I was always taught that we are not robots but that we have free will. That God doesn't just push a button and we respond. Well, in chapter 5 it says that when the Lamb takes the book out of the hand of the Father all heaven AND earth give praise at that time. Well, if one is here upon earth at that time, and not being all robots, what will motivate that response? I believe that the same trumpet sound that John the Revelator heard, and the thunder and lightning that followed when that very scene was revealed to him will be heard and seen by those here on earth at that time. The trumpet sound will bring all safely to a halt and then that scene will be revealed in real time and those on earth will witness Jesus taking the book out of the hand of the Father and opening the first seal and thus motivated to respond with the praise mentioned. Thus, there will be if you will an official beginning of the Tribulation. Those on earth will KNOW it has started.
Genesis 37:23 Strong's 5646 (coat of) many breadths: I found a question about this, often translated as "many colors" on Quora. The inquiry was about how this word differs in many translations. Another rendering is of many stripes. I have heard that this might refer to comprising strips of different animals' pelts. Whichever the case, it was a special coat or garment and the brothers were jealous because it separated him from them. He was his favorite son and had been treated as special compared to his brothers. They dipped it in goat's blood to take back to the father as a plot to convince him that Joseph had been killed by an animal. The quora question wanted an explanation regarding the various renderings. I tried to find this discussion in commentaries but failed. Perhaps someone else on this forum could give a more thorough explanation for me to present to the person who posted the pertaining question.
Are we seeing with the church turning away from the true gospel of Christ the removal of God's candlesticks from the church? What about the 'falling away"?
I think I know what this means but if you do not forgive somebody does that mean that you don't get to go to heaven because if you can't forgive somebody then your heavenly father can't forgive you I hope I said that right thank you
My circumstances at the moment do not allow me to go to church on Saturday the sabbath because I am temporarily in a rehabilitation center learning to walk again after about a month stay in the hospital for medical reasons. I wanted to know while I am not keeping the sabbath holy. I do read and listen to my Bible on my smartphone. I hope to be discharged from said rehab place in another 3 months or so. I wanted to know if I am still sinning against God
The question remains; what exactly could be greater works than Christ promised to the Apostles and by default; to His church today? Clearly; when we look at the FRUIT of so called "healing ministries" and other modern "Prophets" we see little resemblance to the early church. Surely; if and when a true miracle does occur God does not advocate media promotion as occurs much of the time today. Since this is focused on prophecy rather than healing; we only need to look at scriptures to debunk those who aren't 100 percent accurate today. It IS true that even with certain scriptures; there is a time factor for things to occur; and the choices of individuals could affect the outcome (such as preparing for famine with Agabus's proclamation; and Paul's decision to go on to what eventually was his death; but appears to have come at a much later date). It is also true that unless the Lord states specifically there can be appeal to the Lord and He can "repent" in some sence from a decreed action. This is most clear with all things that happen now before the 21 judgments of the Tribulation are released (starting with Christ Himself opening the first seal). The restrainer is holding back for now.
The biggest issue is those whose hearts are far from God and simply have vain imaginations; or want to "tickle ears" as many false teachers do. (2 Tim.4:3). When we don't have mega church evangelists risking their lives and being martyred oftentimes for their faith we are not seeing real believers; by and large. Christ said that ALL who live godly in Christ Jesus will suffer persecution. ( 2 Tim. 3:12; jus a few verses earlier). It may not mean severe physical trials but certainly disqualifies many who depend on funding from their associations with questionable individuals or organizations. Like any TRUE gift; "blazing forth" the message often is unwise; as Christ told many not to do until He was meant to be revealed ( Matt. 9:30).
"In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God."
Who is the Word?
John 1:14-15 says the Word is Jesus. Does anyone deny that the Word is Jesus?
If someone believes John 1:14, then do they believe John 1:1
"...the Word was God."
"...[Jesus] was God."
JESUS.
WAS.
GOD.
John 1:1
This is God's Word.
Some here are saying "Jesus was NOT God" despite John 1:1 clearly saying Jesus WAS God. I'd like to know exactly how someone can believe in all other verses of the Bible except this one? If something WAS something, that seems to offer little room for interpretation. It means it's the same, does it not? So, if something WAS something, how does someone twist this into believing it says something WAS NOT something?
It then must be asked: since it takes so much effort to take a sentence something WAS something to turn it into: something WAS NOT something, what is the true underlying motive here? Does God's Word carry the most weight and influence or does something else?
This is eerily similar to Gen 3:4 where satan denied what God said and claimed that they shall NOT surely die. Satan loves opposites and this seems to have his signature, does it not?
I welcome any perspective I'm missing, but do not consider anything other Bible verses as valid evidence. God's Word is all that matters and because there's already numerous verses supporting that Jesus is God like John 1:1 then that is what is true. Lastly, why not just pray and ask God directly to know the truth? Genuinely ask!
What is the difference between a Human Being and a Spirit Being?
1Th 5:23 KJV And the very God of peace sanctify you wholly; and I pray God your whole spirit and soul and body be preserved blameless unto the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.
We know God moulded Adam from soil; Eve was made from Adams rib.
If we will go look at BONE ANATOMY, differences between Male and Female skeletons; you will see several differences. Male leg bones are stronger. Hips narrower.
Backs stronger.
The female pelvis OPENS with contractions during birth. It opens enough for a baby's skull to pass out of her womb. Her breasts don't make cows milk. It is the most perfect liquid for a baby: doesn't cause allergies, vitamin fortified, sweetened Not by white sugar. It's already sterile and the proper temperature. Lactose makes newborns drowsy.
Who did that? Did not God carefully create us these ways?
Every one of us At one Time Was in Our Mothers Womb
Psalms 139:13
For thou hast possessed my reins: thou hast covered me in my mother's womb.
Luke 1:31
And, behold, thou shalt conceive in thy womb, and bring forth a son, and shalt call his name JESUS.
Job 31:15
Did not HE that made me in the womb make him? and did not one fashion us in the womb?
Galatians 1:15
But when it pleased God, who separated me from my mother's womb, and called me by his grace,
Psalms 22:10
I was cast upon thee from the womb: thou art my God from my mother's belly.
Psalms 22:9
But thou art he that took me out of the womb: thou didst make me hope when I was upon my mother's breasts.
Psalms 127:3
Lo, children are an heritage of the LORD: and the fruit of the womb is HIS mmm
Exodus 13:2
Sanctify unto me all the firstborn, whatsoever openeth the womb among the children of Israel, both of man and of beast: IT IS MINE.
Ecclesiastes 11:5
As thou knowest not what is the way of the spirit, nor how the bones do grow in the womb of her that is with child: even so thou knowest not the works of God who maketh all.
Jeremiah 1:5
BEFORE I formed thee in the belly I knew thee; and before thou camest forth out of the womb I sanctified thee, and I ordained thee a prophet unto the nations.
Do we get a free pass on Judging Gods Workmanship? Because this child was born blind, this child was a rapists seed?
A better question: do we judge God for not making us the definition of perfection, because: our nose is too big, our ears too small, stubby fingers_not long and tapering?
Who is in charge of our beginnings, the variables?
Only a Loving God, only Our Savior, can look into a womb and see perfection, possibilities, future of the next generation.
If all we see are imperfections, no one would be born; given a chance to make the world a better place.
Instead of abortion clinics, why not sterilization instead?
God said in Deuteronomy_Choose Life that You and Your Seed shall Live. Our God is very very Wise.
For all those things hath Mine hand made and all those things have been , saith the LORD: but to this man , will I Look ,even to him that is poor and of a contrite spirit, and trembleth at my word .
Reminds me of the verse humble theyself before the Lord . And why not ? Gods greatnesses cannot be found out . Amen !
What is sin? The first thoughts that come to mind are the obvious outer symptoms through one's behaviors when something is manifest such as anger. The next level is the thoughts and intentions of the heart; which caused an outer veneer of obedience to the law with the Pharisees; but much deeper transgressions with religious exercised in such a way that they could still get what they want (for instance; when they would be covetous disregarding the needs of their families) shown in Mark 7:6-9 and other verses speaking of their greed. The same principle exists for evil thoughts that lead to actions such as lust; adultery; fornication etc. ( Matt. 15:19).
The significant factor often missing from these analogies is breaching of a covenant. This is why those; for instance, who have remarried without scriptural permission are very hypocritical focusing on others who are living together who weren't under such a covenant. But marriage today is viewed at the human level as a contract; rather than a covenant with the eternal God between one man and woman that is to be permanent for life; and which encompasses vows from each party (at least traditionally) implying the penalties should such a pact be broken. This is similar to God's covenant people in the nation of Israel; where God had called them out from bondage. Their knowledge being present while the miracles occurred and seeing God's providence after the Exodus in the desert made them more responsible when they fell into practices of the pagan nations.
But; as scripture states not all Israel was true Israel ( Romans 9:6-7). There are many verses where emphasis is placed on keeping vows in the O.T.
Finally; anything we know is right and fail to do is sin ( James 4:17-loosly translated). We should at all times keep our commitments unless it becomes impossible not to go against scriptural conduct in our lives. We need also to be careful to do things of obedience out of love of God not self promotion.
Hello my name is Randy. First let me say I love the commentary and discussion area. I have been a Christian a long time since 1978 and am reading and studying the Bible from the beginning again. I wonder about Gensis verses 26 and 27, It says "God said, let us make man in our image and let them" and in verse 27 " He created man male and Female". My question is in addition to Adam and Eve were there other men and women?
The "socially incorrect" Jesus. Anyone that passes off Christ as demonstrating what the world considers "humanitarianism" in love toward everyone and acceptance is in for a rude awakening; particularly when reading Luke 11. We start off with His careful explanation on a type and model of HOW to pray (apparently based on similar patterns by John the Baptist to HIS disciples (v. 1). This; of course is found elsewhere in slightly different form in the Gospels. Then; there is the explanation on perseverance in asking the giver of all things for good gifts (i.e. the Holy Spirit in v. 13). Christ almost gets through this account without any unpleasant statements until that last verse when he states that they are "evil." So much for putting the Disciples who were; BTW saints as ALL true believers were (minus Judas Iscariot) at some sanctimonious level above the rest of any sinners saved by grace.
At this point; all bets are off. Jesus has to deal with the hearts of Pharisees; with their thoughts; or comments about Him using the Devil's (Beelzebub) power to cast out demons; and to the crowd in general saying that they are an "evil generation" seeking a sign (v. 29); then warning about light being darkness in us (or Satan appearing as an angel of light).
Finally; in verse 38 we see what would be considered (to say the least) bad manners after an invite to a meal. A simple concept of lack of handwashing which seemed trivial ended up in a railing accusation to the hypocrisy within for Pharisees in general. Then; to add insult to injury after He was informed that the lawyers were insulted He went after them!
(I would imagine there was a lot of indigestion there at that time).
The concept of righteous indignation especially among "religious" folks today seems like an ancient artifact. If judgment begins at the house of God; who is sounding the trumpet today?
It says he that does not work, does not eat (Paraphrased) Does that mean exactly what it says. ??
If a man is to lazy to get out and work and take care of his family, he should not eat the food he didn't earn.??
Explain please
The question remains; what exactly could be greater works than Christ promised to the Apostles and by default; to His church today? Clearly; when we look at the FRUIT of so called "healing ministries" and other modern "Prophets" we see little resemblance to the early church. Surely; if and when a true miracle does occur God does not advocate media promotion as occurs much of the time today. Since this is focused on prophecy rather than healing; we only need to look at scriptures to debunk those who aren't 100 percent accurate today. It IS true that even with certain scriptures; there is a time factor for things to occur; and the choices of individuals could affect the outcome (such as preparing for famine with Agabus's proclamation; and Paul's decision to go on to what eventually was his death; but appears to have come at a much later date). It is also true that unless the Lord states specifically there can be appeal to the Lord and He can "repent" in some sence from a decreed action. This is most clear with all things that happen now before the 21 judgments of the Tribulation are released (starting with Christ Himself opening the first seal). The restrainer is holding back for now.
The biggest issue is those whose hearts are far from God and simply have vain imaginations; or want to "tickle ears" as many false teachers do. (2 Tim.4:3). When we don't have mega church evangelists risking their lives and being martyred oftentimes for their faith we are not seeing real believers; by and large. Christ said that ALL who live godly in Christ Jesus will suffer persecution. ( 2 Tim. 3:12; jus a few verses earlier). It may not mean severe physical trials but certainly disqualifies many who depend on funding from their associations with questionable individuals or organizations. Like any TRUE gift; "blazing forth" the message often is unwise; as Christ told many not to do until He was meant to be revealed ( Matt. 9:30).
"In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God."
Who is the Word?
John 1:14-15 says the Word is Jesus. Does anyone deny that the Word is Jesus?
If someone believes John 1:14, then do they believe John 1:1
"...the Word was God."
"...[Jesus] was God."
JESUS.
WAS.
GOD.
John 1:1
This is God's Word.
Some here are saying "Jesus was NOT God" despite John 1:1 clearly saying Jesus WAS God. I'd like to know exactly how someone can believe in all other verses of the Bible except this one? If something WAS something, that seems to offer little room for interpretation. It means it's the same, does it not? So, if something WAS something, how does someone twist this into believing it says something WAS NOT something?
It then must be asked: since it takes so much effort to take a sentence something WAS something to turn it into: something WAS NOT something, what is the true underlying motive here? Does God's Word carry the most weight and influence or does something else?
This is eerily similar to Gen 3:4 where satan denied what God said and claimed that they shall NOT surely die. Satan loves opposites and this seems to have his signature, does it not?
I welcome any perspective I'm missing, but do not consider anything other Bible verses as valid evidence. God's Word is all that matters and because there's already numerous verses supporting that Jesus is God like John 1:1 then that is what is true. Lastly, why not just pray and ask God directly to know the truth? Genuinely ask!
1 John 5:7-8
John 10:30
John 8:19
Genesis 1:26
Genesis 11:6-7
(plural "us")
Philippians 2:5-8
2 Corinthians 5:19
John 1:3
Matthew 28:19
1 Peter 1:2
2 Corinthians 13:14
Deuteronomy 6:4
John 14:10
John 20:28
1 John 2:22-24
Matthew 1:23-25
Colossians 2:9
Acts 17:29
Romans 1:20
Isaiah 7:14
Hebrews 1:8
Isaiah 44:6
Isaiah 43:11
1Th 5:23 KJV And the very God of peace sanctify you wholly; and I pray God your whole spirit and soul and body be preserved blameless unto the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.
We know God moulded Adam from soil; Eve was made from Adams rib.
If we will go look at BONE ANATOMY, differences between Male and Female skeletons; you will see several differences. Male leg bones are stronger. Hips narrower.
Backs stronger.
The female pelvis OPENS with contractions during birth. It opens enough for a baby's skull to pass out of her womb. Her breasts don't make cows milk. It is the most perfect liquid for a baby: doesn't cause allergies, vitamin fortified, sweetened Not by white sugar. It's already sterile and the proper temperature. Lactose makes newborns drowsy.
Who did that? Did not God carefully create us these ways?
For thou hast possessed my reins: thou hast covered me in my mother's womb.
Luke 1:31
And, behold, thou shalt conceive in thy womb, and bring forth a son, and shalt call his name JESUS.
Job 31:15
Did not HE that made me in the womb make him? and did not one fashion us in the womb?
Galatians 1:15
But when it pleased God, who separated me from my mother's womb, and called me by his grace,
Psalms 22:10
I was cast upon thee from the womb: thou art my God from my mother's belly.
Psalms 22:9
But thou art he that took me out of the womb: thou didst make me hope when I was upon my mother's breasts.
Psalms 127:3
Lo, children are an heritage of the LORD: and the fruit of the womb is HIS mmm
Exodus 13:2
Sanctify unto me all the firstborn, whatsoever openeth the womb among the children of Israel, both of man and of beast: IT IS MINE.
Ecclesiastes 11:5
As thou knowest not what is the way of the spirit, nor how the bones do grow in the womb of her that is with child: even so thou knowest not the works of God who maketh all.
Jeremiah 1:5
BEFORE I formed thee in the belly I knew thee; and before thou camest forth out of the womb I sanctified thee, and I ordained thee a prophet unto the nations.
Do we get a free pass on Judging Gods Workmanship? Because this child was born blind, this child was a rapists seed?
A better question: do we judge God for not making us the definition of perfection, because: our nose is too big, our ears too small, stubby fingers_not long and tapering?
Who is in charge of our beginnings, the variables?
Only a Loving God, only Our Savior, can look into a womb and see perfection, possibilities, future of the next generation.
If all we see are imperfections, no one would be born; given a chance to make the world a better place.
Instead of abortion clinics, why not sterilization instead?
God said in Deuteronomy_Choose Life that You and Your Seed shall Live. Our God is very very Wise.
For all those things hath Mine hand made and all those things have been , saith the LORD: but to this man , will I Look ,even to him that is poor and of a contrite spirit, and trembleth at my word .
Reminds me of the verse humble theyself before the Lord . And why not ? Gods greatnesses cannot be found out . Amen !
The significant factor often missing from these analogies is breaching of a covenant. This is why those; for instance, who have remarried without scriptural permission are very hypocritical focusing on others who are living together who weren't under such a covenant. But marriage today is viewed at the human level as a contract; rather than a covenant with the eternal God between one man and woman that is to be permanent for life; and which encompasses vows from each party (at least traditionally) implying the penalties should such a pact be broken. This is similar to God's covenant people in the nation of Israel; where God had called them out from bondage. Their knowledge being present while the miracles occurred and seeing God's providence after the Exodus in the desert made them more responsible when they fell into practices of the pagan nations.
But; as scripture states not all Israel was true Israel ( Romans 9:6-7). There are many verses where emphasis is placed on keeping vows in the O.T.
Finally; anything we know is right and fail to do is sin ( James 4:17-loosly translated). We should at all times keep our commitments unless it becomes impossible not to go against scriptural conduct in our lives. We need also to be careful to do things of obedience out of love of God not self promotion.
At this point; all bets are off. Jesus has to deal with the hearts of Pharisees; with their thoughts; or comments about Him using the Devil's (Beelzebub) power to cast out demons; and to the crowd in general saying that they are an "evil generation" seeking a sign (v. 29); then warning about light being darkness in us (or Satan appearing as an angel of light).
Finally; in verse 38 we see what would be considered (to say the least) bad manners after an invite to a meal. A simple concept of lack of handwashing which seemed trivial ended up in a railing accusation to the hypocrisy within for Pharisees in general. Then; to add insult to injury after He was informed that the lawyers were insulted He went after them!
(I would imagine there was a lot of indigestion there at that time).
The concept of righteous indignation especially among "religious" folks today seems like an ancient artifact. If judgment begins at the house of God; who is sounding the trumpet today?