amazingrace

There are a number of problems with the theory that 'angelic beings of some stripe' mated with mortal women to produce offspring. 1. Angels (either fallen or not) are spirits. Jesus said that angels neither marry nor are given in marriage i.e. they were created without reproductive organs. 2. If they had indeed mated with mortal women, then first they would have to have creative powers ... they would have to create for themselves reproductive organs and also the spermatazoa needed to accomplish conception. But we know that only God can create. John 1:3 All things were made by Him; and without Him was not any thing made that was made. 3. The offspring would be neither human nor demonic. They would be demon-human hybrid; neither man nor demon. But the Scripture refers to these giants as men of renown. 4. God decided to rid the earth of the nephilim by via a flood, because of the wickedness. However, if the nephilim were the product of union between demons and mortal women, the flood could not possibly cure that problem, because demons would not have been affected by the flood. They could reproduce again in the same way after the flood as they had done prior to it. 5. Demons having the ability to reproduce with human women would cast doubt upon the Savior Himself and His resurrection. How would we know for sure that it was the Holy Spirit that Mary conceived with and not a demonic impostor? How would we know for sure that Jesus is really the Savior? How would we know that the resurrected Jesus was not actually a demon-hybrid look-alike posing as Jesus? The correct answer is NO, it was not demons that mated with human women. The Matthew Henry Commentary says this about Gen 6:4 There were giants in the earth in those days; and also after that, when the sons of God came in unto the daughters of men, and they bare children to them, the same became mighty men which were of old, men of renown." "A further account of the corruption of the old world. I. The temptation they were under to oppress and do violence. There were giants, and they were men of renown. 1. With their great bulk., as the sons of Anak, (Num 13:33 And there we saw the giants, the sons of Anak, which come of the giants: and we were in our own sight as grasshoppers, and so we were in their sight).

I know that many consider this a minor issue, and that pointing it out is a nit-picky kind of thing... but really it itsn't unimportant: There is no "S" in Revelation. Chapter one, verse one says "The Revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave unto Him, to show unto His servants things which must shortly come to pass; and He sent and signified it by His angel unto His servant John." No need to respond. Thanks.

I've said all I intend to say about it.

I do not believe that salvation can be lost. However, it is very possible to lose your joy. One of the best ways to lose your joy is to begin to wonder about losing your salvation. First you wonder if you can. Then you worry if maybe you might be losing it. Then you begin to doubt that you ever had it in the first place. Instead of indulging in these distructive and unproductive thoughts, keep focused on Jesus and on the Lord's plan for your life. Stay in the middle of His grace instead of wandering out to the edge where the world awaits to distract you. Give the Lord more room and time in your life than you allow the devil to have, and the question of losing your salvation will not have to be addressed at all.

Even though your husband refuses to go to counselling, you can benefit from going without him. The truth is that your husband is verbally abusing you. You are his victim, and you need to learn how to stop enabling him. This means that you have to learn how to recognize when you are being abused and also learn how to respond, rather than react to it. I can assure you with absolute certainty that it will not get better or go away on its own. Some verbal abusers are also anger addicts... they are like volcanoes that have to release steam, then they calm down until the steam builds up again, then they blow again.. its a cycle. Trust me, hon... no matter what you do, it will never be right, it will never be enough, it might even not be the right thing... and he will try to convince you that you have failed... that it is your fault that he is angry. Now really, does that make sense?: If you can control when he is or isnt angry, why in the world would you make him angry at you? .... see? If you are responsible for him being happy or not, why wouldnt you make sure he is always happy? The answer in both cases is that only HE is in control of these emotions ... things happen to everyone that we dont like, but how we respond (this is different from reacting) is up to us. We may not be in control of the circumstances, but we can, and should, be in control of responding to them appropriately.

God proves Himself. "The heavens declare His majesty..."

It's more fun to just put the phone down .... the other person keeps on talking, eventually wonders why no one has responded, and finally, after asking "are you there?" .... "hello?".... "helloO?" ... realizes that no one is listening... hangs up in humiliation. I do this with telemarketers.

We do have spell check on the boards.

God holds the future in His hands. The Bible tells us to trust Him for all your needs. As for feeling guilty... let's blame Adam and Eve, as the fault truly lies with them. Is there a support group for this condition? Either in your area, or online? If there is not, perhaps you could start one. I know you have mentioned family members that have this, and so you have some idea of what to expect, but being in touch with others may help you too. Praying for you. Amazingrace

If you have to ask, you already know the answer.

Anything that supercedes God for the attention in a person's life, diverting the glory that should go to Him, is an idol. It might be another person (husband, wife, child etc), or a 'thing', a job, a hobby. Ironically, and sadly, for some, it is even church...

I believe it was millionaire Dale Carnegy who was berated at length by a man with socialist leanings because he thought that it was unjust for Carnegy to hoard all his money instead of distributing it evenly throughout the population. Thereupon Carnegy called his accountant and instructed him to divide his total wealth by the number of people in the world, and to send this man one share. It came to something like 16 cents! Now, what is the measure of "wealth" anyway? I was raised in what, by american standards, would be considered a "poor" family. Yet I never knew I was "poor" until a snotty kid told me at school one day. I told her she didnt know what she was talking about. Even at 8 yrs old I knew that the lack of material things didnt make one poor any more than having them made one rich. In God's economy we all deserve hell. That is called justice. But those who are safe in Jesus receive mercy. Mercy is always better than justice.

Wherever there is life, there is hope.

the American Heritage Dictionary defines dispensation: 1. the act of distribution, apportionment 2. something that is dispensed, or given out. 3. a specific arrangement or system by which something is dispensed, or given out. 4. any exemption or release from an obligation 5 a)an exemption from a church law, a vow, or similar obligation granted in a particular case by an ecclesiastical authority b) the document containing this exemption 6. Theology: a) the divine ordering of worldly affairs b) a religious system or code of commands considered to have been divinely revealed or appointed

I cut my first teeth on the King James Version, my second teeth on the New Living Bible (which is really a paraphrase ...but easy reading). I cut my third set of teeth on the New King James, Nelson Study Bible. I have the New Testament on cassette in the NASB, which is great for when I am driving or working. I also have the New Living Translation study Bible, which I really like reading... but will probably give it away soon. I also have the New King James in large print (time marches on). I really like the large print.

Smiles, before this continues, perhaps you might define what you mean by limited atonement?, as there are different definitions. Some will say that by limited atonement they mean that Jesus died only for those whom God knew from the beginning would be saved. Others believe that Jesus indeed died for all the sins of all mankind, but that the atonement is limited to only those who chose to have saving faith. The biblical definition of the atonement of Christ is "reconciliation of God and man through Christ's sacrificial death on the cross" according to the three in one CONCISE Bible Reference Companion, published by Thomas Nelson Publishers. I dont see any limitations in this definition. On the cross, Jesus said "It is finished" ... in aramaic, (I cant spell it correctly... it is something like te tel estai) ... this is a term merchants stamped on receipts meaning "paid in full". My personal view is that Jesus died (paid for, atoned for) the sins of all mankind, but that only those who accept the gift of God's grace, and come to saving faith will indeed be saved. So a distinction has to be made between what Jesus did, and how that gift is received or rejected by each individual. That some choose to refuse saving faith in no way changes the fact that His grace and mercy is available to each and every person who wants it, and will reach out in faith for it.

I know of a man in the city (we are 60 miles out in the country), who has a rare condition that affects the connective tissues in his entire body. The doctors discovered this when he was still a baby, and advised his mother to put him in an institution, because he would never be more than a vegetable.... well... how they ever equated his physical challenges with having no mental capacity is beyond me ... Apparently it was beyond his mother too, because she did not take their advice. She kept him at home and nurtured him. This young man is confined to a wheel chair, and needs special assistance. But he anything but a vegetable! He completed high school, attended college and works with his mother in her business. He has many interests and uncountable friends who include him in their plans. He is a joy to be around.

Remember Helen Keller. If you are not familiar with her story, type Helen Keller in a web search. Being both blind and deaf did not hold her back. She had a marvelous teacher who encouraged her to learn, and to be productive. Of course we pray that your son's prognosis will be encouraging.

Worldy humanistic wisdom tells us that we have to have self esteem, that we have to love ourselves, but what does the Bible tell us? The Bible tells us to "enter into the joy of the Lord", and "...in lowliness of mind, let each esteem others better than themselves". Self esteem is self centered, but as Christians we are called to be Christ centered, and this is where our true hope, and our true joy is found. We must not beat ourselves up, nor should we let others undermine the security that God has given us in Christ. Satan knows he can't get us back from the promises of God, but what he can do, and is very good at, is take away our joy so that our witness and testimony is not shared with others.

Animals have breath, and when they die, their breath leaves them, and that is all there is to their life. The Bible makes a clear disctinction between the death of animals and the death of man. Spirit and soul are used interchangably in the Bible and refer to the eternal part of man that is created in God's image. Indeed, the soul and spirit are so closely knit that it is only the word of God that can separate them. "For the word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any twoeged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart." Hebrews 4:12. If one wants to make a distiction between the spirit and the soul, then lets look at the soul. The information appearing in red is taken from "The Three In One CONCISE Bible Referrence Companion" The soul is that which animates man, the living being, the self. The soul is made by God: Gen 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 soul." The soul belongs to God: Ezek 18:3; 4 " As I live, saith the Lord God, ye shall not have occasion any more to use this proverb in Israel. Behold, all souls are mine; as the soul of the father, so also the soul of the son is mine, the soul that sinneth, it shall die." The soul possesses immortality: Matt 10:28 "Fear not them which kill the body but are not able to kill the soul, but rather, fear Him who is able to kill both the body and the soul in hell" The soul is man's vital asset: Matt 16:26 "For what is a man profited, if he shall gain the whole world and lose his own soul? Or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul?" The soul leaves the body at death: Gen 35:18 "And it came to pass, when her soul was in departing (for she died), that she called his name Ben O Ni, but his father called him Benjamin" The soul has duties: to keep itself, seek the Lord, love the Lord, serve the Lord, store God's Word, keep God's law, obey God, get wisdom. (referrences on request) The soul has enemies: fleshly lusts, evil environment, sin, adultery, evil men, ignorance, hell. (referrences on request) The soul of the righteous is kept by God, vexed by sin, subject to authorities, purified by obedience, not allowed to famish, restored, enriched, satisfied, will reign with Christ. (referrences on request) The soul of the wicked desires evil , delights in abominations, has nothing, will be required, is to be punished. (referrenced on request) There is no scripture that indicates that the soul sleeps or becomes dormant or ceases to exist when a person dies. The Scriptures that speak of sleep, use the word 'sleep' as a euphamism for death. It is the body that has died, and actually in a certain way is only sleeping ... since we know that there will be a resurrection of the dead. But the soul has gone on ahead of the body, and is already in its eternal place.... either awaiting judgement for eternal heavenly rewards... or judgement for eternal punishment.

This young man seems to have a lot of strong points, but I didnt see any mention of where he is with the Lord. Is he a born-again Christian? If he is, then this is a starting place. Please beware, it is not enough for him to say he is a Christian. In my youth, I believed what I was told without testing it... and have paid a high price for this mistake ... (42 years with an unpleasant unbeliever). The bible says 'test every spirit whether it is of God'. How does one test , though? Does he willingly go to church with you? Does he go to church even on occasions when you are unable to attend (you are away from home, not feeling well, have a family committment, etc. ) ... does he go without you? Is he interested in reading and studying the Bible with you? Do you pray together? Does he initiate prayer? Are most of his close associates Christian? Is he comfortable with your circle of Christian friends? If you cannot honestly answer yes to these questions, then you may be assured that this is not the man God has planned for you. Trust that He has a wonderful plan for your life that will include the one He wants to see you with.

This is another question that is not answered in Scripture. Perhaps the secular histories might have some insight as to what happened to the crosses after crucifixion. I am only guessing about this... but I think the upright section would probably remain in place, to be used again. Possibly the horizontal also would be reused, as might the nails.

My heart goes out to you in this situation. Praise God, I am not vision impaired, but my mother in law provided foster care for the elderly under a pilot program in Bucks county Pa. and one of her residents was a blind man. He had been blind since birth, so actually, he had no idea what it was to see. He was a kind, gentle, Christian man, who had been trained in chair caning and mattress-making, so he had been able to earn his own way most of his life, plus, he was able to get blind pension because of his disability. This man was remarkable, and a testimony that a disability in one area of life does not necessarily have to limit enjoyment of life as a whole. Now, of course, there were some things that he was not able to do... he couldnt have a driver's license. But he did learn to read and write... he read braille and typed on a typwriter. I know he would have loved computers but they werent around in the 60'-80's the same way they are now. I remember also, a contestant on Jeopardy who was blind, and had a remarkable winning streak... (not sure... maybe he was a 5-time winner) ... in any case, he was also remarkable. The thing is to trust in the Lord with all you heart, and He will direct your ways ... Is being physically blind ever as great a disability as being spiritually blind? Bring up your son to love and trust in the Lord, and his life will be joyous and full.