Religious Topics and Questions

[benjamin-benjamin]

Again, that comment was directed towards old covenant Israel and the coming 1000 year Kingdom, not the rest of humanity and eternity.

Matthew 15:24
He answered, “I was sent only to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.”

The "1000" year kingdom is a misinterpretation..

 

[benjamin-benjamin]

also regrading Ecclesiastes 9:5... you have to read the whole thing, you cannot take one verse out to support that argument.... he is talking about the fact that chasing after the things of this world are meaningless because when they die they are gone...

5 For the living know that they will die,
but the dead know nothing;
they have no further reward,
and even their name is forgotten.
6 Their love, their hate
and their jealousy have long since vanished;
never again will they have a part
in anything that happens under the sun.


Ecclesiastes 9:5

The Bible shows that the dead know nothing, and even their very thoughts perish when they die. In other words, all mental and physical processes cease when an individual dies. Solomon's definition of death concurs with Webster's Dictionary: "a permanent cessation of all vital functions: the end of life."



Read more: http://www.bibletools.org/index.cfm...w/sVerseID/17481/eVerseID/17481#ixzz1UV6youYV

 

[WTJ]

The "1000" year kingdom is a misinterpretation..

How is that?

 

[Shooter00]

All we need to be concerned with....Mark 1:15

 

[MaddSkillz]

i agree maddskillz IF God only grants grace to certain people you are right, but i don't believe that... remember the passage below is not a parable but told as a true story...
19 “There was a rich man who was dressed in purple and fine linen and lived in luxury every day. 20 At his gate was laid a beggar named Lazarus, covered with sores 21 and longing to eat what fell from the rich man’s table. Even the dogs came and licked his sores.
22 “The time came when the beggar died and the angels carried him to Abraham’s side. The rich man also died and was buried. 23 In Hades, where he was in torment, he looked up and saw Abraham far away, with Lazarus by his side. 24 So he called to him, ‘Father Abraham, have pity on me and send Lazarus to dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my tongue, because I am in agony in this fire.’

25 “But Abraham replied, ‘Son, remember that in your lifetime you received your good things, while Lazarus received bad things, but now he is comforted here and you are in agony. 26 And besides all this, between us and you a great chasm has been set in place, so that those who want to go from here to you cannot, nor can anyone cross over from there to us.’

27 “He answered, ‘Then I beg you, father, send Lazarus to my family, 28 for I have five brothers. Let him warn them, so that they will not also come to this place of torment.’

29 “Abraham replied, ‘They have Moses and the Prophets; let them listen to them.’

30 “‘No, father Abraham,’ he said, ‘but if someone from the dead goes to them, they will repent.’

31 “He said to him, ‘If they do not listen to Moses and the Prophets, they will not be convinced even if someone rises from the dead.’”

No, it's a parable. There is nothing in the parable about personal faith. Rather, Lazarus is "saved" while the rich man is "damned" 1) Because Lazarus was poor while the rich man was rich, 2) Lazarus wore ratty clothes while the rich man wore purple, 3) Lazarus was full of sores while the rich man lived comfortably, 4) Lazarus went hungry while the rich man had food, and 5) Lazarus got evil things in his life while the rich man got good.

To add to that Jesus clearly states, "this is a parable."

Luke 15:3
So he told them this parable:

It was a five fold parable and nowhere near the beginning of the parable of Lazarus and the rich man did He say, "Oh but this one is true." That is something that people have read into it. How people have turned that into a real incident, I really haven't a clue.

 

[ahlosojoe]

Maddskillz you asked for a verse on free choice here are some.

Ac 2:40 And with many other words did he testify and exhort, saying, Save yourselves from this untoward generation.

Re 3:20 Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me.

Ac 26:28 Then Agrippa said unto Paul, Almost thou persuadest me to be a Christian.
2Pe 3:9 ¶ The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.
Mt 7:24 Therefore whosoever heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them, I will liken him unto a wise man, which built his house upon a rock:

Mt 7:21 ¶ Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven.

All of these verses indicate the fact that man makes a free choice to obey and be saved or reject and be lost.

 

[gillman7]

I do have one question that I have brought up in small groups at my church and still haven't gotten a satisfactory answer for. If everything is predetermined, then what good does prayer do? I mean if you get cancer, it is already determined whether you live or die, so what good is it to pray for recovery?

One thing I really struggle with is when kids fall ill with cancer and such. These are the most innocent among us and they carry a burden that seems inhumane. It seems to me that if god were truly just, murders and pedophiles would fall ill with terminal illnesses.

I know I'm not as well versed as many of you guys but these are just a few questions I have.

In my mind it is for 2 reasons, one to continually recognize our dependence on God, and secondly, because he wants us to.

Okay here's a problem I'm seeing with folks and their problem with God granting faith to specific individuals. I think many then think that God is then condemning the rest to an eternity of torment. The problem with that is that Hell as we've been taught to believe in does not exist. Death is death. It's the absence of life. It's a state of unperception. The dead are "asleep." This is why Jesus said Lazarus was sleeping when he was really dead. The disciples didn't understand so Jesus then said, "He's dead." What is death? Ecclesiastes tells us.

Ecclesiastes 9:5
For the living know that they shall die: but the dead know not any thing, neither have they any more a reward; for the memory of them is forgotten.

This is what "Hades" is. The most accurate translation of the Greek word "hades" is "Unseen" or "Unperceived." Those that have died are simply dead. They are "asleep." They're not being tormented in a place called hell and they're not in heaven either. They're dead.

Here Martin Zender explains it well.

The question is not why God condemns some, but rather why he saves any at all? Are we not all guilty? Is there anything in us apart from the Grace of God that deserves mercy? Justice dictates that we are guilty and should pay the price of seperation or hell. It is only through His mercy that anyone is saved. Here you and I will disagree on the existence of Hell. You cannot truly appreciate the benefits of heaven without the existence of the opposite. If you will look all of creation portrays this also, sweet tastebuds, sour tastebuds, joy, and sorrow, etc. I can appreciate enjoying the ministry of an individual, but caution against following a man, even Martin Zender. He is as fallible as all of us, and can contextually bring scriptures out to prove his point like many have done in this thread. To be honest, I have not been able to listen to the clips, my computer is messing up right now, but will be listening to them as soon as I can, it sounds like he has an interesting insight from your quotes.

don't want to go off topic here, but that is way out of context... just because there is no such thing as irresistible grace, do NOT mean that God is not sovereign, that is like making the argument if God cannot create a rock so big he can't lift it then he is not all powerful...

Not off topic at all. That is what I have been talking about in my other posts. You cannot understand salvation by looking only at the act of belief and following, you must have a correct understanding of who God is. If you don't start with God and then go to man, rather than look at what man needs to do, you will have flawed theology every time. We are not stating silly facts like what is the number of infinity, or creating a rock so big he can't lift it, we are talking about the very essence and character of God. Either he is sovereign, and all creation moves at his command or he isn't. If he isn't, then you need to follow what ever popular figure in history you like the best. God spoke and created, he said let there be light and there was light. Either he is omnipotent or he isn't. There is no middle ground, you cannot make God into the image you want him to be. It is vanity for man to say he is all powerful in all things except when he is calling his people to himself.

 

[MaddSkillz]

also regrading Ecclesiastes 9:5... you have to read the whole thing, you cannot take one verse out to support that argument.... he is talking about the fact that chasing after the things of this world are meaningless because when they die they are gone...

5 For the living know that they will die,
but the dead know nothing;
they have no further reward,
and even their name is forgotten.
6 Their love, their hate
and their jealousy have long since vanished;
never again will they have a part
in anything that happens under the sun.


Ecclesiastes 9:5

The Bible shows that the dead know nothing, and even their very thoughts perish when they die. In other words, all mental and physical processes cease when an individual dies. Solomon's definition of death concurs with Webster's Dictionary: "a permanent cessation of all vital functions: the end of life."



Read more: http://www.bibletools.org/index.cfm...w/sVerseID/17481/eVerseID/17481#ixzz1UV6youYV

Right, but there's nowhere in scripture that says our souls leave our body and either go to heaven or hell at death. However, scripture does say that it's the absence of life and is similar of being asleep, which is why Jesus used that analogy.

 

[WTJ]

also regrading Ecclesiastes 9:5... you have to read the whole thing, you cannot take one verse out to support that argument.... he is talking about the fact that chasing after the things of this world are meaningless because when they die they are gone...

5 For the living know that they will die,
but the dead know nothing;
they have no further reward,
and even their name is forgotten.
6 Their love, their hate
and their jealousy have long since vanished;
never again will they have a part
in anything that happens under the sun.


Ecclesiastes 9:5

The Bible shows that the dead know nothing, and even their very thoughts perish when they die. In other words, all mental and physical processes cease when an individual dies. Solomon's definition of death concurs with Webster's Dictionary: "a permanent cessation of all vital functions: the end of life."



Read more: http://www.bibletools.org/index.cfm...w/sVerseID/17481/eVerseID/17481#ixzz1UV6youYV

Did some research on this site. More Religion.

 

[beast1989]

for all who are posting, please keep sharing bc there are a lot of us who are on the sidelines of this discussion hanging on to are seats reading this thread.