sovereigngrace said:

Those who are part of this symbolic tree enjoy a common spiritual identity that is reflected in a new type of citizenship. It is a spiritual citizenship that is heaven-centered which only believers can enjoy. This symbolic tree represents the Israel of God from throughout the nations – the only Israel God recognizes. No unbeliever is part of it because partaking in its blessing and sustenance comes through the exercise of faith. This joining of Jews and Gentiles together fulfilled many of the promises Abraham received about the nations being blessed in him

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This is the Truth and any other theory is a lie.
Only a small remnant of Judah will survive to be a minority in all of the faithful Chrisian Israelites of God. Ezekiel 16:63

Colo Millz said:

The Bible is filled with direct commands and choices, which only make sense if the recipient is capable of selecting between alternatives.

"I have set before you life and death, blessings and curses. Now choose life...'

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True free will requires the ability of one moral agent to make moral choices without coercion, constraints, or consequences imposed by another moral agent. Anything short of that is not "free will," but "volitional agency."

prodromos said:

Then I hope it is obvious to you that flights from Sydney to Santiago make absolutely no sense on your flat earth map, being a shorter flight than Sydney to Los Angeles, yet make perfect sense on the globe.
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Those flights don’t make sense because pilots are just part of the hundreds of millions of people who are all in on the conspiracy to hide the shape of the planet for no apparent reason at all.

The Incredible Hulk

Hey Arnold!

AV1611VET said:

Would you say then, that a living [plant or] animal is a gestalt?

That is, it is greater than the sum of its parts?

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No, it is the actual sum of it's parts. That's why there is no single definition. It's a combination of things that determine if something is alive.

AV1611VET said:

As Kent pointed out, once you shut the blender off, you still need to introduce energy back into the equation.

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We've gone through this. We all agree, including Hovind, that you can't simply mix the constituents and immediately get all the characteristics appearing (plugging them into the mains makes no difference). It's like Hoyle's metaphor of a tornado through a junkyard producing a 747. It ain't going to happen. So we'll ignore that and investigate how it could happen.

We need to go back to looking at dealing cards. That will give you an idea how it all works (as opposed to 'frog in blender')...

sovereigngrace said:

Many on here were deceived by Pretrib growing up, but our eyes have been opened to its folly. You cannot even prove one single claim. You add unto the scriptural text. This is all man-made theories. There is no substance to it. That is because you do not have Scripture to support Pretrib. There is no proof-text in Scripture - that is why you twist a text like Revelation 4.

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I have been doing this 40 years, I understand the difference between the holy spirts voice and Satan's lies. Anytime I see people who can not understand God's SIMPLE TIMING PATTERNS, I get leery. Not understanding these deeper truths leads people down wrong paths, and then they teach others these same errors. Yet these types refuse to listen to those of us who present the facts, its always the message board warriors or the Mormon/JW types that go down these roads.

No matter how its presented, even when it overcomes their own take on things, they jut forge ahead, eyes closed, these types can't see because they chose not to see. As per anything secret, its only secret TO YOU GUYS. God writes in ways the average joe CAN NOT SEE on purpose. Jesus stated he spoke in parables so the world hearing they would not hear and seeing would not see. So, why didn't Israel understand the Old Testament Bible that foretold Jesus' coming as a sacrifice? Because they did not WANT TO SEE IT !! Its in there, but in God's own way He forces us to dig these truths out, NOTICE, nowhere does it say on Dec. 25 (just an example we do not know what day he was born on) year 03 at 7 AM that Yeshua will be born. WHY? According to you guys that is how God must write things down, same excuse the Pharisees and Nicodemus gave. The Old Man in the temple saw baby Jesus and he knew but HOW? The wise men knew. The scripture says Yeshua will be born in Bethlehem, it says "My son" will come out of Egypt, how can both be true? Did God confused the Pharisees on purpose? No, that is how He writes, you call it "SECRET" but its not, you just refuse to hear these factoids because God refuses IT spell it out in a manner you think He should. Psstt, He wants you to dig it out, and you are too busy locked into your own understanding, just as the Pharisees were, MOST PEOPLE ARE, so Nicodemus asks how can a man be born again? Which he of course refused to believe.

Its not even hard, to those who will open their minds and investigate all of the pertinent facts. Revelation is hard, the Simple Pre Trib. Rapture is not, that is easy stuff, their can be no other timing, period, nothing else even remotely fits. But like the pharisees you expect God to say it in BIG BOLD WORDS, that is not going to happen, it did not happen with Jesus' birth which practically no one saw coming, and it will not happen with the rapture, but unlike them, we have direct access to the holy spirit, so like that Old Man, many people will understand it. He dug the info out as did the wise men, its here, why can't you dig it out my friend?

sovereigngrace said:

Revelation 4:1-2 has absolutely nothing to do with a secret rapture. In fact, note what it actually says and how it compares to similarly worded passages in Revelation. Remember, the safest way to understand Scripture is to compare Scripture with Scripture.

Revelation 4:1-2 commences, “After this (speaking of his supernatural encounter with Christ on Patmos) I looked, and, behold, a door was opened in heaven: and the first voice which I heard was as it were of a trumpet talking with me; which said, Come up hither, and I will shew thee things which must be hereafter. And immediately I was in the spirit: and, behold, a throne was set in heaven, and one sat on the throne.”

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That is NOT CORRECT, the After THIS is speaking about the Church Age. The THINGS WHICH YOU HAVE SEEN is talking about the Supernatural Glory of Jesus' Eternal Godhead and Splendor. The THINGS WHCH ARE can only mean the Church Age. The Hereafter can only mean after he Church Age. You denying these facts will not change these facts brother. We know when the transition happens because we see it happen in real time in Rev. 4:1

AFTER THIS (Rev. 2 and 3 the Church Age where 7 = Divine Completion, not after Rev. 1 COME ON, this is why you can never see these things) A DOOR IS OPEN TO HEAVEN, does God have to knock us over the head to show us this is the rapture? COME UP HERE............Again, its astounding you can not see this which should be an easy thing to see..........AND I WILL SHOW YOU THINGS WHICH MUST BE "HEREAFTER" [The Church Age]. As I stated, you do not want to see it. The disciples understood by Nicodemus

Running late, All I have time for today

Akita Suggagaki said:

If you have a point to make please do so.

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Ok I’ll give you some clues. Byzantine Emperor. His name means man. As in, See the man. Or, See, the man. Also, by mere happenstance and completely unrelated, a king of Jerusalem died at the same time.

Michie said:

Sandy Schaetz still mourns the baby she never met.

“It was terrifying and traumatic,” she said of her miscarriage. “I was consoled after by the prayers of a deacon, but never named the baby or knew if it was a boy or girl.”

“It was not something I understood at the time and I only wish I had known more of what was happening,” she told CNA.

Now, Schaetz volunteers with Compassionate Burials for Indigent Babies (CBIB), an organization that buries babies who died, whether stillborn, miscarried, or aborted.

The group organizes everything for the funerals, which are held at a crypt at St. Patrick’s Cemetery in New Orleans.

A shoebox-sized casket lined with donated white fabric, usually from wedding dresses, is processed through the cemetery, with Knights of Columbus present as the honor guard. A volunteer musician plays at every funeral; a Catholic deacon presides at almost every burial.

Continued below.

Burials for little ones: How a New Orleans ministry helps families grieve

Compassionate Burials for Indigent Babies buries babies who have died and organizes the funerals, which are held at a crypt at St. Patrick’s Cemetery in New Orleans.

www.catholicnewsagency.com

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That’s such a touching story.

DragonFox91 said:

Is that bad?
Do you donate plasma often?

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Usually, I'm in the donation bed for over an hour. I knew it was going like crazy, and the nurse told me it was done in forty-eight minutes flat today. It was a new nurse poking my arm that I had never seen or dealt with before. Whatever she did, it really worked. I donate as often as my left arm will cooperate. My right arm isn't usable at all, which sucks for being left-handed, haha. If the donation doesn't go through to completion, a full two-month wait is required, and I have more of those than I care for. I am trying to do it every two weeks now or so, more than the required seven-day interval.

Garfield and Friends

Family Guy

HIM said:

Praise God! Glad to hear it!





Hey there, What you might be forgetting here is in Paul's explanation of the Gospel to all who be in Rome that he says, that by the Law is the knowledge of sin in 3:23 and that he would not have known sin but by the Law 7:7. These are spoken of in the present and historic present tense respectively. He also says in Romans 7 that he delights in the Law of God in his explanation of the law, the one that is the power sin has over him working all manner of concupiscence incapacitating from doing the good that he would in his members. As Jesus said he that commits sin as a slave to it. John 8

And in His speaking of this law of sin and the consequences of it, death he shares that we been set free from it through the Spirit of the Life in Christ Jesus that the righteousness of the Law, the law of God in which he delights to be fulfilled in us who walk after the Spirit of the Life in Christ Jesus.

Mat 5:17? Is that what you are referring to when you say, "But since the law has been fulfilled"?

If so then we have the rest of the sermon to deal with. As a matter of fact Jesus continues and says immediately that are righteousness must exceed the righteousness of the pharisees. And that anyone who teaches or breaks one of the least of these commandments they shalll be called least in the Kingdom of Heaven All this said right after He states that not one jot or tittle pass from the Law until all has been fulfilled.

All has not been fulfilled friend.

How do we know? Because He has not returned to establish the New Heaven and New earth. Couple that with what is here in regard to Romans. And 1 Tim 1:8-10 where Paul also says the Law is for the sinner and one must come up with a different conclusion that you are putting forward here.

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I guess I wasn’t clear enough in my last post. What I posted is essentially Paul’s argument from chapter 3 to chapter 4. It relates to the intention of the law and the result of the law with regards to sin. I’m going to try to make it a little clearer.

Several passages of Scripture clearly establish that the coming of Christ has brought an end to the Mosaic Law.

Romans 10:4, “Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to everyone who believes.”

Christ fulfilled the Ten Commandments by living a perfect and sinless life and so when man trusts in Christ as his Savior, Christ’s righteousness is imputed to that individual so we have justification (Romans 4) resulting in the fact that the Law can’t condemn us (Romans 4:4-8; 5:1, 7:1-6, 8:1).

Christ fulfilled the ceremonial ordinances, the shadows and types of His person and work, by dying on the cross for us and in our place.

Christ also fulfilled the Social Law, but now He replaces it with a new way of life fitting to our new salvation.

The believer now is under God’s new law, the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus (Romans 8:2-4).

Therefore, the doctrine of justification by means of faith in Jesus Christ upholds the Law for three reasons:

(1) Jesus Christ’s death on the Cross satisfied the demands of God’s Law that required that human sin be judged (Romans 3:26).

(2) Jesus Christ’s death on the Cross establishes the Law by fulfilling the purpose of the Law in driving men to Jesus Christ as their Savior (Galatians 3:24).

(3) Jesus Christ’s death on the Cross establishes the Law by providing believers the capacity to obey the Law through the ministry of the Holy Spirit (Romans 8:3-4).

This is why I stated in my last post that the Holy Spirit gives us the knowledge of sin and the way to repentance since the law is not able to. This is why there is no longer condemnation for those in Christ (Rom. 8:1).

Trophonius said:

I've been struggling with the same too. Sometimes I think of leaving the christian faith altogether non religious people seem to be less alone...

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Don't leave! You won't like that either. Jesus says it'll be lonely as a Christian.

.Mikha'el. said:

Wow. I've never had a plasma donation go that fast in my life.

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Is that bad?
Do you donate plasma often?

Apple Sky said:

I shall have to go over your post more to get the gist of it, as at the mo it just sounds gobbledygook to me.
How ever I appreciate you trying to explain it too me.

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The easiest thing to do is look at the flight path on your flat earth map. Sydney to Santiago literally flies directly over Los Angeles on its way, so the flight should be way longer than Sydney to Los Angeles, yet it takes less time to fly Sydney to Santiago than it does to fly Sydney to Los Angeles.

Thus, flat earth does not match reality whereas globe earth matches perfectly.

The Bible is filled with direct commands and choices, which only make sense if the recipient is capable of selecting between alternatives.

"I have set before you life and death, blessings and curses. Now choose life...'

University of Wisconsin Police investigating stickers promoting violence against ICE​

The University of Wisconsin-Madison Police are investigating stickers that appeared on campus encouraging violence against federal immigration agents.

Republicans are pointing to the imagery as another example of the hostile climate conservatives face on college campuses.

rambot said:

Have they set a depostion date for Trump yet on this matter?

Are there other people they have still yet to depose?

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you should open a thread on the new topic - this one is clearly about Clinton

CoreyD said:

Did God create his intelligent children with free will?
Though many whether religious or non religious claim not, and argue against this, the answer is clearly yes.

What is the proof?
There are a number of scriptures, but let's start with John 8:44


Starting with God's heavenly children - the spirit creation, called angels, the Bible says of the one called Devil and Satan... When he lies, he speaks out of his own character. That is... pertaining to self, or of his own.
The disciple James uses this term in this way...

James 1:14

Jesus thus makes clear that the angel that became Satan the Devil, acts according to his own will, or desire.
Jesus further states in the same verse, John 8:44... "your will is to do your father’s desires".
Humans too, have their own will, which is in opposition to the father.

Can sin be blamed for the will of intelligent creatures?
Jesus said, the one called Devil and Satan, "was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth, because there is no truth in him".
So, no, this was a deliberate opposing of the truth. Hence, the name Satan.

It's also important to note that this angel .... in fact all of the angels... none are born in sin and shaped in iniquity.
So, sin cannot be claimed as a hinderance to free will. Nor can it be claimed that they have to give in to wrong desires.
The angels make their own decisions to do what the want. Genesis 6:2
Proof that the angels - God's heavenly children, do have free will.

Regarding humans, the same apply.
In saying that their will is to do Satan's desire, what was Jesus pointing out? They were acting on their own will. Not anyone else's.
That humans have free will is made clear in other scriptures.

1 Timothy 2:14

The Bible says Adam was not deceived.
Thus Adam acted on his own free will.
The verse says, Eve became a sinner, only after acting on her desire.
Adam and Eve were free willed agents... not driven by sin, but making free willed decisions.
Proof that humans... God's earthly children were created with free will.

Did sin somehow cancel out free will.
In the imagination of many, that is the case.
However, the Bible does not say that after sin came into the world through one man, that free will became obsolete.
Rather, the scriptures refer to man's free will, repeatedly.
Leviticus 1:3; 1 Corinthians 9:16-18 Deuteronomy 30:19; 2 Corinthians 9:7; Philemon 1:14

The Greek word hekousios - meaning free will, is the neuter of a derivative from hekon; voluntariness -- willingly, which is (an adjective, a primitive term) – properly, willing; "unforced, of one's own will, voluntary" (J. Thayer), i.e. acting on one's own accord. The root (hek-) emphasizes intentional, deliberate action (choice), i.e. "of free-will" (J. Thayer).

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While humans undeniably possess will--the capacity to make intentional choices--we do not possess "free will" in the strict sense, nor does scripture assert or even imply that we do.

True free will requires the ability of one moral agent to make moral choices without coercion, constraints, or consequences imposed by another moral agent. Anything short of that is not "free will," but "volitional agency."

In scripture, God (the ultimate moral agent) establishes both the moral law and the consequences of obedience or disobedience, limiting human choice. Scripture consistently depicts human choice as constrained, conditioned, and accountable to God’s commands. Therefore, humans have volitional agency but not free will, because all moral decisions occur within the framework of divine authority and consequence.

The Emperor;s New School