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Know that God is perfect.. It's easy to trust in someone that is perfect..

The Bible does not say when Cain killed Able.. It may have been 300 or 400 years after Adam and Eve where ejected from the garden.. The Bible also does not say that Adam and Eve only had two sons as some people asking questions about genisis seem to be thinking.. Adam and Eve lived a very long time and so had many children longevity was standard in those early generations and so a huge population boom resulted..

If you have had a bad day and you have been sinning bad and you know it.. If you start to get afraid that you are going to lose your salvation because how unworthy you are then you can know you have a Works mindset.. But if you are regretting the bad day and feeling down and you talk to God thanking Him for redeeming a lowlife like me.. Then your mind is operating with a Faith mindset..

Because Works are a outward sign that a person is saved.. If a person has no works it shows that are not saved.. Now works can be a number of things.. Charity.. Companionship/ emotional support.. Sharing the Gospel.. Helping others understand scripture.. Praying.. If a person does No works then their claim to be indwelled by the Holy Spirit is a false claim.. But it is important to keep in mind.. No one is saved because of their works.. People are saved by believing Jesus and trusting in the Atonement He secured by His death on the cross, His death paying the penalty for the sins of those who believe and trust in His atonement.. Too many people try and use that scripture to promote a works salvation doctrine.. And that path is the way to destruction.. So be wary of such deceptions..

Does God disapline us ? Yes if we are His loved Adopted Children.. Hebrews 12: KJV 6 "For whom the Lord loveth he chasteneth, and scourgeth every son whom he receiveth. {7} If ye endure chastening, God dealeth with you as with sons; for what son is he whom the father chasteneth not? {8} But if ye be without chastisement, whereof all are partakers, then are ye bastards, and not sons. {9} Furthermore we have had fathers of our flesh which corrected us, and we gave them reverence: shall we not much rather be in subjection unto the Father of spirits, and live? {10} For they verily for a few days chastened us after their own pleasure; but he for our profit, that we might be partakers of his holiness. {11} Now no chastening for the present seemeth to be joyous, but grievous: nevertheless afterward it yieldeth the peaceable fruit of righteousness unto them which are exercised thereby." So yes God will correct Christians.. You used the word punishment but i would prefer the word discipline or chastisement.. Now to the specifics of what you are experiencing right now i do not have enough detailed information to make any firm comment.. having said that God certainly does hear the prayers of His adopted Children.. But sometimes the answer is NO and sometimes NOT YET and sometimes it is YES..

Continue believing Jesus and continue trusting in the Atonement He secured on the cross to atone for your transgressions against His will.. If you keep believing and Trusting then you will be holding firmly to salvation.. Salvation is a loving gift from God.. It has to be accepted and it has to be kept.. Salvation is by Belief and Trust.. Not by our works .

Welcome aboard Worthy Diaz One becomes a real Christian when one comes to accept the Words of Jesus His teachings and trust in the Atonement He secured on the Cross for their Justification / salvation.. Just because one has been born into a Christian family does not mean one is a Christian.. Also No human being lives a sinless life.. Christian or non-Christian.. We Christians are DEEMED righteous not because of our own righteousness but because we believe in and trust in the righteousness of Jesus.. Don't get wrapped up in seeking ""experiences"" as if being born again is some kind of drug high or some out of body experience.. From my own experience i just felt great joy and a weight being lifted off my shoulders when i first understood the Way of salvation and believed..

We read in the Holy Bible that in the end times that lying signs and wonders will be performed on earth.. These signs and wonders will be done by people who have been given over to delusions by God because they have rejected the Love of the truth ( The Real Gospel way of salvation ) and instead have loved unrighteousness.. The Bible also declares that there is ""Another Jesus"" meaning there is a jesus being preached that is a distortion of the actual Jesus.. Now a person who believes in and loves a false jesus and rejects the True Word of God which is the true Jesus then they have rejected the love of the truth which would have saved them and instead have loved unrighteousness.. First scripture showing that lying signs and wonders shall be performed:: Please read it and take in the message:: (2 Thessalonians 2:1-12) "Now we beseech you, brethren, by the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, and by our gathering together unto him, {2} That ye be not soon shaken in mind, or be troubled, neither by spirit, nor by word, nor by letter as from us, as that the day of Christ is at hand. {3} Let no man deceive you by any means: for that day shall not come, except there come a falling away first, and that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition; {4} Who opposeth and exalteth himself above all that is called God, or that is worshipped; so that he as God sitteth in the temple of God, shewing himself that he is God. {5} Remember ye not, that, when I was yet with you, I told you these things? {6} And now ye know what withholdeth that he might be revealed in his time. {7} For the mystery of iniquity doth already work: only he who now letteth will let, until he be taken out of the way. {8} And then shall that Wicked be revealed, whom the Lord shall consume with the spirit of his mouth, and shall destroy with the brightness of his coming: {9} Even him, whose coming is after the working of Satan with all power and signs and lying wonders, {10} And with all deceivableness of unrighteousness in them that perish; because they received not the love of the truth, that they might be saved. {11} And for this cause God shall send them strong delusion, that they should believe a lie: {12} That they all might be damned who believed not the truth, but had pleasure in unrighteousness." Second scriptures showing ""another jesus"" a false jesus that was being preached ( and i believe still is ) (2 Corinthians 11:1-4) "Would to God ye could bear with me a little in my folly: and indeed bear with me. {2} For I am jealous over you with godly jealousy: for I have espoused you to one husband, that I may present you as a chaste virgin to Christ. {3} But I fear, lest by any means, as the serpent beguiled Eve through his subtilty, so your minds should be corrupted from the simplicity that is in Christ. {4} For if he that cometh preacheth another jesus, whom we have not preached, or if ye receive another spirit, which ye have not received, or another gospel, which ye have not accepted, ye might well bear with him." Third Scripture: Paul lamenting that people had already been deceived into believing a false gospel even in His days:: (Galatians 1:5-9) "To whom be glory for ever and ever. Amen. {6} I marvel that ye are so soon removed from him that called you into the grace of Christ unto another gospel: {7} Which is not another; but there be some that trouble you, and would pervert the gospel of Christ. {8} But though we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel unto you than that which we have preached unto you, let him be accursed. {9} As we said before, so say I now again, If any man preach any other gospel unto you than that ye have received, let him be accursed." So yes it is possible that people can be able to perform lying signs and wonders and believe that they are performing those miracles as believers in Jesus.. And when they face the LORD on the day of judgement they will say LORD LORD and be told that Jesus never knew them..

I will post the parable Jesus gave.. (Matthew 20:1-16) "For the kingdom of heaven is like unto a man that is an householder, which went out early in the morning to hire labourers into his vineyard. {2} And when he had agreed with the labourers for a penny a day, he sent them into his vineyard. {3} And he went out about the third hour, and saw others standing idle in the marketplace, {4} And said unto them; Go ye also into the vineyard, and whatsoever is right I will give you. And they went their way. {5} Again he went out about the sixth and ninth hour, and did likewise. {6} And about the eleventh hour he went out, and found others standing idle, and saith unto them, Why stand ye here all the day idle? {7} They say unto him, Because no man hath hired us. He saith unto them, Go ye also into the vineyard; and whatsoever is right, that shall ye receive. {8} So when even was come, the lord of the vineyard saith unto his steward, Call the labourers, and give them their hire, beginning from the last unto the first. {9} And when they came that were hired about the eleventh hour, they received every man a penny. {10} But when the first came, they supposed that they should have received more; and they likewise received every man a penny. {11} And when they had received it, they murmured against the goodman of the house, {12} Saying, These last have wrought but one hour, and thou hast made them equal unto us, which have borne the burden and heat of the day. {13} But he answered one of them, and said, Friend, I do thee no wrong: didst not thou agree with me for a penny? {14} Take that thine is, and go thy way: I will give unto this last, even as unto thee. {15} Is it not lawful for me to do what I will with mine own? Is thine eye evil, because I am good? {16} So the last shall be first, and the first last: for many be called, but few chosen." What do you think this parable is saying about the topic at hand?

If a Person is a true Christian then they are Not a servant of God and they are Not a slave of God.. They have been lifted above those levesl to become adopted Children of God.. Romans 8: KJV 14 "For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God. {15} For ye have not received the spirit of bondage again to fear; but ye have received the Spirit of adoption, whereby we cry, Abba, Father. {16} The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God:"

Well each individual will have the ideas they have on what is essential and what is a side issue.. But God of course knows what is essential and who has accepted the essentials and who has not.. There is a correct position on the interpretation of all portions of scripture and i believe some scripture has a surface meaning and a secondary subsurface meaning.. So two believers can gain two different messages from a portion of scripture and both can be correct.. Good observation, Yes many tares don't realize they are tares.. Before i read the Bible i did not realize i was a tare.. Before that Christianity was simply what was told to me by my dad or the priest or the nuns.. There are a lot of people who have been attending their churches for decades and decades who have never read the Bible and also there are a lot of people who have done many guided Bible studies and even attended Bible colleges who have never actually picked up a Bible and read it from start to finish reading it like a book.. Their Bible studies have been about a doctrine being presented to them and diverse verses grabbed from all over the Bible that proport to support that doctrine.. Of course people should know that verses should be read in context, not just viewed in isolation.. A lot of false doctrine has been founded on single verses quoted in isolation.. The Sprig or two of Wheat over time will eventually be troubled in their conscience by the false doctrines they are being fed in their churches... Thats when they will have to make the crunch decision if they will leave that church which often can include leaving ones community and even ones family or if they will remain living a lie in that false church.. Of course God has made it clear we are to get out of false churches.. (Revelation 18:4-5) "And I heard another voice from heaven, saying, Come out of her, my people, that ye be not partakers of her sins, and that ye receive not of her plagues. {5} For her sins have reached unto heaven, and God hath remembered her iniquities." Well some nice people are nice because they are nice people.. Some people are nice because they want to earn Gods approval.. Some people are not nice because they have personality flaws some people are not nice because they love being nasty.. What is important is what ones believes and trusts in relation to the will of God.. People can lack social graces and others can have short tempers and other personality flaws but they can acknowledge the truth of the LORD and be forgiven their faults.. There are some oddball true Christians out there and some really nice non-Christians too.. Well we are not really called upon to ""take out the tares"" We focus on the beliefs and shine the Light on them to shew them either approved doctrine or that they are false doctrines.. In the end people can believe as they will.. Like a watchman spoken of in the Bible as long as we have given the truth to others we have done Gods will and we shall be in the right place with God.. Those who reject the truth / the warnings are responsible for their own eternal destiny.. And yes a false believer / deceived believer ensnared in false doctrine can indeed end up repenting of their former beliefs and come to embrace the real Gospel of the LORD . I thank the LORD for that work friend who gifted me a Bible 30 years ago.. Changed my life forever..

Not sure what satans position in heaven or on earth has to do with the timing of the rapture???? But satan was allowed by God to have limited dominion on this planet.. For a time.. Long enough for Gods will to be fulfilled in regard to this world and in regard to humanity and the Angels.. The world and the human race is akin to Job and just as satan was given permission by God to test Job within controlled limits so does satan have permission to put humanity as a whole to the test so as to draw away from the truth those who have no love for the truth but have love for unrightiousness..

Well we must try to identify false doctrines and tares will usually believe in and will share false doctrines.. So in our lives we should take note and defend ourselves from false doctrines that tares believe in.. In the long term we do not need to come to a black and white judgement upon people.. The LORD will judge on the day of judgement, He has the ultimate wisdom and knowledge never to make any mistakes in judging who is and who is not His Children.. I get the message from the Parable that there will be false Christian cults and false Christians around me. This causes me to be careful and listen closely to what ever a pastor / preacher or fellow ""Christian?"" to defend myself from deception.. Also the Parable tells me no matter how corrupt and false ""Christian?"" denominations become God in the end will not be fooled by anything and will judge all perfectly.. The Parable also motivates me to read the Gospel and pray for understanding so that i can know the truth so that when i hear some new doctrine i can quickly know if it is false or truth..

Tares and Wheat look like each other when they are young.. Only later does it become clear that the Tares are not Wheat.. So Tares represent False Christians and the Wheat represents True Christians..