All Discussion PAGE 1165

what were the seven churches?

keep standing, keep holding on Jesus will not forsake you.

praying for you

Bro Alex,

I love you too, but I hope and pray that you would take what Jesus Christ says to heart, and not just disregard.

Jesus has always told us to follow the Commandments and refrain from sin. Jesus death on the cross did not take away our need to try to follow the law. Jesus said; he did not come to abolish the law - but to fulfill. Christ death provides us the ability to receive forgiveness, if we repent, and strive to be sin free. Christ's death does not give us a free ticket to sin!

Here is Jesus telling the Adulteress to "Sin no More".

John 8:11

"She said, No man, Lord. And Jesus said unto her, Neither do I condemn thee: go, and sin no more."

Jesus has always instructed us to repent and refrain from sin. Hence, Jesus request for us to follow the Commandments if we love Him! Are we any better than the adulteress? No, we are not, so we need to take Jesus serious when He says to: "Sin no More",

Here is Jesus telling Apostle Paul 50-60 years after His crucifixion to follow the Commandments in order to enter into Heaven. If as you say; Jesus death canceled our responsibility regarding sin, and the need to follow His commandments - why would Jesus tell us the following in scripture emphasizing the need to follow the commandments.

Revelation 22:14

"Blessed are they that do his commandments, that they may have right to the tree of life, and may enter in through the gates into the city."

Alex, are you going to just ignore all of this scripture by Jesus?

Jesus is always consistent about telling us to repent from our sins, including the need to follow His Commandments if we wish to enter into Heaven.

As Christ Followers we should be listening to Jesus, and following his instructions. Alex, if you are not listening and following what Jesus Christ tells you, in His scripture - who are you really following?

God Bless.

In 2 Kings 20 and Isaiah 26:6 Hezekiah was granted 15 extra years because of his plea AFTER the prophet declared that he was about to die. Ecclesiastes 3:2 states that there is a time to be born and a time to die. As with anything else; there are predetermined times and seasons which the Lord has established. Scripture clearly demonstrates that through prayer and mediation; which ultimately involves Christ and His mercy, that judgment can be forestalled for entire nations. Moses had to react quickly to intervene plagues as well as David in scripture (in his case due to his own mistake in the instance of taking the census to determine his own strength which involved a pride issue rather than trust in God alone). Ultimately; in fact Christ intercedes for all of us who were under the wrath of God lost in sins. All His sheep will live on this earth until they are found; as salvation only can occur while we are yet alive. God knows also all the things men will do to shorten their lives; whether it is by sins damaging to the flesh; or things which incur curses of God such as false worship. He knows when someone like Cain will murder his brother. Same goes for natural disasters and any other premature cause of death. In fact; scientifically there is still not full undestanding what causes death. There is certainly something to someone like Moses who was still in his full strength until death; although the one mistake of striking the rock in anger did not allow him to enter the Promised Land; and quite possibly live longer than he did.

Those who are spiritually dead are that way whether still alive in the flesh or not. All the temporary benefits of this life in the flesh; of course are then over for the lost; and they face judgment and condemnation. Praise the Lord that we can bypass that 2nd death! May we not be as some Corinthians who perished prematurely not taking communion with the right mindset.

Thanks Chris. I am very joyful for my mother. She is in the best, most perfect place with the Perfet One!

Actually Alex, I am so joyful! I know she is with our wonderful God in the perfect place that Jesus said in John 14:1- He prepared for us who believe. Her hope in Christ is now fulfilled. I felt the same way when my Dad died 30 + years ago. I will miss her across the years I have left here in this life, but I am confident that I will see her and Dad again when the days God has ordained for me are completed and I am received into the place that our Lord has prepared for me and them. It will be perfect and we will be also.

Dear Jeannie,

Psalm 139:16 speaks of God already knows how many days He has fashioned for David (and us). It is part of His omniscience (knowing all things, all that there is to know.) He does not learn anything new. Everything in all creation and the universe, and in time-past present and future-has always been known to Him. There is no knowledge of anything for Him to acquire.

Pretty awesome! He is wonderful!

What is the verse that comes from this? St. Paul (pardon, it might be Pete, I don't know) read what verse of Jesus preaching and came to the same conclusion? Thank you ahead of time.

God knows when we're born -- when we'll die. To be general, God knows everything past, present and future. In the book of Numbers we see the years of mankind reduced and clear that mankind's days are numbered from the day we're born. But, we have hope of Eternal Life if we're washed in the Blood of Jesus Christ!

Part 2.

Should there be prophets/foretellers in a church? The answer is yes. What is/should be their ministry? To give a direct message from God, either to an individual or to the Church itself. How do we sometimes know that a prophesy is not true? It must not contradict the written Word of God. Any revelation, any message by the Holly Spirit, any interpretation of the scripture that doesn't line up with the written Word can not be accepted as true.

I am writting all these because many christians claim that these prophets were not like the ones in the OT. But they are. And they are not teachers. Some christians also insist that all those things were for that ancient time and don't exist any more in the church. But nowhere in the scripture says that they were for those times. They are for all times, just as the whole scripture is for all times. Maybe reject tongues as well. Were tongues for that time too? Were in the scripture says that? Were miracles also for that time? Obviously not. So why prophesying and tongues were for that time? Maybe Baptism in the Spirit was for that time too? Is there according to the scripture an external sign of smb been baptised in the Spirit? Those christians that don't accept tongues wiil tell you no there are not. But if you read the Gospel you will see that tongues is the external sign for it.

So why do we not accept all these? Why don't we get to our Knees and insist in our prayers that God baptises us in His Spirit and talk tongues? You can do that at home. You don't have to go to a specific church. And when all those come to you then what are you going to believe? That they don't exist?

Dear Gina. There is only one way you can find out youself. Try it youself and find out. This is what I recommend to all christians to do. Will God answer back? Definety yes, since this is what He asks us for.

GBU

Amen Brother Jesse!

Part 1

OK, since there are different opinions about this topic let's see what the scripture says about it.

Ephesians 4:11

"And he gave some, apostles; and some, PROPHETS; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and TEACHERS;"

So God gave prophets to the church. There is the idea that these prophets were just teachers. Are they? No, because God gave teachers as well, so prophets must be something different.

Acts 21:8-9

"And the next day we that were of Paul's company departed, and came unto Caesarea: and we entered into the house of Philip the evangelist, which was one of the seven; and abode with him.

And the same man had four daughters, virgins, which did PROPHESY."

Where these virgin daughters teachers? Definitely not, women were not allowed to teach in ancient church. They were virgins, that is little girls. So what were they doing? We'll see later.

Acts 21:10-11

"And as we tarried there many days, there came down from Judaea a certain PROPHET, named Agabus.

And when he was come unto us, he took Paul's girdle, and bound his own hands and feet, and said, Thus saith the Holy Ghost, So shall the Jews at Jerusalem bind the man that owneth this girdle, and shall deliver him into the hands of the Gentiles"

Is this a foretelling? It obviously is.

Acts 19: 1-7

It is too long to write it, but read carefully verse 6:"And when Paul had laid his hands upon them, the Holy Ghost came on them; and they spake with tongues, and PROPHESIED." Prophesied? If it means teaching, then to whom they were teaching? To Paul? To theselves?

Please study 1 Corinthians 14. Pay attention to v 24-25

"But if all PROPHESY, and there come in one that believeth not, or one unlearned, he is convinced of all, he is judged of all:

And thus are the secrets of his heart made manifest; and so falling down on his face he will worship God, and report that God is in you of a truth" Does it seem to you that prophesying here means teaching? Obviously not.

So must there be prophets/foretellers in a church?

Where did the wives come from if not from Adam and Eve for Cain, Enoch, etc?

George,

Although I also believe in a Pre-Tribulation rapture, I do not think that Luke 21:36 would show proof of that. Also, I am not too sure about John Chapter 14 giving definitive proof. Are you referring to John 14:3 by chance? Some people think John 14:3 is the rapture of the church, and some people think it is the second coming of Christ. Personally, I believe that it describes the time when we receive Christ. Jesus says He's leaving but He is coming back, that where Jesus is, we will be also. And where is the Lord right now? If we've received Christ, He lives in us. We are that dwelling place. We are that mansion!

Thank you for the reply, that is how I also feel, just wanted to hear other's thought's on it too.

I know plenty of women who can teach me things about the Bible . Should I not let them help me to understand God's word better ? Should I not allow my knowledge and understanding and faith to b increased by a woman ? Just because she is a woman ? Perhaps u could do me the honour of teaching me some thing about the Bible ? Instead of making negative comments could u please enrich my understanding of God's Word ? I would b very happy to learn something from u if u can manage to do that .

Thank you Gigi , it's very kind of you to think of others at this sad time for yourself , thank you so much and may God bless you .

Ronnie,

The answer to that is no. They must be removed from fellowship until they fully repent and completely refrain from that type of lifestyle. Homosexuality/Lesbianism is a form of sexual immorality and should never be allowed to enter into or remain in the body of Christ, the church.

Gina,

There are many today who claim to be prophets and that they have "new revelation" from God. The sad part is that they share what God supposedly revealed to them, and they tell their congregation things like "God gave me this new revelation to give to you."

Are there prophets today? I would say no, not like the Old Testament prophets. Now, can a person today still prophesy? I believe the answer to that is yes. Here's why I say this. To prophesy simply means to speak the word of God. The prophets of old were given direct prophecy from God and they foretold the future. They were "foretellers."

Since we have the complete written word of God today, and at the end of Revelation, God said to seal up this book of prophecy and He also warned about adding to or taking away from the book of prophecy, there can be no new prophecy today.



I mentioned that the prophets of old were fore-tellers. They foretold the future before it happened. But there is a different word for one who prophesies today, and that person would be a "forth-teller," meaning they take the already written word of God and forth tell the already complete prophecy contained in God's word.

I would say that a person can still prophesy today (speak the already written word of God), but what they speak and claim to be prophecy has to line up with the completed prophecy we have today. If what they are saying comes from revelation given to them from God, and it cannot be found in God's word, that person must be labeled a false prophet!

does God know when we will die

Gi Gi.. Sorry for your loss...GBU....I remember when my mom died it almost killed me...I wd not go to the funeral home to view her body...It just hurt too much...But you will get over it in time...GBU

I have seen many Christians debate this topic passionately and I personally have never taken part as I haven't formed a solid opinion, knowing that end times isn't a salvation issue and that we're just to be on guard regardless of how the end times plays out. But this one verse seems convincing and I wonder what verse do people cite who believe in post tribulation rapture?

Dear Adam,

I agree with you that not everybody go to heaven. I believe many will end up in Hell. As a matter of fact, the bible says somewhere I think in Matthew that there will be more people end up in Hell than Heaven. I think paradise was that it was a place called Abrahams Bussom. There were two separate sides in Hades, and on one side (Abrahams Bussom) were all the OT believers who had died, and on the other side were people who died as non-believers. When Jesus died, didn't his spirit went into the lower parts of the earth and he released those who were in Abrahams Bussum. Right now, only one of those two places exist and it is full of both OT non-believers, and all those who have rejected Jesus in NT times. As far as judgment goes, when you say that "The Bible says "all will be judged" on a particular day," are you saying that everyone, both believers and non-believers will be judged on the same day, a "particular day?" If that's what you are saying, then that is incorrect. Hopefully that's not what you are saying. You seem to be very smart on the bible and I don't think that's hwat you say. The bible talks about two separate judgments (Bema Seat) for believers, and then another judgement (Great White Throne) for non-believers. The judgment for believers is not to determine heaven or hell, but what their reward/s will be throughout eternity. The GWT judgement happens after the 1,000 year reign of Jesus and only non-believer will stand before God at that judgment. It's good to know that you personally believe in the five verses that you listed. Can you explain what you believe about those verses? Otherwise, how are we to know if what you believe is the correct truth? Thank you ahead of time for explaining. GBU

Thank you Suze,

I am so sorry about the accident with your step dad. that is awful! I understand your anger as there were siblings in my family who did not have my Mom's best interest in mind when pressing their Power of Attorney privileges upon my Mom and family.

But God had the last say for my Mom and over-ruled them. Thankfully.

I will pray for your step dad and your Mom today. May he get the care he needs at this time.

Thank you Anna

Thank you, DAvid

Dear Ronnie, given that homosexuality is a sin, it should be no surprise that most churches will not allow someone to openly demonstrate their love and allegiance to sin in the church. These two things don't mix. One is saying hey look at me, I'm doing something detestable to God and I want you to be ok with it, and the other is respecting that others are trying to escape the temptations of sin of the world and are trying to be in a sanctuary from that evil. So, one is selfish, the other is respectful of others and to God. Perhaps it would be similar to a man having an affair with a married woman and sitting by her during church holding her hand. Or maybe an alcoholic who brings a liquor bottle and drinks during service, or someone doing drugs during service or cursing, or lying, stealing, or other sins that your support for can be demonstrated during a church service. All of this is evil according to the Bible. Some pretend that sin is 'who they are' and that threaten Christians to accept and tolerate their sin. But the reality is that sin is always a choice, not an identity as some falsely assume. There are a lot of deceptive excuses to sin and very creative and seemingly persuasive ones that we must watch out for and stand against.

Bro Dan Us humanity keeping the law is like putting lipstick on a pig...And then wanting God to marry the Pig...We must be converted i.e. be bornagain...We must birth a new heart and a new spirit...Which is the H.G. our new innerman the H.G. that Child of PROMISE.

...Thats y Jesus is telling us we must be bornagain....of an incorruptible seed etc...making us a new Creature ...Neither circumcision nor uncircumcision but a new Creature is the only thing that pleases God.

....Impling neither Jew nor Gentile but a NEW CREATURE...which is the H.G. that Child of PROMISE...That New COVENANT

.....God so loved the world...Anybody and everybody...By 1 spirit are we all baptised into the body of Christ whither we be Jew or Gentile, Male or Female bond or free...Thats y Jesus is saying unless you receive the Kingdom of God as a lil Child impling a New Birth...like that woman in Rev 12 : 5 giving birth to that man child that is gonna rule all nations..ok lemme go

I have a question, Are there Prophets in this day and Time ?

Spirits of fear,worry,anxiety,confusion,intimidation,and anger have taken me for a month long ride. i am so tired. im asking God to give me the victory in this fight. For not by power,nor by might,but by my spirit says The Lord. im so in desperate need of peace and rest,im also trying to draw closer to God and this is seriously hindering me. im so tired brothers and sisters.Ty and may God bless you.