What time exactly will the Rapture take place?
Does that mean that the rapture will happen hour by hour across time zones? Why haven't any Australians been taken already?
Why is God leaving people behind for a while? Why not send us all to hell? What are God's plan for the Earth once we're cleared off?
Why didn't this happen in 1994?
Why are you at work?
How come the part about people flying to heaven isn't in, you know, the Bible?
21 comments:
What time exactly will the Rapture take place?
"But of that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, nor the Son, but the Father alone. For the coming of the Son of Man will be just like the days of Noah."
- Matthew 24:36
Does that mean that the rapture will happen hour by hour across time zones?
No, you idiot.
Why haven't any Australians been taken already?
See above response.
Why is God leaving people behind for a while? Why not send us all to hell?
"The Lord is not slow about His promise, as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing for any to perish but for all to come to repentance."
- 2 Peter 3:9
This even means you, Danny-boy.
What are God's plan for the Earth once we're cleared off?
- Read Revelation. Your answer is in there. Not enough room to paste it here. You might actually learn something.
Why didn't this happen in 1994?
Cause the same idiot who made that prediction is the same idiot who made the one for 5/21. Bible clearly talks about such false prophets, and how'll they'll turn even more away from Christ in the last days, with their baseless predictions.
Why are you at work?
Because if I don't work, I have no place to live, until Christ actually does return. Pretty simple.
How come the part about people flying to heaven isn't in, you know, the Bible?
"Then we who are alive and remain will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so we shall always be with the Lord."
- 1 Thes. 4:17
not that all your snarky questions have been answered with Scripture, what else ya got?
Clearly, to your credit, you haven't been bamboozled into believing the rapture is this weekend. Judging by my twitter feed, few have been. Where we part company is that you appear to believe there will be a rapture some day. I just can't get behind that.
As I've said before I don't KNOW there isn't a God, but my doubt in Bible literalism is rooted in this - why did God make these grand gestures once, like parting the Red Sea or destroying Gomorrah in a column of fire or allowing a man to live inside the belly of a whale, then STOP throughout modern history? It could be a test of faith, but it feels more like a bunch of urban legends. "My friend's cousin totally saw this woman turned into a pillar of salt!"
As I say, I have no proof to support my lack of belief, so I won't presume you'd throw aside your faith based on my arguments. I just felt compelled to throw them out there anyway.
By the way, you know what I'm doing this weekend? It's the final days of a local production of Jesus Christ Superstar. I'm playing a priest and doubling as a apostle. Go figure!
Which Apostle? Judas?
I'm going to bed, but I'll address the literal comments / questions you had here tomorrow.
Assuming I'm still here to do so.
There were verified sightings of God in OT. Jesus performed many miracles in NT. After He arose from death & ascended to Heaven, the disciples performed miracles through Christ. Miracles happen today, whether you choose to recognize them, or not.
As far as one's faith, that is another thing:
"Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen. For by it the men of old gained approval. By faith we understand that the worlds were prepared by the word of God, so that what is seen was not made out of things which are visible."
- Hebrews 11:1-3
While faith may sound somewhat impractical, in reality, every single one of us exercises faith constantly. Upon entering work, one exercises great faith that the architect and the engineer knew what they were doing when the building was erected. If you didn't have faith, you'd be hiding under your desk. But even then, you'd be trusting the desk maker - that he knew how to design a desk that was able to support all of your papers, your computer, books, etc., not to mention the faith in the maker of the chair in which you sit. That's faith, Daniel.
If you drive your car sixty-five miles per hour, you do so trusting the engineers who drew the plans and the workers on the assembly line, that when you hit the brakes, the car will stop.
It's an amazing thing, this world of faith we live in. But the irony is that, although we have faith in the folks at Ford and the makers of the chair / desk, when it comes to God, we get a little shaky & iffy. This ought not be. Even tho we don't know how it all works, or how it will come to pass, we are to have faith that God's will shall be worked out ultimately - and that it will be good.
Faith is in the Father. Faith says, "I trust you, Lord, in whatever You choose to do in this situation."
The author of this epistle was two-thousand years ahead of his time because we now know that everything that exists materially is made of atoms which cannot be seen.
"Not so," you argue, "because now we have electron microscopes and can see all kinds of things previously invisible."
Yes, but when you break down the atom, you enter into the area of energy - which is not material at all. So guess what. The further you get into science, the more you realize EVERYTHING is made out of that which cannot be seen. EVERYTHING is made out of energy. Consequently, the man of faith was thousands of years ahead of the man of science.
More to come...
More, re who you are now, and who you will become as a follower of Christ:
"For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; not as a result of works, so that no one may boast. For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand so that we would walk in them. Therefore remember that formerly you, the Gentiles in the flesh, who are called "Uncircumcision" by the so-called "Circumcision," which is performed in the flesh by human hands--remember that you were at that time separate from Christ, excluded from the commonwealth of Israel, and strangers to the covenants of promise, having no hope and without God in the world."
- Ephesians 2:8-12
Here in versus 8&9, we see His work in us.
"It might be God's work," you say, "but it's my faith."
No. Here, Paul says specifically that even the FAITH it took to be saved is not of ourselves. Why? Because dead men (non-believers) don't have faith. That is why Paul declares that there is none that seeks after God, no not one (Romans 3:11).
"Then what part did I have in salvation?" you ask.
None. You were elected before the foundation of the world, and the FAITH you finally exercised to receive Jesus Christ was faith that God Himself put in your heart. That is why Jesus declared, "No man can come unto Me except the Father draws him" (John 6:44).
The entire orb of salvation is totally due to God's grace. We become worshipers now and eternally because of His work in and for us is truly amazing.
In verse 10, we see God's work through us... The Greek work translated "workmanship" is poiema - from which we get our word "poem". Thus, we are God's poetry.
You might think you're not very impressive - but look in the mirror and consider what God had to work with!
There is no shortage of those who say, "You Christians aren't that great. I see all kinds of inconsistency, hypocrisy, and problems."
Whenever I hear that, I don't defend us, or myself. I simply say, "You're right! But you wouldn't believe how bad we used to be! If you knew who we used to be, you would realize that compared to our former state, we're poetry!"
In versus 11 & 12, we see God's work among us. "Remember what you used to be," Paul says to the Gentile Christians. "You were at one time without Christ, without hope, without God. You were in trouble. You had no hope for a Messiah. You had no knowledge of God. You had no future."
And the Apostle I meant was Thomas (the doubting one).
Sorry..
Without going point by point to your responses, what this comes down to is your faith tells you there is a God and mine tells me there's not. Neither of us has evidence that could convince the other.
Given that 95% of Americans side with you on this, it would be sensible for me to join them, but I can't. It's just not what I believe.
So typical. I had forgotten why don't come to your page that often.
You make snarky (as usaul) comments about Christianity, I refute ALL of your comments with specific Scripture quotes, and now you don't have time to reply.
Sucks when facts get in the way of feelings.
All of my comments about your specific bible quotes would be "this is the opinion of the guy who wrote this bible quote." Since I believe it was a guy and not God himself, I can't regard them as facts. I'm sorry, but I look at the Bible the same way you look at the Koran. I look at the Bible AND the Koran that way.
For being such a so-called 'bright' guy who typically claims he knows more than anyone else, on any subject, surely you know and understand that the Bible is EASILY the most researched and referenced book in the history of the earth, right?
That being asked, sadly, again, you're confused.
Ain't one 'guy' who wrote the Bible.
Ghandi? Still in the ground, dead.
Mohammed (your guy)? Still in the ground, dead.
Confucius? Still in the ground, dead.
Buddha? Still in the ground, dead.
Unlike any other figure in history, Jesus ALONE rose from the dead and ascended to the Father.
This is testified to, and witnessed by, well over 500 people, in the 40 days after He rose from the dead.
Micah 5 (OT) tells us where Jesus would be born.
Isaiah 7 (OT) tells us the way in which He would be born.
Daniel 9 (OT) tells us the very day He would enter the Holy City and present Himself as King.
Zechariah 11 (OT) not only tells us He would be betrayed by a friend and sold for silver, but also that the silver would be cast on the floor of the temple used to buy a potter's field.
David (Psalm 22) us the kind of death He would die.
What is the statistical possibility that these 8 prophecies could be fulfilled by any one person?
In his excellent work, 'Science Speaks', author Peter Stoner says the probability is 1:10(27), meaning 1 in 10,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000.
But, there are not only 8 prophecies given concerning Christ. There are OVER 300 - ALL fulfilled perfectly.
Truly, He is THE revealed one.
Okay you win! Jesus is lord.
OOORRRR, these chapters may have been edited over the centuries by translators and high priests. What does it say about Jesus in the original documents?
Faith. See what I'm getting at? I'd love to find common ground with you on this issue (on any issue, really) but unless you get God to tour the news networks, I'm sticking with my beliefs.
Also would this be a bad time to point out that the citizens of Israel are just as certain that Christ was NOT the son of God? Netanyahu is damned to hell isn't he?
I guess you've never heard of the Dead Sea Scrolls then.
For someone that spouts so much about their Bible knowledge, I find your actual knowledge level quite low.
The Bible specifically speaks about the Jews in Israel (and other parts of the world), and their current non-belief that Christ is the Messiah.
How is it one can talk so much, about which they actually know so little?
Fair enough. What does the Torah say about Christ?
I'm a little confused by you bringing up the dead sea scrolls. If anything, they prove my point - at some point they agree with the Bible, at some point they differ. They're a rough draft, living proof that the Bible was written by men.
I'm about done here, sport. You are clearly trying to make me jump thru Biblical hoops, with no real wanting on your part to truly have your questions answered. I'll reply to your last 2 comments here, and that's all - I'm done with this thread.
Again, it is very clear you spout off about many things in which you feel you have wisdom & knowledge, including the Bible, when truthfully, your knowledge level is quite low.
The Bible tells us for those TRULY interested in having their questions answered, to walk alongside those people. It also tells us that those who are wasting our time (like you are, with me), to try to educate once, and then twice, and then to move onto another who truly does want to learn the Truth.
Re the Torah, and Jesus, dig WAY back into Genesis 1:26. It says: "Then God said, "Let Us make man...". Who in the world do you think US is? (Hint: It ain't God by Himself.)
Genesis 2:15 specifically talks about the coming of Christ, as well.
Re the DSS's, they PROVE that our current Bible versions are 99.9% VERBATIM to the Bible scrolls back 2000+ years ago, which are now called the Dead Sea scrolls.
And the Bible WAS written by not A man, but by many MEN over time. Inspired by God, for man.
Do your homework, Dan, and ask better questions, if you're really interested. These infantal-type question-answer sessions bore me.
Also, how come you ignored my FB friend request? Only accepting liberal friendships there?
My apologies about the friend request. Didn't know it was you! Send it again.
Here are the passages from Genesis you cite; I'm afraid I'm not sure what you're getting at, but there's nothing in them predicts the birth of Christ.
Genesis 1:26 (New International Version)
26 Then God said, “Let us make mankind in our image, in our likeness, so that they may rule over the fish in the sea and the birds in the sky, over the livestock and all the wild animals,[a] and over all the creatures that move along the ground.”
Genesis 2:15 (New International Version)
15 The LORD God took the man and put him in the Garden of Eden to work it and take care of it.
I'll re-send the FB request.
26 Then God said, “Let us make mankind in our image, in our likeness,.."
If God is singular, who is He referring to when He states US, and OUR in this passage? Of course, it is Christ & the Holy Spirit. Us. Our. Not Me. Not Mine.
My mistake on the next Genesis verse - I meant Genesis 3:15(b):
"And between your seed and her seed; He shall bruise you on the head, and you shall bruise him on the heel.”
Here is the prophetic message, because within this verse lies the Proto Evangelicum - the first mention of the Gospel. The term "her seed" is an apparent impossibility unless One would come from the woman in a way that would be supernatural.
And who would that One be? Of course, it's Jesus - the Promised Seed of Galatians 4:4. Christ would come and we are told here that He would bruise, or literally crush the head of the serpent. But the serpent would bruise the heel of the Promised Seed.
And therein we see a picture of the Cross, where Christ was bruised for our inequities (Isaiah 53), and where He cleansed our sin with His own blood, thereby crushing the head of Satan's authority in our lives.
Why can't the "we" refer to just God and the Holy Spirit? I'm afraid your passages are only convincing to people who already want to believe they're about Jesus. Which I'd define, again, as faith.
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