Don19

I would say there's not enough time for it to happen. The end of the age and beginning of the tribulation will be here too soon.

Riches in the Bible refers to the currency of this world - i.e., good works; i.e., all efforts of the flesh at righteousness. It's been pointed out that riches were seen as a sign of God's approval in the times of Jesus. This is true. And so this metaphor is perfect for today, in the world of what purports to be Christianity, where good works are seen as a sign of approval from God, when that approval from God is actually lacking. Hence why Jesus said: "So likewise, whosoever he be of you that forsaketh not all that he hath, he cannot be my disciple." Luke 14:33 ...and Matthew 13:44-46: 44 Again, the kingdom of heaven is like unto treasure hid in a field; the which when a man hath found, he hideth, and for joy thereof goeth and selleth all that he hath, and buyeth that field. 45 Again, the kingdom of heaven is like unto a merchant man, seeking goodly pearls: 46 Who, when he had found one pearl of great price, went and sold all that he had, and bought it. What this means is you cannot enter the kingdom of God while believing you are forgiven only for some sins, but not others. What's the most horrible sin you can imagine? I'll leave it you to imagine. Well, guess what. That one, if you were to commit it, is one you must believe you are forgiven for, along with all the others.

1 Corinthians 2:9 sounds like it's talking about the glories of eternity--the new heavens and new earth--but it isn't. As amazing as this verse sounds if you imagine it's talking about this, it's talking about something even greater and more amazing. In context, Paul is talking about the promise of the Spirit. Really, the whole context demands this interpretation, but this is clearly shown even just by the very next verse. Paul says God has revealed those things to us by His Spirit.

Yes, as in the days of Noah (Matt 24:37-39). For what it worth, I find it remarkable that the White House Correspondents' Dinner ("eating and drinking"), a longstanding tradition which occurred this year on 4/30/22, was hosted by Trevor Noah.

1 Thes 4:16: "16 For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first:" 1 Cor 15:24: "Then cometh the end, when he shall have delivered up the kingdom to God, even the Father; when he shall have put down all rule and all authority and power." Pay attention to the parts I've noted above. Who are those who are in Christ? Who are those in the kingdom? It's those who have believed in Christ and received the Spirit. It is NOT the elect who came before Christ. The kingdom of God was not established yet in their lifetimes. Nevertheless, some of them were already resurrected (Matt 27:52-53). That includes, for example, Moses, as Jude tell us that Michael the archangel contended with the devil over the body of Moses (Jude 1:9). Notice also that the dead rise at the voice of the archangel, so we know that the resurrection of the body of Moses is implied by Jude 1:9. The kingdom of God is resurrected at the rapture, prior to the tribulation. This occurs when the "fullness of the Gentiles" (Rom 11:25) has been saved, which I am quite persuaded is not too far away. The Old Testament elect, who were not at any other time resurrected, will be resurrected after the 1000 year reign of Christ. They're not included among those in the first resurrection (Rev 20:4-6). You'll notice that those who are resurrected after the 1000 years come from three sources: death, hell, and the sea. Only death and hell are case into the lake of fire. Not the sea. Indeed, it is written there shall be no more sea (Rev 21:1). The dead in the sea are those whose names are in the book of life, so they are not cast into the lake of fire. This second resurrection after the 1000 years is also depicted in Matthew 25:31-46. The sheep ask Jesus why they are apparently being rewarded for good works when they never saw Him hungry, thirsty, etc. That's because they never saw Him, period. These are the Old Testament elect who lived before the time of Jesus. The goats, in contract, did "see" Him, in a way. They are the resurrected false professors of Christ. Jesus gives the sheep eternal life because, as His elect, they are credited with the works of Jesus Himself. Every good work Jesus mentioned in Matthew 25:31-46, which was done unto the least of His brethren, can be understood spiritually as what He did for those of us who are believers in Him. And, notice, there are actually three groups of people in Matthew 25:31-46: Christ's brethren, whom He references, are not in the same group as the sheep. Because Christ's brethren are those in the kingdom, those in Christ, the saints who are judging the world (1 Cor 6:2). This just goes to show: Jesus Christ is my good works. On the other hand, the goats were doing ostensibly "good works" and were cognizant of the fact that whatever is done to Christ's brethren is the same as what is done to Him. But, as they are false professors, they are not given grace, are not credited with the works of Jesus, but are judged to the maximum extent of the law, and go off into eternal punishment.

I used to cross state lines to attend one in Delaware (and usually, technically, two states lines, passing through Pennsylvania) that I thought was a good church. But not so. And it was a great mistake of mine to go to that place. And now that I'm wiser than I was when I did that, I realize there are no churches I know of that are worth attending.

Very interesting number of rounds...

I don’t know what you mean by ex-homosexual. As it concerns the so-called “ex-gay” movement, I believe the evidence shows conversion therapies do not actually change the orientation of a person. Now, of course, God is able to change a person’s sexual orientation. He can do all things. Or, instead, He may leave it as it is. As God said, His grace is sufficient. And He has His reasons for creating me as I am. Though marriage is fine and permissible, Paul said by inspiration that he would that all men were even as he is. And Jesus said, there are those who have made themselves eunuchs for the sake of the kingdom of heaven, and to let him who is able to receive it do so. I’ve seen the idea of the purpose of the creation brought up in this thread; I’m afraid I have an entirely different opinion on that. Some people speak of the “dominion mandate” of Genesis 1. However, that should be understood spiritually for the body of Christ. We multiply and are fruitful by having our fruit unto God. The fact is, while marriage is certainly permitted, it’s not a priority for a Christian, as our high calling is marriage to God. For me, I have no desire anymore to change. I would have happily changed my sexual orientation if I could when I was less mature in the faith. But, resting in the knowledge that I’m not condemned for my thoughts or attractions, I no longer concern myself with this. In line with the commandment in Acts 15, I don’t seek to engage in homosexual activity. I don’t really even desire this very much, because I know the reality of it. Godliness with contentment is gain. I spent many years of my life, before I knew the Lord, feeling discontent because I wanted a same-sex relationship, and I could not find what I wanted. Concerning the rainbow flag and the “pride” slogan more generally, this is an interesting providence of God. I’m sure it relates to the end times. As it’s written, “Pride goeth before destruction.” God has used homosexuality to signify that which is abominable, because most people naturally find homosexuality repulsive. But what is an abomination, spiritually, is unbelief (Titus 1:15-16). And Paul said, 1 Therefore thou art inexcusable, O man, whosoever thou art that judgest: for wherein thou judgest another, thou condemnest thyself; for thou that judgest doest the same things. 2 But we are sure that the judgment of God is according to truth against them which commit such things. 3 And thinkest thou this, O man, that judgest them which do such things, and doest the same, that thou shalt escape the judgment of God? (Romans 2:1-3) So the abominable are the unbelievers. Unbelievers do the *same things* as, for example, the homosexuals, etc., that they condemn. I am made righteous by the blood of Christ, and the blood of Christ alone. I cannot add any righteousness of my own, because a corrupt tree can never bear good fruit.

Also, I should hasten to clarify that when I say homosexual activity is verboten, I mean in terms of a rule of living. As it pertains to eternal salvation, I can never lose it even if I tried to. I am sealed.

The condemnation can seen overwhelming. But Jesus said that one must receive the kingdom of God as a little child in order to enter it (Mark 10:15). How is that? It's having no knowledge between good and evil (Deut 1:39).

Well, when the Bible talks about "going after strange flesh" (Jude 1:7) it's actually a metaphor for false believers, and for the world in general. Because the fact is, I am dead to the law by the body of Christ (Rom 7:4). To go after strange flesh is, metaphorically speaking, to pursue a righteousness of my own flesh. That being said, I believe the Bible teaches clearly that homosexual activity is verboten, as it would fall under the umbrella of fornication (Acts 15:28-29). But, I am same-sex attracted, myself. It's not something I can change. I truly have no problem with abstaining from homosexual activity, but I will not allow myself to feel condemned for my thoughts and attractions.

I would start by asking, what are conservatives trying to conserve? There was never–I repeat, never – a Christian culture, or a Christian country. Those who are born of God are always – always – greatly outnumbered by the followers of Baal. I have news for you: the ancient Greek and Roman world was far more decadent than our current culture, and the gospel did better in that environment than it is doing today. Why? Everyone does that which is right in his own eyes - i.e., the good works of the flesh. But Christ is my righteousness. Public morality does nothing whatsoever to save souls, because you must die to the works of the flesh. If anything, it has a negative effect, as Jesus Himself told the chief priests and the elders that the publicans and harlots go into the kingdom of God before them.

Maybe because the first two are "world wars" (who knows how the last one will end). I found it interesting at least that "battle" is mentioned in the Bible 68 times. Perhaps "royal" too, as the common theme in these wars seems to be about empires. Take it however you will, in any case. I'm not making any further claims about this coincidence, at it were. It is what it is. However, I would say that there are no coincidences with God. God is absolutely in control 100% of all things and events.

This is interesting and has been going around social media: Date WWI began: 7/28/1914. 7+28+19+14 = 68 Date WWII began: 9/1/1939. 9+1+19+39 = 68 Date Russian invasion began: 2/24/2022. 2+24+20+22 = 68 Apparently, the words “royalty” and “battle” are used 68 times in the Bible.

Sorry, I only saw the quote from Zelensky while looking through news headlines, and wanted to provide a source for it. I'll keep that in mind about posting links if there's a video in the link. What song about Zelensky are you referring to? The Russian invasion has been symbolized by the letter Z. No one really knows what it's supposed to mean, but Russia started painting a bunch of their tanks with this Latin alphabet letter. Nowadays, you see the letter Z appearing all over Russia among those who support Russia's war of aggression. Of course, Z is the last letter in the Latin alphabet. Perhaps it is ultimately symbolic of these being the very last days. Just a thought.

I meant an unbeliever with respect to the faith, not God's existence.

Epicurus seemed like a clear example of an atheist (for all intents and purposes) to me. But I'd actually go even further than that and argue that polytheism, although considered a "theism," has more in common with atheism than belief in God's existence. We know that God is the omnipotent First Cause of all things. If someone denies that First Cause, that person is an atheist, regardless of any belief in other "gods" or other supernatural things. One can believe in supernatural things and still be an atheist. It begs the question of where those things came from, but atheists already have that problem, whether they are strict materialists or not. Of course, we also know God's eternal power and Godhead are made known to all men (Rom 1:20) - so, really, atheists both now and in Bible times are those who suppress this truth. Though the pagans called Him the "unknown god," Paul makes it clear that He is actually known to them. You are correct that very little of the Bible is specifically about atheists, but I do believe Acts 17 is one of the exceptions to that.

Interestingly, the Bible does mention Paul preaching to Epicureans (Acts 17:18). I would definitely consider Epicurus to be an atheist. In fact, I'd go even further and say that a belief in "gods" without a single God who is the omnipotent Creator is tantamount to atheism.

I think the idea that God never answers the prayers of an unbeliever is unsupported biblically. Mark 5:12-13 would be an example of Jesus granting the requests of devils. 12 And all the devils besought him, saying, Send us into the swine, that we may enter into them. 13 And forthwith Jesus gave them leave. And the unclean spirits went out, and entered into the swine: and the herd ran violently down a steep place into the sea, (they were about two thousand;) and were choked in the sea.

https://news.yahoo.com/zelenky-ukraine-russia-end-of-the-world-180049216.html “Zelensky: 'The end of the world has arrived'” I, for one, found this remark very interesting. Coming from one of only two Jewish heads of state - the other being Israel, obviously.

Did you see that the separatist leaders gave the orders to evacuate to Russia on Feb 18 in pre-recorded videos (proven by the metadata to have been recorded on Feb 16). The DNR head even said, on Feb 16, "today Feb 18." It's because they knew ahead of time that false flag attacks were coming. It was all planned ahead of time by the Kremlin.

I took that it he was trying to put me in my place, as it were, because he thinks I'm below him in some way. I don't know how else to interpret that comment. I don't have the stroke to do that? I am very offended to be spoken to in that way! I have restrained myself when commenting here on this topic and interacting with those whose views differ from mine, because it's something that can make me very angry, being half-Ukrainian myself, and having followed all this for years. I know a lot about the situation over there, and the history behind it. I am very well aware of how Russia uses disinformation and lies to push its narrative. As for the rest of your post, it's a repetition of Russian lies and propaganda. I said earlier on that Russia lies all the time, and they lie big lies. Keep that in mind. The Ukrainians were not bombing the Donbas while Russia was amassing forces and looking for a fake reason to invade, even doing false flag attacks. That's as preposterous as Putin's attempt to "denazify" a country with a Jewish president. Furthermore, while the Donbas region is linguistically Russian, it is ethnically Ukrainian. The Donbas people want be a part of Ukraine, not Russia.

"Goliath" was trending on Twitter just a little while ago. This is really what this conflict feels like. David vs. Goliath. The thing that hath been, it is that which shall be; and that which is done is that which shall be done: and there is no new thing under the sun. Eccl 1:9

I've reported your post, which is bullying and abusive. Please, indeed, stop such behavior.