Exred, perhaps that is why you don't need to tell a farmer there is a creator? That is what I read somewhere..................makes sense to me....................
Part of the reason for questioning some things is because of being at times concerned about doing the right thing.......... The Gospel is really simple, yet still, leaves questions at times especially when seeing other believes so different than your own. Yes also contrary, to what one knows of their own. One good thing the Bible says that we only know things in part but someday we will see the whole picture revealed..................
Do we get to ask questions, just kidding.............. My dad often told me that I could ask more questions than ten wise men could answer. So asking questions is nothing new for me how else do I learn...............Next.......................jenny
Deedreamer, remember this song? When coming home..........."What a day of rejoicing this will be?" Wow,and I was going to delete this blog. Jesus never left you girl, remember "Foot prints in the sands?" Yes at certain difficult times, He carried you, never stopped loving you...............jenny.......
Hi good people, Exred, wow, long time no see, good to see your back. Becoming a Christian took me about 5 years asking questions etc. At my home, there was no talk about God I had to find it myself and I did find it. I told it all in here if anyone cares to read it........... Hi lovecanbereal and hplady love you all..............
Answer: The books of the Bible were written at different times by different authors over a period of approximately 1,500 years. But that is not to say that it took 1,500 years to write the Bible, only that it took that long for the complete canon of Scripture to be penned as God progressively revealed His Word. The oldest book of the Bible, according to most scholars, is either Genesis or Job, both thought to have been written by Moses and completed around 1400 BC, about 3,400 years ago. The newest book, Revelation, was written around AD 90.
The books of the Bible were not being written continuously. For example, 400 years elapsed between the completion of the last book of the Old Testament, Malachi, and the beginning of the New Testament with the gospel of Matthew. The “400 years of silence” occurred because the Spirit of God did not inspire any Scripture during that time. Although Matthew’s gospel is placed first in the New Testament, it is believed that the first New Testament book written was actually the epistle of James, written in approximately AD 44—49. The entire New Testament was written in about 50 years, from AD 44 to 90 or 95.
It is impossible to know how long it took each author to write his particular book. Moses wrote the first five books of the Old Testament in about 40 years (1445—1405 BC). Does that mean he was continually writing for 40 years? We just don’t know the answer. Paul’s letters to the New Testament churches, especially the shorter ones such as Philemon, may have been written in one sitting. The same can be said of 2 John and 3 John, which are very short letters written to specific individuals.
We do know that each of the Bible’s authors wrote only as much and as long as they were led to do so. Each author wrote at the direction of the Holy Spirit who “breathed out” Scripture to him. Peter explains this process: “Prophecy never had its origin in the human will, but prophets, though human, spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit” (2 Peter 1:21; cf. 2 Timothy 3:16).
Tribulation............. In the futurist view of Christian, the Tribulation is a relatively short period of time where everyone will experience worldwide hardships, persecution, disasters, famine, war, pain, and suffering, which will affect all of creation, and precede judgement of all when the Second Coming takes place. Some pretribulationists believe that those who choose to follow God will be raptured before the tribulation, and thus escape it.[citation needed] On the other hand, some posttribulationists (Christians who believe the rapture is synonymous with the resurrection that takes place after the Tribulation) believe Christians must endure the Tribulation as a test of their faith.[citation needed]
According to dispensationalists who hold the futurist view, the Tribulation is thought to occur before the Second Coming of Jesus and during the End Times. In this view, the Tribulation will last seven prophetic Hebrew years (lasting 360 days each) in all but the Great Tribulation will be the second half of the Tribulation period (see Matt 24:15 and Matt 24:21 showing the Great Tribulation is after the Abomination of Desolation, the midpoint of the Tribulation).
In this view, this seven-year period is considered to be the final week of Daniel's Prophecy of Seventy Weeks, found in Daniel chapter 9. It is theorized that each week represents seven years, with the timetable beginning from Artaxerxes' order to rebuild the Second Temple in Jerusalem. After seven weeks and 62 weeks, the prophecy says that the Messiah will be "cut off", which is taken to correspond to the death of Christ. This is seen as creating a break of indeterminate length in the timeline, with one week remaining to be fulfilled.
The time period for these beliefs is also based on other passages: in the Book of Daniel, "time, times, and half a time", interpreted as "three and a half years," and the Book of Revelation, "a thousand two hundred and threescore days" and "forty and two months" (the prophetic month averaging 30 days, hence 1260/30 = 42 months or 3.5 years). The 1290 days of Daniel 12:11, (rather than the 1260 days of Revelation 11:3), is thought to be the result of either a simple intercalary leap month adjustment, or due to further calculations related to the prophecy, or due to an intermediate stage of time that is to prepare the world for the beginning of the millennial reign.
Among Futurists there are differing views about what will happen to Christians during the Tribulation Pretribulationists believe that all righteous Christians (dead and alive) will be taken bodily up to Heaven (called the rapture) before the Tribulation begins. According to this belief, every true Christian that has ever existed throughout the course of the entire Christian era will be instantaneously transformed into a perfect resurrected body, and will thus escape the trials of the Tribulation. Those who become Christians after the rapture will live through (or perish during) the Tribulation. After the Tribulation, Christ will return to establish his Millennial Kingdom. Prewrath Tribulationists believe the rapture will occur during the Tribulation, halfway through or after, but before the seven bowls of the wrath of God. Midtribulationists believe that the rapture will occur halfway through the Tribulation, but before the worst part of it occurs. The seven-year period is divided into halves—the "beginning of sorrows" and the "Great Tribulation". Posttribulationists believe that Christians will not be taken up into Heaven for eternity, but will be received or gathered in the air by Christ, to descend together to establish the Kingdom of God on earth at the end of the Tribulation. In pretribulationism and midtribulationism, the rapture and the Second Coming of Christ are separate events, while in post-tribulationism the two events are identical or simultaneous. Another feature of the pre- and mid-tribulation [/s
There is no doubt in my mind that we are living in the end times. The last call Jesus made in the book of Revelations is; "Behold I stand at the door and I knock". The Lord Himself is the one who knocks on the door. (Meaning the door of your heart) Talk about being humble............. It is the last call made to unrepentant hearts, not much time left to make a decision..............
Some people tell me that they were "born" in the church. I understand taken to church since you were a baby...........lucky you. Yet there comes a time that you have to make your own decision, your own commitment to invite Jesus into your life. Some kids realize at a very early age that they are a sinner, that is the time to make that commitment. to the Lord...................
Is there someone here who would like to share how and when they became a Christian? I love to hear your experience and am sure some others do. You may leave your name out if you like. Just share okay?. Do you have prayers that were answered and would like to share those?..................jenny
Won't Heaven be boring, the Angels playing the harp all day.. Where did this come from the Angels playing the harp? Oh if they did play all day, it would drive me bunkers too soon enough......So then what, jumping on the clouds or................
We will have work to do. The idea of working in heaven is foreign to many people. Yet Scripture clearly teaches it. When God created Adam, he "took the man and put him in the Garden of Eden to work it and take care of it" (Genesis 2:15). Work was part of the original Eden. It was part of a perfect human life.
God Himself is a worker. He didn't create the world and then retire. Jesus said, "My Father is always at His work to this very day, and I, too, am working" (John 5:17). Jesus found great satisfaction in His work. "‘My food,' Jesus said, ‘is to do the will of Him who sent me and to finish His work'" (John 4:34).
We'll also have work to do, satisfying and enriching work that we can't wait to get back to, work that'll never be drudgery. God is the primary worker, and as His image-bearers, we're made to work. We create, accomplish, set goals and fulfill them—to God's glory.
Now I am just curious as what I will be given to do, aren't you? .....................
Ephesians 2:8-9 8 For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— 9 not by works so that no one can boast.
In my personal stories, I told of answered prayer and hearing His voice twice. I am not easily given to drama or exacerbation, am a cool Dutch-born woman, very down to earth I was raised in a home without any religion, my dad told me to find it myself. It took me about 5 years of questioning, driving a few people wacko but I did find it. Yes, I was a hard nut to crack but found the prophecies fascinating, they tell the past and the future.
When I told a lady that I had found Jesus, she said; "Oh I did not know He had been lost" Yes that is what I found out too that the Lord has a great sense of humor..........PTL Praise The Lord..................
I pray for a large family in Heaven, so you all come you hear?..............
Question: "Why didn’t the disciples always recognize Jesus after His resurrection?"
Answer: The Bible does not specifically tell us why the followers of Christ did not always recognize Jesus after His resurrection. As a result, some of the following is speculation. Keeping this in mind, there are a few things that might have contributed to the disciples not recognizing Jesus immediately when He first appeared to them after His resurrection. First, even though Jesus had predicted that He would rise again on the third day, the disciples did not fully understand (Mark 9:32), because clearly they were not looking for Him to be resurrected. This can account for some of their surprise and shock at seeing Him.
One of the instances where Jesus was not recognized was Mary Magdalene’s coming to the tomb early in the morning (John 20:15). Instead of recognizing Jesus, she first mistook Him for the gardener. One thing that is important to remember is that we do not know how far Mary was from Jesus when she misidentified Him. It could be that she was simply too far to clearly recognize who He was until He spoke to her. Second, we must remember that since it was very early in the morning, the light would not have been very bright which could also have made it more difficult for her to see Him clearly. When we couple that with the fact that she was not expecting to see Him alive, it is easy to see why she did not recognize Him from a distance until He spoke to her.
A second instance in which Jesus was not immediately recognized was when the disciples did not recognize Him when they were out fishing (John 21:4). This could also be related to the distance Jesus might have been from them. A third instance is when the two disciples on the road to Emmaus (Luke 24:13-35) did not recognize Jesus until He broke bread. How could these two disciples have walked, talked, and eaten with Jesus without recognizing Him? In this instance, it seems that they were supernaturally prevented from recognizing Jesus. Jesus perhaps had taken on a different appearance to keep Himself from being recognized. Why would Jesus have done this? The Bible does not say. Perhaps Jesus “veiled” His identity so the two disciples would truly think through the things Jesus was saying, rather than accepting the teaching blindly, as they likely would have if they had known it was Jesus.
What we can know for certain is that it was Jesus Himself who appeared to them because of all the testimony of those who saw the resurrected Christ. In addition, there was a witness of the remarkable change that took place in the lives of the disciples. Immediately before and after the crucifixion, the eleven apostles were in hiding in fear, yet after spending considerable time with the resurrected Christ, they became fearless evangelists proclaiming the gospel boldly no matter how strong the opposition. In addition, all eventually gave their lives for the sake of the gospel. Only witnessing the resurrected Jesus Christ can account for such a radical change.
Myself? I find it utterly amazing that the Almighty is seeking to communicate with us through prayer. I find that mindblowing. Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane was disappointed in the apostles, it was just before He knew He would be crucified. He asked them to stay awake with him throughout this terrible hour. Again Jesus is seeking the companionship of men. The apostles had all fallen asleep. Jesus in His sorrow prayed to His Father to please take this cup from me, his crucifixion. Crucifixion was the way it was done in those days to all men criminals etc.
Question: "What does the Bible teach about the Trinity?"
Answer: The most difficult thing about the Christian concept of the Trinity is that there is no way to perfectly and completely understand it. The Trinity is a concept that is impossible for any human being to fully understand, let alone explain. God is infinitely greater than we are; therefore, we should not expect to be able to fully understand Him. The Bible teaches that the Father is God, that Jesus is God, and that the Holy Spirit is God. The Bible also teaches that there is only one God. Though we can understand some facts about the relationship of the different Persons of the Trinity to one another, ultimately, it is incomprehensible to the human mind. However, this does not mean the Trinity is not true or that it is not based on the teachings of the Bible.
The Trinity is one God existing in three Persons. Understand that this is not in any way suggesting three Gods. Keep in mind when studying this subject that the word “Trinity” is not found in Scripture. This is a term that is used to attempt to describe the triune God—three coexistent, co-eternal Persons who are God. Of real importance is that the concept represented by the word “Trinity” does exist in Scripture. The following is what God’s Word says about the Trinity:
1) There is one God (Deuteronomy 6:4; 1 Corinthians 8:4; Galatians 3:20; 1 Timothy 2:5).
Thank you for your kind words Joy, I was led to this because we are living in the end times, so time is running out. It is easy to see by what is going on in the world..............
John the Baptist Beheaded 14 At that time Herod the tetrarch heard the reports about Jesus, 2 and he said to his attendants, “This is John the Baptist; he has risen from the dead! That is why miraculous powers are at work in him.”
3 Now Herod had arrested John and bound him and put him in prison because of Herodias, his brother Philip’s wife, 4 for John had been saying to him: “It is not lawful for you to have her.” 5 Herod wanted to kill John, but he was afraid of the people because they considered John a prophet.
6 On Herod’s birthday the daughter of Herodias danced for the guests and pleased Herod so much 7 that he promised with an oath to give her whatever she asked. 8 Prompted by her mother, she said, “Give me here on a platter the head of John the Baptist.” 9 The king was distressed, but because of his oaths and his dinner guests, he ordered that her request be granted 10 and had John beheaded in the prison. 11 His head was brought in on a platter and given to the girl, who carried it to her mother. 12 John’s disciples came and took his body and buried it. Then they went and told Jesus.
The Boy Jesus at the Temple 41 Every year Jesus’ parents went to Jerusalem for the Festival of the Passover. 42 When he was twelve years old, they went up to the festival, according to the custom. 43 After the festival was over, while his parents were returning home, the boy Jesus stayed behind in Jerusalem, but they were unaware of it. 44 Thinking he was in their company, they traveled on for a day. Then they began looking for him among their relatives and friends. 45 When they did not find him, they went back to Jerusalem to look for him. 46 After three days they found him in the temple courts, sitting among the teachers, listening to them and asking them questions. 47 Everyone who heard him was amazed at his understanding and his answers. 48 When his parents saw him, they were astonished. His mother said to him, “Son, why have you treated us like this? Your father and I have been anxiously searching for you.”
49 “Why were you searching for me?” he asked. “Didn’t you know I had to be in my Father’s house?” 50 But they did not understand what he was saying to them.
51 Then he went down to Nazareth with them and was obedient to them. But his mother treasured all these things in her heart. 52 And Jesus grew in wisdom and stature, and in favor with God and man.
Being realistic I go by what is known to me through the Bible, the many prophecies, many that have already come to pass and now we are at the end of time. The many answers to prayer I have received making Jesus very real to me. Some people asked me to pray for them because God listens to me. Nonsense of course, when I pray I am expecting an answer, it may not come for a while but it will come of that I am sure. A lot of people pray and then forget about it and they may not see the answer when it comes. What all came before Jesus is not important to me as it will make no difference in what I now believe. We now have the Bible which did not exist before .............
Footsteps in the sand...............'''''''''''' One night I dreamed a dream. As I was walking along the beach with my Lord. Across the dark sky flashed scenes from my life. For each scene, I noticed two sets of footprints in the sand, One belonging to me and one to my Lord.
After the last scene of my life flashed before me, I looked back at the footprints in the sand. I noticed that at many times along the path of my life, especially at the very lowest and saddest times, there was only one set of footprints.
This really troubled me, so I asked the Lord about it. "Lord, you said once I decided to follow you, You'd walk with me all the way. But I noticed that during the saddest and most troublesome times of my life, there was only one set of footprints. I don't understand why, when I needed You the most, You would leave me."
He whispered, "My precious child, I love you and will never leave you Never, ever, during your trials and testings. When you saw only one set of footprints, It was then that I carried you."
You know Joy I am a firm believer in, " Let not your left hand know what your right hand is doing." I surprised myself by telling about the gloves given to the homeless man. It just was so nice to hear a few years later that the man stopped and thanked us. That really was our reward to know something you did was appreciated so much. We are not always lucky enough to know this.................
Joy I can really say; My hand is like a child's hand, easily filled...............
Have you ever looked into the poem section? It is almost like the blogs and not all are about poems, many are not really. Very nice people there. I believe they have more time to share, try them...
There are inherent and fundamental differences between Buddhism and Christianity, one significant element being that while Christianity is at its core monotheistic and relies on a God as a Creator, Buddhism is generally non-theistic and rejects the notion of a Creator God which provides divine values for the world.
The central iconic imagery of the two traditions underscore the difference in their belief structure, when the peaceful death of Gautama Buddha at an old age is contrasted with the harsh image of the crucifixion of Jesus as a willing sacrifice for the atonement for the sins of humanity. Buddhist scholars such as Masao Abe see the centrality of crucifixion in Christianity as an irreconcilable gap between the two belief systems.
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What Makes Jesus Unique? No one else made the claims that He did, He is alive...............
Exred, perhaps that is why you don't need to tell a farmer there is a creator?That is what I read somewhere..................makes sense to me....................