NickyLouse

Bott Radio Network has a variety of solid teachers in John McArthur, Adrian Rogers, Chuck Swindoll, Charles Stanley... and it also has brief readings of The Message in between programs throughout the day. My opinion is that this is the extent of its usefulness. Our church's teacher has occasionally used it for selected passages. I find it more difficult to comprehend than our usual version, the NIV. I think that may be true since I look for deeper meaning from the Bible and this has been true ever since I gave my heart to Jesus.

I have read some of the comments here that proclaim The Message as "milk for baby Christians". My own recommendation for new Christians is to ween from milk as quickly as possible by getting into serious studies immediately or they may fall prey to all kinds of heresy. The topics for a new Christian don't need to delve into any of the more controversial subjects except that they should be exposed to what some of the "in-house" debates are about.

The foundation of christianity is easily understood by most everyone. For those with the most severe learning disabilities, I contend that it is sufficient that they understand only that Jesus loves them in spite of any wrong things they do and He died so that they will live forever.

I praise the Lord over you, dear sister.

it is God who makes both us and you stand firm in Christ. He anointed us, ²²set his seal of ownership on us, and put his Spirit in our hearts as a deposit, guaranteeing what is to come.

We have certainly come to the times the Bible foretold would signify the end-times; the wars, famine, increase of knowledge and the list goes on. How can we best be prepared for the rapture which will take place at any moment.

From 1Thessalonians5:

¹Now, brothers, about times and dates we do not need to write to you, ²for you know very well that the day of the Lord will come like a thief in the night. ³While people are saying, "Peace and safety," destruction will come on them suddenly, as labor pains on a pregnant woman, and they will not escape.

⁴But you, brothers, are not in darkness so that this day should surprise you like a thief. ⁵You are all sons of the light and sons of the day. We do not belong to the night or to the darkness. ⁶So then, let us not be like others, who are asleep, but let us be alert and self-controlled. ⁷For those who sleep, sleep at night, and those who get drunk, get drunk at night. ⁸But since we belong to the day, let us be self-controlled, putting on faith and love as a breastplate, and the hope of salvation as a helmet. ⁹For God did not appoint us to suffer wrath but to receive salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ. ¹⁰He died for us so that, whether we are awake or asleep, we may live together with him. ¹¹Therefore encourage one another and build each other up, just as in fact you are doing.

¹²Now we ask you, brothers, to respect those who work hard among you, who are over you in the Lord and who admonish you. ¹³Hold them in the highest regard in love because of their work. Live in peace with each other. ¹⁴And we urge you, brothers, warn those who are idle, encourage the timid, help the weak, be patient with everyone. ¹⁵Make sure that nobody pays back wrong for wrong, but always try to be kind to each other and to everyone else.

¹⁶Be joyful always; ¹⁷pray continually; ¹⁸give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus.

¹⁹Do not put out the Spirit's fire; ²⁰do not treat prophecies with contempt. ²¹Test everything. Hold on to the good. ²²Avoid every kind of evil.

²³May God himself, the God of peace, sanctify you through and through. May your whole spirit, soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. ²⁴The one who calls you is faithful and he will do it.

²⁵Brothers, pray for us. ²⁶Greet all the brothers with a holy kiss. ²⁷I charge you before the Lord to have this letter read to all the brothers.

²⁸The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you.

I think that if you follow these exhortations, you will do well.

It makes the following quote from Genesis 22 concerning the stars so meaningful.

¹⁵The angel of the LORD called to Abraham from heaven a second time ¹⁶and said, "I swear by myself, declares the LORD, that because you have done this and have not withheld your son, your only son, ¹⁷I will surely bless you and make your descendants as numerous as the stars in the sky and as the sand on the seashore. Your descendants will take possession of the cities of their enemies, ¹⁸and through your offspring all nations on earth will be blessed, because you have obeyed me."

The destruction of the cooling tower, which carries off waste heat to the atmosphere, is another step forward but not the most technically significant, because it is a simple piece of equipment that would be easy to rebuild.

I think we need to respond with a show of good faith by assisting with humanitarian needs, but we should not let our guard down either.

Napoleon Dynamite (I went to H.S. in the early eighties)

Big Fish (Brings tears to my eyes every time)

Fools Rush In (Ain't it the truth)

Princess Bride (No nobler cause than 'true love'... except maybe revenge)

Raising Arizona (Great cinematography)

Top Gun (Romantic favorite of me and my bride during our courting days)

Passion of Christ ( I was crucified with Christ during this)

Matthew (Great depiction of Jesus)

Apocalypse (Favorite end-time movie)

Privileged Planet (Great apologetic for the scientific mind)

I don't mean to say ALL Christians are pushy and condemning. I have a few Christian friends and they aren't. I guess some feel like they are helping, however, to the other person, it seems pushy. I don't think some of them want to be pushy but rather helpful.

Christians are not always evangelistic. An evangelist will tell you what the Bible says. Other Christians may use their kindness to befriend you.

When you encounter an evangelist, you will be shown a mirror called the Law. The Law offends us as we see ourselves for who we are. We have all sinned against God and when we see ourselves in the correct light we see the most disgusting thing we ever imagined. Many times we will lash out at the one who holds the mirror up. The fault lies in neither the mirror nor the one who holds it up for us to see. The Law is not meant to save us, but without it we cannot appreciate that which does save us. That is the other thing an evangelist will show you: grace. Biblical grace is the unmerited gift of God, who pardons sinners who will place their faith in Jesus. A sinner who sees no need for a Savior will not appreciate God's grace. So the gift is of no value unless the need for it is clear.

Paul wrote that if not for the Law, he would not have known what it was to covet. But what the Law is powerless to do (namely to deliver you from the wrath of God, which is provoked by sin), grace sets us free as we are justified (that is, declared to be without guilt) through faith.

So if you encounter a Christian who seems pushy, realize that it is for your benefit that they are such. And if you encounter a Christian who is sweet and kindly, also realize that it is for your benefit.

There is an important difference between 'evangelism', which is what Christians must do, and 'proselytizing'. Proselytizing is to try to force others to see things your way or to induce someone to convert. Evangelism is the deliverance of a message.

What Jesus told the Pharisees on Palm Sunday still rings true today: "I tell you," he replied, "if they keep quiet, the stones will cry out."

May God bless His soldiers for bringing the message of hope wherever they may be.

I would lke to know how to read through Leviticus without having my eyes glaze over. There is so much about the ancient Mosaic culture that I don't understand. I would seriously like to know how to read the context instead of just reading the words. I believe that every one of God's words are important enough to have been placed in the Bible. I just want to know how to understand it better and how it relates to Jesus better. And it's not that I want someone to tell me what it all means, because the Holy Spirit will guide us into all truth. I would just like to be more enlightened about what I am reading and what the context at the time was.

More development

I realize that seceding from the denomination is a sticky problem, but should they be going through the secular court system?

If any of you has a dispute with another, dare he take it before the ungodly for judgment instead of before the saints? Do you not know that the saints will judge the world? And if you are to judge the world, are you not competent to judge trivial cases? Do you not know that we will judge angels? How much more the things of this life! Therefore, if you have disputes about such matters, appoint as judges even men of little account in the church! I say this to shame you. Is it possible that there is nobody among you wise enough to judge a dispute between believers? But instead, one brother goes to law against another

Has anyone considered how this "ruling" might mobilize a movement towards amending the state constitution? The CA judges cannot overrule their own constitution. Only the Supreme Court could rule that a state constitution is unconstitutional and that is not likely to occur unless the Illinois senator appoints 2 or 3 Justices of the Supreme Court.

There is going to be a ballot measure to amend the CA Constitution in November. Pray for strong voter turnout among people with moral convictions and a fear of God. CA has been a Democrat stronghold for a few years, but maybe that will change this year.

God is omnipotent (all-powerful), omniscient (all-knowing), and absolutely benevolent (all-perfectly-good). The reason that there is any suffering in the world is because mankind invited sin into his life. I do not suggest that a person's sin is always a direct cause to his own suffering... sometimes it is. But sin is the ultimate reason that suffering is permitted to persist.

The only result of sin is destruction. Although some people may prosper - for a time - in their sinful ways, they cause others misery along the way... and ultimately will cause misery upon themselves. Either they die in their sin and spend eternity apart from the eternal living God or they recognize their sin and repent with godly sorrow, forsaking all that they once thought was for their own gain.

In my opinion, the reason that God allows sin and the resultant suffering to continue is to prove to us that there is no hope in sinful living. Sin left to its own course will destroy even itself. Eventually it will be shown to all the world by the majestic love and glory of Jesus (to the surprise of so many who will have believed His return was a myth) that the only hope for life is without sin.

If God were to raise His hand against sin and stop it in an instant, what would we think?... Would you suspect that there was something about sin that God wanted to hide from us? Would you think that God was afraid of sin?

God is all-knowing and I am certain that it pains Him so much more to see the suffering of men than it pains us - the same way a loving parent suffers greater over a child's pain than his or her own child does. God is so patient that He does not want any to perish and in His timing will bring all of those who would be saved into salvation forever. Sometimes we despise His patience, but imagine if He had not waited for you to turn from your sin... Until we see Him as He is, we will not fully comprehend, but I pray that these words can be a comfort to you, angelique, in the mean time.

When the Lamb opened the third seal, I heard the third living creature say, "Come!" I looked, and there before me was a black horse! Its rider was holding a pair of scales in his hand. Then I heard what sounded like a voice among the four living creatures, saying, "A quart of wheat for a day's wages, and three quarts of barley for a day's wages, and do not damage the oil and the wine!"

I'm not saying that the third seal (Rev6:5-6) is about to be opened. However, we who are not in darkness should not be caught by surprise (1Th5:4) by the fact that these things must take place before the glorious coming of our Lord Jesus.

I don't know if my opinion of eschatology fits in this particular forum. I believe that the rapture will occur immediately after the sixth seal of Rev6:12-14. I believe this is so based on its connection with Matt24:29-31, which is in reference to Isa13 and 34. It is in line with what Marv Rosenthal has written.

Hi Nickylouse,

So you take the word of God and see if it fits in with what someone else has said. That is interesting, I was just wondering which book do you actually believe as gospel.

Hi Isa.

I believe that the rapture will occur immediately after the sixth seal of Rev6:12-14. I believe this is true based on its connection with Matt24:29-31, which is in reference to Isa13 and 34. This is also what Marv Rosenthal believes, for what his opinion (and mine) is worth.

May God bless you and yours.

I don't know if my opinion of eschatology fits in this particular forum. I believe that the rapture will occur immediately after the sixth seal of Rev6:12-14. I believe this is so based on its connection with Matt24:29-31, which is in reference to Isa13 and 34. It is in line with what Marv Rosenthal has written.

For awhile now I have been unsure of what God wants me to do in my life. That is a weakness of mine(not being sure of things) NowI know to fully rely on things even when I don't know what is going to happen. I now have a direction to follow.PTL

God works in mysterious ways and God works in very common ordinary ways.

The backsliding ex-preacher named Beverly that I met at lunch today remembered that God still cares. Through the small amount that God has given me, He faithfully saw that the two of us got together for mutually good. She wanted a little and God gave her more than she expected through me.

Through her, He built my faith a little higher than it was. Look for Him every day and you will find Him in the places you seek and in places you do not expect to find Him.

Right now we are the most powerful nation on earth. Why isn't the US in bible prophecy? If you read IS 18 it would seem to be us, in that we send ambassadors by sea, and if you see the rivers of Ethopia beyond them there is the Atlantic Ocean..and us.

If this is us then notice that it starts out with a woe.

We who are supposedly a Christian nation that murders the innocent. We who are a Christian nation blessed by God who is now deviding the land of Israel..well..doesn't look good for us, because these are the precursors of judgement.

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That is an interesting prophecy about smooth-skinned people. I presume that it means people who do not labor hard and are soft-bodied. I must admit that it describes me somewhat.

Are the sprigs that are to be pruned those who are to be saved?

Being left to ravenous birds and beasts does not sound pleasant at all.

What is the reference to dividing Israel? Is that from Joel3? I have heard that before, but do not know the source.

A pre-wrath study of Revelation that I am going through is in Chapters 17 and 18. During this lecture about Mystery Babylon, it dawned on me that the USA could fall before the return of Christ.

Rev18:3 depicts our greedy and wealthy culture very well to me

For all the nations have drunk

the maddening wine of her adulteries.

The kings of the earth committed adultery with her,

and the merchants of the earth grew rich from her excessive luxuries.

The consumer nation could fall in an hour by means of economic collapse, if a nuke goes off in a large city of the USA.

She will be consumed by fire...

O Babylon, city of power!

In one hour your doom has come!

The merchants of the earth will weep and mourn over her because no one buys their cargoes any more

After I was born again you could not keep me from reading the Bible and still can't after 14 months.

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NickyLouse,

Thank you for all your comments. I can see that you are earnestly seeking God with all your heart. I am happy to hear that you love the word of God and that you are consistent in your time with him. Praise the Lord!!

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You are welcome even though I know that I get a little edgy when the Church is being talked about negatively. I love them so much for helping me to get on with my walk with Jesus. I know that there is concern for apostasy because as children of God we desire for everyone to be saved. Apostasy is a thorn in our sides in that regard. I just want my Christian brothers to know that there are wonderful folks out there (in the Body) who really care about people.

I often wonder to myself whether I have that kind of courage. I would like to think I do but although I haven't had a particularilly easy life, I also have not had a particularilly hard one. My courage has not been tested much during my time on this earth and I wonder if maybe I might submit under pressure. It is a scary thought , to think I could turn my back on God to save my skin. It is scarier than the thought of being killed for my faith. I have thought deeply about this, perhaps to deeply. If it came downt o me or my kids , who would I choose? On one hand I couldn't bare the thought of my kids watching me die and then going without a father. On the other hand, I couldn't stand the thought of me watching my kids die and being helpless to do anything. This might sound a little morbid but the way things are going in the world today we might be faced with these kind of decisions. I hope I have courage. Only time will tell I guess.

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Your post reminded me of a video I saw on TBN that was set in the future where a believing father was talking to his son about how things used to be... just before guards came and hauled him away (presumably to be martyred). The words of the song can be found at I pledge Allegiance to the Lamb, but I don't know who was in the video.

There is a movement among our Christian churches today that waters down the gospel. The cross of Christ is lost in the process. Repentance is no longer being required for salvation. All one has to do is pray a prayer and he or she is guaranteed a ticket into heaven no matter his or her lifestyle while on earth. I'm not purporting that we should be saved by works, but rather that faith is an action word and that we show our faith by what we do, such as is exemplified in the faith chapter (Hebrews 11) in the Bible and is spoken about in James.

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Already churches have begun to replace the word of God with the teachings of man or they use the teachings of man to tell them what the word of God says, instead of allowing the Holy Spirit to reveal truth. Since the church already deifies many of its leaders (subconsciously), I don't think it would take much of a stretch to accept the antichrist and not even know you are accepting the antichrist. We have been so duped we don't even know we've been duped. It has been a slow, careful, well thought out plan to get us to accept just little lies, and then the lies get bigger, but only we don't even recognize them as lies anymore, because most believers do not study the word for themselves and they don't know the truth, so they are setting themselves up for deception.

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If when you go to the local place where the Church meets and they are not discussing Jesus, it may indicate that it is not the Church that you are meeting there. Some of the people who meet there along with the Church may deify the leaders and accept lies and so on. If the leaders are doing the lying, then I suggest to not go there since we need leaders who are of the Body.

I lived for 20 years after being baptized by water before I was baptized of the Spirit. The Gospel is simple, but accepting it and following it is not.

1) Jesus atones for the sins of men and we cannot do that for ourselves

2) Jesus was raised from the dead and is with the Father in body. If we believe that in our heart, then we are saved (from eternal torment).

I was told at the time of my baptism about tithing and "church" responsibility and everything else. When what I needed to hear (and all I needed to hear) was that Jesus paid it forward for me. Now that I know this, my life is changed and I see the false testimonies as plain as day is from night. This is directly from John14, 17the Spirit of truth. The world cannot accept him, because it neither sees him nor knows him. But you know him, for he lives with you and will be in you. but it was written on my heart before I ever read it. After I was born again you could not keep me from reading the Bible and still can't after 14 months.

I think that the only ones that are capable of being deceived are those who are not yet born again. So I pray for them in the mean time.