wingnut

When Christ was on earth, he told us to speak to God, and pray "Our Father who art in heaven..." Christ directed us to speak to the Father. Now Christ sits at the right hand of the Father, and if He wants to speak to Him, he just has to turn his head to the left and speak. We are still on earth. We too are commanded to address our prayers to the Father - not that we cannot speak to Christ too. But the Father is prime focus of our prayers, and Christ, as the High Priest also listens to these prayers, discusses them with the Father and tries to intervene on our behalf to have the Father give us the benefit of any doubt. Not that the Father does not love us. Its just that Christ understands weakness and so can sympathise more with us.

Hi Suzanne All of the things mentione in your question are figures of speech - viz metaphor. The Laodiceans represent an end-time attitude of ho-hum Christianity. They are admonished to buy spiritual gold (refined in the fire - an allusion to tribulation), white garments (another allusion to martyrdom and purification in fire) and "eye-salve" a metaphor for spiritual eye-opening - again which will happen in tribulation. The Laodiceans are clearly IMHO earmarked for Great Tribulation because of their take-it-or-leave-it attitude to Christ. Here is an exerpt from a book which I have written on Revelation. "14 And unto the angel of the church of the Laodiceans write;... this is the last group described... These things saith the Amen, the faithful and true witness the beginning of the creation of God;... The Greek word for "witness" used here is "martyr". "The beginning of the creation of God" means that Christ is the originator of the creation of God. He is the Creator of the creation of God. Scripture tells us in John 1:3 All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made... Christ is Author and Chief over the creation of God. 15 I know thy works, that thou art neither cold nor hot: I would thou wert cold or hot... What a disappointment. Christ would have preferred that they were either hot or cold. He cannot stand the neither-here-nor-there, compromising, wishy-washy attitude which is implied by being "lukewarm"... 16 So then because thou art lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot,... meaning that today I wake up feeling a little more zealous towards God, but tomorrow not. This is not a pillar. How could this person be a ruler? I will spue thee out of my mouth. 17 Because thou sayest, I am rich, and increased with goods, and... The fact that someone says that they are spiritually rich, means nothing. If Christ however affirms that we are spiritually rich, then and only then, does it mean something. Christ "vomits" these out of his mouth. These say they ...have need of nothing;.... But this is what Christ says...and knowest not that thou art wretched, and miserable, and poor, and blind, and naked:... All of these of course, are analogies. They are not literally naked or blind. These are spiritual analogies. It is AS IF these are naked. They are exposed - they are a laughing stock. They are miserable and pitiable. They are wretched. They are not to be envied by the angels of God or by anyone who knows the truth. 18 I counsel thee to buy of me gold tried in the fire, that thou mayest be rich; and white raiment, that thou mayest be clothed,... When you read "tried in the fire" and "white raiment", a bell should ring in your mind. When Christ addresses this group as "I am the faithful and true martyr" - we get the hint that this group is to be woken up by trial and tribulation. ...and that the shame of thy nakedness do not appear; and anoint thine eyes with eyesalve, that thou mayest see... "Wake up! See!" Christ is imploring this group. It is very hard for the blind to see. 19 As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten:... Again an allusion to Christ punishing them... be zealous therefore, and repent..... How much easier it is to just repent than to be rebuked and chastened. 20 Behold, I stand at the door, and knock:... Now does that not sound like an end-time analogy? ...if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me..... This could be referring to the marriage supper. It could also refer to the coronation supper. Revelation 1:10 I was in the Spirit on the Lord's day,... John was present on the coronation day. A special form of the Greek word "Lord" is being used here, which, in Greek, means "the imperial day" or "the coronation day". This is the day Christ receives all power, and is revealed in all his glory. 21 To him that overcometh will I grant to sit with me in my throne, even as I also overcame,... How did Christ overcome? Through his death. ...and am set down with my Father in his throne.... We are talking about a group of people who are going to be martyred. 22 He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches. I hope this helps some

...And I would counter that the problem with 6-day creationists is that they can't spot an allegory when it is staring them in the face. The Lord has given us endless clues to his allegory. Still not enough for some, though. In the beginning (13.5 billion years ago), God created the heaven and the earth (earth consolodated 4 billion years ago). And the earth BECAME without form and void. (at the end of the Cretacious/beginning of the Tertiary). Then in 7 literal days God recreated the earth making it fit for mankind. He rested on a literal 24 hour Sabbath day, and there was a literal Adam and Eve. I have no problem with an old universe and a relatively young and late creation of man on this old earth. Oldest civilisations (Egypt, Babylon) don't go back more than about 6000 years. I also believe there were primitive men (ape-men) which predated the creation of Adam 6000 years ago. Is there some allegory I am missing?

Dear all Scientists seem to have measured that the universe is 13.5 billion years old, since that is the oldest light which is reaching earth today from the edges of the galaxy. I have no problem with this age since "In the beginning, God created the heaven and the earth" and we are not told when that was. Gen 1:2 tells us that the earth "BECAME without form and void" - a better translation than "was without form and void" I never thought in the past that I would be able to seamlessly intergrate Creation and Evolution, but now I have managed. I believe the universe was created 13.5 billion years ago. About 4 billion years ago, the earth agglomerated from space junk, and began cooling. God then sent his brightest spark to earth to begin terraforming it in preparation for man. Thus Lucifer was sent to earth, and maybe created algae first, to make oxygen. This was time consuming, but as billions of years passed, enough oxygen was formed for larger life forms. Lucifer genetically engineered new species, and these gradually got bigger, culminating in the dinosaurs of the Cretacious period. The animals also got more violent, as Lucifer became Satan. Then Lucifer started genetically engineering ape-men - possibly even to mock God. God then destroyed the earth and it became "without form and void". God then renewed the earth around 6000 years ago, with the creation of a new race of man, beginning with Adam, mammals, and seed plants (angiosperms). Some ape-men were around during Adam's lifetime - and these were known as the "sons of the gods" or Nephilim. These interbred with the "sons of adam". God wiped all out in a flood and renewed the eath once more with Noah, who was "pure in his generations" meaning not contaminated with the Nephilim genes of ape-men. And so, all mankind on earth today is descended from Noah, Shem being the white races, Ham being the black races, and Japheths's line giving rise to the yellow races. Look at all civilisations - the earliest being Babylon and Egypt. There is no more ancient civilisation of mankind (Adam's line) than about 6000 years old.

Dear all Here is why I believe in a post-trib rapture. When I compare Matt 24 with Rev 6 I see that both are describing exactly the same end-time events, in exactly the same chronological order. Both Chapters end with the rapture (sealing of the 144000+multitude, one-taken-one-left). And both explain that there is first a martyrdom of the saints (fifth seal of Rev - 9 Then shall they deliver you up to be afflicted). In both cases the narrative ends and we don't hear about the 144000 till Rev 14 when it's all over, and Matt 24 does not go on to describe the 7th seal. Why? Because this seal and all the remaining events are of no further consequence to the church, since they are raptured, and hence unaffected by the 7th seal (all the trumpet and vial plagues). That's basically my argument, below is just the scriptural proof. 4 And Jesus answered and said unto them, Take heed that no man deceive you. 5 For many shall come in my name, saying, I am Christ; and shall deceive many.(white horse) 6 And ye shall hear of wars and rumours of wars: see that ye be not troubled: for all these things must come to pass, but the end is not yet.(red horse) 7 For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom: and there shall be famines( black horse), and pestilences, and earthquakes, in divers places. 8 All these are the beginning of sorrows.(pale horse) 9 Then shall they deliver you up to be afflicted, and shall kill you: (5th seal i.e. great tribulation). Then comes the sixth seal. A great earthquake occurs and the sun turns black, the moon turns red as described in Rev 6:12 and Matt 24:29. "Immediately after the tribulation of those days shall the sun be darkened, and the moon shall not give her light. Only after the heavenly signs (sixth seal) does "he shall send his angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and they shall gather together his elect" or the rapture occur (Matt 24:31). Revelation 7 describes the sealing of the saints. To seal means to lock away somewhere safe, i.e. the rapture. Thus the rapture occurs after the tribulation and heavenly signs (parousia, sign of His coming). The key to understanding this is to understand that Matt 24 and Rev 6 are in strict chronological order. If both are in the exact same order, which is the chronological order of events, I see no possibility of a pre-trib rapture (although I vigrously believed and defended this idea for decades). What put me off a post-trib rapture was the horrible thought that I might have to suffer through the tribulation. But hey, that's how the gospel will be preached in all the world, by appearing before leaders and testifying that we will not accept their mark.

This is a series of messages dedicated to showing who the Antichrist really is. Please do not make any comments to me or about these messages unless you read them. Dear Kenna I read all three long articles so that I could feel qualified to at least give you an answer. It may surprise some to realise that the word "antichrist" is used only 5 times in the Bible, and in all cases it was used in the Epistles of John. I am going to quote all 5 instances so that we can compare what John says with what is said in your above three articles. 1 John 2:18 Little children, it is the last time: and as ye have heard that antichrist shall come, even now are there many antichrists; whereby we know that it is the last time. 1 John 2:22 Who is a liar but he that denieth that Jesus is the Christ? He is antichrist, that denieth the Father and the Son. 1 John 4:3 And every spirit that confesseth not that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is not of God: and this is that spirit of antichrist, whereof ye have heard that it should come; and even now already is it in the world. 2 John 1:7 For many deceivers are entered into the world, who confess not that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh. This is a deceiver and an antichrist. 1 John 2:18 says the4re are many antichrists, and that they were currently (first century - before the Catholic Church) in the world. 1 John 2:22 says that anyone who lies, denying that Jesus is the Christ (Messiah), is an antichrist. 1 John 4:3 says that any spirit which denies that Jesus has come in the flesh is a spirit of antichrist 2 John 1:7 says the same as 1 John 4:3 - i.e. anyone and everyone denying that Christ has already come as a man is an antichrist. I.e. there were many antichrists around in the first century. Putting this all together, it seems that there is no one specific man or organisation who is "THE antichrist". Popular fiction and books such as The Late Great Planet Earth and the Left Behind series may try to label THE Beast or THE False Prophet, or THE "little horn" of Daniel 7:8 as THE antichrist, but the word "antichrist" does not apply to just one man or organisation, but to many, and any denying Christ. At least that's what I get from a study of all places in the Bible where this word is used