolineS

Hi Cats, Jesus used many symbols in His parables. I don't know if we have to know Hebrew traditions to understand them or to hear what He is saying. I think He gave the Bible to all people; I think He wants everyone to understand it no matter what their background is. The parable of the ten virgins is excellent. It has alot of truth for all people today, maybe even more so at this time in earth's closing history. The story is talking about the church that shall live just before His second coming. The two classes of watchers represent the two classes who profess to be waiting for their Lord. The are called virgins because they profess a pure faith. The lamps represent the word of God. All ten virgins went out to meet the bridegroom. All had lamps and vessels for oil. For a time there was no difference between them that could be seen. So will it be with the church that exists just before Christ's second coming. All (the church) have a knowledge of the Scriptures. All have heard the message of Christ's near approach, and await His appearing. As in the parable and also now, a time of waiting occurs. Faith is tried. When the cry is heard, Behold the Bridegoom cometh, go ye out to meet Him, many are not ready. They have no oil in their vessels with their lamps. The are destitute of the Holy Spirit. Without the Holy Spirit a knowledge of Scripture is useless. Without the light of the Holy Spirit, one cannot distinguish truth from error. The foolish virgins represent those with a superficial relationship with Christ. They do not have a true relationship with Chirst, they don't know Him. The ten virgins are all watching for the Bridegroom. All claim to be Christians. All have a call, a name, a lamp, and all profess to be doing God's service. But five are unready. Five will be found outside the banquet hall. The wise virgins had oil in their vessels with their lamps. They were able to shed light into the dark night. We, as followers of Christ, are to shed light in the the darkness of the world. Through the Holy Spirit, God's word is a light as it becomes a transforming power in the life of the receiver. By implanting in their hearts the principles of His word, the Holy Spirit develops in men the attributes of God. The light of His glory is to shine forth in His followers. The coming of the bridegoom was at midnight, the darkest hour. So the coming of Christ will take place in the darkest period of this earth's history. The days of Noah and Lot give us a picture of the condition of the world just before the coming of the Son of man. Apostasy will develop into darkness deep as midnight. Now more than any other time we need to be in The Word. We need to be ready. God's glory is to shine forth through His church. So it is good, Cats, that you are studying and seeking deeper understanding. It is something we should all be doing. In Christ, CarolineS

I was just reading some of the information posted at their web site. Here is a sentence from a page on the Ten Commandment Commission: "By making our voices heard in support of the Ten Commandments, we believe we will make a major societal impact by restoring God's eternal moral code to the heart of our nation." They also ask people who value traditional moral values to celebrate Ten Commandment Sunday by hosting local community events in support of the Ten Commandments. What exactly do they mean by "restoring God's eternal moral code to the heart of our nation"? Why is the event being held on a Sunday? Something is wrong with this. Is the entire church asleep? In Christ, CarolineS

Greetings, I was wondering if anyone has heard of this website: www.tencommandmentsday.com Also, what is the Ten Commaandment Commission? It looks like they are gathering in Washington, DC on May 7th to bring attention to the Ten Commandments and their importance. Has anyone discussed this in their churches? I heard about it on TV. I am wondering if it will receive more media attention in the future. I put this topic under prophey because I feel the Ten Commandments will be a dividing issue in the last days. In Christ, CarolineS

2thepoint, I not the one calling God a liar. Let's take alook at that God said to Adam and Eve and compare it to what Satan said to Eve. <Genesis 2:17> "...but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die." God told Adam and Eve they would die. They would die a physical death. They would not have access to the tree of life. That is why an angel with a flaming sword was placed at the entrance of the garden to guard the tree of life. Why did Adam and Eve need access to the tree of life? Because they were mortal beings, formed from the dust, and to dust they would return. <Genesis 3:22,23> "Then the Lord God said, 'Behold, the man has become like one of Us, to know good and evil. And now, lest he put out his hand and take also of the tree of life, and eat, and live forever'--therefore the Lord God sent him out of the garden of Eden to till the ground from which he was taken." We die a physical death. At that time our spirit leaves our body and returns to God. Our spirit is the breath of life. <Genesis 2:7> "And the Lord God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living being (soul). So it takes a body and the spirit together to make a living soul. A soul is a person. When we die, our body cannot exist without the breath of life (the spirit), so we are no longer a living soul. Our body goes back to the dust and our spirit returns to God, who gave it. We no longer exist. <Ezekiel 18:20> "The soul that sinneth, it shall die." <Ezekiel 33:11> ...turn ye, turn ye from your evil ways; for why will ye die?" <Romans 6:23> "For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord." God loved us so much he didn't leave us in our sin and disobedience to die. He sent us His only son. Jesus died for us. Jesus died on the cross and went into the grave for us. Then he conquered death and arose out of the grave. He was the perfect sacrifice so God the Father called Him forth from the grave. Now those that believe in Jesus and accept Him as their Lord and Savior are also called forth to eternal life. <Romans 8:11> "But if the Spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, He who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through His Spirit who dwells in you." What did Satan say to Eve? <Genesis 3:4> "Then the serpent said to the woman, "You will not surely die." Either God is telling us the truth or Satan is. One of them is lying. We either die or we don't. I chose to believe God over Satan. I believe we die. We are not immortal. Eternal life is a gift given to us through the sacrifice and death of Jesus. He died for us so we never have to. That is why we can say, Oh death where is thy sting? Why are you telling people they are eternal and will live forever? Why do they need a savior then? In Christ, CarolineS

Purgatory is a belief that individuals not good enough to be worthy of heaven but not evil enough to deserve hell, suffer in an intermediary state until their sins are purged. This concept is based on the false understanding of the immortality of the soul (see many threads on this topic for further discussion) as well as how individuals are saved. It is not scriptural. It also teaches a false belief that there is a second chance to be saved after death. There is not a second chance. "Behold, now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation." (2Cor. 6:2) In Christ, CarolineS

2thepoint, Let's look at these verses a little closer: <Matthew 25:46> "And these will go away into everlasting punishment, but the righteous into eternal life." The punishment will be everlasting. Note the text does not say "everlasting punishing." It is a single punishment whose effect lasts forever. <Mark 9:48> "...where their worm does not die and the fire is not quenched." The fire which cannot be quenched is one which no human hands can put out. It utterly, totally consumes. The fire cannot be quenched or put out until it completes its work of totally eradicating sin from the universe. Sinners will ultimately be burned up or turned to ashes. See Malachi 4:1-3 The idea of an eternally burning hell would make God a cosmic monster, delighting in destroying His creatures. A loving God must blot sin out of the universe or it will destroy the entire planet. It must be cut out of existence. Do you really think a just and loving God is going to burn people for billions and bilions and billions of years due to one short life of sin? If you believe that, you are not worshipping the same God as me. In Christ, CarolineS

Please show scripture that states the second death is eternal separation from God. My Bible says that the soul that sins shall die, it shall be destroyed, it shall perish. <Ezekiel 18:20> "The soul that sinneth, it shall die." <Matthew 10:28> "Rather fear him which is able to destroy both soul and body in hell." <John 3:16> "God...gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life." I see eternal life as a gift for believers only. The wicked are destroyed. They are not given immortality. I think part of the problem stems from the doctrine of the immortal soul. There is no such thing. We all die physically. The believers are rasied to eternal life. The wicked to punishment and destruction. I hope this helps you. In Christ, CarolineS

Amen. I couldn't have said it better myself. In Christ, CarolineS