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On 9/7/2021 at 9:05 AM, Hopefully said:

“The truth is, you must accept God’s kingdom like a little child accepts things, or you will never enter it.””
‭‭Luke‬ ‭18:17‬ ‭ERV‬‬

“Verily I say unto you, Whosoever shall not receive the kingdom of God as a little child shall in no wise enter therein.”
‭‭Luke‬ ‭18:17‬ ‭KJV‬‬

 

 

 

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

On 9/19/2021 at 10:32 PM, Hopefully said:

“Adam named his wife Eve. He gave her this name because Eve would be the mother of everyone who ever lived.”
‭‭Genesis‬ ‭3:20‬ ‭

“You are forcing me to leave the land, and I will not be able to be near you or have a home! Now I must wander from place to place, and anyone I meet could kill me.” Then the Lord said to Cain, “No, if anyone kills you, I will punish that person much, much more.” Then the Lord put a mark on Cain to show that no one should kill him.”
‭‭Genesis‬ ‭4:14-15‬ ‭
 

Who were these other people that Cain has never met?

 

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..

On 9/9/2021 at 8:26 AM, Hopefully said:

I was just reading and a question  came to my mind. How can a person know they are operating off of a faith and not works mindset.

 

 

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..

20 hours ago, IowaChristiangal said:

Does God use earthly punishment to get points across to us or to change our thinking? Does he Punish others in our lives on account of us to get us to "straighten up"? 

Recently, a very close friend of mine was being accused of a serious crime, which in turn led to a conviction. This person is a "baby Christian" - new to Faith and God. Will God Punish people to move them out of our lives? Or am I over thinking this one? I can't imagine my life or future without this person but I still feel that way about God. Why is this happening?

I keep praying for God's help and Mercy in this situation but I feel like He is turning His back on me or closing His ears to my cried. 

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..

May the LORD be with Beau to matter where the LORD wants him to be..

9 hours ago, Diaz said:

How does a person born into a Christian family be born again? Assume the person is a church goer from his/her young age and abides by Christian ways of life such as leading a sinless life, prayer, bible reading and so on. From what I understand from the bible, you need to be born again from the inside to be saved. But what kind of "change" does this person have to experience in being born again?

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..

On 12/11/2020 at 8:53 PM, Unit 11 said:

Something that just occurred to me, and I'd like to run by everyone. In Matthew chapter 7, verses 21-23, Christ mentions people who evidently did a great deal of work in his name--including exorcisms, and miracles--and yet he says they never even knew him. And they're not going to heaven. 

I'm wondering, how could someone be so active for Christ, performing such major works, and yet not know him? How can such a thing be?

 

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..

On 11/28/2020 at 3:10 AM, Starise said:

Matt 20:1-16

“For the kingdom of heaven is like a landowner who went out early in the morning to hire workers for his vineyard. ² He agreed to pay them a denarius^[a] for the day and sent them into his vineyard.

³ “About nine in the morning he went out and saw others standing in the marketplace doing nothing. ⁴ He told them, ‘You also go and work in my vineyard, and I will pay you whatever is right.’ ⁵ So they went.

“He went out again about noon and about three in the afternoon and did the same thing. ⁶ About five in the afternoon he went out and found still others standing around. He asked them, ‘Why have you been standing here all day long doing nothing?’

⁷ “‘Because no one has hired us,’ they answered.

“He said to them, ‘You also go and work in my vineyard.’

⁸ “When evening came, the owner of the vineyard said to his foreman, ‘Call the workers and pay them their wages, beginning with the last ones hired and going on to the first.’

⁹ “The workers who were hired about five in the afternoon came and each received a denarius. ¹⁰ So when those came who were hired first, they expected to receive more. But each one of them also received a denarius. ¹¹ When they received it, they began to grumble against the landowner. ¹² ‘These who were hired last worked only one hour,’ they said, ‘and you have made them equal to us who have borne the burden of the work and the heat of the day.’

¹³ “But he answered one of them, ‘I am not being unfair to you, friend. Didn’t you agree to work for a denarius? ¹⁴ Take your pay and go. I want to give the one who was hired last the same as I gave you. ¹⁵ Don’t I have the right to do what I want with my own money? Or are you envious because I am generous?’

¹⁶ “So the last will be first, and the first will be last.”

Read full chapter

Footnotes

1. Matthew 20:2 A denarius was the usual daily wage of a day laborer.

  I did not read any of the responces before i posted mine.. lol  Anyway it's good that we where both thinking of the same scripture..

On 9/5/2020 at 2:45 AM, Dinis said:

Some people say that it doesn’t make sense for somebody who has been a Christian all their life to be in the same state as somebody who did as they pleased all their life and waited until the last second to get their accounts square with God.

 

Can you repent at the moment of death and still have the same salvation as someone who's been a Christian for many years?

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?

17 hours ago, Who me said:

Why should anyone who is a Christian have to say that?

What is a Christian if not a servant/slave of God.

 

Why haven't you explained your reasoning for making this request?

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:"

On 10/23/2020 at 10:44 PM, Starise said:

The only caveat I see with this is that maybe some will think a brother who has a different view of what has been deemed a "non essential" doctrine is believing in a false doctrine , when maybe it is really just a matter of opinion over a less than clear scripture. In fact, maybe one of the parties is wrong and simply isn't aware they are looking at it the wrong way. It might be important to clarify what "non essentials" are. The definition might also change with the individual. 

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..

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Sometimes I see tares as maybe being in league with a church, agreeing to all of the church rules, yet not really a Christian. I have met some people who thought they were Christians, held high positions in the church but who realized years later they were not in fact Christians. I think some tares might not even realize they are tares. In contrast to someone who is a black and white difference, as in no doubts at all they are not Christian. These people "fit in" well. Might be sitting in the pew next to you. They might be involved in the church. Some of those types of people we may never know about until the very end. 
 

 

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..

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Some so called Christian belief systems set themselves in stark contrast to mainline Christian denominations and are mostly considered to be not Christian at the core due to what might seem like minor discrepancies in their beliefs, when in fact they are major departures from both Christian belief and scripture. They try to associate themselves with Christians when in fact, they are not. I believe these are to be exposed as much as we can as is mentioned in Peter. While there may be some sincere mislead Christians in these fake churches. The majority are simply tares.Might be a sprig or two of wheat in there.

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."

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To me, the more serious cases are the chameleons. The people who are nice people. Who help out, but at their core they aren't believers. 

 

 

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..

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It can be dangerous to go out and try to take out the tares. Ever read Cotton Mather? So how do we deal with situations like this? Maybe God is giving those tares some last minute time to make a real decision so mercy is one of His motives.

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..

19 hours ago, iamlamad said:

If one were to read ahead and SEE what the mystery is at the 7th trumpet, one would find it is NOT any of Paul's mysteries. Just because one can find the same word in two verses does not mean they are speaking of the same thing. 

What really happens when the 7th trumpet is sounded?

First, the kingdoms of the world are taken from Satan and given to Jesus Christ. This tells us that before this time, Satan was the possessor of the kingdoms of the world. Paul confirmed this when he wrote that Satan is the "god of this world." Part of this mystery then would be to ask WHY HERE at this time? What has happened that would cause a change that has gone on since Adam? 

Second, Michael is told to go to war with Satan and take His wings away from him: confine him to earth.  And this fits perfectly with Satan losing his throne as the god of this world.

The mystery then may well be, HOW did Satan become the God of this world and remain in that position for 6000 years?

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..

20 hours ago, Starise said:

 

 

This was my take on it. Since the tares and wheat are in very close proximity. I see them both in church together.

I have had a tendency to think I know a few of them. Is that judgmental? Probably is. In any case I am do do nothing. Take no active role in the knowledge if I have it. So what's the point of the parable?  Maybe to tell us that God is well aware of them and He has a plan to deal with them eventually.

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..

15 hours ago, iamlamad said:

I agree, Paul wrote both 1 Cor. and 1 Thes. But the ONLY timing information given in the 1 Cor. passage is that it is at the "last trump." Paul's last trumpet is certainly NOT the 7th trumpet of Revelation. That is myth. There is no coming at the 7th trumpet. You cannot show a coming there because John did not write of a coming at the 7th trumpet. 

People have been trying, unsuccessfully for years to make the 7th trumpet the "last trump." No one has ever proved it, because it cannot be proven. It is not the say trump. 

When Paul wrote, "last trump," He did not add any more words. "last" tells us there must be a first." It is telling us Paul is talking about a series of trumpets - such as sound at the feast of trumpets. Did you know that the feast of trumpets is the only feast where "no man knows the day nor the hour?

The series of trumpets in Revelation are JUDGMENTS. The rapture will not be a judgment. They are sounded by angels, but at the rapture, God will sound the trumpet. 

There is one thing you got right: the 7th trumpet in Revelation is the last trumpet of that series. It is not the series Paul was talking about.

Finally, the "trump of God" will certainly be the "last trump" of the church age.

John wrote at the 7th trumpet that a mystery will be revealed a mystery spoken of by the Prophets and Paul was revealing a mystery and he was giving prophetic utteraces in 1 Cor.

Pauls Rapture revelation..

(1 Corinthians 15:50-52) "Now this I say, brethren, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God; neither doth corruption inherit incorruption. {51} Behold, I shew you a mystery; We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed, {52} In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed."

The last trumpet sounding in the book of Revelation..

(Revelation 10:7) "But in the days of the voice of the seventh angel, when he shall begin to sound, the mystery of God should be finished, as he hath declared to his servants the prophets."

When Jesus appears in the sky and all eyes see Him any mystery about who He is will be removed..

13 minutes ago, iamlamad said:

The passage you show is a gathering, but it is not and cannot be Paul's gathering. Nice try, but a mistaken try. Paul did not say "the last trump IN SCRIPTURE or in the bible. People try and change what he said. Without a doubt, "last trump" is the last of a SERIES of trumpets - but Paul does not tell us what series. The truth is, to find the timing of the rapture, we have to look to PAUL and to no one else. He along received the revelation of the rapture. He tells us that the rapture will come JUST before the start of wrath. 

To know for sure, one would have to know where the "trib" and the rapture is on a timeline. Since Jesus did not talk about Paul's rapture, we really can't use his Olivet discourse timeline, and get close. He pinpoints the midpoint of the week by mentioning the abomination. 

On the other hand, Revelation shows us the start of wrath, and by that we can use the timeline of Revelation. One difficulty in using the Revelation timeline is that God did not show the rapture to John, or the "last trumpet, so it is not there. However, John was allowed to see the raptured church in heaven shortly after the rapture. 

The sad fact is, few people know where "the trib" is in Revelation to compare. Many think it begins with the first seal. They are mistaken. Sill others say the days of great tribulation are at the 5th seal. They are mistaken. So people say "i'm pretrib" but cannot prove it in scipture. Others say "I'm prewrath," and cannot prove it in scripture. Still others say, "I'm posttrib" and they cannot prove it either - although people from all these groups THINK they can prove their theory. 

It should be plain to all that God did not make it clear in scripture so we would be watching all the time. 

I disagree..

Paul wrote 1 Corinthians 15 and the portion i was quoting was him description of the rapture and it's timing.. So yes the rapture will happen on the sounding of the Last Trumpet and that is the last of the 7 trumpets in Revelation and it is the one that sounds when Jesus returns to earth after the tribulation..

On 10/12/2020 at 10:55 PM, iamlamad said:

Exactly what Paul's pretrib rapture will accomplish.

I don't believe Paul described a pre-trib rapture.. He did describe a last trumpet rapture.. And when The Lord Jesus returns there will be a sounding of a trumpet..

(1 Corinthians 15:51-52) "Behold, I shew you a mystery; We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed, {52} In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed."

(Matthew 24:29-31) "¶ Immediately after the tribulation of those days shall the sun be darkened, and the moon shall not give her light, and the stars shall fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens shall be shaken: {30} And then shall appear the sign of the Son of man in heaven: and then shall all the tribes of the earth mourn, and they shall see the Son of man coming in the clouds of heaven with power and great glory. {31} And he shall send his angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and they shall gather together his elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other."

On 10/10/2020 at 10:53 PM, R. Hartono said:

They were the great multitude taken to the heaven in Revelation 7.

The great multitude in heaven described in the Book of revelation are the souls of those who have been saved through the Atonement of the LORD Jesus Christ down throughout the ages and who have died..

On 10/8/2020 at 10:26 AM, CaptWalker said:

Was just thinking about this lately and considering all the recent suicides not just all these vets suffering from PTSD but also due to this whole Covid-19 crisis and people being out of work and hopeless...and was just wondering if it were actually possible to know when your time was up and God was ready to "take" you, and He was giving you time to get ready for it?? Such as what God did with King Hezekiah in Isaiah 38:5 by adding 15 years to his life and actually letting him know this. So then what if God has done the same for you unawares, and that "grace period" is finally up, but couldn't God give you some kind of "confirmation" or does your life simply end suddenly without any warning, regardless? I personally am not sick or anything, but just feel like there is nothing left for me to do as far as being profitable to God, and my life is basically useless at this point, and even the "powers that be" are against me and God Himself seems to be trying to tell me my time is up and there is nothing more that i can do to help anyone else, which is really all i have ever wanted to do. And i do at times feel like i have much more to offer but also know that many others like myself have been taken much sooner than they or anyone would have expected, but i am over 50 years old now so that is another thing. Because they say only the "good" die young, and once you are past a certain age then you were basically destined to live a long life, but i really think all that is just a myth or something, and can't be supported Biblically at least. Anyway, was just curious if anyone else were also struggling with these same feelings recently, because if so then we really need to be praying HARD for each other especially if we were meant to "endure to the end"(Mark-13:13) even though i know 13 is a bad luck number(LOL)....and i am all about Biblical numerology, but sometimes that even seems to work against me, and some scriptures almost confirm to me at times what i am fearing, that basically am at a point to where i feel like my life is at an end, period. So needless to say, i likely need some SERIOUS prayer if my own feelings about this are wrong, and sorry to make this so long and melodramatic but just wanting to make sure my "intuitions" are not just my paranioa getting the best of me...???

It should not be a surprise that people who are confident in the LORD Jesus and His promises would like to leave this earth and be with Him today....

I know i do and have on occasions asked Him to get me out of here..  But we exist for Gods purpose not our own purpose.. God is keeping me alive so therefore God has a good reason for keeping me alive.. I am like you over 50 and i also suffer from feeling low because it seems that nobody is accepting the Gospel of Jesus these days.. I feel like i banging my head against brick walls..  And yes like you my motivation in life, my desire is to play a part in someone coming to believe Jesus and thus be saved..  It really gets me down when time after time after time people turn away and reject the wonderful gift that Jesus is lovingly offering them.. 

But here is where faith /trusting in the LORD must kick in.. God is keeping us alive.. So there must be someone in our future that we are destined to help or God has another purpose for us.. Maybe to bare witness to the events of the end times?  God knows.. So as long as we are given life we should just continue trusting the LORDs wisdom and doing our best to live for Him and keep on trying to love others in any way we can..

2 minutes ago, R. Hartono said:

Why wud God rapture the saints when the tribulation is over, ac is dead, the world returns to peace, just to take the saints to the clouds and make a U-TURN to return you to earth ?

Why Not? 

There will be living Saints on earth at the time of the return of Jesus.. So they cannot be resurrected..  They will have to be transformed into their perfect eternal condition while still being alive..

On 10/4/2020 at 9:36 AM, R. Hartono said:

The great multitude of Rev 7 were the living n the deceased whose soul was resurrected from Gehenna n then raptured to heaven as bride of Christ.

But the souls of under the Altar of Rev 6 were martrys in 7 years great tribulation who were beheaded when the 5th seal is opened n Christianity is banished all over the world.

No.. The rapture happens at the second comming of Jesus.. And thats after the tribulation..  The great multitude where departed Saints who have lived throughout History..

The Spirit goes to be in the presence of God.. We read in the Book of Revelation..

(Revelation 7:9-14) "After this I beheld, and, lo, a great multitude, which no man could number, of all nations, and kindreds, and people, and tongues, stood before the throne, and before the Lamb, clothed with white robes, and palms in their hands; {10} And cried with a loud voice, saying, Salvation to our God which sitteth upon the throne, and unto the Lamb. {11} And all the angels stood round about the throne, and about the elders and the four beasts, and fell before the throne on their faces, and worshipped God, {12} Saying, Amen: Blessing, and glory, and wisdom, and thanksgiving, and honour, and power, and might, be unto our God for ever and ever. Amen. {13} And one of the elders answered, saying unto me, What are these which are arrayed in white robes? and whence came they? {14} And I said unto him, Sir, thou knowest. And he said to me, These are they which came out of great tribulation, and have washed their robes, and made them white in the blood of the Lamb."

Also::

(Revelation 6:9-11) "And when he had opened the fifth seal, I saw under the altar the souls of them that were slain for the word of God, and for the testimony which they held: {10} And they cried with a loud voice, saying, How long, O Lord, holy and true, dost thou not judge and avenge our blood on them that dwell on the earth? {11} And white robes were given unto every one of them; and it was said unto them, that they should rest yet for a little season, until their fellowservants also and their brethren, that should be killed as they were, should be fulfilled."

The above Saints where experiencing time ( probably not earth time ) but they where experiencing time in heaven while the earthwas still yet to be judged..

On 9/16/2020 at 6:52 AM, David1701 said:

I like that!

Human weakness -> humility and reliance upon the Lord -> God's strength  

2 Corinthians 12: KJV

7- "And lest I should be exalted above measure through the abundance of the revelations, there was given to me a thorn in the flesh, the messenger of Satan to buffet me, lest I should be exalted above measure. {8} For this thing I besought the Lord thrice, that it might depart from me. {9} And he said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness. Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me."