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Hello Brothers and Sisters,

I would sincerely appreciate your help in making this thread a place where frequently asked questions by non-Christians are answered.

I started it out with a post about how to be saved. Please feel free to jump right in with the same topic and others. I know that we each have a unique way of communicating, and the same would be true of those who will read here about what they understand and what touches their hearts. I simply think that the key is speaking from the heart.

I can think of dozens of questions that have been asked in the past, and many of you answered those questions in a very loving way. Please feel free to cut and paste what you have already done.

I'll try to make a later post with a listing of questions. In the meantime, I would sincerely appreciate your help.

Love In Christ,
Tom

SALVATION - HOW TO BE SAVED - "BORN AGAIN" - Part One


WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW FIRST:

Your life in this mortal body will be short, but your soul will live for eternity either in heaven or hell. Those who have received Salvation and accepted Jesus Christ as their personal Saviour will live forever with Jesus in Heaven. Those who reject Jesus Christ will spend eternity in Hell. Almighty God, the Creator of all, is real and He Lives. Almighty God is three Holy Deities in ONE GOD: God, the Father; God, the Son, and God, the Holy Spirit. The Holy Bible is the inspired Word of God, containing the only true account of all creation, both past and future. God does love you, regardless of how many bad things you have done in your life. Because of his Love for you, God sent his only Son, Jesus Christ, to be crucified and die on a cross for your sins. Jesus Christ lived on this earth in the form of a man, but He was very God. Jesus Christ was righteous and without sin, yet he was convicted and sentenced to death. Jesus died and was buried, but he arose on the third day. Some might question whether this event happened, but the world's time is set by this event recorded in history: (B.C.) Before Christ; (A.D.) After Death. Jesus Christ ascended back to Heaven and HE LIVES, very God. God wants you to accept Him, return His love, and become one of His children. God wants to adopt you and give you an inheritance, but you must believe to accept this Gift. This Gift is given by God's Grace and love for you. The Gift is free, and you did nothing to deserve it or earn it.
____________________

HOW CAN I BE SAVED AND RECEIVE SALVATION?

If you are unsaved, please read this carefully. Do you many times feel alone in this world and helpless because of the evil you see and experience? Do you feel bad when you do wrong and wonder if there must be something other than this world to enjoy? Do you feel empty and unhappy about yourself and what the future may bring? Answering these and other questions may give you the reasons why you should accept Jesus Christ as your personal Saviour. Would you like to experience and enjoy peace, joy, and love this world can't offer? It isn't hard to become a believer and Saved: you can receive Salvation right now, this minute.

I AM A SINNER: You must understand that you are a sinner. Sin is wrong, as commanded by Almighty God in his Word, the Holy Bible. All men sin and do wrong in the sight of Almighty God. Regardless of how large or small your sins are, you can be forgiven and accepted as a Child of God. (See Scripture Notes 1 below)

I BELIEVE THAT JESUS CHRIST DIED ON THE CROSS FOR MY SINS AND AROSE FROM THE DEAD AS MY LORD AND SAVIOUR: Almighty God sent his only begotten Son, Jesus Christ, to die on the cross for you, in payment for your sins. The Blood of Jesus Christ will wash away your sins as if they had never happened. Jesus Christ bore suffering and pain on the cross for you, that you can be saved and be forgiven. Jesus Christ arose from the dead and LIVES as the Lord and Saviour to all who will believe and accept him. This is a Gift by God's Grace, a free gift that you didn't earn or deserve. (See Scripture Notes 2 below)

I ASK JESUS CHRIST TO COME INTO MY HEART AS MY PERSONAL SAVIOUR AND FORGIVE MY SINS: You must trust Jesus Christ and ask him to come into your heart as your personal Lord and Saviour. Ask Jesus Christ to be first in your life and forgive your sins. (See Scripture Notes 3 below)

____________________ See Part Two

SALVATION - HOW TO BE SAVED - "BORN AGAIN" - Part Two

If you are sincere and believe the above three statements with your heart, you will be: saved, born again, baptized with the Holy Spirit, forgiven, indwelt by God, adopted into the family of God, made an heir of God, set apart for God, and much more that you will learn as you grow in Christ.

I hope this doesn't sound difficult. The words and thoughts must be your words and thoughts from your heart. You must believe in your heart and ask Jesus for Salvation from your heart. Your prayer can be very simple, but your prayer must be from your heart.
A simple prayer, maybe something like this: "Lord Jesus, I am a sinner not worthy of your Love. Lord Jesus, I believe that you died on the cross for me and I ask you to come into my heart as my Lord and Saviour. Lord Jesus, I ask forgiveness for my sins and ask to follow you as the Lord of my life. In the name of Jesus Christ, I pray. Amen."
____________________

SCRIPTURE NOTES 1:

Romans 7:24 O wretched man that I am! who shall deliver me from the body of this death?

Ecclesiastes 7:20 For there is not a just man upon earth, that doeth good, and sinneth not.

1 John 1:8 If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us.

Romans 3:10 As it is written, There is none righteous, no, not one:

Romans 3:23 For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God;


SCRIPTURE NOTES 2:

John 19:16 Then delivered he him therefore unto them to be crucified. And they took Jesus, and led him away.
John 19:17 And he bearing his cross went forth into a place called the place of a skull, which is called in the Hebrew Golgotha:
John 19:18 Where they crucified him, and two other with him, on either side one, and Jesus in the midst.
John 19:19 And Pilate wrote a title, and put it on the cross. And the writing was, JESUS OF NAZARETH THE KING OF THE JEWS.

1Peter 2:24 Who his own self bare our sins in his own body on the tree, that we, being dead to sins, should live unto righteousness: by whose stripes ye were healed.

Ephesians 2:8 For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God:
Ephesians 2:9 Not of works, lest any man should boast.

_____________________ See Part Three

SALVATION - HOW TO BE SAVED - "BORN AGAIN" - Part Three

SCRIPTURE NOTES 3:

John 3:16 For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.
John 3:17 For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved.
John 3:18 He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.

Romans 10:9 That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved.
Romans 10:10 For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.
Romans 10:11 For the scripture saith, Whosoever believeth on him shall not be ashamed.
Romans 10:12 For there is no difference between the Jew and the Greek: for the same Lord over all is rich unto all that call upon him.
Romans 10:13 For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.


MY PRAYER:

I pray that God will soften your heart and guide you to accept Jesus Christ as your Personal Saviour RIGHT NOW. In the name of Jesus Christ, I pray. Amen.

Love In Christ,
Tom

Great idea BEP!  You should probably sticky this as well so it will always be at the top of the list.

 :)

Grace and Peace!

Oklahoma Howdy to 2nd Timothy,

Thanks brother - great idea. Consider that done.

I was just reflecting on some questions:

Why should I believe the Bible over other books?

Why do you think that Jesus Christ is real?

If there is a loving God, why would he condemn people to hell?

If there is a God, why did he create evil and allow such suffering, pain, and grief for His creation?

If there is a real God, why doesn't He simply make all people saved and good?

If God is real, why does He allow so many bad things to happen to Christians?

If God is real, wouldn't that make Him the author of all wars, disasters, mass starvation, and all of the other suffering of mankind?

Someone told me that God either hates us or loves us before we are ever born, so why should we try to learn about a God who has already made up His mind about us?

What do Christians have that I don't already have? I'm having fun without all the rules, so why bother?

If God is real, why doesn't he make all the preachers get their stories right and say the same thing?
____________________________

I think that some of the above questions and others would be very helpful here.

Love In Christ,
Tom

 That would be BOOOORRRRRIRING! ;D

General info on the Bible
The Bible consists of 66 books: 39 in the OT and 27 in the new.  The Bible took about 1600 years to write. It was written in three languages (Hebrew, Aramaic, and Greek) by about 40 authors and is internally consistent throughout.

Reliability of the Bible
A. The Bible is 98½ percent textually pure. Through all the copying of the Biblical manuscripts of the entire Bible, only 1½% has any question about it. Nothing in all of the ancient writings of the entire world approaches the accuracy of the biblical documents.
B. The 1½ percent that is in question does not affect doctrine. The areas of interest are called variants and they consist mainly in variations of wording and spelling.
C. The NT has over 5000 supporting Greek manuscripts existing today with another 20,000 manuscripts in other languages. Some of the manuscript evidence dates to within 100 years of the original writing. There is less than a 1% textual variation in the NT manuscripts.
D.  Some of the supporting manuscripts of the NT are:
i John Rylands MS written around 130 A.D., the oldest existing fragment of the gospel of John
ii Bodmer Papyrus II (150-200 A.D.)
iii Chester Beatty Papyri (200 A.D.), contains major portions of the NT
iv  Codex Vaticanus (325-350 A.D.), contains nearly all the Bible.
v Codex Sinaiticus (350 A.D.), contains almost all the NT and over half of the OT

Prophecies of the Bible
Odds of Jesus filling the prophecies:  
i  The odds of Jesus fulfilling 48 of the 61 major prophecies concerning Him are 1 in 10157; that is a one with 157 zeros behind it.  By comparison, the estimated number of electrons in the entire known universe is about 1079; that is a one with 79 zeros behind it.


Virgin Birth Prophecy
i   Isaiah 7:14, "Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign: The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and will call him Immanuel."
Note:  the Jews who translated the Septuagint (Greek Translation of the Hebrew Old Testament) translated Isaiah 7:14 as the word virgin, not young maiden.
ii   Matt. 1:18,25, "This is how the birth of Jesus Christ came about: His mother Mary...was found to be with child through the Holy Spirit... But Joseph had no union with her until she gave birth to a son. And he gave him the name Jesus."

Born in Bethlehem
i   Micah 5:2 "But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, though you are small among the clans of Judah, out of you will come for me one who will be ruler over Israel, whose origins are from of old, from ancient times."
ii   Matt. 2:1, "After Jesus was born in Bethlehem in Judea, during the time of King Herod, Magi from the east came to Jerusalem."

Preceded by a messenger
i   Isaiah 40:3, "A voice of one calling: 'In the desert prepare the way for the LORD; make straight in the wilderness a highway for our God.'"
ii   Matt. 3:1-2, "In those days John the Baptist came, preaching in the Desert of Judea and saying, 'Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is near.'"

Side Pierced
i  Zech. 12:10, "And I will pour out on the house of David and the inhabitants of Jerusalem a spirit of grace and supplication. They will look on me, the one they have pierced, and they will mourn for him as one mourns for an only child, and grieve bitterly for him as one mourns for an only son."
ii   John 19:34, "Instead, one of the soldiers pierced Jesus' side with a spear, bringing a sudden flow of blood and water."

Crucifixion
i   Psalm 22:16-18, "a band of evil men has encircled me, they have pierced my hands and my feet. I can count all my bones; people stare and gloat over me. They divide my garments among them and cast lots for my clothing."
ii   Luke 23:33, "When they came to the place called the Skull, there they crucified him, along with the criminals -- one on his right, the other on his left."
iii   John 19:33, "But when they came to Jesus and saw that He was already dead, they did not break His legs."
iv   John 19:23-24, "When the soldiers crucified Jesus, they took his clothes..they said to one another. "Let's decide by lot who will get it." This happened that the scripture might be fulfilled which said, "They divided my garments among them and cast lots for my clothing." So this is what the soldiers did."

Scientific Accuracies in the Bible
i   The spherical shape of the earth (Isaiah 40:22).
ii   The earth is suspended in nothing (Job. 26:7).
iii   The stars are innumerable (Gen. 15:5).
iv   The existence of valleys in the seas (2 Sam. 22:16).
v   The existence of springs and fountains in the sea (Gen. 7:11; 8:2; Prov. 8:28).
vi   The existence of water paths (ocean currents) in the seas (Psalm 8:8).
vii   The water cycle (Job. 26:8; 36:27-28; 37:16; 38:25-27; Ps. 135:7; Ecc. 1:6-7).
viiiThe fact that all living things reproduce after their own kind (Gen. 1:21; 6:19).
ix   The nature of health, sanitation, and sickness (Gen. 17:9-14; Lev. 12-14).
x   The concept of entropy, that energy is running down (Psalm 102:26).


Grace and Peace!

AMEN 2ND TIMOTHY!

I was just thinking about the many writers of the Holy Bible and the lengthy period of time to write it. YET, the Bible is completely consistent and flows from cover to cover. Being inspired by GOD is the only way to explain that. The Holy Bible proves itself and is able to stand alone as evidence of the greatest truths in the history of mankind.

On top of everything else, it is the most beautiful literary masterpiece ever written.

Love In Christ,
Tom

Jesus is probably the most documented individual in history.   It is more than evident that man named Jesus walked the earth some 2,000 years ago.  Even our calender is based on his birth and death AD/BC.    His life and death has had more impact on people that any other man who ever lived....even up to today.

There should be no question about whether or not the man called Jesus was real.   He's a historical fact!

Grace and Peace!

Trying to answer these one by one as I get time. (feel free to jump in anyone and help!  :)  )



For starters I think the quote of the day is...

2Pe 3:9  The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.

God does not want any to perish!   But for all men to come to repentance and accept his gift of Life and redemption.

Joh 3:16  For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.

So why would a loving God allow some to perish who don't accept Him?   To fully begin to understand these truths, one must understand Gods Holy Character.  It is perfect without compromise!   For example, a mother having told her son not to something or she will have to punish him, and the child disobeys anyway, the mother might compromise her character of justice over her character of love, feeling that the child has learned his lesson.  However, God cannot compromise any attributes of His Character for another, as He is perfect.   His word reveals the attributes of His Character.  I will try to explain these that may be a little hard to understand.  

God is...

Soveriegn -
Simply put, God has a will of His own.  By Himself and with no assistance from anyone, He makes up His decisions and policies and sets up His principles.  In short, He does as He pleases.  Isaiah 43:13 - God has the right to do as He wishes.

Righteous
He is absolute virtue and perfection.  He is the standard of all that is called right.  Psalm 119:137

Just
God is absolutely just. It’s impossible for Him to do anything that’s unfair either to Himself or to any created person. He executes perfect justice in accordance with His attribute of righteousness.  All that is unrighteous must be judged and separated from a relationship with God.  Deuteronomy 32:4

Love
God is perfect, infinite love. It’s given freely and without any consideration to the loveliness or merit of the object. It includes His enemies as well as His friends.  The Apostle John defined true Love when he penned...1 John 4:9-10

Eternal
What does God say about His eternal nature? “I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End,’ says the Lord, ‘who is and who was and who is to come, the Almighty’” Revelation 1:8

Omniscient
God possesses all the knowledge there is to have. Nothing takes God by surprise.  Matthew 10:29-30, Isaiah 41:21-23, Proverb 3:5-6, just to name a few.

Omnipotent
God is all-powerful, having more than enough strength to do the sum total of all things. He has omnipotent power over nature, over the course of history and over human life.  Colossians 1:16-17, Job 42:2

Omnipresent
The Creator God is not limited by time and space as we are. Time and space are His creation. He exists in a dimension far above them. He permeates time and space and is personally present everywhere at all times.  Psalm 139:7-10

Immutable
This attribute means that God never changes in His nature, attributes or declarations. When He makes a promise or declares a truth, it will never change or not be fulfilled.  Numbers 23:19,  Psalms 33:11,  Romans 11:29

Veracity
God is absolute truth. Anything in word or deed that doesn’t conform to what He has revealed in His Word is not the truth. To know Him is to know the only true reality. He is the ultimate matrix of all that is reality.  Deuteronomy 32:4, John 17:17,  Psalm 33:4.

Taking all these into account, God simply cannot compromise one attribute of His Character for another.   They must all work in perfection with one another as God himself is perfect.   Having understood all of this....

God made a way for man to be redeemed to Him.  He made the way Himself for us, and that way is not burdensome.

Mat 11:28  Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.
Mat 11:29  Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls.
Mat 11:30  For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light

Salvation is yours freely!  Christ did all the work, you just accept it by faith!  If you want a relationship with God, it must be through Christ, the Holy, Pure, Lamb of God!   Without Him there is no way to God, and the end result is total separation from God - Hell.

Grace and Peace!

2nd Timothy,

Brother, I do want to add one thing:


Love In Christ,
Tom

Webster defines Evil as: Having bad qualities of a moral kind; wicked; corrupt; perverse; wrong; as evil thoughts; evil deeds; evil speaking; an evil generation.

After reviewing the attributes of Gods character in the previous post...


Evil represents anything and everything that goes against Gods Character.   God allows evil because He created man with free Will.   He had to allow man to be able to choose apart from His own will in order to experience true Love and devotion from man.   When God first created man, everything was Good...God even said so after each creation.   Man having free Will to truely choose whether to serve, trust and Love God chose wrongly.   When God created Lucifer, He created Him GOOD, but yet Lucifer fell due to his own evil thoughts.   Why would God create beings and want them to fall from His grace?   He didn't want us to fall, He wanted us to Choose Him out our true Love and devotion to a perfect Loving, Holy God.  Having said all this, God does use the evil in the world for good.  This is evident in the crucifixion of His Son Jesus.   God allowed slander, lies and the murderous thoughts of man, put His own Son to death on the Cross, for the greater good of us who did evil to Him.   We cannot blame God for evil, because we know He is anything but!  

I hear people sometimes ask, "why do bad things happen to good people?"   Bad things don't happen to good people, because there are no good people by Gods standard.  We are all bad and unworthy that anything good should happen to us.  

Rom 3:23  For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God;

Rom 5:12  Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned:

Yet, God bestowed on us His perfect Love and grace by sending His Son Christ, to die for us, while we were yet sinners.

Rom 5:8  But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.

Joh 3:15  That whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have eternal life.
Joh 3:16  For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.
Joh 3:17  For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved.
Joh 3:18  He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.

You see, man has already condemned himself by choosing his own way apart from God - EVIL.   God went out of his way to provide a way back for evil men, by taking the sins of the world and putting them to death with His Son on the cross.   Now everyone who puts their trust and faith in this, has life through what He did for us on the cross.   We are saved by  grace through faith!

Eph 2:8  For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God:

Wont you accept Gods free gift today?   God is not evil, we are, but He still loved us enough to pay our sin debt for us so that we might be free from the bondage of Sin and Evil!

Think about it, wont you?

Grace and Peace!

OK, still working on these questions   :)



I think the easiest way to answer this is, because God does not want a bunch of robots running around programmed to serve Him.   He wants your genuine faith, trust, and Love in Him.   And BTW, it is His will that we ALL come to him and repent.

2Pe 3:9  The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.

But God wont force that on you.  Its a choice you must make on your own when the Holy Spirit speaks to your heart.   Turn away from your sin, and bring it all to Him.   He will take care of the rest.

Grace and Peace!

2nd Timothy,

Amen Brother!!  Choice is, indeed, man's problem. God could breathe immediate and total obedience of all mankind, but HE did give man a choice to make between good and evil.

Choice also effects Christians and those who watch Christians. Christians can choose to try and live a life that is a good testimony for Christ, OR they may choose to do many things that are a bad testimony before men. Then there is the reality that regardless of how hard a Christian tries, they will still stumble from time to time and hurt God with what they do or what they say.

We must not forget that some people claim to be Christians, and they don't know Jesus. As an example, some people choose to go to church for business reasons or other reasons that don't relate to the worship of God. Some people claiming to be Christians wallow in sin and darkness except for one hour on Sunday morning. These people are tools of the devil, confusing the lost with what they do and what they say, all while claiming to be a Christian.

I always think of the ultimate truth when I think about men: I give thanks that we don't place our trust and faith in men, rather our perfect and Holy Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ. Men always fail and disappoint, regardless of how hard they might try. Jesus Christ never fails, always keeps HIS promises, and is a perfect role model. The lost many times get very confused when they look at and think about men who claim to be Christians. It would not be fair to leave out many pastors who do not live a good testimony for Christ. PLEASE - I'm not suggesting that Christians have any possibility of being perfect, but I am suggesting that Christians should struggle and fight to do and say things that would be pleasing to God. Our sins hurt God and the lost who see our sins.

I hope that nobody confuses the purpose of this post. There are hosts of very sweet Christian people who struggle every day to live a life that would be pleasing to God and a good testimony before men. There are also hosts of good pastors, teachers, and evangelists who dedicate their entire lives to the service of God. However, they all have something in common: they are human and make mistakes that God is not pleased with. Our LORD doesn't make mistakes, and HE never stumbles. That's why we preach and teach trust and faith in Jesus Christ, not us. That's also why most Christians pray every day for guidance and strength to live a pleasing testimony to Jesus.

We are weak, but Jesus is strong. We sin and stumble regardless of how hard we try, but Jesus is spotless, without sin, and Holy. We are not righteous, but our Lord and Saviour IS. We are not even close to being perfect, but our Lord and Saviour is absolute perfection. In short, we have nothing to brag about EXCEPT JESUS CHRIST, our Lord and Saviour.

The love of Jesus for us is perfect. If you are lost and reading this, Jesus loves you completely and perfectly, regardless of what you have done in the past. When you accept Jesus Christ as the LORD over your life, you become a new man, and your sins are forgiven. This is why many Christians speak of being saved as "born again."

Love In Christ,
Tom

A big AAAAMEN Brother!

The Bible: Your Only Dependable Source for Truth

The Berean citizens, of the Book of Acts, are famous for their dedication to biblical truth. When the Apostle Paul was instructing them in the faith, every day they would check the Old Testament to verify the claims Paul was making about Jesus being the promised Messiah.

Acts 17:10-11 "And the brethren immediately sent away Paul and Silas by night unto Berea: who coming thither went into the synagogue of the Jews. These were more noble than those in Thessalonica, in that they received the word with all readiness of mind, and searched the scriptures daily, whether those things were so."

Without the Bible there is no understanding of eternal truth. The truth that man has forever been trying to devise is subject to constant revision. In the final summation, it will have to be said: All truth begins with God and all truth ends with God.

I've searched the internet and book libraries for commentary on truth, and have found very little instruction on how to find it. I had zero trouble locating material that talked about the need for truth. The Bible goes on endlessly about the subject of truth. It boldly and emphatically says, look no further:

Psalm 119:142 "Thy righteousness is an everlasting righteousness, and thy law is the truth."

Psalm 119:160 "The sum of thy word is truth."

John 17:17 "Sanctify them in the truth: thy word is truth."

2 Sam. 7:28 "And now, O Lord Jehovah, thou art God, and thy words are truth."

2 Tim. 3:15 "And that from a babe thou hast known the sacred writings which are able to make thee wise unto salvation."

2 Tim. 2:15 "Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth."

John 8:32 "Ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free."

2 Tim. 3:16­1 "All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: That the man of God may be perfect, thoroughly furnished unto all good works."

Today is a great day to accept God.
DW

DreamWeaver,

AMEN BROTHER!

Hmmm, why not a faq for Christians.  Are you not interested why people openly reject Jesus and God?

No, we've all been there and done that at one time in our lives. This is a Christian forum, so we really aren't interested in giving the devil a pulpit or equal time.

Moderator

Is the Bible true

Is the Bible true? Certainly the Bible is a remarkable book unquestionably the world's all-time bestseller with countless millions of copies in print. Actually, the Bible is a compilation of 66 books written by over 40 separate authors from a variety of backgrounds (from lowly peasants to noble kings) over a period of at least 1,600 years. These 66 books are divided in two principle parts, the "Old Testament" (39 books) and the "New Testament" (27 books). The Bible was completed in its entirety nearly 2,000 years ago and stands today as the best-preserved literary work of all antiquity with over 24,000 ancient New Testament manuscripts discovered thus far. Compare this with the second best preserved literary work of antiquity, Homer's Iliad, with only 643 preserved manuscripts discovered to date.

If the Bible is indeed what it claims to be, the implications for us are considerable. The Bible candidly claims to be "given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness" (2 Timothy 3:16). Of course, the Bible is not the only book to claim divine inspiration, but it is unique in that it offers substantial evidence to back its claims. It even goes so far as to challenge its readers to put it to the test, exhorting us to "Test all things" (1 Thessalonians 5:21).

Unquestionably, the single greatest evidence lending to the veracity of the Bible's claims of divine inspiration is the fulfillment of Bible prophecy. Consider this: if man were able to clearly and consistently foresee the future, would the billion dollar Las Vegas gambling industry exist? I'm willing to bet it wouldn't. As man by himself is unable to foresee future events, prophecy is a reasonable indicator of supernatural inspiration. The Bible purports to contain more than a thousand inspired prophecies. The vast majority of these prophecies have already come to pass and can be verified by secular history. Consider, for example, Ezekiel's prophecies concerning God's judgment against the ancient Phoenician capital of Tyre Ezekiel, 26. The prophecy states that Tyre would first be razed by Babylonian King Nebuchadnezzar. Later, it would be utterly destroyed by a coalition of nations, flattened like the top of a rock, its ruins (and even its dust) scraped and thrown into the sea, becoming a place for fishermen to spread their nets. The surrounding nations would witness Tyre's fate and surrender without a fight. It's a rather odd prophecy. Amazingly, the conditions of Ezekiel's prophecy were fulfilled, even to the tiniest detail. Nebuchadnezzar sacked Tyre. Later, Alexander the Great led a coalition of nations against Tyre, demolished it, scraped it to bedrock and threw its ruins into the sea. The ancient site became (and remains to this day) a place for local fishermen to spread their nets to dry.

Prophecy is not just a phenomenon of the ancient past. Bible prophecy is being fulfilled today before our eyes. Consider the nation of Israel. The Jews were "the least of all peoples" Deuteronomy 7:7, without a homeland and without freedom, serving as slaves in Egypt. At the time, Egypt was the dominant world power. However, because of a promise God made to a man named Abraham, his son Isaac, and his grandson Jacob centuries earlier, God rescued the Israelites from their bondage "with a mighty hand, and with an outstretched arm, and with great terribleness, and with signs, and with wonders" Deuteronomy 26:8. God gave the Israelites a homeland of their own, made a covenant with them, and entrusted them with the Bible. Israel was a nation set apart for God, God's testimony to a world that turned its back on the One who created them. Sadly, Israel's history, like that of the world's, was one of constant rebellion against God. Over and over, the Jewish people would rebel, suffer God's wrath, humble themselves, regret their rebellion and turn back to God, and receive God's blessing again  then start the process all over again. Finally, God sent nations upon them (like He did with ancient Tyre) and drove the Jews from their homeland. In 70 AD, Roman legions decimated Israel, dispersed the Jews throughout the world, and banned them from ever reentering their homeland. The Jews were without a homeland for 1,900 years! Nevertheless, God promised the Jews that though He would remove them from the land, they would remain an identifiable people and would return to their land again. (see, Leviticus 26:13-16; Nehemiah 1:8-9; Deuteronomy 30:1-5). It is a miracle in itself that the Jews have survived and remained an identifiable people without a homeland for 1,900 years. All other nations who have ever lost their homeland became assimilated into the surrounding nations and lost their identity within a few hundred years. Yet the Jews have remained and miraculously returned to Israel as their official homeland in 1948.

Consider, for example, the biblical account of Israel's exodus from Egypt. Pharaoh, Egypt's monarch, chased the Israelites with an army of chariots, cornering Israel at the Gulf of Aqaba (the Red Sea). God miraculously parted the Red Sea allowing Israel to pass through over a land bridge. The Egyptians followed in close pursuit, but after the last Israelite made it across, God released the parted water and drowned the Egyptian army. Archaeologists have discovered a number of evidences vindicating the Bible's exodus account, including chariot wheels embedded in coral along the land bridge at the bottom of the Red Sea. (See below)

(http://www.bibleprobe.com/chariotw2.jpg)(http://www.tamilchrist.ch/archaeology/Moses/Red%20Sea%20Crossing-Dateien/exwheel.jpg)

Consider the integrity of the Bible's authors, men who claimed to be inspired by God. Take for example Luke, who authored approximately one-quarter of the entire New Testament. Luke is regarded as an authoritative historian, one of the greatest of antiquity. Dr. John McRay, Professor of New Testament and Archaeology at Wheaton University in Illinois, explains, "The general consensus of both liberal and conservative scholars is that Luke is very accurate as a historian. He's erudite, he's eloquent, his Greek approaches classical quality, he writes as an educated man, and archaeological discoveries are showing over and over again that Luke is accurate in what he has to say." (John McRay, quoted by Lee Strobel, The Case For Christ, Zondervan, 1998, pg 129.)

Consider the martyrdom of many of these authors. According to sources and traditions outside the Bible. Many of the Bible's writers died brutal and horrible deaths in defense of their written testimony. In fact, all but one of the New Testament's authors were executed for proclaiming and defending their testimonies, (John was spared, but forced into exile by Roman Emperor Titus). Of course, martyrdom in itself is not unique, many people throughout history have died willingly for their beliefs. What makes the New Testament authors' martyrdom special is that these men were in a position to know the truth of their written accounts.

Think about it, no one knowingly dies for a lie! For example, the September 11th suicide hijackers may have sincerely believed in what they died for, but they weren't in a position to know whether their beliefs were absolutely true. The hijackers put their faith in religious traditions passed down over many generations. In contrast, the Bible's martyrs were in a position to know the truth. They were eyewitnesses to the historical events they recorded. Either they saw what they claimed to see or they didn't, plain and simple. Nevertheless, these men clung to their testimonies, even to their brutal deaths at the hands of their persecutors, and despite being given every chance to recant their stories. Why would so many men knowingly die for a lie? They had nothing to gain for lying, and everything to lose.

God in terms of moral attributes? What does God have to say about Himself in this regard? He says that He delights in justice and righteousness: "Let not the wise man boast of his wisdom or the strong man boast of his strength or the rich man boast of his riches, but let him who boasts boast about this: that he understands and knows me, that I am the LORD, who exercises kindness, justice and righteousness on earth, for in these I delight." "For I, the LORD, love justice; I hate robbery and iniquity"

Justice and equity are very important to God. But so are grace and mercy. And so, while God will hold everyone accountable, each for their own lives, He extends His grace to the repentant sinner. He promises that, "'If the wicked man turns from all his sins which he has committed and observes all My statutes and practices justice and righteousness, he shall surely live; he shall not die. All his transgressions which he has committed will not be remembered against him; because of his righteousness which he has practiced, he will live. Do I have any pleasure in the death of the wicked,' declares the Lord GOD, 'rather than that he should turn from his ways and live? I have no pleasure in the death of anyone who dies,' declares the Lord GOD. 'Therefore, repent and live."

By "death" God is not referring to the physical death which we might have in mind. Rather, God is referring to something which will happen in eternity, after our physical deaths. The Scriptures refer to this event as the "second death." The first death separates us from our bodies and takes us from this world. The second death is different. It also entails a separation, but it's the separation of one group of people from another: the righteous and the forgiven on one hand and the wicked and the unrepentant on the other. The two groups will be judged separately.

God has made a provision for those who want to repent, a provision to atone for the sins of those who want to be made right with Him. He sent a "Messiah," a Servant who willingly suffered and died a vicarious death in order to pay for the sins of those who would repent and trust in Him. The Scriptures say, "Who has believed our message and to whom has the arm of the LORD been revealed? Surely He took up our infirmities and carried our sorrows. He was pierced for our transgressions, He was crushed for our iniquities, the punishment that brought us peace was upon Him, and by His wounds we are healed. We all, like sheep, have gone astray, each of us has turned to his own way; and the LORD has laid on Him the iniquity of us all. it was the LORD's will to crush Him and cause Him to suffer, and though the LORD makes His life a guilt offering, He will see His offspring and prolong His days, and the will of the LORD will prosper in His hand. After the suffering of His soul, He will see the light of life and be satisfied, by his knowledge my righteous servant will justify many, and he will bear their iniquities.…he poured out his life unto death, and was numbered with the transgressors. For he bore the sin of many, and made intercession for the transgressors."

Notes from many different sites on the Bible.
Scripture notes;
Jeremiah 31:9
Malachi 1:6
Isaiah 64:8
Malachi 2:10  Psalm 89:26; Jeremiah 31:9; Isaiah 9:6; 63:16
Jeremiah 9:23-24
Isaiah 61:8
Ezekiel 18:21-23, 32
Revelation 2:11; 20:6, 14; 21:8
Ezekiel 18:26-28, 32
Isaiah 53:1, 4-6, 10-12, Isaiah 52:13-53:12; Psalm 22; Daniel 9:24-27

Wouldn't today be a good day, to accept Christ as your personal Savior.
Bob

Dreamweaver,

AMEN BROTHER!

I really enjoyed your post, especially the points about how the Bible proves itself so many times and so many ways. It is the greatest non-fiction masterpiece ever written. The events that were foretold did happen, exactly as the Bible said they would, time and time again. Not only did the Bible prove itself, but history from other sources also verify the Bible. There isn't a single failure of anything foretold in the Holy Bible.

Mankind, especially those of today want proof and evidence. Well, the Holy Bible has it. Understanding the magnitude of that proof would lead a logical person to believe that the things of the Bible that have not come to pass yet will most certainly be fulfilled precisely at God's appointed time.

The Bible did foretell the first coming of Jesus Christ, and that most precious event came to pass about 2,000 years ago. The Bible verified its own truth, but a host of other writings also confirm the same event. Christians look forward to the second coming of Jesus Christ. That will be a time of great joy for Christians, but a time of great fear and destruction for the world.

Today would be a good day to find out more about Jesus and accept Him into your heart as your Lord and Saviour forever. Tomorrow really might be too late.

Love In Christ,
Tom

Acts 26:18  To open their eyes, and to turn them from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan unto God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins, and inheritance among them which are sanctified by faith that is in me.

I've been reading these posts, and all I can say is AMEN!!!![/b]  Great posts guys,full of truth.   :)

But I got a thought that just won't leave my mind.  That being that the Gospel message is the most simple, most uncomplicated, most clear message ever given.  Tom has given great detail to this.  Tim and Bob have jumped in to answer questions as well, and have done so superbly.  But let's not miss the simple truth...

We are ALL Sinners.
God judges ALL Sinners with death.
God showed us His love by sending Jesus to die for our sins.
Jesus was dead, buried, and risen again on the third day, and now lives that we can live too.
We are SAVED, REDEEMED, or FORGIVEN our sins when we BELIEVE in our hearts these truths, ASK forgiveness, and ACCEPT God's free gift.

Simple.  Not complicated.  By all means friends, ask questions if you need to help you understand.  But don't get so caught up in the peripherals that you miss the main, simple truth.

 :)

When I posted that post, I intended to leave scripture references out, namely because the scriptures have already been given fully to explain in previous posts.  I wanted to keep it simple.  But, as I am wont to do...I gotta post some Bible!   :D  Here's a passage that I've been thinking about lately:


I love this passage.  For one, we see a man come to know Jesus as his Savior.  But I love the passage this man was reading that brought him there...


This is what the man was reading.  This is what Phillip used to show this man Jesus.  This is Jesus.  He had no beauty, or majesty, and He was despised and rejected of men...


This is Jesus.  He was wounded for our sin, crushed, and bruised, made an offering for our sin, perfect and holy, sinless...


CONTINUED...

This is Jesus.  This is what He did for us.  This offering, for our sin, does heal us...


This is Jesus.  This sacrifice was God's will, and Jesus' desire as well...


This is Jesus.  This is truth.  WE are ALL sinners.  WE ALL deserve death.  Jesus gave His life in our place.  God raised Him for us to have life in Him.

Probably doesn't make a whole lot of sense to everyone who reads this.  Why would Jesus do this?  Why would God require it?  Because HE is God.  Because He is Jesus.  I am His.  Are you?

Fabulous post Allinall!   The simple truth of the gospel is what moves mens hearts.   Frequently Asked Questions about christianity is important to talk about with unbelievers, but the simple truth that Christ died for our sins, that we might be forgiven and have life in Him is the bottom line.   I think many questions cannot be fully understood until we are born again and see things through His eyes.  The Gospel truly is what moves our hearts towards accepting the gift of Grace that God has given us.

For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have ever lasting life.

It doesn't get more simple than this.   Accept Him into your heart today.   This is true Hope!

Grace and Peace!

 :)  Amen!

Very good stuff...alll of you. I apologize for not posting in quite some time, It has been very hectic around the house with my brother coming in from AL. and Christmas and the holiday season. I have just scanned through the posts..and they were very well written. I will take them when i have a chance, and print them to read, so i can formulate a response. I'll have to take some time and do another study to post on here. In the meanwhile if since we're talking about sacrifice, i'll be more than glad to re-post my sermon on sacrifice, if it's no problem. Just let me know by IM or in a future post. I look forward to participating in this thread. God Bless

Joshua

Pastor, go ahead and post it.

Resting in the cradle of the Lord.
Bob

One question that never fails to arise among Christians, both new and old, and sometimes among those who are just seeking, is (in my opinion) one of the most important questions that must be settled in the heart and mind.

There are a number of reasons why is needs to be settled, but I will only propose two: One is that if the question is unsettled, or wishy-washy, the believer or future believer will basically be ineffective in both personal walk and ministry. The second is that if the answer is in the negative, then any vestige of hope is ripped away, so that again, personal walk and ministry is rendered ineffective.

How can anyone tell another, or hold out a hope for something in which they themselves are not hopeful?

The question comes in many forms, but it is summed up as: Am I saved? Is there any assurance of being saved? What if I'm not strong enough to endure?

Let's begin by looking carefully at:
Eph 2:8 For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: [it is] the gift of God.

This verse clearly and unequivocally states that salvation (saved) is a grace (charis), which means gift. It is something given by God. As a gift, it means exactly that....it was given, freely, willingly, and with love. It was not bought, paid for, put on layaway, or charged on a card for future payment. It is a gift, and gifts do not have strings attached.

If salvation is then a gift from God, how then can we be sure that He will not take it back?  Or what if we try to return it to Him?

Next, we look at:
Rom 11:28
As concerning the gospel, [they are] enemies for your sakes: but as touching the election, [they are] beloved for the fathers' sakes.
29
For the gifts and calling of God [are] without repentance.

Notice, this is concerning the Gospel. What is the Gospel, or good news? Simply, as has been pointed out, that "[/i]whosoever believeth in me shall NOT die, but have life everlasting (eternal)[/i].

So God is saying in His Word that the gift He has given is not one that He will recall, take back, stick in a closet when you are bad, or hide under a bushel basket.  In other words, God has a no-return policy.....and He does NOT change His mind about what He has given.

Fanny Crosby wrote a beautiful song about it, called "Blessed Assurance."

Of a truth, one who believes has this assurance, that they have been forgiven, accepted into the family, and it is eternal.  Anything less than that is the same as saying God is a liar, or an indian-giver, or requires us to work.

DO NOT get this assurance of salvation confused with those who make false professions of belief....and DO NOT fall into the trap of the devil about God going back on His word based on the actions and attitudes of those false professors.  

Here it is again...I hope you enjoy it!

·   Romans 12:1-2
·   What does it mean to be a sacrifice? Let alone a living sacrifice. Before you go into the analysis of that verse, go back and explain what sacrifice is
·   Webster’s Dictionary defines it as – a) an offering of the life of a person or animal, or of an object, in homage to a deity. B’ the thing offered, c) a giving up, destroying of one thing for the sake of another.
·   Sacrifice is a main issue in the Bible from the time of the Fall right up until Christ’s death.
·   Due to man’s fall, a sacrifice was needed to atone for the sin that had been committed and Abel and Cain gave the first sacrificial offering. As you know the story goes on and Abel gives God his first fruits, while Cain waits and gives God second best. God is disappointed with this second best effort given by Cain. Thus we see in this episode that we are to give God back the best we have to offer Him.
·   We find that God wants not our second best, but our best…so this is the question I want you to consider throughout this message. Are you offering God your best?

·   As the Scripture explain, God wants man to have a relationship with Him, but because of man’s sin, there can be no relationship…it is not in God’s personality that He should associate with evil. So He provides a way for man to be forgiven, through a blood sacrifice of a clean lamb. This of course foreshadows another part of God’s plan for the world.

·   In the OT the blood sacrifice was the only way for man to be cleansed of his sin, but that didn’t save him from sinning again. It was and still is our nature to sin. There is no escaping it. We are all sinners! Yet God in His Mercy provided a way of salvation. Throughout the course of the OT we see many sacrifices and offerings given to God, but this was only good for forgiveness. Not of repentance, So many times Israel turned away from God and sinned against Him.

·   So God continues to accept these offerings, but that’s not the end of it…the sin debt that had been amassed was so huge, and the amount of sacrifice it would take to justify man before God was unimaginable. As Scripture records in Romans 3:10 and 23 “There is none righteous, no not one” and “For all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God” That’s God’s Words, not my own.

·   God knew that man could not save himself from his own condemnation, so following His own system of sacrifice for atonement, He sent His Son to save man from his sins. Only a perfect sacrifice would justify our sin, and have the power to cleanse us. That perfect sacrifice was Jesus of Nazareth. In John 1:32 John the Baptist says this: Behold the Lamb of God, that taketh away the sin of the world.” Until this time John knew Him as a good cousin, not as the Son  of God. We know from Scripture that Jesus Christ was guilty of nothing…He was sinless! Even His enemies found no fault in Him when they closely examined His life and His Words. Yet they still condemned Him.

·   Many have heard about the “Passion of the Christ” and about the supposed anti Semitism that is portrayed against the Jews. They say that this movie tells that the Jews killed Jesus and will spread hate to them. I’ll tell you this now, no one killed Jesus! Judas betrayed Him, Peter denied Him not once but 3 times, His disciples forsook Him, the Jews condemned Him, Pilate found no fault in Him not once but twice,  the Romans crucified Him, yet through it all He still lived. He could have called 10,000 angels to help Him, yet He didn’t! He suffered and bled for man’s sin. It was man’s sin that held Him to the Cross, the nails couldn’t have restrained Him, still He chose to give up His life in order to save man! If one actually examines the Scripture they will see that Jesus in fact ‘gave up’ His life. Check these verses out!

·   Turn to Luke 23:46 and it says this: “And when Jesus had crude with a loud voice, He said, Father into thy hands I commend my Spirit; and having said thus, He gave up the Ghost”

·   Turn to John 19:23 it says this also Jesus therefore had received the vinegar, he said, It is finished: and he bowed his head and gave up the ghost” The greek word used is Tetelestai which is a cry of purpose, a shout of triumph. He was being sacrificed for a specific purpose and that purpose was now fulfilled! Don’t you see…Christ was a living sacrifice, the Ultimate Sacrifice.

· Yet He did it for you because He loves you and I. Check this verse out in Romans Chapter 5:8-10 Read along with me:

·   (Rom 5:8)  But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.(Rom 5:9)  Much more then, being now justified by his blood, we shall be saved from wrath through him.(Rom 5:10)  For if, when we were enemies, we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, being reconciled, we shall be saved by his life.

Here's the rest of it :)

Here is a poem that a friend wrote that may give a deeper meaning to what God says in His Word…Instead of Him being up there. We deserved to be up there suffering. Not Him! Yet in His unconditional Love, He did it anyway.

It should of been me
alone i sat, the day he died
how could life go on?
I watched as they beat him
i watched them scorn him
this man who could heal
this one who had shown nothing but love
now had died for it all
his one true friend denying
any knowledge of him
the soldiers shoved a crown made of thorns on his head
as the blood bagan to flow
they drug him to a cross
Nailing his feet and hands to it
mocking his name
as he bagan to die
shouldn't that crown be ours
should not we be the ones to die
the nails should have been in our hands
but his love for us surpassed our sin
our salvation on his mind
not his pain, not his death
just his love for us.
His voice echo's in my mind
as they take his body down
"father forgive them for they know not what they do"
how could i let an innocent man die!
the was mine.
yet i stood by and let him die
his pain was mine
yet he took it upon himself
what kind of love is this?
that causes a man to die for another
shouldn't that crown be ours
should not we be the ones to die
the nails should have been in our hands
but his love for us surpassed our sin
our salvation on his mind
not his pain, not his death
just his love for us.
three days he laid in the grave
soldiers guarding the place he lay
yet death, a grave and soldiers
couldn't hold the son of God
and he's alive forever more
·   It brings a new realization to me that in order to follow Jesus Christ we need to be living sacrifices also. In order to be a living sacrifice as Jesus is we need to examine what it really means to be a living sacrifice as I’ve shown from Chapter 12 and verse 1 from Romans.

·   To the believer a living sacrifice mean to offer up his body to God and God alone. A living sacrifice means that the believer and his/her body lives for God by serving God. It means that the believer gives up his/her own selfish ambitions and desires and serves God while proclaiming the Love of God. The body is to be offered in every act of service to God. God wants us to acknowledge all that belongs to Him and to offer ourselves daily. To live Holy lives! God tells us “Be Ye Holy, for I am Holy.” How are we to be holy? It begins with submission to God. When we submit to God and obey His commandments, we learn to live holier lives, but we cannot do it by ourselves. It is a miracle from God.

·   So let’s take a look at ourselves…let’s ask ourselves this question…Are you offering your best? What is it that I am offering up to God, what is it that I may be holding back, trying to hide from God? What is it that I don’t want to give up?

·   We as Christians need to offer ourselves to God, and listen to His will, without it, we get nowhere! So what will you give up to Him…maybe it’s pride, maybe it’s a personal issue that you’ve been holding on to, maybe it’s some physical ailment, . I don’t know, but God does and He yearns to listen to you. He wants to help you, but you have to allow Him to. Give yourself to Him, after all He gave Himself for you. So you have a choice…continue to hold on to whatever it is that’s a hindrance to your walk with Christ, or give it up to God and let Him deal with it. All it takes is the faith of a mustard seed and a little trust in your Creator, it will make all the difference.

I preached this earlier in the year, and i'm thinking of adding to it, but i'm not at a moment when I can...i'll update it when I can. Enjoy...God Bless


and DW, i ain't a pastor....yet. lol. GB

Joshua

Long before Jesus Christ came to earth in the flesh, man was told of His coming and the reason for His coming. The events of His birth, life and death as recorded in the New Testament was told in the Old Testament as early as 1500 years before His birth.

Jesus' birth place prophesied:

Mic 5:2  But thou, Bethlehem Ephratah, though thou be little among the thousands of Judah, yet out of thee shall he come forth unto me that is to be ruler in Israel; whose goings forth have been from of old, from everlasting.

The prophecy of being born a virgin and being called Immanuel (God with us):

Isa 7:14  Therefore the Lord himself shall give you a sign; Behold, a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel.
Isa 7:15  Butter and honey shall he eat, that he may know to refuse the evil, and choose the good.
Isa 7:16  For before the child shall know to refuse the evil, and choose the good, the land that thou abhorrest shall be forsaken of both her kings.

Prophecy of the many names Jesus would be called and that He would be a King:

Isa 9:6  For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace.

Here it is prophesied that many earthly kings and rulers would be against Jesus and that He would rule over the gentiles (here called heathens):

Psa 2:1  Why do the heathen rage, and the people imagine a vain thing?
Psa 2:2  The kings of the earth set themselves, and the rulers take counsel together, against the LORD, and against his anointed, saying,
Psa 2:3  Let us break their bands asunder, and cast away their cords from us.
Psa 2:4  He that sitteth in the heavens shall laugh: the Lord shall have them in derision.
Psa 2:5  Then shall he speak unto them in his wrath, and vex them in his sore displeasure.
Psa 2:6  Yet have I set my king upon my holy hill of Zion.
Psa 2:7  I will declare the decree: the LORD hath said unto me, Thou art my Son; this day have I begotten thee.
Psa 2:8  Ask of me, and I shall give thee the heathen for thine inheritance, and the uttermost parts of the earth for thy possession.
Psa 2:9  Thou shalt break them with a rod of iron; thou shalt dash them in pieces like a potter's vessel.
Psa 2:10  Be wise now therefore, O ye kings: be instructed, ye judges of the earth.
Psa 2:11  Serve the LORD with fear, and rejoice with trembling.
Psa 2:12  Kiss the Son, lest he be angry, and ye perish from the way, when his wrath is kindled but a little. Blessed are all they that put their trust in him.

The prophecy of Jesus riding a donkey into Jerusalem:

Zec 9:9  Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion; shout, O daughter of Jerusalem: behold, thy King cometh unto thee: he is just, and having salvation; lowly, and riding upon an ass, and upon a colt the foal of an ass.

The prophecy of Jesus being betrayed for 30 pieces of silver and those pieces of silver would be thrown to the potter:

Zec 11:12  And I said unto them, If ye think good, give me my price; and if not, forbear. So they weighed for my price thirty pieces of silver.
Zec 11:13  And the LORD said unto me, Cast it unto the potter: a goodly price that I was prised at of them. And I took the thirty pieces of silver, and cast them to the potter in the house of the LORD.

The prophecy of Jesus being given gall and vinegar:

Psa 69:21  They gave me also gall for my meat; and in my thirst they gave me vinegar to drink.

It was a usual procedure to break the bones of people being executed on a cross by the Romans. This prophecy tells that Jesus would die with His bones unbroken:

Psa 34:20  He keepeth all his bones: not one of them is broken.

This prophecy tells of His execution, His hands being pierced and those mourning for Him:

Zec 12:10  And I will pour upon the house of David, and upon the inhabitants of Jerusalem, the spirit of grace and of supplications: and they shall look upon me whom they have pierced, and they shall mourn for him, as one mourneth for his only son, and shall be in bitterness for him, as one that is in bitterness for his firstborn.

The prophecy on Jesus being afflicted, thrown into prison, whipped and dying for the sins of many:

Isa 53:2  For he shall grow up before him as a tender plant, and as a root out of a dry ground: he hath no form nor comeliness; and when we shall see him, there is no beauty that we should desire him.
Isa 53:3  He is despised and rejected of men; a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief: and we hid as it were our faces from him; he was despised, and we esteemed him not.
Isa 53:4  Surely he hath borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows: yet we did esteem him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted.
Isa 53:5  But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed.
Isa 53:6  All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way; and the LORD hath laid on him the iniquity of us all.
Isa 53:7  He was oppressed, and he was afflicted, yet he opened not his mouth: he is brought as a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before her shearers is dumb, so he openeth not his mouth.
Isa 53:8  He was taken from prison and from judgment: and who shall declare his generation? for he was cut off out of the land of the living: for the transgression of my people was he stricken.
Isa 53:9  And he made his grave with the wicked, and with the rich in his death; because he had done no violence, neither was any deceit in his mouth.
Isa 53:10  Yet it pleased the LORD to bruise him; he hath put him to grief: when thou shalt make his soul an offering for sin, he shall see his seed, he shall prolong his days, and the pleasure of the LORD shall prosper in his hand.
Isa 53:11  He shall see of the travail of his soul, and shall be satisfied: by his knowledge shall my righteous servant justify many; for he shall bear their iniquities.
Isa 53:12  Therefore will I divide him a portion with the great, and he shall divide the spoil with the strong; because he hath poured out his soul unto death: and he was numbered with the transgressors; and he bare the sin of many, and made intercession for the transgressors.

The prophecy of Jesus' clothes being parted by lots amongst the Roman soldiers:

Psa 22:16  For dogs have compassed me: the assembly of the wicked have inclosed me: they pierced my hands and my feet.
Psa 22:17  I may tell all my bones: they look and stare upon me.
Psa 22:18  They part my garments among them, and cast lots upon my vesture.

The prophecy of Jesus' resurrection and the resurrection of the saints with Him:

Isa 26:19  Thy dead men shall live, together with my dead body shall they arise. Awake and sing, ye that dwell in dust: for thy dew is as the dew of herbs, and the earth shall cast out the dead.

All of these prophecies came true. According to Louis S. Lapidesm, M.DIV., TH.M. in The Case for Christ, coincidence is not a reasonable explanation. “The odds are so astronomical that they rule that out. Someone did the math and figured out that the probability of just eight prophecies being fulfilled is one chance in one hundred million billion. That number is millions of times greater than the total number of people who’ve ever walked the planet!”

Jesus Christ fulfilled all of these and many other prophecies. For this to occur, God had to know the future and then communicate it to human beings. Both testaments of the Christian Bible receive tremendous credibility as the text documenting the communication. The identity of Jesus Christ as God’s Son is solidly confirmed.

Brothers,

AMEN!

I'm away from home, so I'm just now being able to enjoy these beautiful Gospel messages. I was just thinking what a wonderful way this is to begin a New Year. Love and appreciation for what our precious Jesus did for us and keeps doing for us is a matter of great joy and peace.

The world is in a continual search for peace, but the world won't find it. The world is also in a continual search for joy, but the best the world will find is a sad, fake, and temporary joy without Jesus. The only true peace and joy is in Jesus.

Christians have experienced the REAL peace and joy. Many people wonder why Christians want to tell others about Jesus. Well, peace and joy are just the beginnings of belonging to Jesus. Much of the world is also desperate for love. If you don't belong to Jesus, you really don't know what REAL LOVE is.

The world has made the word "Love" a cheap and many times meaningless term. Jesus Christ was crucified on the cross and died willingly to rescue us from the curse of sin and death. He gave Himself for us and actually took the punishment we deserve in His own body. Jesus was perfect and without sin, yet he was condemned to die one of the most horrible deaths ever devised. Men were and are GUILTY, but Jesus was pure, without spot or blemish, and NOT GUILTY. The best example of REAL LOVE is Jesus Christ willingly dying on the Cross for us. Jesus Christ could have destroyed the earth with a whisper, BUT INSTEAD - He humbled Himself and died - THE JUST FOR THE UNJUST. In other words, HE WAS THE RIGHTEOUS, and HE died for the unrighteous. There is no greater LOVE than this.

It's hard to imagine that Almighty God, THE CREATOR, would humble Himself, take the form of a man, and die on the Cross for us. He was and is the ONLY PERFECT SACRIFICE because He was and is completely HOLY. It is HIS precious blood that washes away our sins. HIS SACRIFICE is a GIFT to all who will believe and ask HIM to come into their hearts as Lord and Saviour. He will forgive you, regardless of how many bad things you have done in your life. HIS BLOOD will wash your sins away, and you will belong to JESUS.

Haven't you waited long enough? Isn't it time for you to give your heart to JESUS? TODAY, the first day of a NEW YEAR is a good day for you to accept Jesus Christ as your Lord and Saviour forever. Every day is a good day to let JESUS save you and forgive you of your sins, but won't you stop right now and think about JESUS?

Love In Christ,
Tom

For those who are humanistic evolutionists (believe that everything evolved from nothing), I would like to caution you to be very careful.

For those Christians who tend to follow the evolutionary worldview, also be very careful.

Following such ideas will make a monkey out of you.  ;D

 :D

Joshua

Inspiration of the Bible

The Bible asserts extraordinary claims concerning its contents. It claims to be the inspired word of God. This entails the idea that God guided or influenced in a direct manner the men who wrote the Bible such that the words written are those that God intended to have written. The question of biblical inspiration can be resolved by thoughtful examination of the Bible's contents. The first step is to read and study the Bible.

The individual interested in resolving the question of biblical inspiration must be personally involved in the effort. Personal examination of the Bible's content allows one to make an informed judgment. There is a big difference between reading the Bible and reading someone's comments about the Bible. Depending upon another person's judgment is unsatisfactory since there is no way to reliably know beforehand that the other person will come to the same conclusion as you would. Another person's judgment is unsuitable as a substitute for your own. Thus, a personal examination of the Bible combined with personal judgment is essential.

The characteristics of the Bible provide a wealth of content that makes deception difficult. The Bible is composed of many books written by different men with diverse backgrounds over many hundreds of years. The Bible discusses many different subjects and historical events covering thousands of years. It contains commands on how life should be lived, stories and teachings that form a highly inter-related message, and a tremendous number of details. It becomes increasingly difficult to conceal lies as the number of people and details involved increase in number.

It may help to provide a few suggestions on how to approach your study and assessment of the Bible's message. Take your time and make final judgments only after sufficient study and meditation. In your attempt to understand the Bible's message, take into account the context of the passage and reconcile the scriptures with one another. What appears to be a contradiction can arise due to a number of causes other than a false message. You should expect to encounter difficult to understand passages. Write down questions that you have concerning the Bible's message. A good starting point is a study of the life, death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ in the books of Matthew, Mark, Luke, John, and Acts.

The doctrine of Biblical Inspiration is fundamental to evangelical Christianity. Without this essential notion, the uniqueness and authority of the Bible is destroyed. The Bible just becomes one of many ancient books and the truths of historic Christianity are reduced to a collection of religious myths.

The word "inspiration" is a legacy of the rendering in the King James Version of the Greek word theopneustos in 2 Timothy 3:16, which is a hapax legoma in the New Testament. The word literally means God-breathed so using the word "inspiration" to describe this doctrine is a little misleading. The idea is God breathing out rather than God breathing in (Packer, "Inspiration" in New Bible Dictionary). Therefore the New International Version renders it as "God breathed".
2 Timothy 3:16[/b] All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness. (KJV)

It has said that inspiration is the supernatural act of the Holy Spirit guiding the Biblical authors, making use of their own personalities to write what He wanted them to write and ensuring that what they wrote was accurate, reliable and without error. The Holy Spirit guided the authors in selecting which material to include and how that material was to be presented and arranged according to that author’s style and personality. Inspiration implies the Bible is God's authorative self-revelation calls the Scriptures "God's own testimony and teaching in human form".

By rejecting inspiration and authority, people have found a way to remove the absolutes from the Bible, making it all relative. Many truths have been stripped out and labeled as scientifically or historically incorrect or simply cultural. Easy divorce and remarriage are examples of this. Therefore the Bible is made to echo only what the current morality says instead of standing as judge of this morality.

God has caused his message to be recorded in the Bible, then we would expect him to use communication that is simple and understandable. So when we interpret the Bible we must approach it as if it is God’s plain word to us, spoken through His prophets in time-space history, and is to be taken literally and accepted completely. This notion rules out ripping apart the text to discover the actual historical words used or reconstructing hypothetical sources because the Bible is inspired and authoritative as it is. This also rules out the rationalization of miracles and other supernatural events. Narratives should be taken as literal and historical rather than analogized unless the context indicates otherwise because, unlike other religions, the Bible is rooted in history.

The Bible is God’s authoritative word to humanity, set in history. It is understandable, eternally relevant, always applicable and completely sufficient for all our spiritual, philosophical and psychological needs although it does not always satisfy our curiosities. But it is when the Bible is read, understood and obeyed that it truly becomes the inspired and authoritative word of God.

2 Tim 3:12-15 Yea, and all that will live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution. 13 But evil men and seducers shall wax worse and worse, deceiving, and being deceived. 14 But continue thou in the things which thou hast learned and hast been assured of, knowing of whom thou hast learned them; 15 And that from a child thou hast known the holy scriptures, which are able to make thee wise unto salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus.

Bob

Dreamweaver,

AMEN BROTHER!!

It's an absolute fact that the Holy Bible is the inspired WORD OF GOD. It is HIS WORD!

Love In Christ,
Tom

Psalms 32:10  Many sorrows shall be to the wicked: but he that trusteth in the LORD, mercy shall compass him about.

Raoooul,

If you have a Holy Bible, go to and read the many Scripture references given. There are also many Scriptures posted completely in this thread and many others. Just read them. This is the main reason why so many Christians posted this information.

It would also help if you read entire Chapters of the Holy Bible, not just the Scriptures posted. If you don't have a Bible, please let me know. There are many On line Bibles that you can use on the Internet.

Love In Christ,
Tom

Psalms 100:1-5  Make a joyful noise unto the LORD, all ye lands. Serve the LORD with gladness: come before his presence with singing. Know ye that the LORD he is God: it is he that hath made us, and not we ourselves; we are his people, and the sheep of his pasture. Enter into his gates with thanksgiving, and into his courts with praise: be thankful unto him, and bless his name. For the LORD is good; his mercy is everlasting; and his truth endureth to all generations.

But was Iesus born in Beth-Lechem ?
(Luk 2:4 WEB)  Joseph also went up from Galilee, out of the city of Nazareth, into Judea, to the city of David...

And the distotions of Luke aside, Where is the city of David biblically ?  (2Sa 5:7 WEB)  Nevertheless David took the stronghold of Zion; the same is the city of David.

(Isa 45:7 Webster)  I form the light, and create darkness: I make peace, and create evil: I the LORD do all these things.

Raoooul,

If you are here to preach or teach a religion without Jesus Christ as Lord and Saviour, ALMIGHTY GOD:

There is no pulpit on Christians Unite for that;

It won't be done here.

If you have questions, we will try to help you. Most of your questions are already answered and heavily documented here from the Holy Bible. All you have to do is open your eyes and read them. I would ask you to do more than just open your eyes and read them - STUDY THEM.

Let me repeat:  Religious doctrines without Jesus Christ as Lord and Saviour, ALMIGHTY GOD, will NOT be posted on Christians Unite.

Moderator

Ephesians 2:22     And in him you too are being built together to become a dwelling in which God lives by his Spirit.

Do you have to go to church to be a Christian? It sure does help a lot! Paul wrote the book of Ephesians. It was a letter to people who were already Christians. In this part of Ephesians he was talking about how we are an important part of the church. Most of the time when we think of church we think of a building. It's not! A church is a group of people, Christians. Every Christian is a part of the church, even if they don't go to one. If we don't attend a church we aren't doing our part to hold the church together. And, we can't have the support of the other parts (Christians) of the church. Paul was telling us that when we come together as a church we become the dwelling place for God. We need the friendship, worship, teaching, and preaching. We also need to be a part of it!

These days if you need bread or milk you go to the store and pay money for it. The same thing if you need a doctor visit, karate lessons, a pair of jeans or a bicycle (unless you win one by becoming a member!). A long time ago, though, people didn't have or need money. Although people still lived in houses with their close family, the community of hundreds of people was sort of a family and they all depended on each other. They used what is called the "barter" system. They all lived in a big community and swapped services.  You might bake bread and swap it for a toy. You might have laying hens and swap eggs for piano lessons. And people shared in church, too. They would all get together. Some would sing, some teach, some listen, some pray, whatever their gift or talent was.

Then people started making money to make the barter system better. The community was less dependent on each other. Instead of having to know your neighbor to swap goods, you just took your money and pay the price they had set for their product. We started getting independent about church, too. If we don't need our neighbors, do we need the church? Isn't just having God OK? We can send our tithes to the TV preacher. We can call a relative's pastor and pay him $50 to marry us or bury us.

There are a lot of places in the Bible where it tells us to use our gifts and talents for God. It tells us to stay away from unbelievers. Where are we going to meet believers or use our talents if we don't go to church? When you get to dating age, are you going to find a Christian husband or wife at a party? Chances are, you won't.  You have a better chance in a church!

Paul said in our scripture that we are being built together as a dwelling place for God. If we don't become a part of the church we will be weak. We will not be built up on the foundation of the church, the prophets, apostles, with Jesus as the chief cornerstone. Imagine that all Christians are bricks. All of the bricks are being put together to form a building. Those that attend will be cemented together and strong. If you are not cemented with the others, you will still be a brick, but just thrown out in the yard. Since you are not cemented with the others, it will be easy for someone to steal you, drop and break you, or just be covered with dirt and grass that builds up. Either way, it's hard for you to be close to God. The bricks that are cemented together have a lot better chance of standing the test of time and weather.

John 1:32  Behold the Lamb of God, that taketh away the sin of the world.”
Bob

Is Bible aword of God?

No. It is not "a" word of God.
It is "The" word of God. All other "holy" books are deceits of satan, and yes, that includes the Koran. The Bible was written thousands of years ago, and it has been proven without a shadow of any doubt to be authentic and reliable. The Koran was written about five hundred years ago, it is an evil imitation which denies the Authority and Deity of Jesus.

Jesus is the only way to salvation, your Koran will not get you to Heaven, you are being deceived by the master liar satan.

Look at what kind of violence is perpetrated by people claiming to be followers of the Koran. Is that the way God wants us to treat our fellow brother's and sisters? Every time I look at a news story from a Muslim country, I see a mob of angry violent people running throught he streets like a pack of wild animals. This is evidence that God does not dwell in their hearts, satan lives there.

those are very intresting questions and some of those have ran through my head many of times especially when angry with something bad i have heard on the news. many people ask that including myself when i am angry. i do belive in god and jesus but when my temper got in the way many times i always asked some of those questions in which i know it's satan trying to get me to doubt and stop believing in god but it never happened because i always went back to god and believed when i thought about it.

there  were a  lot of times that i was so angry that i would even hurt myself and god by yelling and using profanity and putting down god so bad. i felt so bad those times i did that. i would actually cry because i hurt so bad in my heart after i wronged god. i could feel in my heart he was so sad after i did it. i hate hurting him like i did and not only did i hurt him but i hurt myself also so when i hear about bad things i always tell myself that god has a reason for everything because he does.

god has the answers to questions that no one else will know until their time has come.

i know that in my childhood i grew up with an alcoholic mother and a father who has nothing to do with me because he was married with kids when he had an affair with my mom. plus i been molested and all in my yoth. i grew up in a sad youth from being molested to being neglected and sometimes abused but i know that god wanted me to learn from all this and not be the way my mom or people in my youth were when it came to alcohol and drugs and all. so i stayed away from drugs and alcohol. i told msyelf that if i ever have kids i never want them raised of how i was raised. i never wanted to go to jail or prson like my mother did.

i had so many prayers answered especially the one were my mom would quit drinking and turn her life around.

she is not drinking anymore and we have a better relationship more then ever thanks to the lord. i forgave my mother and love her more then she could ever imagine. i know that she feels that she doesn't deserve forgiveness from me after the way i was brought up and raised but she's my mom and i love her and she knows that no matter what i will always love her no matter how she raised me. i'm proud to have a mother like her because she taught me what not to do or be when i grew up.


sorry i just felt like sharing this.

No need to apologize Jessica. Thank you for sharing that. God is so wonderful and helps through so very much.

Hello Aribeth,

WELCOME!!


You are always welcome to share here. We enjoy praying for each other here, and I hope you enjoy Christians Unite.

Love In Christ,
Tom

Ephesians 5:1-2 NASB  Therefore be imitators of God, as beloved children; and walk in love, just as Christ also loved you and gave Himself up for us, an offering and a sacrifice to God as a fragrant aroma.

Why would God, condemn people to hell?

Often times, skeptics try and present an idea so that fairness and compassion necessitate that the Christian God cannot be real.  For example, they sometimes say that a truly loving God would not create people He knew would go to eternal punishment.  Of course this is only an opinion, but it is sometime raised nonetheless.  As one skeptic put it, "If God truly loves us (this sacrificial love you talk about) then he would simply say 'I do not want the child to be born'. He is in control and has that ability doesn't he? As I would not wish any of my children who I love to go through a life of agonizing pain." The main problem with such an approach is that it is overly simplistic and based on emotionalism, not scripture. Look at what the Word of God says.

When God made Adam, He made him good.  Adam had the freedom to choose to obey or disobey God.  Adam is the one who rebelled.  God did not make him rebel and God is not responsible for Adam's rebellion.  It would be like a parent having a child knowing that the child would eventually disobey the parent.  Does this means that the parent is responsible for the child's rebellion when it occurs because the parent knew it would happen?  Of course not.  Furthermore, if the parent has more children, does he/she not know that some children may very well turn out good and others bad?  Should the parents then not have children because some of them might turn out bad?  The skeptic, if he is consistent, would urge parents not to have any children at all lest some of them turn out bad.

But you skeptics might say, "But God knows for a fact who will be bad and good.  Why allow the people going to hell to be born in the first place?"  But, if this is the case and if God arranged it that no "bad" people were born, then we would all go to hell.  You see, Jesus is the only way to be forgiven of our sins.  His sacrifice on the cross was necessary in order to make it possible for us to be saved because everyone, "good" and "bad" has sinned.  If there were no "bad" people born, then there wouldn't be any "bad" people around who would have sent Jesus to the cross.  If that never happened, then we wouldn't be saved from our sins because Jesus would never have been unjustly condemned and His sacrifice would never have happened.

If someone says that it is wrong for God to allow someone to be born who will go to hell, then would he rather have God remove our freedom to rebel against Him so that no one can be blamed for sin?  If the critic says he only want those people born who go to heaven, then how are they truly free and how would that fulfill the ultimate plan of God to sacrifice His Son for the redemption of mankind?

God could have reasons for sending people to hell that we cannot understand.

God is just and always does what is right.  Therefore, sending people to hell is the right thing to do, especially when we understand that God is eternally holy and those who sin against God incur an infinite offense because the infinite God is the one who is offended.

The Bible simply tells us that people will go to hell.  They go there because they are not covered by the sacrifice of Christ.  Whether or not they are created or not does not effect the fact that sinners must be punished; otherwise, the holiness and righteousness of God mean nothing.

Resting in the hands, of jesus.
Bob

Leviticus 3:11  The priest shall burn it upon the altar, a food offering made by fire to the Lord.

If there is a God, why did he create evil

At first it might seem that if God created all things then evil must have been created by God. However, there is an assumption here that needs to be cleared up. Evil is not a "thing" - like a rock or electricity. You can't have a jar of evil! Rather, evil is something that occurs, like running. Evil has no existence of its own - it is really a lack in a good thing. For example, holes are real but they only exist in something else. We call the absence of dirt a hole - but it cannot be separated from the dirt. So when God created, it is true that all that existed was good. One of the good things that God made was creatures who had the freedom to choose good. In order to have a real choice, God had to allow there to be something besides good to choose. So God allowed these free angels and humans to choose good or non-good (evil). When a bad relationship exists between two good things we call that evil, but it does not become a "thing" that required God to create it.

Look at the example of Job in Job chapters 1-2. Satan wanted to destroy Job, and God allowed Satan to do everything but kill Job. God allowed this to happen to prove to Satan that Job was righteous because he loved God, not because God had blessed him so richly. God is sovereign and ultimately in control of everything that happens. Satan cannot do anything unless he has God's "permission." God did not create evil, but He allows evil. If God had not allowed for the possibility of evil, both mankind and angels would be serving God out of obligation, not choice. He did not want “robots” that simply did what He wanted them to do because of their "programming." God allowed for the possibility of evil so that we could genuinely have a free will and choose whether we wanted to serve Him or not.

God created people with free will, meaning that we can choose to love and obey God or not. It wouldn't be very meaningful if we loved or obeyed God because we were unable to choose otherwise. A computer or talking doll can be made to say "I love you," but it doesn't have the same meaning as when a human freely chooses to love. Thus, in order for anyone's choice to love and follow God to be meaningful, God permits everyone to choose freely what they will do.

The problem with this answers is that the skeptic can ask in reply, "Why didn't God create a world in which there was no suffering or evil, instead of the present world?" Or in other words, why didn't God simply create heaven and populate it with beings who had free will but would always choose to love God and do good? There is no suffering in heaven; no one does wrong; there are no physical limitations that would cause us pain. There would be no reason for us to have physical bodies with pain receptors, for there would be nothing that could cause us injury. There would be no reason for us to experience discipline, for we would have all the moral knowledge we needed and would have no desire to do wrong. There would be no reason for testing or other forms of suffering that would result in spiritual growth, for we would be directly in God's presence all the time. There would be no need for God to punish evil at a later date if there were no evil to begin with. Finally, an omniscient God knows ahead of time who will follow him, and so he could create only those people who would choose him. Alternatively, God could have created only the angels who wouldn't rebel against him, and there would still be beings who freely chose to worship him. (In answer to the question of how we can have free will in heaven

This world is clearly not the best of all logically possible worlds, but it is the best world God could create given His commitment to create genuinely free creatures like us. Free creatures are the only beings who can love and experience love. Since one of God's main purposes in creating us was to have a reciprocal love relationship with us, God created the best of all actually achievable worlds. God cannot make people freely choose to good or freely love Him. If He makes them do it, they are not free. If they are genuinely free, then He can't make them do it. That would be a contradiction. Therefore, the possibility of free creatures choosing evil is not something God can control without eliminating free will. And a free will is not just a nice addendum on human nature, it is an integral part of who we are. This being the case, if God were to eliminate evil, He would also be eliminating free will. And in doing so, God would be perpetrating the most horrendous evil of all: the annihilation of the human race.

A child who is hurting needs reassurance, not an intellectual explanation. Atheism cannot supply this reassurance. It does not reduce suffering one bit-it just removes hope. In an atheistic universe, there is no ultimate accountability or justice. Evil people will get away with what they've done. But in the Christian worldview, God has done something about evil in the person of Jesus Christ.

By appearing in human form, He showed us that we could trust Him. And what did He do while He was here? He suffered! Jesus endured a suffering beyond all comprehension. He bore the punishment for the sins of the entire world! For all the evil that everyone of us from the beginning of our species has perpetrated, He paid the penalty. None of us can comprehend that suffering. Though he was innocent, He voluntarily took upon Himself the punishment we deserve. And why? Because He loves us. It is like He was saying, "I know you don't understand why I permit every evil. It's not possible for you to understand yet. But just to show you that you can trust me, I'm going to suffer with you."

When we comprehend his sacrifice and love for us, it puts the problem of evil in an entirely different perspective. We see clearly that the true problem of evil is the problem of our evil. Filled with sin and guilt before God, the question we face is not how God can justify himself to us, but how we can be justified before Him. And it is through Christ's payment for our evil by his death on the cross that we can be justified before God. Through Him we have forgiveness.

Many Christians will also testify that Christ provides inner resources to cope in the midst of difficulty and suffering. He promises that He causes all things to work together for good to those who love God

Romans 8:28 We are assured and know that [God being a partner in their labor] all things work together and are [fitting into a plan] for good to and for those who love God and are called according to [His] design and purpose.

He promises victory over death, the ultimate evil. Those who genuinely choose to accept and receive his forgiveness will rise from the dead with a transformed, immortal, imperishable body to be with him forever

1 Corinthians 15:42 So it is with the resurrection of the dead. [The body] that is sown is perishable and decays, but [the body] that is resurrected is imperishable (immune to decay, immortal).

1 Corinthians 15:52 52In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the [sound of the] last trumpet call. For a trumpet will sound, and the dead [in Christ] will be raised imperishable (free and immune from decay), and we shall be changed (transformed).

Death, pain and suffering have been dealt a fatal blow; they have suffered a crucial defeat. So paradoxically, God is not banished because of the problem of evil, rather God himself is the solution.

Resting in the hands of the Lord.
Bob

John 3:16 16For God so greatly loved and dearly prized the world that He [even] gave up His only begotten ([a]unique) Son, so that whoever believes in (trusts in, clings to, relies on) Him shall not perish (come to destruction, be lost) but have eternal (everlasting) life.

The Bible is God's Word

It is the book most read and studied, and it is the most controversial book on the earth today. Some say that it is the Word of God, while others question the validity of that claim. There are many reasons for us to believe that it is the Word of God. We would like to present a few of the key reasons here and invite you to read with an open mind and make your own conclusion.

Four Criteria for Identifying the Word of God
God created man and wanted to communicate with man, it is reasonable that He would do so through a book, something unchangeable and understandable to man. Such a book would have to meet a few requirements. It would have to identify God as its source; its standard of morality would have to match God's standard of morality, which would have to exceed the highest moral standards of mankind; it would have to reveal God and His purpose for creating mankind; and it would have to be widely available. Our first reason for believing that the Bible is the Word of God is that it satisfies all the above criteria.

Three Books Claim Divine Authorship
There are only three major books that claim divine authorship - the Bible, the Koran, and the book of Mormon. All other books can be eliminated from consideration immediately.

The Bible Has the Highest Moral Tone
The moral tone of the Bible is clearly higher than that of the other two, matching God's love and righteousness. Both the Koran and the Book of Mormon allow polygamy. Only the Bible promotes the idea of one husband to one wife. Not only does the Bible condemn divorce, but it even condemns lusting after another in the heart as adultery. In addition, only the Bible teaches that hating others in the heart is like committing murder (because murder comes out of a heart full of hatred). It teaches not only to not hate one's enemies, but also to love them. Only the Bible portrays the highest standard of love, a love completely free of all self-interest, jealousy, and pride. A society that truly follows the Bible is guaranteed to have love, oneness, peace, and rest.

The Bible Reveals God and His Purpose with Man
The Bible reveals God, who He is, what He intends to do, the origin of man, and God's purpose in creating man. Neither the Koran nor the Book of Mormon indicate a clear purpose for man; in these books the relationship between God and man is merely that of Creator and creature, of Judge and defendant, with the "good" ones being rewarded in the hereafter. The Bible, however, reveals that God created man as a vessel to contain Him as life so that man may express Him in His divine attributes and represent Him to rule over the earth. Thus, it reveals not only God's creation of man but also God's desire to live in man so that man may live in Him, resulting in an absolute oneness of God with man. No other book reveals God and His purpose with man.

The Bible Is the Most Available Book
Finally, the Bible is the book most available to man. All or portions have been translated into approximately two thousand languages. In 1989, 600 million copies were sent out to a world population of 5.5 billion. The Bible has virtually saturated the world. This is because it is the book of God's communication to man. People all over the world now have an opportunity to read it and to know God.

Fulfilled Prophecies Prove the Bible
Our second reason for believing that the Bible is the Word of God is that so far all of its prophecies have been fulfilled. Teachings, reasonings, ethics, and the like are subjective and can be easily written by anybody. However, if any book contains hundreds of predictions of events far in the future whose outcomes were not obviously determinable at the time they were recorded, and if not one of them fails, that book must be the Word of God.

The Bible contains prophecies written from 4000 BC to 700 BC concerning Jesus Christ's person, birth, living, death, resurrection, and second coming in glory. Except for His second coming, all of them were fulfilled 2,000 years ago, (109 prophecies for Jesus to fulfill, he fulfilled all of them.)

All of the Bible's prophecies concerning Israel's past and present have been fulfilled. Such prophecies include the possession of the good land (Palestine), the building of the temple, the falling away, the destruction of the temple and Jerusalem, the captivity in Babylon, the rebuilding of the temple and Jerusalem, the destruction of the temple and Jerusalem again (AD 70), the restoration of the nation (1948), and the return of Jerusalem (1967). Only the prophecies concerning the end of this age remain to be fulfilled.

There are not enough pages here to enumerate all the prophecies in the Bible which have been fulfilled. These fulfilled prophecies should prove to anyone, including you, that the Bible has to be the Word of God, for it is impossible for man to predict the future with such infallibility.

Consistency Proves the Bible
The third reason for believing that the Bible is the genuine Word of God is its consistency. The various books which comprise the Bible were written in a few different languages, by approximately forty writers with different backgrounds, over a period of sixteen hundred years. Yet it has a common theme, an introduction, a development, and a conclusion. Although the Bible was written by so many men, all of them were led by the Spirit of the one God.

The Power of the Bible
The power of the Bible to change people's lives, thoughts, directions, and behavior testifies to the validity of the Bible as the Word of God. The fact that many people have loved the Bible enough to die for it also testifies to its validity. Talking to a Christian who truly believes the Bible is unlike talking to anyone else - that person has actually experienced God.

Continued next post

You Must Prove It to Yourself
All of the above reasons may be convincing, but there is only one way to prove to yourself that the Bible is the Word of God. That is to do what it says and see if you get the promised results. One verse says, "Whoever calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved" Rom. 10:13. If you say, "Lord Jesus, I call on Your name. Save me from the bondage of sins. Save me from my inability to be good and proper. Save me from my daily anxieties, fears, and frustrations. Lord Jesus, save me," you will experience His salvation. Another verse says, "Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God" Matt. 5:8. You can test this verse by saying, "Lord Jesus, purify my heart that I may see God." If you pray with an open heart according to the words of the Bible, you will be saved and see God in your spirit through Jesus Christ. Then you will know that the Bible is God's Word to you.

2 Timothy 3:16 All Scripture is God-breathed and profitable for teaching, for conviction, for correction, for instruction in righteousness.
2 Peter 1:21 For no prophecy was ever borne by the will of man, but men spoke from God while being borne by the Holy Spirit.
Hebrews 1:1 God, having spoken of old in many portions and in many ways to the fathers in the prophets.
Genesis 2:24 Therefore shall a man leave his father and his mother, and shall cleave unto his wife: and they shall be one flesh.
Matthew 5:32 But I say to you that every one who divorces his wife, except for the cause of fornication, causes her to commit adultery, and whoever marries her who has been divorced commits adultery.
Matthew 5:28 But I say to you that every one who looks at a woman in order to lust after her has already committed adultery with her in his heart.
Matthew 5:22 But I say to you that every one who is angry with his brother shall be liable to the judgment.
Matthew 5:44 But I say to you, Love your enemies, and pray for those who persecute you.
Genesis 1:1 In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth.
Exodus 3:14 And God said unto Moses, I AM THAT I AM.
Genesis 1:26 And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness: and let them have dominion... over all the earth.
Ephesians 3:9-11 And to enlighten all that they may see what the economy of the mystery is, which throughout the ages has been hidden in God, who created all things, In order that now to the rulers and the authorities in the heavenlies the multifarious wisdom of God might be made known through the church, According to the eternal purpose which He made in Christ Jesus our Lord.
2 Corinthians 4:7 But we have this treasure in earthen vessels that the excellency of the power may be of God and not out of us.
John 10:10 I have come that they may have life and may have it abundantly.
John 15:4 Abide in Me and I in you.
Galatians 2:20 It is no longer I who live, but it is Christ who lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live in faith, the faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself up for me.
John 14:20,23 In that day you will know that I am in My Father, and you in Me, and I in you. ...If anyone loves Me, he will keep My word, and My Father will love him, and We will come to him and make an abode with him.
Romans 6:11 So also you, reckon yourselves to be dead to sin, but living to God in Christ Jesus.
1 Corinthians 6:17 But he who is joined to the Lord is one spirit.
John 6:57 As the living Father has sent Me and I live because of the Father, so he who eats Me, he also shall live because of Me.

Prophecies for Further References:
Isaiah 7:14; 53:3; 9:1-2, 6; Micah 5:2; Daniel 9:25-26; Isaiah 53:12; Psalms 16:10; Malachi 4:5; Genesis 13:14-15, 17; 2 Samuel 7:12-13; 1 Kings 8:19; 9:6-9; Jeremiah 5:15-18; Matthew 24:2, 32; Daniel 9:27; 12:11.

Resting in the hands, of the Lord.
Bob

Matthew 16:28 Truly I tell you, there are some standing here who will not taste death before they see the Son of Man coming in (into) His kingdom.

Heaven or Hell

Christians believe that there will be a judgement. In this, everyone's life will be evaluated. Those who depend upon Christ for salvation can be assured that they will pass this judgement. However the quality of their lives will still become known, and everything in their lives that was not built on Christ will be purged. The Bible talks of their work being tested with fire.

All major Christian traditions say that in the end everyone will end up in either heaven or hell. At first glance, it sounds like we won't be held accountable for what we did, as long as we manage to meet the minimal criteria for ending up in heaven. In fact there are several ways of maintaining some kind of accountability.

Protestant groups are still concerned to maintain accountability for what has been done during life. Many Protestants believe that there will be different levels of honor in heaven. Many Protestants also believe that even saved people will go through a process where their entire lives are reviewed and judged, even though their final destination is not in doubt.

Currently there is a good deal of discussion among Christians about the morality of hell: it is said that a good God would not condemn people to an eternity of torture. However that has been the belief of Christians through most of Christian history, it is supported by the Bible.

My  Christian position is that anyone who rejects Christ will end up in hell. Does this mean that only Christians can be saved? The Catholic church and many Protestant churches don't think so. They believe it is possible that Christ can come to someone in an inward and spiritual way, even if they've never heard of Christ. Thus someone can be an "anonymous Christian." That is, they can know Christ spiritually without realizing it it Christ. Please note, I strongly disagree, with this Theology.

Most Christians also believe that God's judgement will take into account the sorts of opportunities a person had to learn the truth. A person who has never heard the Gospel can't be said to have rejected Christ. An even worse situation occurs when Christians have persecuted other groups. A person who sees Christ as a persecutor has hardly had, if any a real exposure to the Gospel.

Luke 16, Jesus Christ gives a frightening picture of hell:

Luke 16:22-28
    22 . . . the rich man also died, and was buried;
    23 And in hell he lift up his eyes, being in torments, and seeth Abraham afar off, and Lazarus in his bosom.
    24 And he cried and said, Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus, that he may dip the tip of his finger in water, and cool my tongue; for I am tormented in this flame.
    25 But Abraham said, Son, remember that thou in thy lifetime receivedst thy good things, and likewise Lazarus evil things: but now he is comforted, and thou art tormented.
    26 And beside all this, between us and you there is a great gulf fixed: so that they which would pass from hence to you cannot; neither can they pass to us, that would come from thence.
    27 Then he said, I pray thee therefore, father, that thou wouldest send him to my father’s house:
    28 For I have five brethren; that he may testify unto them, lest they also come into this place of torment.

"Man is destined to die once, and after that to face judgment" (Hebrews 9:27). How are we to understand the descriptive language about heaven, hell, the New Jerusalem, and the lake of fire? Unless there is a clear contextual reason, the language of Scripture should always be taken literally and be viewed from its plain and simple meaning. But human language is inadequate to describe either heaven or hell. The realities of both fall well beyond our most imaginative dreams. It is impossible to describe the glory and splendor of heaven and the terror and torment of hell. Whether taken literally or figuratively, the meaning is the same: Hell is a place where one will experience total separation from God; heaven enjoys the total presence of God.

Hell is fire, plain and simple.
The man in Luke 16:24 cries: ". . .I am tormented in this  FLAME."

Matthew 13:42, Jesus says: "And shall cast them into a FURNACE OF FIRE: there shall be wailing and gnashing of teeth."

Matthew 25:41, Jesus says: "Depart from me, ye cursed, into everlasting FIRE,. . ."

Revelation 20:15 says, " And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the LAKE OF FIRE."

Judgment of the wicked. The final judgment for the wicked is a frightening picture. Called the Great White Throne Judgment (Revelation 20:11-15). Jesus Christ is the Judge. Judged are all the wicked dead from all nations and all times. They are judged according to their works while living. No one at this judgment escapes or is acquitted. "And death and hell were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death. And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire" (Revelation 20:14,15). We customarily refer to hell as the end that awaits the wicked. The wicked here are all who have rejected Jesus Christ as the Savior who died to make them righteous.

Some teach that hell is not eternal torture, but rather eternal cessation of existence. This false teaching grows out of inability to understand how a loving God can mete out such a painful punishment. Others ask, "How could a God of love send people to hell?" The answer is that He doesn't. Only those who willfully turn from His Son Jesus as their source of salvation go to hell. In this life we are constantly confronted by the overtures and invitations of a God of love. But He is also a holy and just God. He must punish the wicked who turn away from His holiness.

Resting in the hands, of the Lord.
Bob

Romans 5:18 Well then, as one man's trespass [one man's false step and falling away led] to condemnation for all men, so one Man's act of righteousness [leads] to acquittal and right standing with God and life for all men.

Blackeyedpeas, you mentionned when talking about the legitimacy of the Bible that:

"history from other sources also verify the Bible"

Can you tell me where i might be able to read some of what these sources say?

Hi susie,

I know this question was posted to blackeyedpeas, but if you can bear with me for a while I am compiling a list of this evidence right now and will post it as soon as I can. Much of this evidence is pretty well scattered and is quite extensive so I must first put it all together.

This is just a partial listing of extra Biblical evidence that the Bible is true. For more recent archaeological evidence please see the thread "Recent Archaeological Finds" in the "Prophecy - Current Events" section.

Extra-Biblical evidence of Jesus


Cornelius Tacitus (55-120 AD), "the greatest historian" of ancient Rome

Gaius Suetonius Tranquillas, chief secretary of Emperor Hadrian (117-138 AD)

Flavius Josephus (37-97 AD), court historian for Emperor Vespasian

Julius Africanus, writing around 221 AD, found a reference in the writings of Thallus, who wrote a history of the Eastern Mediterranean around 52 AD, which dealt with the darkness that covered the land during Jesus's crucifixion

Pliny the Younger, Roman governor of Bithynia in Asia Minor around 112 AD

Emperor Trajan, letter to Pliny

Emporer Hadrian (117-138 AD), in a letter to Minucius Fundanus, the Asian proconsul

The Jewish Talmud, compiled between 70 and 200 AD

Lucian, a second century Greek satirist

Mara Bar-Serapion, of Syria, writing between 70 and 200 AD from prison to motivate his son to emulate wise teachers of the past

Acts of Pontius Pilate, reports sent from Pilate to Tiberius, referred to by Justin Martyr (150 AD)

Phlegon, born about 80 AD, as reported by Origen (185-254 AD), mentioned that Jesus made certain predictions which had been fulfilled.



Quadratus, to Emperor Hadrian about 125 AD:

    "The deeds of our Saviour were always before you, for they were true miracles; those that were healed, those that were raised from the dead, who were seen, not only when healed and when raised, but were always present. They remained living a long time, not only whilst our Lord was on earth, but likewise when He had left the earth. So that some of them have also lived to our own times."


(Pseudo-)Barnabas, written 130-138 AD:

    "He must needs be manifested in the flesh. ... He preached teaching Israel and performing so many wonders and miracles, and He loved them exceedingly. ... He chose His own apostles who were to proclaim His Gospel. ... But He Himself desired so to suffer; for it was necessary for Him to suffer on a tree."



Justin Martyr, to Emperor Antoninus Pius about 150 AD:

    After referring to Jesus's birth of a virgin in the town of Bethlehem, and that His physical line of descent came through the tribe of Judah and the family of Jesse, Justin wrote, "Now there is a village in the land of the Jews, thirty-five stadia from Jerusalem, in which Jesus Christ was born, as you can ascertain also from the registers of the taxing made under Cyrenius, your first procurator in Judea."

    "Accordingly, after He was crucified, even all His acquaintances forsook Him, having denied Him; and afterwards, when He had risen from the dead and appeared to them, and had taught them to read the prophecies in which all these things were foretold as coming to pass, and when they had seen Him ascending into heaven, and had believed, and had received power sent thence by Him upon them, and went to every race of men, they taught these things, and were called apostles."




cont'd on page two

Page Two

EXTRA-biblical antediluvian (i.e. "before the flood") king lists that show long lives as it does in the Bible:


"The Sumerian King List (ANET, p. 265) contains lists of royal names, cities, and amazingly long reigns for each king before the Flood. After the flood, the reigns are shorter, but still hundreds of years in length."


There is the Sumerian King List (the oldest list) [Sumer:21ff]. There are about a dozen copies of this in existence, with the oldest being dated around 2100 BC


The Lagash Kinglist, from the city of Lagash in Sumer, not only gives long lifespans, but also adds that life was much 'slower'--people were children for much longer periods of time--100 years (cf. how the biblical pre-flood patriarchs had their firstborn children very late) [Jacobson, in ISI:134]. It is interesting how this 100-year childhood is the same period used by Hesiod in describing his "golden race."


A similar list is found in the beginning of a world-chronicle in the library of Assurbanipal (seventh century BC).


Another pre-flood kinglist shows up in from Uruk (also in Sumer, about 50 miles west of Lagish). In addition to the seven kings, there are seven 'sages' associated with them.


Finally, there is the Hellenistic priest Berossus, who migrated from Babylon to Greece, and wrote a three volume work on the historical background of Babylon. In this work, he gave the kinglist and also gave the names of the sages associated with them.


It is also important to note in the continuation of the Kinglist, that AFTER the Flood, the lifespans drop by an order of magnitude, with NO 'tapering off' at all! And then they drop off again, by another order of magnitude, to arrive at kingly lifetimes of more 'normal' measures.



Archaeological Evidence verifying biblical cities (partial list)

Arad, Babylon, Bethel, Capernaum, Chorazin, Dan, Ephesus, Gaza, Gezer, Gomorrah, Hazor, Hesbon, Jericho, Joppa, Nineveh, Shechem, Sodom, Susa


More Achaeological evidence:

A team of archaeologists led by Prof. Avraham Biran, excavating Tel Dan in the northern Galilee, found a triangular piece of basalt rock, measuring 23 x 36 cm. inscribed in Aramaic. It was subsequently identified as part of a victory pillar erected by the king of Syria and later smashed by an Israelite ruler. The inscription, which dates to the ninth century bce, that is to say, about a century after David was thought to have ruled Israel, includes the words Beit David ("House" or "Dynasty" of David").


The discovery of the Ebla archive in northern Syria in the 1970s has shown the Biblical writings concerning the Patriarchs to be viable. Documents written on clay tablets from around 2300 B.C. demonstrate that personal and place names in the Patriarchal accounts are genuine. The name "Canaan" was in use in Ebla, a name critics once said was not used at that time and was used incorrectly in the early chapters of the Bible. The word "tehom" ("the deep") in Genesis 1:2 was said to be a late word demonstrating the late writing of the creation story. "Tehom" was part of the vocabulary at Ebla, in use some 800 years before Moses. Ancient customs reflected in the stories of the Patriarchs have also been found in clay tablets from Nuzi and Mari.


The Hittites were once thought to be a Biblical legend, until their capital and records were discovered at Bogazkoy, Turkey. Many thought the Biblical references to Solomon's wealth were greatly exaggerated. Recovered records from the past show that wealth in antiquity was concentrated with the king and Solomon's prosperity was entirely feasible. It was once claimed there was no Assyrian king named Sargon as recorded in Isaiah 20:1, because this name was not known in any other record. Then, Sargon's palace was discovered in Khorsabad, Iraq. The very event mentioned in Isaiah 20, his capture of Ashdod, was recorded on the palace walls. What is more, fragments of a stela memorializing the victory were found at Ashdod itself.


Another king who was in doubt was Belshazzar, king of Babylon, named in Daniel 5. The last king of Babylon was Nabonidus according to recorded history. Tablets were found showing that Belshazzar was Nabonidus' son who served as coregent in Babylon. Thus, Belshazzar could offer to make Daniel "third highest ruler in the kingdom" (Dan. 5:16) for reading the handwriting on the wall, the highest available position. Here we see the "eye-witness" nature of the Biblical record, as is so often brought out by the discoveries of archaeology.

Cont'd on page three

Page Three

Likenesses of Biblical figures:

# Shishak, the Egyptian king who plundered the Temple during the reign of Rehoboam (1 Kings 14:25-26).

# Jehu, king of Israel, who took power in a bloody coup; the only surviving likeness of a king of Israel or Judah (2 Kings 9:1-10:36).

# Hazael, king of Aram, enemy of Israel (1 Kings 19:15, 17; 2 Kings 8:7-15, 28-29; 9:14-15; 10:32-33; 12:17-18; 13:3, 22, 24,25; Amos 1:4).

# Tiglath-Pileser III, king of Assyria, who invaded Israel (2 Kings 18:19, 29; 16:7, 10; 1 Chronicles 5:6, 26; 2 Chronicles 28:20).

# Sargon II, king of Assyria, who defeated Ashdod and completed the siege of Samaria and took Israelites into captivity (Isaiah 20:1).

# Sennacherib, king of Assyria, who attacked Judah but was unable to capture Jerusalem (2 Kings 18:13-19:37).

# Tirhakah, king of Egypt, who opposed Sennacherib (2 Kings 19:9).

# Esarhaddon, king of Assyria, who succeeded his father Sennacherib (2 Kings 19:37).

# Merodach-baladan, king of Babylon, whose messengers Hezekiah showed the royal treasury, much to the indignation of Isaiah (2 Kings 20:12-19).

# Xerxes I, king of Persia, who made Esther his queen (Esther; Ezra 4:6).

# Darius I, king of Persia, who allowed the returning exiles to rebuild the Temple in Jerusalem (Ezra 4:24-6:15; Haggai 1:1, 15). Also see: Have archaeologists found the tomb of Darius? [answer]

# Augustus, Roman emperor, 27 B.C.-A.D. 14, when Jesus was born (Luke 2:1).

# Tiberius, Roman emperor, A.D. 14-37, during Jesus' adulthood and crucifixion (Matthew 22:17, 21; Mark 12:14-17; Luke 3:1; 20:22-25; 23:2; John 19:12,15).

# Claudius, Roman emperor, A.D. 41-54, who ordered the Jews to leave Rome (Acts 11:28; 17:7; 18:2).

# Herod Agrippa I, ruler of Judea, A.D. 37-44, who persecuted the early church (Acts 12:1-23; 23:35).

# Aretas IV, king of the Nabateans, 9 B.C.-A.D. 40, whose governor in Damascus attempted to arrest Paul (2 Corinthians 11:32).

# Nero (referred to as Caesar in the New Testament), Roman emperor, A.D. 54-68, who Paul appealed to (Acts 25:11,12,21; 26:32; 28:19; Philippians 4:22).


Man made structures mentioned in the Bible:



The palace at Jericho where Eglon, king of Moab, was assassinated by Ehud (Judges 3:15-30).

The east gate of Shechem where Gaal and Zebul watched the forces of Abimelech approach the city (Judges 9:34-38).

The Temple of Baal/El-Berith in Shechem, where funds were obtained to finance Abimelech's kingship and where the citizens of Shechem took refuge when Abimelech attacked the city (Judges 9:4, 46-49).

The pool of Gibeon where the forces of David and Ishbosheth fought during the struggle for the kingship of Israel (2 Samuel 2:12-32).

The Pool of Heshbon, likened to the eyes of the Shulammite woman (Song of Songs 7:4).

The royal palace at Samaria where the kings of Israel lived (1 Kings 20:43; 21:1, 2; 22:39; 2 Kings 1:2; 15:25).

The Pool of Samaria where King Ahab's chariot was washed after his death (1 Kings 22:29-38).

The water tunnel beneath Jerusalem dug by King Hezekiah to provide water during the Assyrian siege (2 Kings 20:20; 2 Chronicles 32:30).

The royal palace in Babylon where King Belshazzar held the feast and Daniel interpreted the handwriting on the wall (Daniel 5).

The royal palace in Susa where Esther was queen of the Persian king Xerxes (Esther 1:2; 2:3, 5, 9, 16).

The royal gate at Susa where Mordecai, Esther's cousin, sat (Esther 2:19, 21; 3:2, 3; 4:2; 5:9, 13; 6:10, 12).

The Square in front of the royal gate at Susa where Mordecai met with Halthach, Xerxes' eunuch (Esther 4:6).

The foundation of the synagogue at Capernaum where Jesus cured a man with an unclean spirit (Mark 1:21-28) and delivered the sermon on the bread of life (John 6:25-59).

The house of Peter at Capernaum where Jesus healed Peter's mother-in-law and others (Matthew 8:14-16).

Jacob's well where Jesus spoke to the Samaritan woman (John 4).

The Pool of Bethesda in Jerusalem, where Jesus healed a crippled man (John 5:1-14).

The Pool of Siloam in Jerusalem, where Jesus healed a blind man (John 9:1-4).

The tribunal at Corinth where Paul was tried (Acts 18:12-17).

The theater at Ephesus where the riot of silversmiths occurred (Acts 19:29). - See picture at top

Herod's palace at Caesarea where Paul was kept under guard (Acts 23:33-35).

King David's Palace in Jerusalem

King Solomons horse stables

Hello Susie,

JESUS CHRIST and the Holy Bible are the most written about in human history. You would probably need 10 lifetimes just to skim the material. You might also consider that world time is set by HIM (i.e. B.C. - A.D.).

I usually don't recommend books other than the Holy Bible for non-believers to read because many of the books cause confusion. The Holy Bible proves itself from cover to cover. Books written about the Holy Bible and the people in the Bible are always much lower quality than the Holy Bible. But, if you want to read some other material, I suggest the Christian Classics Library that you can use without spending any money. The address for it is:

http://www.ccel.org/

The Christian Classics Library would just be a start. There are thousands of religious and secular books written that support the Bible, but I would repeat that the Holy Bible itself is the real masterpiece. SO, I really recommend the Holy Bible over all of the others combined. The best supporting books would probably be early histories of the Jews and the Church. But, again, I would repeat that the Holy Bible is the best record of the events at that time. There were also an untold number of writers who were contemporaries of the writers of the New Testament who also wrote about that period. Here's the secret about the overwhelming quality of the Holy Bible: The writers of the Holy Bible were inspired by GOD Himself, and that's why the Bible is called GOD'S WORD. The Holy Bible was written by many writers over a lengthy period of time, but the Bible proves itself from cover to cover, and there are no contradictions in the Holy Bible. The only way to explain that is the Holy Bible is, INDEED, inspired by GOD HIMSELF.

Let me give you an example of why you need to understand that the Holy Bible comes first. We will use a "Movie of the Year" as an example. You wouldn't simply read the reviews for you to determine if it was a good movie or not - you would go see the movie itself and make your own review.

The 100% proof is in my heart and the hearts of hosts of Christians over thousands of years. I wish that I could simply say look in my heart and see for yourself. GOD can do that but you can't. HE is with me and in my heart, so HE is more real than you are. I talk to HIM in prayer several times per day and have been for most of my life. JESUS CHRIST, my Lord and Saviour is an absolute and unquestioned REALITY.

Love In Christ,
Tom

John 17:21-23 NASB  that they may all be one; even as You, Father, are in Me and I in You, that they also may be in Us, so that the world may believe that You sent Me. "The glory which You have given Me I have given to them, that they may be one, just as We are one; I in them and You in Me, that they may be perfected in unity, so that the world may know that You sent Me, and loved them, even as You have loved Me.

Thank you all for your help :)

Hello Susie,

You are most welcome. I hope that we were able to help you some. If there is anything else we can do to help, please let us know.

Love In Christ,
Tom

2 Corinthians 5:5-8 NASB  Now He who prepared us for this very purpose is God, who gave to us the Spirit as a pledge. Therefore, being always of good courage, and knowing that while we are at home in the body we are absent from the Lord -- for we walk by faith, not by sight -- we are of good courage, I say, and prefer rather to be absent from the body and to be at home with the Lord.

January 26

Testimony
Joh_5:31-47

Do you know why Bibles are traditionally bound in leather?  Today we would think it would be for appearances, that we might honor the Word of God by a magnificent wrapper.  Our ancestors might have told a different tale:  only leather would stand up to the hard use.

"Hard use?"  Yes.  Christ puts it here to these men, "You diligently study the Scriptures," and the word implies an effort like searching for buried treasure.  In so searching you can find the words of eternal life.  A casual glance will not do;  you must dig.   In the digging you will find an answer to a common Christian complaint.  How often have you heard someone say, "You must have faith," as if faith and fact were obviously contradictory?  We long for evidence of the faith, and ignore the witness under our noses.

This is one of the three witnesses Christ cites to the Pharisees.  The point is simple.  Go back into the Old Testament.  Over and again you will find the prophecies of the Christ, written hundreds of years before this time—fulfilled in minute detail.  They are there—but you must dig.

Another witness Christ gives them is John the Baptist.  He makes it clear that he needs no such witness—after all, what praise of man could possibly polish God?  But so that they might believe, he reminds them.  Is there a "John the Baptist" in your life?  One whom you know is a serious Christian, taking no thought of financial gain, caring only for the things of God?  How can such a man be, if Christ does not live, and live in him?

His third witness is the collection of miracles he has performed.  Some of us know this well;  we need only look at our own lives before he came.

Why is it, then, that we so stubbornly refuse to believe?  Why do we see people who come to church because "it's a good thing to do," but don't believe what they are taught?  Jesus identifies this problem too.  How often do we see someone who comes to church to be known as a "good person?"  After all, isn't that what "good people" do—they go to church on Sundays?  Of course, not every Sunday (credit the Pharisees with that;  they were serious about their hypocrisy.  How would they have regarded a casual hypocrite?)  This is a dreadful practice.  It shields you from true faith by giving you a pale imitation.  If this is your life, abandon it now.  Search diligently—while He may yet be found.

If there is a God, why did he create evil and allow such suffering, pain, and grief for His creation?

my reason:

GoD will not interfere every time a injustice pops up. He already did that and it dont work. Humans are hard headed and excersise there GOD giving ammendment "Free will"

example: After all the miricals God did in the Bible..even after Moses Opened the Sea and escaped The Pharroe...moses was givven the 10 commandments..Mean while The free'd slaves who just whitnessed gods mirricals still fell short and sin'ed with Idoltry , paganism, and orgys..

i feel By this Time, God was like..."Thats It" Im taking a Vacation, when i return I will be taking the true beleivers with me..and Damning the unholy, Finalizing once and For all The history book of mankind. ( Only My Oppinion )

God is our Father...and since he created man in his image..God has Man Like Charrecteristics...technocly we have God like Charrecteristics ( we are made in his image )

That is why he feels regret, sorrow, happyness, and love..Because he is a Father.

I am a Father and a Son..and I understand when enough is enough. If i had say, 12 kids and one was a real screw up..Hard headed boy who just wouldnt listen..at 1st I would do all i can for him..But if this went on for years , eventually I would give up on my son.

The Great Thing is, GOD never gives up on his.. he gives us free will. ( Only My Oppinion )

I am writing this to you who have thought about saying yes to Jesus and are still wrestling with that decision.

I haven't been a Christian for too long. Spent most of my life without Him. I can remember (as if from another life) the yearning in my heart, the empty space and the wanting of something more. I had a lot of bad habits I had no hope of giving up. Excessive drinking being one of them. I drank to relax after a day of work and I drank on the weekends to have fun. It wasn't just the drinking. It was everything. I had tried life my way and I wasn't happy. I noticed that something or someone would come along and I'd be happy for a while. But it didn't' last. It became old. I used to have a 14" TV and watched it for years without complaint. Then I got a 32" screen and WOW; I thought I was at the movies. I marvelled over how great it was for about a week. Then it became matter of fact. It was just a TV. And that's how it was in my life. Nothing sustained me. Nothing truly satisfied.

Through a series of steps - a word here, a person there, going to church once is a while, picking up a Bible and reading - I felt a tug on my heart. I started to think that maybe I wanted to be a Christian. But to me it meant I'd have to change and change a lot.  To be a Christian meant I couldn't do this and I'd have to do that. The thought of it overwhelmed me. I just couldn't do it. The other Christians I met seemed so pure. So innocent somehow. I felt old and dirty next to them. I just didn't see how this was going to happen for me.

Then I learned about God's grace. I truly understood it for the first time. Jesus wasn't asking me to change. He was asking me to come to Him as I was. It was me He wanted, as I am, baggage and all. I had no power to change myself. I wasn't supposed to. I was to say yes to Him and He would do the rest. I couldn't believe it. This wondrous grace He offered. That He would accept me and loved me as I was. If I gave myself to Him, He would cleanse me from all my sin and make me into a new person.

During church one morning the Pastor did an altar call - an invitation to accept Jesus into your life. I heard the words in my mind "Now is the time. Today is the day." and I got up and I went and I asked Jesus into my life. That was the beginning. New birth in middle age. And what can I say to you so that you will understand just how wonderful it is to know Him.

He is removing those things in my life that are displeasing to Him. When my Lord shows me stuff about myself that needs to go, He does it in such a gentle, loving way. He gives me what I need to change it. All I have to do is say yes. The drinking is gone now. It didn't go all at once and I know now why it took a while. I learned to trust in Him during that process. When I relied on my own willpower, I failed. When I called out to Him, He answered.

I have a joy in my heart now. A joy that doesn't fade or become old. I have a sure hope that extends beyond this life to eternity and it's found in Jesus Christ. How I praise Him and love Him. I have such gratitude to Him. I am not alone. He is with me always.

To you who read this:
There is nothing else. You will search in vain. And if you are getting tired and want new life, take that plunge. Look for Jesus and He will find you. He wants you because He loves you just as you are.

Amen haley, There is nothing more filling than Jesus. He is calling and waiting for all.

Amen

No one and nothing can fulfill our lives except Jesus. We are spiritual creatures and we live in a body that will eventually die, while our spirit will continue to live, it is our spiritual being that needs to be fulfilled and that can only be done through the Blood of Jesus.
God's way is the only way.

here is another question for someone to answer ;D

Don't all religions lead to the same place. ?

Jesus told us he was the way, the truth, and the life, no man cometh to the
father except by me!

No wiggle room there! Mohammad, Budda, Christna,Moronni,and all other
self proclaimed leaders do not fill those shoes!

There is only one name given under heaven whereby we must be saved:

                        J E S U S

In all of the above cases of there are graves, with bodies
in them. Jesus is the only one to defeat death, and to leave an EMPTY tomb

In Islam we are asked to give our sons for god, In Christianity God gave his son
for us!

ravenloche, according to the Bible there is no other way to God but through Jesus Christ. I agree with the Bible. Demonations are made by man, not God.

Satan has created a system of “feel good” religions that give the believers a false sense of inner peace. They have this inner peace because

1.) They follow a form or appearance of “religiousness” or “Godliness”

2.) Their doctrine occasionally contains some truths, and

3.) They have been deceived into thinking that no matter what they believe, who they call God, or how they live their lives, they will see heaven when they leave this earth.

Many people fall for these beliefs because it saves them from having to clash with other religions. They feel they can openly embrace any and all religions (even though contradictions exist) thus making them feel good about how they live their lives. In many people’s minds “I am a good person” equals “I am going to heaven.”

See the topic Florida's Mens only Church (http://forums.christiansunite.com/index.php?topic=16132.msg199671;boardseen#new)

I am here to proclaim the truth. It is always the truth that we should seek, regardless of how it may make us feel at first. Remember it is the truth that will set us free. If you let each religion speak for itself, you will find that religions around the world vary greatly on the basic concepts of God, truth, reality, the state of mankind and the solution to our dilemma. They disagree so much that many of their statements contradict one another.

I tell you that Jesus Christ is the only way to heaven, He said this Himself: John 14:16 And I will ask the Father, and He will give you another Comforter (Counselor, Helper, Intercessor, Advocate, Strengthener, and Standby), that He may remain with you forever--  Now of course anyone can say this, however no one in history has had the historical proof or the eye witness accounts like Jesus has to back up their claims. The eyes witnesses, the ones who heard Jesus say these things, the ones who saw Him perform miracles and rise from the dead, are recorded in the Bible. The proof is overwhelming. You can find it in the Gospels. There is also non Biblical proof. There are many, many manuscripts written from the time of Jesus. Historians will even agree that Jesus was indeed a real man and walked the earth! There have been many archaeological finds which support the Bible and its doctrines. Surprisingly, to numerous non-believers, there have not been any archaeological finds that disprove the Bible.

Several times now I have been asked this: “how can you prove that Jesus did all these miracles and rose from the dead?” I say to them “what is the difference between the eye witness accounts of say George Washington being president of the U.S.A and the ones who saw Jesus perform the miracles and the resurrection?

Why is it easier to believe the eye witness accounts of George Washington’s presidency rather then Jesus’ claim to being the only doorway to Salvation? You can only prove to me that George Washington was president by the eyewitness accounts that we have today. Why is this not sufficient for Jesus?”

Salvation therefore cannot come from our good works. Salvation can not come from anything we do alone. Salvation is a gift from God and a gift only. Do not trust in anything but God’s promise of salvation through His beloved Son Jesus. Even if your a Christian already don’t trust in your baptism, don’t trust in your church, or how often you go, don’t trust in how many times you’ve read the Bible, don’t trust in your claim of being a Christian, don’t trust in your donations, don’t trust in your good works, don’t trust in these letters, don’t even trust in your prayers, for none of these things guarantee salvation. Only trust God’s promises in His Word. Do not trust any other thing for the salvation of your soul, but the precious blood of Jesus. Trust God’s Word and trust His promises. Know that His gift (Jesus) is a gift of love, His Word cannot fail, His Word will never pass away and it will stand supreme forever!

Out of the four major religions of the world. Buddhism, islam, hinduism, and Christianty. You can visit the gravesites of these four. In hinduism you can visit, and see the ashes of the original leader.  In islam, you can see his grave and bones at Medina. In buddhism you can see the bones, in the grave of buddha at Kushinagar.  Christianty, you can visit the grave of Jesus, but He isn't here.

No. Jesus Christ leads to heaven. All others lead to hell. It is as simple as that.

AMEN Brother Roger.

Let us look closer at this first of all GOD Himself said in John 3:16, one of the best known Scriptures.

FOR GOD SO LOVED THE WORLD THAT HE GAVE HIS ONLY BEGOTTEN SON, THAT WHOSOEVER BELIEVES IN HIM SHALL NOT PERISH, BUT HAVE EVER LASTING LIFE.

Here we see that GOD gave His only begotten Son, ONLY ONE!

Now Jesus tells us to enter in at the straight gate

 Mt 7:13 Enter ye in at the strait gate: for wide is the gate, and broad is the way, that leadeth to destruction, and many there be which go in thereat:

Mt 7:14 Because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it.

Then Jesus reveals the only possible way to get to the Father:

Joh 14:6 Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.

Forgive me if I was not clear in my post. I am a born again believer, and know
that I know that I know that only by the shed blood of Jesus is there
salvation. I was simply adding another question to the list. This a a question
that I am often asked, and the verses I used in my post are the ones I use
first to answer the question.

Again if my intent was unclear I appologize

Yours in Yeshua ha machiach

Rev. Joseph Barnhouse Sr.  aka ravenloche

Hello Ravenloche, no need to apologize. This is, I guess what you might call a Q & A area. All questions are welcome. I didn't see any Scripture in your post so I thought it was a question you yourself wanted an answer too.

I guess now you have some more answers when this question comes up to you again.  :D :D :D

Question: "Why does God allow the innocent to suffer?"

Answer: In answering this question, the first thing to consider is whether such a thing as “the innocent” even exists. According to the Bible, “the heart is wicked and deceitful above all things” (Jeremiah 17:9), and “all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23). Therefore, no one is innocent in the sense of being sinless. Sin entered the world when Adam and Even rebelled against God in the Garden of Eden, and mankind has been in rebellion ever since. Sin’s effects permeate everything, and the suffering we see all around us is a direct result of that sin.

But God did not leave us here to suffer pointlessly. Our loving and merciful God has a perfect plan to use that suffering to accomplish His threefold purpose. First, He uses pain and suffering to draw us to Himself so that we will cling to Him. Jesus said, “In the world you shall have tribulation” (John 16:33). Trials and distress are not something unusual in life; they are part of what it means to be human in a fallen world. In Christ we have an anchor that holds fast in all the storms of life, but if we never sail into those storms, how would we know that? It is in times of despair and sorrow that we reach out to Him, and, if we are His children, we always find Him there waiting to comfort and uphold us through it all. In this way, He proves His faithfulness to us and ensures that we will stay close to Him. An added benefit is that as we experience God’s comfort through trials, we are then able to comfort others in the same way (2 Corinthians 1:4).

Second, He proves to us that our faith is real through the suffering and pain that are inevitable in this life. How we respond to suffering is determined by the genuineness of our faith. Those with faith truly from God, “the author and finisher of our faith” (Hebrews 12:2), will not be crushed by suffering, but will come through the trial with their faith intact, having been “proven through fire” so that it “might be found to praise and honor and glory at the revelation of Jesus Christ” (1 Peter 1:7). Those are the ones who do not shake their fists at God or question His goodness, but instead “count it all joy” (James 1:2), knowing that trials prove that they are truly the children of God. “Blessed is the man who endures temptation, because having been approved, he will receive the crown of life which the Lord has promised to those who love Him” (James 1:12).

Finally, God uses suffering to take our eyes off this world and put them on the next. The Bible continually exhorts us to not get caught up in the things of this world, but to look forward to the world to come. This world and all that is in it will pass away, but the kingdom of God is eternal. Jesus said, “My kingdom is not of this world” (John 18:36), and those who would follow Him must not see the things of this life, both good and bad, as the end of the story. Even the sufferings we endure and which seem so terrible “are not worthy to be compared with the coming glory to be revealed in us” (Romans 8:18).

Could God prevent all suffering? Of course. But He assures us that “all things work together for good to those who love God and are called according to His purpose” (Romans 8:28). So even suffering is part of the “all things” that God is using to accomplish His good purposes. His plan is perfect, His character is flawless, and those who trust Him will not be disappointed.

Recommended Resource: Disappointment with God by Philip Yancey

Question: "Why does God allow bad things to happen to good people?"

Answer: Why do bad things happen to good people? That is one of the difficult questions in all of theology. God is eternal, infinite, omniscient, omnipresent, omnipotent, etc. Why should we human beings (not eternal, infinite, omniscient, omnipresent, or omnipotent) expect to be able to fully understand God’s ways? The book of Job deals with this issue. God had allowed Satan to do everything he wanted to Job except kill him. What was Job’s reaction? “Though he slay me, yet will I hope in him” (Job 13:15). “The LORD gave and the LORD has taken away; may the name of the LORD be praised” (Job 1:21). Job didn’t understand why God had allowed the things He did, but he knew that God was good and therefore continued to trust in Him. Ultimately, that should be our reaction as well. God is good, just, loving, and merciful. Often things happen to us that we simply cannot understand. However, instead of doubting God's goodness, our reaction should be to trust Him. "Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will make your paths straight" (Proverbs 3:5-6).

Perhaps a better question is, "Why do good things happen to bad people?" God is holy (Isaiah 6:3; Revelation 4:8). Human beings are sinful (Romans 3:23; 6:23). Do you want to know how God views humanity? “As it is written: There is no one righteous, not even one; there is no one who understands, no one who seeks God. All have turned away, they have together become worthless; there is no one who does good, not even one. Their throats are open graves; their tongues practice deceit. The poison of vipers is on their lips. Their mouths are full of cursing and bitterness. Their feet are swift to shed blood; ruin and misery mark their ways, and the way of peace they do not know. There is no fear of God before their eyes” (Romans 3:10-18). Every human being on this planet deserves to be thrown into hell at this very moment. Every second we spend alive is only by the grace of God. Even the most terrible misery we could experience on this planet is merciful compared to what we deserve, eternal hell in the lake of fire.

“But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us” (Romans 5:8). Despite the evil, wicked, sinful nature of the people of this world, God still loved us. He loved us enough to die to take the penalty for our sins (Romans 6:23). All we have to do is believe in Jesus Christ (John 3:16; Romans 10:9) in order to be forgiven and promised a home in heaven (Romans 8:1). What we deserve = hell. What we are given = eternal life in heaven if we would just believe. It has been said, this world is the only hell believers will ever experience, and this world is the only heaven unbelievers will ever experience. The next time we ask the question, “Why does God allow bad things to happen to good people?”, maybe we should be asking, “Why does God allow good things to happen to bad people?”

Question: "Why did God allow Satan and the demons to sin?"

Answer: With both the angels and humanity, God chose to present a choice. While the Bible does not give many details regarding the rebellion of Satan and the fallen angels, it seems that Satan, probably the greatest of all the angels (Ezekiel 28:12-18), in pride chose to rebel against God in order to seek to become his own god. Satan (Lucifer) did not want to worship or obey God; he wanted to be God (Isaiah 14:12-14). Revelation 12:4 is understood to be a figurative description of one third of the angels choosing to follow Satan in his rebellion, becoming the fallen angels / demons.

Unlike humanity, however, the choice the angels had, to follow Satan or remain faithful to God, was an eternal choice. The Bible presents no opportunity for the fallen angels to repent and be forgiven. Nor does the Bible indicate that it is possible for more of the angels to sin. The angels who remain faithful to God are described as the “elect angels” (1 Timothy 5:21). Satan and the fallen angels knew God in all His glory. For them to rebel despite what they knew about God is the utmost of evil. As a result, God does not give Satan and the other fallen angels the opportunity to repent. Further, the Bible gives us no reason to believe they would repent even if God gave them the chance (1 Peter 5:8). God gave Satan and the angels the same choice He gave Adam and Eve - to obey Him or not. The angels had a free-will choice to make - God did not force or encourage any of the angels to sin. Satan and the fallen angels sinned of their own free will - and therefore are worthy of God's eternal wrath (Matthew 25:41).

Why did God give the angels this choice, when He knew what the results would be? God knew that one third of the angels would rebel, and therefore be cursed to the eternal fire. God also knew that Satan would further his rebellion by tempting humanity into sin. So, why did God allow it? The Bible does not explicitly give the answer to this question. The same can be asked of almost any evil action – why does God allow it? Ultimately, it comes back to choice. God created free beings, the angels and human beings. If God wanted beings who simply did what they were programmed to do, the animals would have sufficed. No, God desired beings with whom He could have a genuine relationship, and therefore He gave us all the ability to choose, and presented us with a choice.

thank you for this Grandma love

Hello Mike,

I see that you're new, so WELCOME!


I sincerely hope that you enjoy Christians Unite and find the answers to your questions here. I've been a Christian for over 50 years and know that GOD is more real than either of us. I know because of my own personal relationship with HIM. In fact, I can't imagine how I could stand this life without HIM. I said "this life" because I know there is much more after this life. There are great hosts of witnesses who have lived long before us who also testify about their relationship with CHRIST. JESUS CHRIST is the ultimate reality, and he wrote a wonderful best selling book - The Holy Bible - GOD'S WORD.

GOD'S WORD isn't just a beautiful literary masterpiece, rather a non-fiction BOOK written by the CREATOR and MASTER OF THE UNIVERSE to us. GOD'S WORD testifies of itself, proves itself, and proves GOD in most Supernatural ways that could only be done by GOD. GOD'S WORD foretold many events, and those events happened most perfectly at GOD'S Appointed time. YES, GOD'S WORD is a beautiful literary masterpiece, but it's much more than just that. It's actually the history of mankind in relation to GOD - AND is the ONLY PERFECT TRUTH. GOD'S WORD is used to measure other truth or fiction. In other words: if it agrees with GOD'S WORD - it's the TRUTH; if it disagrees with GOD'S WORD - it's not the TRUTH.

GOD'S WORD tells us what happened in the past and why. It also tells us what will happen in the future and why. What happened in the past has already happened and been proven by the Holy Bible, so I know that what it says will happen in the future will also be TRUE. JESUS CHRIST and the CROSS were talked about in the Old Testament by Prophets long before the actual event. Everything came to pass most perfectly. JESUS CHRIST did die on the CROSS for our sins, but no grave could hold HIM. HE did arise from the dead and was seen by many witnesses before HE went back to HEAVEN. HE did promise that HE would send a COMFORTER AND GUIDE to be with HIS children, and HE did. The HOLY SPIRIT OF GOD now lives in the hearts of believers, and HE seals their hearts - setting them apart as a possession belonging to JESUS CHRIST. GOD is actually three Holy Entities - yet ONE:  GOD THE FATHER, GOD THE SON, AND GOD THE HOLY SPIRIT. YES, there are THREE, but the THREE are ONE. This is hard for many people to understand, but it is a beautiful and wonderful TRUTH about ALMIGHTY GOD. THEIR - HIS WORKS are beyond wonderful and beautiful. Many of HIS Ways are beyond finding out. After all, we are but simple humans, part of HIS CREATION. How could we begin to understand the FULL MIGHT, MAJESTY, AND POWER OF ALMIGHTY GOD? GOD tells us what HE wants us to know in HIS WORD, the Holy Bible. GOD said that HIS WORD would be preserved forever, and it has been despite the efforts of countless people to destroy it. It's now been translated into every known language in the world and is a best seller, better than all of the other best sellers combined. World time is set by the life and death of JESUS CHRIST. JESUS CHRIST was very GOD made manifest in the flesh, the SON OF GOD HIMSELF. YES, they crucified the SON OF GOD on that CROSS about 2,000 years ago - but only because HE allowed it for HIS Purpose. HE allowed it to take our punishment in HIS OWN HOLY BODY and provide a way for SALVATION. It's all the ULTIMATE TRUTH, and it provides answers for man's biggest questions throughout history. The CROSS is the biggest and most precious event in the history of mankind. HE showed the ultimate love for us by dying on the CROSS in our place.

The HOLY SPIRIT OF GOD lives in my heart, so I know that HE'S REAL. JESUS CHRIST arose from the dead and is my LIVING LORD AND SAVIOUR FOREVER! I know HIM, and HE is REAL. When I pray to ALMIGHTY GOD, I know that HE hears me. I am HIS child, and HE has given me a full inheritance that awaits me in HEAVEN. JESUS CHRIST went after the CROSS to prepare a place for us, and our HOME is ready. My Citizenship is in HEAVEN as a child of GOD - THE KING OF KINGS. This world is not my HOME - HEAVEN IS!

Love In Christ,
Tom

2 Corinthians 4:1-18  Therefore seeing we have this ministry, as we have received mercy, we faint not; But have renounced the hidden things of dishonesty, not walking in craftiness, nor handling the word of God deceitfully; but by manifestation of the truth commending ourselves to every man's conscience in the sight of God. But if our gospel be hid, it is hid to them that are lost: In whom the god of this world hath blinded the minds of them which believe not, lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine unto them. For we preach not ourselves, but Christ Jesus the Lord; and ourselves your servants for Jesus' sake. For God, who commanded the light to shine out of darkness, hath shined in our hearts, to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ. But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellency of the power may be of God, and not of us. We are troubled on every side, yet not distressed; we are perplexed, but not in despair; Persecuted, but not forsaken; cast down, but not destroyed; Always bearing about in the body the dying of the Lord Jesus, that the life also of Jesus might be made manifest in our body. For we which live are always delivered unto death for Jesus' sake, that the life also of Jesus might be made manifest in our mortal flesh. So then death worketh in us, but life in you. We having the same spirit of faith, according as it is written, I believed, and therefore have I spoken; we also believe, and therefore speak; Knowing that he which raised up the Lord Jesus shall raise up us also by Jesus, and shall present us with you. For all things are for your sakes, that the abundant grace might through the thanksgiving of many redound to the glory of God. For which cause we faint not; but though our outward man perish, yet the inward man is renewed day by day. For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, worketh for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory; While we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen: for the things which are seen are temporal; but the things which are not seen are eternal.

1:  Romans 3:10 NASB  as it is written, "THERE IS NONE RIGHTEOUS, NOT EVEN ONE; THERE IS NONE WHO UNDERSTANDS, THERE IS NONE WHO SEEKS FOR GOD; ALL HAVE TURNED ASIDE, TOGETHER THEY HAVE BECOME USELESS; THERE IS NONE WHO DOES GOOD, THERE IS NOT EVEN ONE."

2:  Romans 3:23  NASB  for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,

3:  Romans 5:12  NASB  Therefore, just as through one man sin entered into the world, and death through sin, and so death spread to all men, because all sinned--

4:  Romans 6:23  NASB  For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.

5:  Romans 1:18  NASB  For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men who suppress the truth in unrighteousness,

6:  Romans 3:20  NASB  because by the works of the Law no flesh will be justified in His sight; for through the Law comes the knowledge of sin.

7:  Romans 3:27  NASB  Where then is boasting? It is excluded. By what kind of law? Of works? No, but by a law of faith.

8:  Romans 5:8-9  NASB  But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. Much more then, having now been justified by His blood, we shall be saved from the wrath of God through Him.

9:  Romans 2:4  NASB  Or do you think lightly of the riches of His kindness and tolerance and patience, not knowing that the kindness of God leads you to repentance?

10:  Romans 3:22  NASB  even the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ for all those who believe; for there is no distinction;

11:  Romans 3:28  NASB  For we maintain that a man is justified by faith apart from works of the Law.

12:  Romans 10:9  NASB  that if you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved;

13:  Romans 4:21  NASB  and being fully assured that what God had promised, He was able also to perform.

14:  Romans 4:24 NASB  but for our sake also, to whom it will be credited, as those who believe in Him who raised Jesus our Lord from the dead,

15:  Romans 5:1  NASB  Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ,

16:  Romans 10:10  NASB  for with the heart a person believes, resulting in righteousness, and with the mouth he confesses, resulting in salvation.

17:  Romans 10:13  NASB  for "WHOEVER WILL CALL ON THE NAME OF THE LORD WILL BE SAVED."