CarolineS

Greetings, Can a person lose their salvation? I think it boils down to this: Can a person choose to be saved? YES Can a person choose to be lost? YES Will God, once we are saved, hold us captive against our will and not let us go our own way? NO It is a matter of choice. God gave us free will. We can choose to be saved or lost. If fact, it is a daily choice to follow God. In Christ, CarolineS

My apologies... I got confused with the commandment of God to Moses to hew the new Tablets, and the writing of the second set with God's fingers. Indeed, they are written with God's fingers. That does not change anything. When Jesus was asked what the Greatest commandmemt was, He did not recite any of the Ten Commandments. He recited," You shall love the Lord your God with all of your heart, all of your soul and with all of your strength. He said that the second greatest was to love our neighbor as ourselves. So you if you are going to put the Ten Commandments on a some pedestal and say THESE TEN solely comprise the Torah/law of God, what do you do with the two Jesus said were the greatest. The Ten commandments are summary of the whole Torah. The Torah covers how we are to interact with God, our family and all other outside relationships. LIkewise the Ten commandments summarize the entire Torah in the same order. The first four commandments deal with our interactions with God, the fifth deals with family, and the last four deal with how we interact with everyone else. So to say that the Ten Commandments are THE Law of God is simply not true. You are creating a fictitious and superficial division that God never intended between the Ten Commandments and the rest of the Torah. IF you are going to treat the weekly Sabbath as absolutely mandatory, then you are going to have to treat the other Sabbaths the same way. According to Leviticus 23, the weekly Sabbath is just as much feast as the the other Festivals, and God makes no case that the weekly Sabbath is to be seen any differently. You simply cannot make an internally consistent case for mandatory Sabbath observance while ignoring everything else. I believe you are referring to Matthew 22. Jesus was tested by a lawyer, who asked Him, "Teacher, which is the great commandment in the law?" <Matt. 22:37-40> "Jesus said to him, 'You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.' This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like it: 'You shall love your neighbor as yourself.' On these two commandments hang all the Law and the Prophets." Jesus was summarizing the Ten Commandments. The first four commandments tell us how to love God, and the last six tell us how to love other people. In Deuteronomy 5:22 Moses states: "These words the Lord spoke to all your assembly, in the mountain from the midst of the fire, the cloud, and the thick darkness, with a loud voice; and He added no more. And He wrote them on two tablets of stone and gave them to me." God spoke the Ten Commandments. They were complete. He wrote them on the two tablets. The verse above states "he added NO MORE." God's law was perfect and He was satisfied to add nothing more to His Ten Commandments. The Ten Commandments are God's perfect law. He added nothing more to them. They were engraved in stone and called the "two tablets of the Testimony." God wrote the Ten Commandments (both sets) with His own finger. Also the Ten Commandments were placed inside the Ark of the Covenant. The weekly sabbath is a commandment from God written in stone. We are to keep it just like the other nine. The feasts were not written in stone. The Ceremonial Law of Moses defined the earthly temple services and all the special annual sabbaths. Everything contained within the Ceremonial Law was a shadow that pointed to Jesus as the substance. <Heb.10:1> "For the law, having a shadow of the good things to come, and not the very image of the things, can never with these same sacrifices, which they offer continually year by year, make those who approach perfect." The Law of Moses prescribed sacrifices, festivals, and ceremonial ordinances that were symbolic of Jesus. Paul states that the law of ceremonies ended when it was nailed to the cross. (Col. 2:13-14) The Ten Commandments are God's perfect law. We are not to add anything to them. In Christ, CarolineS

First of all, it was the first set of stone tablets that Moses broke on the mountain side that had the commandments written by God's finger. The second set was written by Moses hand, and placed in the Ark. You need to read about that. Secondly, Read Leviticus 23:1-3 And the LORD spoke unto Moses, saying, Speak unto the children of Israel, and say unto them, Concerning the feasts of the LORD, which ye shall proclaim to be holy convocations, even these are my feasts. Six days shall work be done: but the seventh day is the sabbath of rest, a holy convocation; ye shall do no work therein: it is the sabbath of the LORD in all your dwellings. (Leviticus 23:1-3) Now note who is doing the speaking, It is the Lord. HE is declaring the Sabbath and the Festivals in this chapter and notice that the Sabbath is the first of what God calls His FEASTS. The first FEAST is the weekly Sabbath. So to argue that the feasts were nailed to cross is simply incorrect. God places the Sabbath as having equal standing with the other FEASTS, so it is an unwarranted distinction being made to say that God is only concerned with the weekly Sabbath not equally concerned with the rest of the Sabbaths and appointed times. If you are going to argue that the Sabbath MUST be kept, and that it is absolutely mandatory, then you need to keep everything that given at Sinai in order to have an internally consistent position. First of all, the Ten Commandments were never written by Moses. They were written by God with His Own Hand. Please read Exodus 34:1-8. God did not trust any man to write His eternal law, He wrote it with His Own Hand twice. Secondly, God speaks the Ten Commandments to all the assembly before etching them in stone. Then Moses alone drew near to God. The Lord gave him special civil laws and ceremonial ordinances for Israel to follow. When Moses returned from his meeting, he recited these special contract terms to the people and they agreed to do all that the Lord had spoken. You are mixing up the Old Covenant or The Book of Law with our New Covenant -- the Ten Commandments and Jesus. In Christ, CarolineS

1. Paul did NOT say that the law of ceremonies was nailed to the cross. Paul said that the handwriting of ordinances that was against us was nailed to cross. Tell me... How were the Festivals "against us?" How were the annual Sabbaths "against us?" That makes absolutely no sense. What Paul was talking about was crucifixion. In the days when Rome was crucifying it was customary to nail to the cross, a list of the of the trespasses or violations the person being crucified had done to warrant being crucified. What Paul is saying is that our sins the things that warranted our death were nailed to Jesus cross as if they were HIS offenses. This is what we mean when we say that Jesus died for our sins. It was our trespasses and sins that were imputed to Christ and thus nailed to his cross. That is why God can now impute His righteousness to us when we accept Christ by faith. 2. You are trying to make a superficial division between the 10 commandments and the remaining 603 commandments as if the 10 came from God and the rest is the "law of Moses." Well I have new for you, Caroline: ALL 613 commandments were given BY GOD on Mt. Sinai!! They are all part of the Torah God commanded. You have no right to treat one part of the Torah as being less important than another. OK. Now I am confused. I thought we were talking about God's Law, the Ten Commandments, which were written in stone and called the "two tablets of the Testimony." They were written with God's own finger, in stone, and placed inside the Ark of the Covenant. Are you saying that there are another 603 commandments, also written in stone, that are binding today? Did God also write these with His own hand in stone? In Christ, CarolineS

the 613 commandments were given by God and are just as much part of the Word of God as the 10 commandments. The Ten Commandments are a summary of entire Torah. These are not the "ceremonial laws of Moses." All of that was established by God. IF you are going to harp on Sabbath observance as being necessary, then you need to find all of the 613 that apply to your life and you must keep them with the same diligence that you keep the Sabbath in order to be internally consistent with your theology. That means ALL of them. The "Law of Moses" also prescribed the Sabbath as well in Leviticus 23. It is the first of God's apppointed Times listed. The Sabbath is a Festival just like the New Moon. Just like Yom Kippur. Do you fast on Yom Kippur? (That means no food and no water) You cannot treat one of God's appointed times with less diligence than the rest and still be internally consistent. You need to make up your mind what you believe. The Law of Moses prescribed sacrifices, festivals, and ceremonial ordinances that were symbolic of Jesus. Paul states that the law of ceremonies ended when it was nailed to the cross: <Col. 2:13-14> "And you, being dead in your sins and the uncircumcision of your flesh, hath he quickened together with him, having forgiven you all trespasses; Blotting out the handwriting of ordinances hat was against us, which was contrary to us, and took it out of the way, nailing it to his cross." All of the ceremonial ordinances, including the special annnual sabbaths (not the weekly, seventh-day Sabbath) were merely a shadowy symbol of the ministry of Christ. Christ made it clear that the purpose of the Law of Moses was to prepare the people for His arrival when He said: <Luke 24:44> "...These are the words which I spoke to you while I was still with you, that all things must be fulfilled which were written in the Law of Moses and the Prophets and the Psalms concerning me." Paul wrote that Christ was the end -- the aim or the goal of the Law. "For Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to everyone who believes." Christ was the end of the Law of Moses, the Old Covenant that expressed God's commitment to rescue the world from sin. Christ is our New Covenant with God. In a Messianic prophecy about Christ, God said: <Is. 42:6-7> "I, the LORD, have called You in righteousness, and will hold Your hand; I will keep You and give You as a covenant to the people, as a light to the Gentiles, to open blind eyes, to bring our prisoners from the prison, those who sit in darkness from the prison house." The New Covenant we celebrate in Jesus contains the Ten Commandments. "...Behold, the days are coming, says the LORD, when I will make a new covenant...This is the covenant...I will put My laws in their mind and write them on their hearts; and I will be their God, and they shall be My people." (Hebrews 8:8,10; Jer. 31:31-33) Paul describes the nature of both the Law of Moses and the Ten Commandments: "Circumcision is nothing and uncircumcision is nothing, but keeping the commandments of God is what matters." (1 Cor. 7:19) In Christ, CarolineS

Greetings, I just had a thought. The problem here is that some are mistaking obedience for legalism. Legalism is trying to earn salvation by good wroks. The saints are identified in the Bible as having four characteristics: (1) keeping the commandments, (2) trusting the blood of the Lamb, (3) sharing their faith with others, and (4) choosing to die rather than to sin. These are the true marks of the person who is in love with Christ and has made a life commitment to follow Him. Keeping the Ten Commandments in an atempt to earn salvation will result only in sorrow and despair. But the person who has experienced the gift of salvation delights in walking the path of obedience to God's Law. It is because I love God so deeply for changing my life, it is a joy to follow His Law. Obedience is the natural response of love in my life. Being born of God, as a new creature, I want to obey Him because His life has become a part of my life. To please someone you love is not a burden, but a delight. <Psalm 40:8> "I delight to do they will, O my God: yea, they law is within my heart." I am going to continue to follow Jesus and His Law. Because I love Him so much, I will remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy. It's not about a literal day, it's about trusting and obeying. In Christ, CarolineS

shiloh357, How can you say that keeping the Sabbath has been suspended? Where in scripture does it state that? Why would God initially bless and sanctify the Sabbath, eliminate it for a period, reinstate it for the Jews, eliminate it again, and then reinstate it when all flesh were united after the resurrection of His people? Doesn't it seem obviously consistent to believe the seventh-day Sabbath that God blessed and sanctified is a perpetual covenant of love with His people? Secondly, I am not aware that there are 613 commandments that were written in stone by the finger of God. I am only aware of ten commandments written on two stone tablets that were placed inside the ark of His covenant. Are you referring to the Book of the Law -- Moses' book? The Ceremonial Law of Moses defined the earthly temple services and all the special annual sabbaths. Everything contained within the Ceremonial Law was a shadow that pointed to Jesus as the substance. The Law of Moses prescribed sacrifices, festivals, and ceremonial ordinances that were symbolic of Jesus. Thirdly, I do trust in Christ alone. Keeping the Law does not save anyone. You are missing the point: I keep the Law because I am saved. Because I love Jesus. I want to obey Him, imitate Him, become like Him. <1 John 2:3,4> "Now by this we know that we know Him, if we keep His commandments. He who says, ' I know Him,' and does not keep His commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him." <John 14:15> "If you love Me, keep My commandments." I would have to question a person's faith and relationship with Christ if they do not love God's Law. When you love someone, you do things that please them. I believe the seventh-day Sabbath is the mark of God's authority as Creator and Redeemer. He calls it His sign between us that He is the One Who sanctifies us. But are christians really willing to trust and obey God? The Sabbath is a sign of our allegiance. It demonstrates whether we are serving God, our Creator -- or man, who dismisses the Lord's commandment by tradition. In Christ, CarolineS

First of all, no one is talking about doing away with, or disobeying God's Torah. I, for my part, am not even stating that the Torah has been "done away with," per se. What most here disagree with you about, is the form that obedience to the Torah is supposed to take.

Greetings, I don't think I am making myself clear in this thread. We are saved when we come to Jesus broken and ask for mercy and forgiveness. <Psalm 51:17> "The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit, A broken and contrite heart --These, O God, You will not despise." <Isaish 66:2> "But on this one will I look: On him who is poor and of a contrite spirit, And who trembles at My word." The Law or keeping the law does not save us. The law is not our savior. Only Jesus can save us. We come to the cross broken and He reaches out to us with His great love, mercy, and forgiveness. His blood and only His blood washes us clean. His blood also changes or transforms us. Then because He fills our heart with love and mercy, we love Him back. He gives us the grace we need to obey His Law. It is because we love Him that we keep His law. We don't keep the law to be saved, we keep God's Commandments because we are saved. His grace doesn't do away with the law, but gives us the power and strength to obey the law. God's Commandments define or reveal what sin is. Something we really need in this day and age. <Romans 7:7> "What shall we say then? Is the law sin? Certainly not! On the contrary, I would not have known sin except through the law. For I would not have known covetousness unless the law had said, 'You shall not covet." If you do away with the commandments you do away with sin, if you do away with sin, you don't need a savior. We need God's Commandments to tell us what sin is. We can look at them and see the sin in our own life, then the law points us to Jesus. With the law, we can see our need for a savior. When we come to Christ and are saved, we have the desire to obey Him. We want to live our lives in a way that pleases him. His commandments change us on the inside. We change our behavior, we have a desire for what is righteous and holy. We want to be like Christ. <Psalm 19:7> "The law of the Lord is perfect, converting the soul; The testimony of the Lord is sure, making wise the simple;" So you see, we come to Christ and are saved by His grace. Then He writes His laws in our mind (we know them) and in our heart (we love them, they are not a burden). His grace gives us the strength to keep the law. Jesus is calling us back to His word and His Law. We are to follow Him, not the traditions of men. The doctrine that the Commandments were nailed to the cross and we are living under grace is a doctrine from Satan himself. He loves it when we are disobedient to Christ. Satan lost heaven because of disobedience. Adam and Eve lost the garden because of disobedience. Jesus is coming back and taking with Him His bride, those who are righteous and follow and obey Him. I don't think that those who rebel against His law and knowingly sin will be going anywhere with Him. In Christ, CarolineS

Hi abbershay, I am not sayiny that I disagree with you, but I was wondering if you could point to some scripture that points to the Christian observing the Sabbath in the millinial reign of Christ. JesusisGod2, I believe you are looking for this verse: <Isaiah 66:22,23> "For as the new heavens and the new earth, which I will make, shall remain before me, saith the Lord, so shall your seed and your name remain. And it shall come to pass, that from one new moon to another, and from one sabbath to another, shall all flesh come to worship before me, saith the Lord." In Christ, CarolineS

I believe that this will become a salvation issue in the last days. The Book of Revelation states the dragon (Satan) was enraged with the woman (the church) and went to make war with the rest of her offspring, who keep the commandments of God and have the testimony of Jesus Christ. (Rev. 12:17) There are other verses in Revelation that refer to those who keep the commandmants. Jesus is coming back for His bride. I believe this will be a remnant that follow Jesus now, keep His commandments, including the 4th, as best they can and live righteously. That's why I think this issue of God's Law is so important. We can't ignore a commandment because we don't like it or it's not convenient. In Christ, CarolineS

Shiloh357, I agree that keeping the law does not save us. We are saved by grace through faith. But that does not mean we can ignore God's Ten Commandments. We cannot throw them out the window. <James 2:20> "But do you want to know, O foolish man, that faith without works is dead?" <James 2:24> "You see then that a man is justified by works, and not by faith only." <James 2:26> "For as the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without works is dead also." Jesus obeyed His father even until death, He learned obedience by the things which He suffered. <Hebrews 5:8> "though He was a Son, yet He learned obedience by the things which He suffered." <Hebrews 5:9> "And having been perfected, He became the author of eternal salvation to all who obey Him, " Read that last verse again "the author of eternal salvation to all who obey Him." All who obey Him. Obey what? <Hebrews 8:10> "For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, says the Lord: I will put My laws in their mind and write them on their hearts; and I will be their God, and they shall be My people." It is by faith the Ten Commandments of God are established in out hearts. It is faith and absolute trust in God that causes the Sabbath to stand as a memorial to our Creator. <Ex. 31:13-14> "Surely My Sabbaths you shall keep, for it is a sign between Me and you throughout your generations, that you may know that I am the LORD who sanctifies you. You shall keep the Sabbath, therefore, for it is holy to you." The Sabbath is a sign of our allegiance. It demonstrates whether we are serving God, our Creator--or man, who dismisses the Lord's commandment by tradition. It is God's mark of authority given to believers through His Holy Word. God sanctified the seventh day of each week for our benefit, so we could spend special time with Him and rest from all our worldly concerns. The seventh-day Sabbath is the only day God defines as "My holy day." In Christ, CarolineS

Interesting. CarolineS

Shiloh357, I agree with your post, except for the last paragraph. How can everyone who accetps Jesus as Lord and Savior keep the Sabbath as God commanded? Are you saying, all we have to do is accept Christ and we have kept the Sabbath? Can anyone know Christ without obeying His commandments? It would seem that when a person's actions reflect a glaring disregard for God's Commandments, they are separated from Jesus. They are lost -- spiritually dead. <1 John 2:3-4> "Now by this we know that we know Him, if we keep His commandments. He who says, 'I know Him,' and does not keep His commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him." John also tells us how to identify those who are the children of God: "If you know that He is righteous, you know that everyone who practices righteousness is born of Him." (1 John 2:29) So if Christ is our Lord and Savior, and we are truely born again, we will practice righteousness. So what is unrighteous? I would think that disobedience to God's commandments is the opposite of practicing righteousness. <1 John 3:4> "Whoever commits sin also commits lawlessness, and sin is lawlessness." Sin is lawlessness, the breaking of God's Law -- either through doubt, disbelief, apathy or rebellion. Sin separates us from God. By ignoring God's seventh-day Sabbath we commit lawlessness that separates us from a loving Savior. God blessed and sanctified the day. God's definition of keeping a day holy is to cease all secular work, refrain from buying and selling, and to focus on Him as our delight, rather than worldly pleasures. No one can keep every day holy in the eyes of the Lord. More importantly, only God can bless and sanctify a day, declaring it to be sacred to Him -- as He did with the Sabbath, calling it "My holy day." You state "there is nothing wrong with keeping the Sabbath, if that is your conviction," so are you saying, keep the Sabbath if that is your belief? How about murder? Is there nothing wrong with murder, if I feel convicted to kill someone? In Christ, CarolineS

Hi Caroline, Just out of curiosity, do you cook on the sabbath or drive a car or even keep a light on at night? Exodus 35:3 Ye shall kindle no fire throughout your habitations upon the sabbath day. Do you clean house or wash dishes or work a garden in the summer on the sabbath? Do you run errands, such go to the store ? Do you buy or sell? Do you walk or travel more than a sabbaths day journey (I believe it is approx 1/2 mile) to worship? How about the sacrifices, are these still being made? By the way, the sabbath is never called a day of worship, it is called a day of rest. However many Jews did (and some still do) worship on the sabbath and this is why many Jews lived within 1/2 mile of the synagogue and is the purpose of having so many synagogues, so they would not violate the law of riding animals or carts etc. to get there, for even the beast were to do no work. Many who keep the sabbath today are in reality only keeping parts of the sabbath without even knowing it, here is what James says about that: James 2:10 For whosoever shall keep the whole law, and yet offend in one point, he is guilty of all. By your keeping the law, do you violate the law? Christ is our sabbath, all of the laws of sabbath were a picture of Him, He is the rest that we now enter into. It is an eternal rest. We have entered in when we were born again, though some things are not realized yet, this what is called faith, and this is our hope. OK. I'll try to answer your questions. Do I cook on the Sabbath? I try to prepare a meal on Friday or we eat light on the Sabbath. Do I clean house or wash dishes or work in a garden? No. I do not clean house. Yes, I do the dishes that were used for our meals. No, I do not work in the yard or garden on the Sabbath. I do not do laundry or run the sweeper. Do I run errands or go to the store? No, I do not buy or sell on the Sabbath. I do not shop at the store, or buy gas, or stop at the bank. Do I worship on the Sabbath? Yes, I follow the example of Jesus. <Luke 4:16> "So He came to Nazareth, where He had been brought up. And as His custom was, He went into the synagogue on the Sabbath day, and stood up to read." By keeping the law, do you violate the law? No. In Christ, CarolineS

There is a brand of legalism that starts when people are forbidden to express their personal convictions . . . because someone thinks their side is right and the other side is wrong. So much for supporting freedom of speech. This is private board, and freedom of speech issues don't apply. When people start connecting the Sabbath to salvation and questioning other's salvation on that basis, it goes beyond the pale of "expressing personal convictions." That has no place on these boards. I knew this was coming. Try to discuss God's Law on a christian forum and all of a sudden you are a legalist. A sign of the times I am afraid. I love to read the Book of Daniel and the Book of Revelation. They go together hand in hand. We have Daniel, living in Babylon, and he is being tested by God. Will he follow God or the ways of Babylon? The first test occurs at the King's table. It involves Daniel and His three friends. Then there's the image of gold. Everyone must fall down and worship it or be thrown into the furnace. If fact, it is commanded that the people must fall down and worship or die. So Daniel's three friends again have a choice. Whose commandments will they choose? Then we have Daniel and the Lion's Den one of my favorite recorded events. Daniel is always being tested it seems. Now fast forward to the end times. We are living in Babylon. Babylon means confusion. There seems to be so much confusion regarding God's Word. Are souls eternal or not? Should babies be baptized or not? Is Hell eternal or is eternal life our gift as a believer? Will the temple be rebuilt in Israel or is the church now the temple of Christ? Is Satan setting up his beliefs or abominations in the spiritual temple (or in believers hearts)? Is there a rapture that lets us escape tribulation or will God use this time to test and refine His bride? Were the Ten Commandments nailed to the cross or not? Why does everyone not mind the other nine, but when the 4th commandment is discussed, you are a legalist? Revelation tells us a great test is coming upon the Church. God will sort out His sheep from the goats. He will call His followers and they will hear His voice. I believe He is doing that now. He is calling us back to following His word and His Commandments, including the fourth. Revelation tells us the dragon makes war with those who keep the commandments, those who keep the commandments of God and the faith of Jesus. <Rev. 22:14> "Blessed are those who do His commandments, that they may have the right to the tree of life, and may enter through the gates into the city." So I guess I am a legalist. The Commandments are God's unchanging law; that includes the Sabbath. Happy Sabbath everyone! In Christ, CarolineS

Well, the thing that really concerned me was the tsunami that struck. I watched the TV coverage in awe. I could hardly believe it was really happening. Then the record-shattering hurricane season occurred. Then the killer earthquake in Pakistan. Of course the war in Iraq is a concern; and other ethnic wars that are occurring. I am watching to see if the bird flu develops into a killer pandemic. I don't think it is just the violent weather that gets my attention. But a combination of many things. Violence, wars, crime, crimes against children, wars, gang violence, the homosexual mvt., HIV, abortion, etc. I could go on and on. It's seems like the whole world is falling apart. Like the birth pangs are here. In Christ, CarolineS

Well said. We are to become like Jesus. We are to be imitators of Him. I believe He came not only to save us from sin and death but to be an example for us. Jesus Christ was present at the creation of this world. He spoke it into existence. For all things were made through Him and by Him. <John 1:10> He was in the world, and the world was made through Him, and the world did not know Him." He set aside the seventh day. He blessed it and sanctified it. He set it aside as a devine appointment for mankind to spend with Him each week. A Holy day. Jesus kept the Sabbath while He was here on earth. He kept the Sabbath even in death. We know He slept in the grave during the Sabbath. Scripture tells us we will keep the Sabbath in the new heaven and the new earth. I also believe He could see down through the portals of history. He knew man would forget about this important day and time with Him. That's why He said, "Remember the Sabbath day to keep it Holy." Remember. It is the only commandment that starts with this word. Why? Because He knew man would forget the importance of this day. I also believe, in these end times, there will be a remnant people that will return to the Bible and the Sabbath. People that will not follow the traditions of men, but true followers of Christ. That is why in Revelation 12, we see Satan enraged with the woman (the church) and her offspring (those who keep the commandments of God) He will persecute them severely. I believe people all over the world are reading the Bible for themselves and discovering truths that the apostate church has hidden from them. I believe we will see more people return to keeping the Sabbath. In Christ, CarolineS

Nice post, Pilgrim7. I just love it when things get more interesting around here. CarolineS

Only God is immortal. Man is not. Jesus overcame death to give us eternal life. It is a gift for believers only, not everyone. <Malachi 4:1> "For behold, the day is coming, burning like an oven, and all the proud, yes, all who do wickedly will be stubble. And the day which is coming shall burn them up," Says the lord of hosts, "That will leave them neither root nor branch." <Malachi 4:3> "You shall trample the wicked, For they shall be ashes under the soles of your feet on the day that I do this, says the Lord of hosts." <1 Timothy 6:15-16> "which He will manifest in His own time, He who is the blessed and only Potentate, the King of kings and Lord of lords, who alone has immmortality, dwelling in unapproachable light, whom no man has seen or can see, to whom be honor and everlasing power. Amen." The wicked will be destroyed. They will cease to exist. They will be stubble, no root or branch will be left. They will be ashes. Sin and evil will exist no more. Scripture makes it very clear. People need to read their Bible. Follow scripture, not some doctrine all the religious leaders are teaching you. Remember the religious leaders were wrong the first time Jesus came. In Christ, CarolineS

Thanks, Island Rose. I'm glad it's not true. (Not that I drink alot of Pepsi). I switched to bottled water a long time ago. I hope no one starts messing with bottled water. In Christ, CarolineS

Is this true about the Pepsi Company? I haven't seen that in the news. I will not be buying any Pepsi if I find this to be true. I hope it hurts their sales. Aren't there any large corporations that have Christians in positions to make decisions like this? Is there no one left to stand up for what is right? In Christ, CarolineS

Aw, don't feel that way, Nebula. I love reading your astronomy topics. I hope you keep them coming. I have a feeling in the future even more people will be interested in them. In Christ, CarolineS

I haven't been taking this flu too seriously; I was hoping it was just media hype. There's not much we can do about it anyway. But when I read articles like this, it's like another alarm goes off. The Tsunami was a wake up call. Since that we have had earthquakes, hurricanes, tornados. If this bird flu spreads and is as deadly as we are being told, then I can say we are definitely living during the time Christ will return. I hope the church is ready. In Christ, CarolineS

It's 6 degress here today. We have about 4 inches of crunchy snow on the ground. It's very cold. It is supposed to be below zero tonight. Time to plug in the car. Hope you all are staying warm. CarolineS