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Results from: Answered Bible Questions, Answers, Unanswered Bible Questions, Notes Author: JohnK Ordered by Verse |
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Results | Verse | Author | ID# | |||
1 | Can brain damage lead to damnation? | Not Specified | JohnK | 17436 | ||
I have a qustion that I have researched a lot, but I haven't found an answer that puts the mystery to rest. This question came to me while in psychology class in college: There was a story of a man who was a foreman in the railroad construction business. He was well liked. His personality was described as warm, very friendly, and he would never utter a curse word. One day there was an accident on the worksite where an iron rod was driven through his skull. He survived, but he had some brain damage. His personality went sour. Every other word out of his mouth was a curse. His personality changed so drastically that everybody hated him after the accident. He not only cursed a lot but he also became a crook. Not a day would go by that he wouldn't try to steal or pick a fight. This made me really think. What if he was a very devout christian, or even a priest, then he suffered this accident. Would he be accountable to God for his sins even if his personality change was due to physical damage to his brain? I am a bit confused on the subject and would really appreciate any light you can shed on this. And what about those that are born with severe mental retardation? Thank you very much!!! John K. |
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2 | Lost my salvation? (Hebrews 6:4-6) | Not Specified | JohnK | 17811 | ||
I have read many of the responses to the question of Hebrews 6:4-6. It seems to be a difficult, and frightening idea that a believer can fall from grace to the point of never being able to come back to salvation. But consider this: When Peter denied Christ 3 times, didn't he fall under the Hebrews 6:4-6 passage? If not, then would you say that the 3 deliberate denials were just simply 3 sins and not a falling away? Or how about when Peter (Matt 18:21-22) asked Christ, "Lord, how often shall my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? Up to seven times?" Jesus said to him, "I do not say to you, up to seven times, but up to seventy times seven" So, what is exactly being said in Hebrews 6:4? Is it my own wishful thinking that says I can still be saved? You see, I truly beleived I was saved at one point, but slowly I drifted away from the Lord. My prayers became farther and farther between, and I eventually stopped reading the bible, and I fell back into my old sins. But several years later, I feel the honest need and desire to be close to the Lord again. I pray that I will never fall away again. But does this mean that I can never come back to the Lord again as stated in Hebrews 6:4-6? I do keep in mind what the Lord said, (Mark 3:28) Assuredly, I say to you, all sins will be forgiven the sons of men, and whatever blasphemies they may utter..." But I am still frightened. To be honest, I feel sick every time I read the book of Hebrews. No matter how much assurance I get from other passages in the bible, I am scared. It is good to be afraid of God, but not like this. I want to be happy that I have salvation, but the idea of being damned for eternity is to much to handle. What should I think? |
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3 | Do I need to be well versed! | Bible general Archive 1 | JohnK | 43818 | ||
Hello, welcome to the forum! It is not important to memorize chapter and paragraph numbers. After all, the numbers and chapters were all added well after the Bible was completed. If I am not mistaken, the chapter and paragraph numbers were introduced sometime after the printing press found it's way to Europe in the middle ages. But as far as the forum is concerned, it is a good idea to be able to show where your quotes are coming from, because it occasionally happens where someone makes something up or misquotes something, therefore giving it a different meaning. A good idea is to have two web-pages open when you are in the forum, the first one would be an online bible that you can copy and paste from, a great one can be found at: http://bible.gospelcom.net and of course, the other web-page would be this forum. John- |
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4 | Did Jesus pre-exist before his birth? | Bible general Archive 1 | JohnK | 44079 | ||
He often sayed, "I am", and "I and my father are one and the same." That is because Jesus was God, come in the flesh. Only God could be without sin. There are numerous passages in the bible that attest to the fact that Jesus was in fact, God. | ||||||
5 | How do I study Revelations? | Bible general Archive 1 | JohnK | 45333 | ||
Their are a lot of different interpretations of the book of Revelations. Please be careful in your studies in that you don't settle for what one person says, but be sure to investigate any interpretation you come to or hear about. I would recommend a great book for you to read. I highly encourage you to get a copy, it is called "Exploding the Israel Deception", by Steve Wohlberg. The book does a wonderful job in explaining the importance of interpreting scripture "in the spirit". You can get a copy at http://www.amazingfacts.org The book does a wonderful job in helping you understand the importance of using scripture to interpret scripture. The book isn't full of opinions, but instead, shows you exactly how prophecy makes perfect sense when you use the bible to interpret itself. The book also sheds much light on subjects such as "Israel in the Spirit" and "Israel in the flesh", "7 year tribulation"... Don't listen to those who want you to think that we have to look for signs within certain countries, that is nonsense, and unscriptural. |
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6 | Help. Someone's testamony has me upset | Bible general Archive 1 | JohnK | 45339 | ||
Hi Chynna, there are some good responses to your question. I would like to remind you of one thing. It is understood that Christ came to fulfill the law and the prophets. And that he did. The days of new testimonies or revelations, such as what the individual has mentioned, have ceased. The bible is clear that what we have is sufficient. Just like to parable of the rich man and Lazarus, the rich man asked Abraham to send someone from heaven to his brothers to warn them about hell. What did Abraham answer? He said it was IMPOSSIBLE, and that they have the law and the prophets to save them. That is clear to me. The law and the prohpets is the Holy Word of God. That is the testimony to us. To say that additional testimony can come from God is in disagreemant with what Jesus mentioned in his parable. We have the book, and that is sufficient. What happened to that man is not from God. I beleive that because it is clear that the testimony of Jesus Christ is complete, and we are now living in a period of grace. I don't care what visions or miracles I or anyone else sees. I am thankful that I have God's Word, the Bible, and that is all I need. You must also remember that God said that the devil is able to show great signs and wonders, even that he will be able to call down fire from Heaven. Anything that pulls us away from the Word of God, or that forces us to think of the Holy Spirit in a physical sense, is not from God. Even if something makes you beleive God is calling you, if that something causes you to look on earth for signs of God, that is very dangerous. God is very much spiritual, look for God's spirit, not visions or signs. |
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7 | crucifixion - resurrection | Bible general Archive 1 | JohnK | 45347 | ||
The three days that passed were very important. Not because of "where" Jesus was, but the length of time that passed from the ressurection and the crucifixion. First, on the cross, Jesus told the thief next to him, "TODAY, you will be WITH ME in paradise." Clearly, Jesus was in His Kingdom during those three days. But the most important part, is the time that passed. Those three days were given as a sign. Remember when the Pharicees asked for a sing, but Jesus said, Matt 16:4 "...and there shall no sign be given unto it, but the sign of the prophet Jonas." As you may recall, Jonas was in the belly of a whale for three days. Jesus also said that as Jonas, so tha son of man will be in the belly of the earth for three days". But it is important to note that Jesus said "TODAY, you will be with me in paradise", a contradiction? Hardly. Christ was showing them that for three days he would be "burried", just as Jonas was. The three days also have more significant meaning, of which I will only briefly expand on: The book of Daniel mentions (Daniel 9:27) -"And he shall confirm the covenant with many for one week: and in the midst of the week he shall cause the sacrifice and the oblation to cease." Christ's sacrifice happened during the middle of the week, and as you know, the result of the crucifixion was that animal sacrifices have ceased to be of meaning to God, the ultimate sacrifice had been offered. So, in order for the "week" to be completed, Jesus' body was inthe tomb for 3 days and 3 nights. The next day after the third night would have been day 7. As a sign of completeness and as a sign of fullfillment of prophecy, the timing was essential. |
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8 | the three days and 1Peter 3:19-22 | Bible general Archive 1 | JohnK | 45363 | ||
My appologies. Yes indeed, Christ did preach to those in prison. Where that prison is, I can't answer. But why there was a prison, I can. There were those before Christ's time that beleived in God, but yet have never heard about Christ. Those people that beleived God's Word and followed his commandments died without a meaningful sacrifice being offered for them. Remember, Jesus said, "Abraham saw my day and rejoiced". So Abraham knew the importance of the sacrifice of Christ. He had faith in the fact that the sacrifice would mean salvation. But there were those that died without hope, without knowledge of Christ's sacrifice, yet they trusted God, and lived according to the word they were given. These people were waiting for the day of the Messiah, yet they died without seeing it. God was just by fullfilling the promise that Messiah would come. The promise applied to ALL who beleived. So, the ones who died without seeing the Messiah, would be visited by the Messiah as a fullfillment of the promise. Today, we have His Word as a testimony, but they didn't have that, they only had a promise that the Messiah would come. |
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9 | other accounts? | Bible general Archive 1 | JohnK | 45373 | ||
It may be incorrect to say that it was those that had already physically died, were preached to. After all God did say that it is appointed unto man once to die, and then the judgement. Here is something else in the Bible that mentions captivity and prison. Luke 4:18 The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he hath anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor; he hath sent me to heal the brokenhearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised, Luke 4:19 To preach the acceptable year of the Lord. Jesus in Luke was quoting this passage in Isaiah: Isa 61:1 The spirit of the Lord GOD is upon me; because the LORD hath anointed me to preach good tidings unto the meek; he hath sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the OPENING OF THE PRISON to them that are bound; It may be that the "prison" was merely talking about the captivity of sin, and not that there was a purgatory of some sort. It does not necessrily mean that Christ preached during those three days. I may learn something from this myself. I guess this is a good example of first understanding the Word of God before trying to explain. Just be sure that wherever you get an answer from, check it's validity by using the Bible itself. There is a long-standing debate on this issue, and many books were written on that passage. Bottomline is, don't forget that Christ did say he would be in paradise "today". So, he definitely was not in hell, or anyplace of suffering. |
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10 | crucifixion - resurrection | Bible general Archive 1 | JohnK | 45430 | ||
Excellent post Makarios, but of course, I'm not trying to fuel any pride here, we all know where that would take us. But the info you posted is well worth reading. May God enrich you. John |
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11 | Is Hebrew and Jewish faith different? | OT general | JohnK | 42694 | ||
Hebrew is definitely not a seperate religion, but instead, denotes a person who is a member or descendant of a Semitic people claiming descent from Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. A hebrew is also known as an Israelite, or a Jew. For someone to claim that they are Jewish, does not necessarily mean that they share a bloodline with Abraham, Isaac, or Jacob, but instead, believes only in the Old Testament, or rather, the "Torah", "The Prophets", and the "Kethubim". |
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12 | Do you still refuse to bless Israel? | Gen 12:3 | JohnK | 43673 | ||
Why would you bless national Israel? Don't you understand what God is showing us? What did Jesus mean when he said, "You shall not see me here again, not until you say, blessed is he that comes in the name of the Lord!" Also, explain this passage to me: Galatians 3:29 And if you be Christ's, then are you Abraham's seed, and heirs according to the promise. And what about the book of Revelations: In the very first chapter of Revelation, the "seven golden candlesticks" of the ancient Jewish Temple are used as symbols of "the seven churches" (1:13, 20). This lays down a key principle - the ancient things of literal Israel are applied to the Israel of God (God's true Church). In Chapter 2, Jesus Christ referred to "that woman Jezebel" (2:20) who brought apostasy into ancient Israel. Yet He uses this wicked woman as a symbol of people who were trying to bring false prophecies into His Church. Again the principle is revealed - the things of ancient Israel are applied to His true Church, the Israel of God. Jesus came to fullfil the prophecies of the Old Testament, and THAT HE DID! Why would you still hold on to a prophecy that was fulfilled? What about this: Revelation 21:10 "And he carried me away in the spirit to a great and high mountain, and showed me that great city, the holy Jerusalem, descending out of heaven from God" Where did this Jerusalem come from? Earth? No, clearly, it says it descended from heaven. |
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13 | Do you still refuse to bless Israel? | Gen 12:3 | JohnK | 43814 | ||
The Old Testament also says: Exodus 21:12 He that smiteth a man, so that he die, shall be surely put to death. And Again, Exodus 21:23-25 And if any mischief follow, then thou shalt give life for life, Eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot, Burning for burning, wound for wound, stripe for stripe. Do you do this too? Or do you think that this was used as a symbol of God's Justice? You can't pick and choose which Old Testament passages you wish to follow. Either follow them all, or alternatively, you could believe that God is painting a picture of a deeper spiritual message, and of things to come. The deeper meaning is that the "eye for an eye" approach was used as a description of God's perfect justice. In the New Testament era, putting someone to death, or "an eye for an eye" became something different, "He who is without sin, let him cast the first stone", and, "And unto him that smiteth thee on the one cheek offer also the other..." You see, these things became different when Christ came. The same is true with the nation of Israel also. Don't just shake your head, "no", first remember how Christ said he came to fullfill. What do you think he meant by "fullfill"? Do you think he was wasting his breath? No, of course not. He did in fact fullfill the law AND the prophets. Just as things took on a new meaning, and things were used as symbols, the nation of Israel is not exempt from this. Israel too, was a symbol of God's eternal Church. To make that point even clearer, in Galations 3:29 And if ye be Christ's, then are ye Abraham's seed, and heirs according to the promise. Does this make sense? Do you see something strange in that passage? Paul is saying that if you beleive in Christ, then you are Abraham's seed! Does that mean that you are his descendant, no it doesn't. Think about that one. Please understand, I am not trying to argue with you. I just beleive that it is the duty of every Christian brother and sister to look after and strengthen each other in this battlefield called life. We must continually strive to better understand the Word of God, keeping in mind that we are not perfect as God is, and that we WILL make mistakes. Knowing we are not perfect, we must keep studying the Word of God, and praying, that we fully understand what God is showing us. May God Bless, and enrich you. John |
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14 | Three Little Words | Deut 12:8 | JohnK | 45920 | ||
I agree with you Hank. There are a lot of posts in which people use items outside of the Bible to prove their points, and when others disagree and prove their disagreemant with scripture, the argument only heats up. It is true, we are not perfect, and we must welcome correction. If that correction is Biblically based, we must study it, and accept it. I will be wrong from time to time, and I HOPE AND PRAY that when I am, my brothers and sisters wil show me in the Bible how I am wrong, instead of leaving me to rot in false beliefs. It is only when we have faith, and when we accept the idea that Jesus Christ came to fullfill the law and the prophets, and that we look to the things of the spirit, that we will be prepared to see the truth that is in the Bible. We must be careful, we can easily let outside, fleshy, information to sneak in, without realizing we are doing it. This happens rather easily, afterall, the devil is lying in wait to decieve us. And as the words of the scripture says, we must strengthen one another, continually, even more so as we see the day coming. Politics won't interpret scripture, terrorism doesnt interpret scripture, countries do not interpret scripture... Only the Bible, and the Holy Spirit can interpret scripture. So, we must pray for understanding and wisdom, of which only the Holy Spirit can give us, AND we must READ THE BIBLE, otherwise the wisdom of this world, and as we know from the Bible, the wisdom of this world belongs to the devil, will force us to interpret incorrectly. We must pray for wisdom from God, and that will come by faith, and faith by hearing, and hearing by the WORD OF GOD. I agree Hank, it is sad to see so much pride here, many bicker that they are right no matter what proof is given them. But lets all pray that we will receive wisdom from God, so that we can understand what he is showing us. May the Lord enrich you. John- |
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15 | Why do today's Jews reject Jesus? | Is 9:6 | JohnK | 45994 | ||
I would just like to add a little something here myself. I recently had a conversation with a Jewish Rabbi. My question was exactly yours. "Why do Jews reject Jesus?" Some of the answer was, to say it frankly, repugnant, but I would like to share some things I learned from my conversation. I am sure you would find it interesting. I brought up the passage in Isaiah 53, in it, it describes someone who will suffer so terribly for the sins of his people, and not because of himself. I asked, "who is Isaiah 53 talking about?" the answer was that the person suffering here, is not "one" person, but instead, represents the entire Jewish race. I really had a problem with that. That doesn't make sense! How could the Jewish people suffer for the sins of "my people", if they are the "my people"? How would it be that they suffered, but not because of themselves? A contradiction! That belief also is in error because it takes glory away from God, and instead, makes it look like the Jewish people will save themselves. I also brought up Psalm 22, you know, the part that said, "...they pierced my hands and feet". The response from the Rabbi was that we Christians changed the wording of the Bible and that the original Hebrew text reads, "...like a lion, they are at my hands and feet". Well, lets look at this, in the original Hebrew, the word that was used for "like a lion" could be translated as either "like a lion", "they pierced", or "they gouged". The two words are strikingly similar in appearance in the original Hebrew text. The only difference between the word translated “like a lion,” and the one rendered “they pierced” is in the length of the upright vowel stroke on the latter word. The two might easily be confused. Incidentally, when a lion, the animal is talked about elsewhere in Psalms, and in the Old Testament, a different word is used, so if he was describing a lion in Psalm 22, he would have used that same word that he used in other passages. So, why would the author suddenly use a different word when he reached Psalm 22? He did so, because he was in fact describing a "piercing", rather than an animal. Also, in the Hebrew text, "they are at" is mysteriously missing, that is because they added those words to make sense of their translation. So, if you mistook the word, and you were honest, you would read, "...like a lion my hands and my feet", does that make sense? Or, if you took notice that the word lion was spelled differently than other instances of the word "lion", and you really knew your Hebrew, the translation would be "...they pierced my hands and my feet." These are only the two things I brought up to the Rabbi. But another thing to consider is that one of the main reasons Jews so ardently rejectd Jesus when he came is due to the fact that the majority of them misinterpreted scripture. Specifically, that of the book of Daniel. Daniel talks about one who will put an end to animal sacrifices, and create a new covenant. They interpret this to be an individual who is evil. They failed to recognize that Daniel was prophecying about the coming Messiah, who in fact, did put an end to Animal sacrifices. They also mostly believe that the Messiah will come with a sword, and destroy their enemies. So, when Jesus came, meek, and humble, they laughed at him. But as we Christians know it, Jesus did in fact come with a sword, just as he said he would. Anyway, there are numerous other reasons, but I hope this info helps. John- |
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16 | Daniel 9, and Matt 18 | Dan 9:24 | JohnK | 46654 | ||
Daniel 9, and Matt 18 Upon studying this, I came to this conclusion. What is your opinion? Matthew 18:21-22 21 Then came Peter to him, and said, Lord, how oft shall my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? till seven times? 22 Jesus saith unto him, I say not unto thee, Until seven times: but, Until seventy times seven. Catch that? Seventy times seven? That equalls 490. Of course, Jesus isn't saying that you can only forgive someone 490 times. Do you think He was referring to something else? He sure was! Look at the book of Daniel, chapter 9. Daneil 9:24 Seventy weeks are determined upon thy people and upon thy holy city, to finish the transgression, and to make an end of sins, and to make reconciliation for iniquity, and to bring in everlasting righteousness, and to seal up the vision and prophecy, and to anoint the most Holy. Seventy weeks is 490 days! What was the 70 weeks about? What was Daniel saying? If you read carefully, you will see that the seventy weeks involves the Messiah. We know this because he said that he will make a covenant with many for a a week, and that in the middle of the week, He will cause the sacrifices to cease. What happened during the middle of the final week prior to the resurrection? Jesus was crucified! Thereby ending animal sacrifices! So pay close attention here: The seventy weeks was broken down to 69 weeks, and the last week was described in detail. The last week was the week of the crucifixion. Upon Christ's resurrection, the last week was complete, thereby ending the seventy weeks spoken of by Daniel. So, when Jesus said you shall forgive UNTIL seventy times seven, He was saying that the time for forgivenes for Israel as a nation was coming to an end. They were the fig tree that Jesus had withered away when he saw it had no fruit. Jesus made it clear when he came up to the figtree to eat of its fruit, and found none, He caused it to whither and die. The above is just my interpretation. What's yours? This is part of a Bible study that I am doing. I am not here to argue. I am looking for the Truth, and nothing but. Please give me your input, as well as scriptural support for your thoughts. However, don't JUST take quotes from the Old Testament. Try and tie in BOTH the Old, AND the New Testaments. Thanks! And thank you ahead of time for participating in my Bible study! May the Lord enrich you! John |
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17 | Daniel 9, and Matt 18 | Dan 9:24 | JohnK | 46678 | ||
Thanks for the input. Just to address point #2 you made: 2) You applied the "middle of the week" of Daniel to the final week before the resurrection. Yet, animal sacrifices did not cease until 70 a.d., more than 40 years later. What I was saying is that, since the ultimate sacrifice had been offered, animal sacrifice was no longer a value to God. Whether the Jews contined to sacrifice animals for 40 or 500 more years is not relevant. In God's eyes, animal sacrifice ceased to be of meaning to Him after Christ was crucified. God bless you Tim, and thank you for your input. You have presented your point in a gracious and respectful manner, for that I very much appreciate it. Sometimes people in the forum get a little uptight when differing opinions come along, even when doing Bible studies sometimes! Did you ever get one of these? "Well I'm right, you are wrong, you are going to hell!"? Ahh boy! It's always wonderful to not have those things come up, so log as we remember, we must never be satisfied with what we know, but must continually seek to grow in Christ. Thanks again! John |
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18 | Earthly copies from Heaven? | Matt 6:10 | JohnK | 46209 | ||
On that subject, what about this? Luke 17:20-21 20 And when he was demanded of the Pharisees, when the kingdom of God should come, he answered them and said, The kingdom of God cometh not with observation: 21 Neither shall they say, Lo here! or, lo there! for, behold, the kingdom of God is within you. I hope I will one day fully understand. Great point you brought up! |
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19 | More examples of God's "copys?" | Matt 6:10 | JohnK | 46291 | ||
There was a temple that God instructed the Israelites to construct. In the book of Revelation, we read about the Temple of God which is in Heaven. |
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20 | Did you know (Hos 4:6)... | Matt 22:29 | JohnK | 45979 | ||
That's a very powerful message. If you look at what the book of Revelations has to say about Babylon, you will find that Babylon is a representation of false beliefs, and false prophecies. That is why He said, "Come out of her my people..." So indeed, just as ancient Babylon was destroyed because the guards were drunk, and allowed the gate to remain open, so to, if we let our guard down, and drink of the wine of false prophecy, God will pour out His wrath on us. | ||||||
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