Jayne

You are precisely right. Getting "wet" for ceremonial cleanliness/purity was well known by Jews of the Old Testament. The tvilah and mikvah were well known. Baptism would not have come as a surprise to Jews.

TrueFollower - I just can't see everything in this much of a black/white view. Both men - in MY very, very humble opinion are not fit for office. So if I don't vote for Trump, I am not a "true follower of God"? I don't think you meant that like it sounded. I am a true follower of the Lord Jesus Christ - and the thought of voting for Donald Trump makes me sick. Why don't conservatives have another choice? Why do you think God WANTS to bless America? We are OVERRUN with porn, trafficking, transgenderism, lying officials, fake churches, dysfunctional families, horrible choices for entertainment, and so MUCH more evil. I can't grasp that some believe that Trump is the answer to all of our problems. If, as a conserative, I do vote for Trump - it's going to take a lot of prayer for me and a lot of Pepto-Bismal. [Not laughing about that at all]

I'm going to let the very scripture you cite answer your question. Matthew 6:16-18 “When you fast, do not look somber as the hypocrites do, for they disfigure their faces to show others they are fasting. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward in full. But when you fast, put oil on your head and wash your face, so that it will not be obvious to others that you are fasting, but only to your Father, who is unseen; and your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.” What this is saying is don't draw dramatic attention to what you are doing. Don't "perform" a starvation act. It's fine to say, "No thanks - I'm fasting today. " And on those days, Jesus says - wash up, perk up, and don't let anyone think you are "suffering". It's fine to tell someone if they offer to take you to lunch or bring a lunch to share with the office.

I'd rather..... pray the same request 10,000 times to God - in brokenness and tears and earnestness..... than to be silent..... and have the devil bask in that silence.

You are either going to focus on the great love of God or you are going keep your mind stayed on your problems. It's your choice. I understand - completely understand the struggle. I've had a BAD, BAD day and it's just 1:00. Keep a few scriptures written down to read when you are overwhelmed and remember what @Tristen said. "God knew exactly what he was getting with you and loved you anyway." Here's a good scripture. Philippians 4:6-7 “Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.” In "EVERY" situation. With "prayer" and "petition", WITH "thanksgiving".

I have no agenda. Just responding to your post.

You ARE aware that just as many prophecies in the Bible are dual - the term, "the day of the LORD" has both near and distant fulfillments.

I read your first two posts and said to myself - {He's going to post a third time accusing us of being too dumb to answer] You don't disappoint. I'd like to know why YOU believe that these are the same events. And note, I already know why you think these are the same event. I'd just like to hear you admit it.

I was.....and I told her how to say it.

You've asked and I will give my answer. Your reaction seems odd to me. You know for a fact that she is gay and yet you look deeper than that to find her a "kind, lovely, supportive, helpful, nice, and caring colleague". Her being gay does not disturb you, yet her being pregnant does. That's odd to me. What can you tell her? Get an abortion? No!! How about congratulations? You've already embraced her as someone you consider a welcomed colleague. I would tell her: [AND NOT NECESSARILY IN THE SAME CONVERSATION] [1] "Thank you for always being there for me as a colleague. Your support has meant a lot. I hope you consider ME a help." [2] "Congratulations on the baby!" [3] "We are work friends and I'm praying for the health of your baby. I just want you to know that as a Christian, I do struggle with gay marriage and your having a baby with your partner. I have to believe what God has said. AND I also pray that my beliefs don't push a wedge in our work relationship. I just wanted you to know where I am in my beliefs and that you are important to me here at work. I am praying for you and the baby."

I think the best one can say of this boy is that he is a good memorizer. There is no way on this planet that he has read the Bible in its entirety and came up with 66 analogies himself. There is no way that he came up with these nor has fully understood. Sorry, I'm just skeptical. There is a similar song/poem that another young boy has recited. I've seen that one too. I found that one, written by a country/western singer, that was not written by that other young man.

Hi, Kristina. Jeremiah 2:13 = “For My people have committed two evils: they have forsaken Me, the fountain of living waters, and hewn themselves cisterns—broken cisterns that can hold no water.” This is figurative of course. God is about to condemn Judah to be taken captive by Babylon for 70 years. He chooses the very young man, Jeremiah to pronounce to them why. They won't listen. According to this verse, they have done two things wrong [1] They have turned their backs on God who is the fountain of living waters. Living waters - representing the Holy Spirit in the New Testament. Living waters = running water, fresh and clean/clear. [2] To replace their worship of God, they made for themselves "cisterns". A cistern is a man-made pit or hole dug to store water. It can also be made hardened with something like clay. The water can get stagnant and even dry up. And if the cisterns BREAK as God claimed theirs were - then there is no water. He isn't talking about real cisterns. God is says that Judah has turned their back on HIM, the only God who can provide, protect, and save. And that they have turned to other gods who can do NOTHING. Why? Because they don't exist. They are just broken and empty imaginations.

The GREAT Flood - Noah's Flood - which the Bible says covered the whole world. Extinction began after this flood. During the Flood, land was changed. All dinosaur fossils and even later wooley mammoths and such frozen in ice are found on the relative surface of the ground. After Noah's flood. I was not aware by the original post that this thread was about Gap Theory OR YC vs. OC. I'll bow out now.

The Ice Age would not have been in Genesis 1. It would have been somewhere after the cataclysmic Great Flood - after the climate changed and huge animals began to go extinct. God would not have created animals on the sixth day and then killed them the same day. The evidence for what gigantic glaciers did to landmasses is great and had to have happened post Flood.

Whew! Thanks. I'll read the whole thing now.

Could you go back and edit your post and put it into paragraphs. Just go to the end of every few sentences and hit the "enter" button. That way we can read it more easily. I found your story very hard to read and didn't get it all.

The half-brother of Jesus Christ, James, - in his book of the Bible that bears his name lists two Old Testament people that explains what you are asking about. Both Abraham and Rahab he said are examples of FAITH. Old Testament people were made righteous by faith alone. [1] Abraham believed what God said. [2] Rahab believe what was said ABOUT God. Lots of people in the OT were righteous because of their faith, not their works. Works came secondary. This was true of both Jews and Gentiles. [1] Noah, [2] Moses, [3] Pharoah's officials after the 7th plague, [4] Caleb the Kennizite, [5] Ruth the Moabite, [6] David, [7] the people of Nineveh, and a whole lot more. It's faith first and faith demonstrated by actions.

Hell is mentioned about 30 times in the King James Old Testament. It's the Hebrew word, שְׁאוֹל which is pronounced "sheh' ole". Here's the link with the King James [OT] with "hell" and you can read them and decide what you think they are talking about. KJV Search Results for "hell" (blueletterbible.org)

I thank everyone who has responded. Let me clarify a bit. I am 62 years old. Was saved as an older child. Have read the Bible for about 40 years. Been teaching it about 30. To kindergarteners in the summers at VBS, to 6th graders in the few years I was in a Christian school, to my peers at church in Sunday School, and to 75-90 year old women in Sunday School [they are all gone now]. I taught a community Bible study for about five years until Covid shut it all down. And I guest speak at women's groups whenever asked. Do I know it all? NO!!! Do I love Bible study? Oh, yes! It's evident that some of you are not on the same page as me as to where we are on God's time table. And I am alright with that. Truly. This post was not to debate that. I just have something inside me that's relatively NEW and while not depressing, as I said it's causing a sense of urgency. In my Sunday School class, ALL of us have family members who are not saved. In fact, one lady has a drug addict brother who has told her, "Do NOT pray for me anymore!!" Another has an aunt who is a staunch atheist and is militant about it. Another has a son and grandson with families that never go to church and do not care to hear about the Lord. There's more. I can tell they suffer over this. We just made a class-wide list of those we are burdened over and we will use this prayer list in the privacy of our homes. Either time is short or it isn't. As I said, I can't prove either way. There is just something - something in me that's perhaps is just for me. Pray for me that God will make his will for my life apparent.

And that's who we are right now. Two divided sides - each heatedly blaming the other - and I don't see it changing.

Thank you, Ray.... You explained how I feel a whole lot better than me.

You make sense.

Not hateful at all. Just different.

I've been having a lot of crying spells lately. Mainly since the new year. When I pray, when I read the Bible, when a sad TV show comes on, in church [primarily during hymn singing or altar call], and I find it embarrassing. For example, we put a man [a member's son] on the church prayer list who had terminal cancer and we, unfortunately, found out apparently when it was in the last stages. He and I went to school together 45 years ago and I haven't seen him since. At the announcement that he was on the prayer list, I was BURDENED about his eternal soul. I began praying for his healing and his salvation. He may have BEEN saved since the last time I saw him - I don't know. In the next two weeks, our pastor announced at the end of the service that he had passed away and to pray for the family. I burst into tears and so the crying spell started. I said this to say THIS......and if you think me insane, I won't argue. Just don't be hateful. I've spoken to my counselor about this and I have a doctor's app't in May and will talk to her about this these crying spells. However, I have been PARTIALLY convinced that I am burdened because there is not a lot of time left. I know everyone believes differently about end times and that's one reason that I stay AWAY from any end time threads on ANY forum I am on. Everyone just argues and argues and it's a hot mess of confusion. And I am NOT saying that I KNOW when the return of Christ is. I would label my own self as insane if I professed this. It may be today - it may be a long time from now. I just can't stop this feeling of - not doom, not gloom, not apprehension, not dread , those are from the devil - but of a sense of URGENCY that we may or may not see another Easter. Are we saved? Are our loved ones saved? Does anyone give a hoot? I have been praying for the past two days that God would move in the churches that have Godly men behind the pulpit and that he would SAVE people today. At my church, God did! A young 5th grade boy. His dad came with him to the altar call. I know this is just all inside of me and it's mine to bear - and I more than likely should not have said anything. I am burdened for the lost people I know. And the urgency just gets stronger. And yes, I am witnessing as best I can to people. I just don't believe we have a long time left. If I am dead wrong - I'll gladly admit it. But the pull of urgency is very strong in me.

Hello - I've got several - about a dozen. I just developed and wrote a two-Sunday lesson for Sunday School on the mercies of God. Well, the Lord instructed me, I should say. The scriptures are quite moving and I'll post them later today.