Results 21 - 40 of 41
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Results from: Answered Bible Questions, Answers, Unanswered Bible Questions, Notes Author: JohnK Ordered by Date |
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Results | Verse | Author | ID# | |||
21 | 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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22 | 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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23 | 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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24 | 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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25 | What is wrong with Paganism? | John 14:6 | JohnK | 44926 | ||
Just because you believe in something, it doesn't mean that the something you beleive in is true. Are you so sure that you are correct by being a pagan? What if, just what if you are wrong, and there is indeed an afterlife, the type of afterlife described by Jesus, what will you do when you get there? According to the bible, there is no second chance. Just think about it, ETERNITY. Is your knowledge so correct that you have the answer? If your knowledge is correct, are you so sure? Are you willing to gamble eternity on it? I for one, am not. So now the question is, "What is the Truth?" With so many religions, some people get confused, and just give up, afterall, it's just plain-old easier to just live life your own way. Yet some believe in what they grew up hearing about, whether that is Christianity, Buddhism, Islam...etc etc... But then there are some who search for themselves. I am one of those people. I grew up in a Christian family, but I wasn't just satisfied with beleiving what I was told. I investigated for myself. I won't post my entire conclusion with why I found Christianity to be the truth, but I can, if anyone is interested. But the bottomline is, you have one chance at life, and if anyone tells you differently, then ask them to prove it. Death can come at any moment for any of us. You can plan for tomorrow, but you just never know. Be ready, and above all, make sure you are right about what you believe in, you only have one chance. I will pray for you. May God enrich your soul. John- |
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26 | 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. | ||||||
27 | 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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28 | 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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29 | can u b forgivn if you once turned away? | Luke 15:32 | JohnK | 43751 | ||
Remember, Christ himself said, "All sins will be forgiven, but blaspheming the Holy Spirit will never be forgiven." Drifting away from God is not unforgivable. The only unforgivable sin is to believe that Christ is evil, that is what Jesus was responding to by saying "...blapheming the Holy Spirit will never be forgiven." This was because the pharisees actully believed that Jesus was possessed with the devil. You see, it isn't possible to attain salvation if you believe that Christ is evil, because there then is nobody to pay for your sins, you must do it instead. As far as the book of Hebrews, this is something that I have previously posted in this forum: This addresses the fact that many wrongly interpet the Book of Hebrews to mean that you cannot come back to God, but instead, it has a different meaning which is very clear if you read the entire book in context with itself: the entire book of Hebrews was written to a certain group of people who were considering abandoning Christ and going back to Judaism. If that wasn't the reason that the book was written, then the author would not have written countless reasons as to why Christ is superior to Moses, and to every high priest. Nor would he have written how animal sacrifices could not take away our sins, but Christ can: Hebrews 10:4 For it is not possible that the blood of bulls and of goats should take away sins. Hebrews 10:12 But this man, after he had offered one sacrifice for sins for ever, sat down on the right hand of God; The entire book of Hebrews was written as a warning that one should not reject Christ and go back to Judaism. Because having been a partaker of the Holy Ghost, meaning: (once believed in Christ, and therefore Christ dwelt in him), if they were to reject Christ, then they would be living under the law again. By living under the law, they are as the Jews, and it was the Jews that had Christ crucified, so by becoming a Jew again, you are once again takin heart to the Jewish faith which openly crucifies Christ by denying him. So yes, by rejecting Christ, and going back to Judaism, one would be crucifying Christ for themselves a second time. This is not to say that they can't come back to Christ, but what it does say is that, without Christ, it is not possibe for repentance, since their no longer remains a sacrifice for sin. There no longer remains a sacrifice because the that sacrifice, Jesus, is rejected for animal sacrifices, of which God no longer accepts. |
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30 | 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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31 | Could there be two Israels flesh /spirit | Rom 9:6 | JohnK | 43671 | ||
CORRECTION- Galatians 3:29, NOT 6:29 | ||||||
32 | Could there be two Israels flesh /spirit | Rom 9:6 | JohnK | 43670 | ||
This is another detail signifying that there is indeed a difference between the worldly Israel and God's Israel: Galatians 6:29 And if ye be Christ's, then are ye Abraham's seed, and heirs according to the promise. Can this be? Is everybody who beleives in Christ, Abraham's seed? So says the scripture! If I am wrong, then I welcome correction, as we must all keep one another from falling. May God Bless! |
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33 | Could there be two Israels flesh /spirit | Rom 9:6 | JohnK | 43669 | ||
The Israel of God is God's true spiritual Israel (God's true Church) that has existed throughout history, spaning both the Old and New Testaments. The Israel of God has always been made up of faithful Jews and faithful Gentiles who truly walk with God, either waiting for, or believing in, His true Messiah, Jesus Christ. Abraham (a Gentile), Moses, Daniel, Peter, Paul, and Luke (another Gentile) were all part of the Israel of God. In the days of Elijah, there was an "Israel after the flesh" which followed Ahab and Jezebel, and yet there was also a faithful "Israel of God" which refused to "bow the knee to the image of Baal" (Rom. 11:4, 5). From the days of Adam, Abel, and Noah, to the time of Moses and "the church in the wilderness" (Acts 7:38), to the last holy saint at the end of the world, God's true Church, the Israel of God, has always been composed of both faithful Jews and Gentiles who have maintained their loyalty to the Lord in the midst of a world filled with false doctrine, apostasy, and sin. | ||||||
34 | Hebrews 6:6 explained | Hebrews | JohnK | 42697 | ||
Hello everybody. This is a difficult passage, as many have stumbled because of it. I remember when I went through a cooling off period where I turned away from God, and on my way back, the book of Hebrews threw me on my face. I can't even begin to tell you the anguish I went through. I beleived that it actually said my chance had passed and I failed. But I thank God that the message is one of hope rather than condemnation. I should have realized that the terrible conviction I felt was a good sign that God wasn't through with me, but it didn't hit me right away. Now through more careful study of the bible and by asking questions, lots of questions, I realized that the entire book of Hebrews was written to a certain group of people who were considering abandoning Christ and going back to Judaism. If that wasn't the reason that the book was written, then the author would not have written countless reasons as to why Christ is superior to Moses, and to every high priest. Nor would he have written how animal sacrifices could not take away our sins, but Christ can: Hebrews 10:4 For it is not possible that the blood of bulls and of goats should take away sins. Hebrews 10:12 But this man, after he had offered one sacrifice for sins for ever, sat down on the right hand of God; The entire book of Hebrews was written as a warning that one should not reject Christ and go back to Judaism. Because having been a partaker of the Holy Ghost, meaning: (once believed in Christ, and therefore Christ dwelt in him), if they were to reject Christ, then they would be living under the law again. By living under the law, they are as the Jews, and it was the Jews that had Christ crucified, so by becoming a Jew again, you are once again takin heart to the Jewish faith which openly crucifies Christ by denying him. So yes, by rejecting Christ, and going back to Judaism, one would be crucifying Christ for themselves a second time. This is not to say that they can't come back to Christ, but what it does say is that, without Christ, it is not possibe for repentance, since their no longer remains a sacrifice for sin. |
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35 | 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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36 | Is the Promised Land the Israel of today | Hebrews | JohnK | 42388 | ||
Quoting you, " Note: That the Christian now inherits the distinctive Jewish promises is not taught in Scripture." So, are you saying that those that are saved are not God's elect? Are you saying that if someone is a Jew, and doesn't believe in Christ that they will inherit the promise rather than those who in believe in Him? The bible teaches that those that beleive in Christ are the elect, NOT those that deny him. If you don't read the bible for it's spiritual message, then you must also believe that the dragon in revelations is not to be interpreted spiritually and that this huge monster will soon come out of the sea. |
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37 | Is the Promised Land the Israel of today | Hebrews | JohnK | 42364 | ||
National Israel today, is not the Israel that is talked about in the New Testament. The Old Testament was used as an example of things to come. Remember how it was okay to stone someone for sinning in the Old Testament, yet it was NOT okay in the the New Testament? This was due to the fact that the Old Testament was a shadow of things to come. So to, national Israel was a shadow of the Church. God's chosen people are those that are saved and are under his mercy. This was made clear when Christ commanded his disciples to go and preach to all nations. Never did Christ refer to the country of Israel as God's chosen people. He clearly refered to those called to believe in him as his chosen people. Remember, "...that which is flesh is flesh, and that whish is spirit is spirit..." Some people will argue that it was prophesied that God will scatter his people Israel to the four corners of the earth and then gather them together again in a new Israel. While that is indeed said in the bible, and it may seem that that is what happened in 1948, you will see that this prophecy is unfolding with the Christian people in this way: Christianity started in Israel, and then Christ commanded that the apostles go and spread the word to "peoples of all nations..." By doing this, God was in a sense, scattering his chosen people to the four corners of the earth. And the great battle, "Armageddon" is not a war that will be fought by nations, as some will argue, but it is a war in the church. The war in the church is caused by spreading of false gospels and of perverting the Word of God. God didn't send Christ to save flesh, he sent Christ to save the soul, so why would he care about what country does what? "Render unto Caesar the things of Caesar, and unto God the things of God." So you see, the nation of Israel that existed before Christ was a symbol of God's church, much in the same way that stoning a sinner was a symbol of God's justice. We must read the bible with great care in that we must seek the spiritual message it is giving us, rather than what we think it saying about the physical world. If we don't do this, then one could easily read the book of Revelations and expect that a dragon will come out of the sea and devour everybody. The bible is full of symbolic meanings and messages, and it is our duty to seek out that which is spiritual, not physical. So keep your faith, and remember to look forward to OUR promised land, the Kingdom of Heaven. |
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38 | 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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39 | Lost my salvation? (Hebrews 6:4-6) | Heb 6:4 | JohnK | 17812 | ||
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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40 | 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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