Bible Questions Page 52

Hi Gigi and Spencer,

pg. 1

I've been reading some of your comments which I perceive as being towards someone who appears to think we are also gods. I hope you are not including me in this because I don't think I've said as such. Without searching back to my previous posts, I've stated or strongly suggested and purposely meant we are created in God's likeness, which agrees with scripture in Genesis. And of course you cannot deny it when the Bible says "God is Spirit." and, "God is Love." Therefore anything in God's likeness must be spirit and love, not a god nor even flesh. Thus in God's likeness we must have His attributes.

I'm intrigued why Spencer mentioned at one point some of God's loving attributes in which we are to strive in developing as ours, yet he never mentioned along with them the negative attributes you both obviously believe are also of God, i.e. fear, wrath, vengeance, punishment, condemnation, separation, rejection, etc. Surely then, should we not pursue those also? Or is it possible you realize we've mastered those characteristics already? And you would be correct. What attributes are left then for Satan? You must have faith that the "devil" has something in common with God. Very illogical and impossible.

We know, don't we, it is biblical that creatures and plants produce in their likeness? It is highly unlikely a frog produces a snake or a reptile produces a mammal. Or as in James, a fig tree makes olives? No.

One can project via the ego the fearful negative characteristics belonging to your OWN thinking mind onto a Holy God, but can never make them true. I admit though it would be convenient for the ego to believe this, for now the ego can justify its attacks on our brothers and consider it as righteousness through damnation.

see pg. 2

If all Believers have the Holy Ghost which is the Holy Spirit, then how do some believers teach false doctrine?

CAN MAN BECOME GOD?

Man will always be finite, even as his nature is perfected by God's grace

DOUGLAS M. BEAUMONT 9/23/2019

Part 1.

One thing that saints like Athanasius, Augustine, Anselm, and Aquinas all have in common is that they asserted that creatures can become God. This idea is also reflected in the Catechism of the Catholic Church: "The Son of God became man so that we might become God" (CCC 460). Both Saints Irenaeus in the West and Maximus in the East made similar assertions-in fact, they are who the Catechism cites.

How is this teaching not heretical, or completely insane?

The idea that man can become God has been called "Theosis," "Deification," or "Divinization," and it actually has a solid pedigree among orthodox theologians, apologists, fathers, doctors, and saints of the Church. But where did they get this idea? After all, Scripture clearly teaches that there is only one God. This is evident from writings in both testaments including historical, prophetic, poetic books as well as gospels and epistles (e.g., Dt. 6:4, 2 Kgs. 19:19; Isa. 45:5; Ps. 86:10; Jn. 5:44; 1 Cor. 8:4; etc.). Further, it is clear from Scripture that men are not God and vice versa (e.g., Num. 23:19; 1 Sam. 15:29; Hos. 11:9, etc.).

However, Scripture also teaches that man can become God-like.

"I say, 'You are gods, sons of the Most High, all of you'" ( Ps. 82:6 cf. Jn. 10:34)

"The glory which thou hast given me I have given to them, that they may be one even as we are one, I in them and thou in me, that they may become perfectly one" ( Jn. 17:22-23)

"Know the love of Christ which surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled with all the fullness of God" ( Eph. 3:19)

"You may escape from the corruption that is in the world because of passion, and become partakers of the divine nature" ( 2 Pet. 1:4)

"Beloved, we are God's children now; it does not yet appear what we shall be, but we know that when he appears we shall be like him" ( 1 Jn. 3:2)

See Part 2.

In order to judge anything RIGHTLY in regards to the fruit one produces AND his eternal outcome and relationship with his Creator, one would have to be fully aware of an inconceivably wide range of things; past, present and to come. One would have to recognize in advance all the effects of HIS /HER judgments on everyone and everything involved in them in any way. And one would have to be certain there is no distortion in his/her perception, so that their judgement would be wholly fair to everyone on whom it rests now and in the future. Who is in a position to do this? Who except in grandiose fantasies would claim this for himself or herself?

One party might teach God is Love, mixed in with fear and hate, acceptance and rejection, award and punishment, eternity in heaven and in hell, peace and conflict, some are special yet some are not, inclusion and exclusion, and on and on and on.

Another party may teach God is ONLY Love along with acceptance and not rejection. Only awards in Heaven eternal. Only peace without conflict, and that the specialness of God's creation does not stem from exclusion, but inclusion.

You get the picture: One party's teaching is obviously confusing, promoting that there Is fear in Love, causing strain to its listeners, because obviously he/she is listening to two opposing voices, thus speaking out of both sides of the mouth.

The other party, teaching only LOVE is very clear and decisive because its thought system does not oppose itself. No strain here, which will lead to peace and understanding. He or she is listening to only One Voice Who sees His creation as guiltless, not guilty.

NOW there is NO fear in Love.

The choice to judge rather than to know is the cause of the loss of peace. Judgment is the process on which perception but not knowledge rests. God is the only Cause and He is NOT the author of fear. His only judgment on His children is innocent. Love creates only in Its Own Likeness.

Peace

GOD IS

Alex,

part 3 continued..

"They know not, neither will they understand; they walk in darkness; all the foundations of the earth are out of course. I have said, Ye are gods; and all of you are children of the Most High. But ye shall die like men; and fall like one of the princes. Arise, O God, judge the earth; for thou shalt inherit all nations."

Here the judges appointed over Israel were called "gods" because they represented God before the people when they judged matters. But God speaks ill of them because they were wicked and made unjust judgments. He was not affirming that they were indeed, divine beings, nor that they would or could become so. No, rather, God was judging them to be mere men who will face death as every human will.

In Acts 14:11-15 says, "And when the people saw what Paul had done, they lifted up their voices, saying in the speech of Lycaonia; The gods have come down to us in the likeness of men. And they called Barnabas, Jupiter, and Paul, Mercurius, because he was the chief speaker. Then the priest of Jupiter, which was before their city, brought oxen and garlands unto the gates, and would have done sacrifice with the people. Which when the apostles, Barnabus and Paul, heard of, they rent their clothes, and ran in among the people, crying out, And saying, Sirs, why do ye these things? We also are men of like passions with you, and preach unto you that ye should turn from these vanities unto the living God, which made heaven, and earth, and the sea, and all things that are therein."

Here, the people were so sure that Paul and Barnabas must be gods because they had miraculously healed a crippled man. But the apostles were grieved that the people would treat them as gods and wished to sacrifice to them. They refused such worship and pointed the people to the living God instead.

see next post....

Does Christ have a God?

The following is an excerpt from The MacArthur New Testament Commentary on Matthew 7:15-20.

Part 1

Beware of the false prophets, who come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly are ravenous wolves. You will know them by their fruits. Grapes are not gathered from thorn bushes, nor figs from thistles, are they? ( Matthew 7:15-16)

After warning about false prophets, Jesus tells us what to watch for in identifying them. Because they are so extremely deceptive and dangerous ravenous spiritual and moral wolves in sheep's clothing-the Lord would hardly have left us without means of determining who they are.

Jesus assures us that we will know them by their fruits. A fruit tree may be beautiful, decorative, and offer pleasant shade in the summer. But its primary purpose is to bear fruit, and it is therefore judged by what it produces and not by how it looks.

Similarly a prophet-used in this passage in the broadest sense of one who speaks for God-is judged by his life, not simply by his appearance or his words. The kind of person he really is cannot help being revealed. Some false prophets are noticeably spurious and only the most gullible person would be taken in by them. Others conceal their true nature with remarkable skill, and only careful observation will expose them for what they are. But there is a true assurance in the statement you will know them. There is no need to be deceived if we look closely.

It is the cleverly deceptive false prophet that Jesus is speaking about here. No one needs help in deciding that a tree is bad if it bears shriveled, discolored, and obviously rotten fruit-or no fruit at all. It is the tree that appears to bear good fruit, but does not, that is deceptive.

It is possible for grapes to be stuck on thorn bushes and for figs to be stuck on thistles. From a distance they might appear to be growing on real fruit trees. Because the fruit is genuine, naive persons might conclude that the tree itself also has to be genuine.

See Part 2.

I'm trying to learn and read the Lords Words, but I'm having a difficult time understanding. I'm dyslectic! Can someone please help?

Are you hungry ?Are you thirsty? I hope so , I'm starving and never feel full ! I always want more ! Throughout the old testament we are told that God will provide us with food and drink , is that really physical food and drink or is it a promise of...the Bible itself ? I'm not great at tying things together so I hope these verses are ok , they say what I want to much better than I ever could , Matthew 4:4 , Matthew 5:6 and also 15-26 , Luke 6:21-25 , John 6:35 , Isaiah 9:13-20 also 29:7-24 , all of Ch 32 , 49:5-10 , 65:11-25 , all of Ch 66. Psalm 106:15 , also 107:1-15+31-37 and all of 146 . The Bible is the LIVING WORD , it is what sustains us , feeds us and waters us as we wander in this wilderness towards our promised destination .

Peace Be Upon You.

The Priest Hezekiah And Ezekiel Are The Same Person, The 48 Chapter Of The Book Of Ezekiel, Isaiah Chapter 38:1-22; Second Kings Chapter 20:1-21; Second Chronicles Chapter 32:1-33. Why Are They Portrait As Two Different People?

A question : do you have faith , in God and in Jesus ? I'm guessing yes , so , why haven't you moved a mountain ? For many years I beat myself up over this , Matthew 17:20 , Matthew 21:21 , Mark 11:23 , John 4:21 . Obviously , I don't have even a tiny mustard grain of faith ! It's only quite recently that I realised that Jesus is using a metaphor . The mountain represents those trials and tribulations that I have in my daily life , my worries my fears my insecurities that come from paying too much attention to the things of this life . Then of course I had to rethink a few other things , once I had realised and accepted that , Jesus sometimes used metaphors , this has opened up my mind to all kinds of possibilities . Further study is required ! Guess what ? Further study is always required ! We are used to metaphors in the Bible especially in the book of Revelation but I hadn't really thought about Jesus using them , parables yes , metaphors ? Took me longer to recognise them . The Bible never stops teaching us new things , this is how it works , it opens up slowly , the more effort you put in and the more your heart and mind are open to it , the more it reveals . It doesn't matter how long we have been reading it , it doesn't matter how many times we've read it , it doesn't matter how great we think our knowledge and understanding is , there's still got good stuff in there to teach us . This is why we need to be careful about how we receive others , they may now something that we don't know yet , we may now something that they don't know yet , we must not discourage open discussion , we must not close our eyes and ears to each other . May God bless us all with open eyes , ears , minds and hearts , to receive His Word from each other with humility and patience and love .

Something to think about... you Said Cains decendents were killed in the flood... before the flood there were Nephilim just like after the flood there was Nephilim roaming the earth. Wouldn't have all the Nephilim died in the flood?

The size of the Ark was huge, YAHWEH told Noah in Genius 6:19 to take of every living thing of ALL flesh, 2 of every kind male and female to keep them alive with you, they shall be male and female. Then he says of the birds after their kind,and of the Animals after their kind, of every creeping thing of the ground after its kind. It sounds to me like he is talking about other humans flesh. Plus 8 people could not take care of the Ark that size with that many animals 24/7. They had to keep it clean otherwise it would have caught fire from the waste. No electricity only by candle.

Preparing for the unknown.

When studying the story of Peter and His denial of Christ; the first thing that tends to come up is the self confidence of Peter and his arrogance in thinking he was stronger than he actually was. That is certainly a valid point; although it could be said for all the Disciples at that time who ran off. What is also evident is the sense of complacency; or predictability which they all thought could be depended on; closing their hearts and thus blinding their minds to the frequent prophetic warnings from Christ about his death that was soon to come.

The same thing applies to us as believers; for instance if we have had a long season (as in this country) of relative freedom. Should organized governmental persecution; war, famine or another pestilence come are we too set in our ways to be able to endure?

There is; of course the inevitable day of death; either for ourselves or others we know. Ecclesiastes 9:13 states that it comes as a snare and on an unknown schedule. Getting our affairs in order as a believer involves the daily disciplines and working toward His goals which involves; one way or another fulfilling the Great Commission. The disciples were to learn what was needed to begin growing the church; and were given the Comforter and thus His presence to guide them ( John 14:26). The next major change was after Paul was martyred; as well as Peter. They both warned of the wolves in the flock who would soon be preaching falsehood. Satan is constantly to be watched for; both causing falsehood as well as persecution to affect the Body of believers.

Just as we would prepare for a natural disaster; it pays to be proactive with prayer and our devotional life. It strengthens us with our trust in the Lord through scripture meditation and memorization; but is also necessary as a witness to others; both lost individuals and those caught in life's unexpected trials. Wisdom with physical resources means we can aid others

"For the preaching of the cross is to them that perish foolishness; but unto us which are saved it is the power of God." 1 Corinthians 1:18 KJV - Does this mean that we wear gold crosses around our necks? Does this mean that we go to the tattoo parlor and ask for a cross to be etched/cut into our skin.......which is against the law by the way ->



"Ye shall not make any cuttings in your flesh for the dead, nor print any marks upon you: I am the LORD." Leviticus 19:28 KJV

Thoughts on knowledge and perception:

pg. 1

True perception is the basis for knowledge, but knowing is the affirmation of truth and beyond all perceptions. We can be right- minded or wrong-minded, and even this is subject to degrees, clearly demonstrating that knowledge is not involved. The term "right-mindedness" is properly used as the correction for "wrong-mindedness," and applies to the state of mind that induces accurate perception. Only perception involves partial awareness. Knowledge transcends the laws governing perception, because partial knowledge is impossible. It is all one and has no separate parts. In time, we perceive. Only God is knowledge, and eternal.

From knowledge and perception respectively, two distinctive thought systems arise which are opposites in every respect. In the realm of knowledge no thoughts exist apart from God, because God and His creation share one Will. The world of perception, however, is made by the belief in opposites and separate wills, in perpetual conflict with each other and with God. What perception sees and hears appears to be real because it permits into awareness only what conforms to the wishes of the perceiver. This leads to world of illusions, a world which needs constant defense precisely BECAUSE it is not real. The Holy Spirit must perceive time, and reinterpret it into the timeless. He must work through opposites, because He must work with and for a mind that is in opposition.

The opposite of Love is fear, yet what is all encompassing cannot have an opposite. Yet we can perceive incorrectly that it does, thus believing fear is of God and not its opposite. Could we say that love is the source of the opposite of God? Hmm. 1 John 4:18 . There is no fear in love; but perfect love casteth out fear; because fear hath torment. He that feareth is not made perfect in love. The opposite of this verse which would obviously derive from an opposing source, would be.....

see pg. 2

Did the serpent at one point have legs?

Why is the Apocrypha no longer in the KJV of today's books.

When was it stop being included?

Hello.

I have a very important question. What does the Bible say about a dying person not wanting to continue with medical care. Is this considered suicide if you refuse to continue suffering with medical treatments?

Thank you so much!

Please is it biblical to use these book, Ecclesiasticus, Baruch Jashier etc as a christian? what are their source are they of God almighty.

Thank you

what is the full meaning of tabernacle

What made King James Bible so popular over the other version?

In what book:chapter and verse is whales talked about?

I am doing a Bible study and a whole chapter is dedicated to The Sabbath day, the study says the Sabbath is Saturday (not Sunday as I have always believed) and that as its one of Gods Ten Commandments, I am sinning if I dont keep Saturday holy. The study provided various references both Old and New Testaments. People I talk to and listen to have said this died with the coming of Jesus, but dont we still have to follow the Ten Commandments today? I am uncertain, I am praying about this and seeking Gods guidance. Can you help?

Thank you

Ani

Jude was recently talked about in another post, I want to elaborate on verses 3 and 4.

"Beloved, when I gave all diligence to write unto you of the common salvation, it was needful for me to write unto you, and exhort you that ye should earnestly contend for the faith which was once delivered unto the saints.

FOR THERE ARE CERTAIN MEN CREPT IN UNAWARES, who were before of old ordained to this condemnation, ungodly men, turning the grace of our God into lasciviousness, and denying the only Lord God, and our Lord Jesus Christ."

"THEY'VE CREPT IN UNAWARES "

Are these wolves in sheep's clothing?

If so here's an scenario.

A wolf in sheep clothing is found out, he flees the sheep for a season, He returns with a different set of sheep clothing,

You spot him, Do you warn the sheep? Yes you do, especially the suckling.

We are not to pluck up the tares as mentioned in Matthew 13:27-30,

But there is nothing wrong with pointing them out as the servant did in this parable.

And notice who planted them!

For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places. Ephesians 6:12.

Be watchful.

God bless.

Ezekiel 17:3 ...and a GREAT EAGLE with great wings, long winged, and full of feathers, which had divers colours, came unto Lebanon, and took the highest branch of the cedar:

Revelation 12:15 And to the woman was GIVEN two wings of a GREAT EAGLE ....

Job 39:30 Doth the EAGLE mount up at THY COMMAND, and make her nest on high? She dwelleth and abideth on THE ROCK, upon the crag of the ROCK, and the strong place. From thence (the ROCK) she seeketh the prey (FLESH and BLOOD) and her eyes behold afar off. Her young ones also suck up blood: and where the slain are, THERE IS SHE.

1 Corinthians 15:50 ....flesh and blood cannot inherit the KINGDOM OF HEAVEN ......

Revelation 19:17 .....and he cried with a loud voice, saying to all the fowls that fly in the midst of heaven (the children of the GREAT EAGLE) Come and gather yourselves to the supper of the Great God;

Revelation 19:18 That ye may eat the flesh of great kings, and the flesh of captains, and the flesh of mighty men ....and the FLESH OF ALL MEN ----FLESH and BLOOD CANNOT inherit the kingdom of God ----

Some WORDS OF GOD TO MEDIATE ON

Would you please explain for me deeply what salvation is?

And what the blood of christ did , and how we have to take the forgiveness from God

which we received through Jesus christ death?

What is the song?

Im wondering when the rapture will happen.

This is ridiculous, I know but, I am curious about the date of the birth of our Father God, King of all Kings, The Alpha and the Omega. Christmas day obviously would have to correct. I was just curious because I heard it might be in September.

I'd like to know about all of Solomons, the meaning behind it and the message that is supposed to be shown. I'd also like to know more about it. I'm not new at this but I am new when it comes to reading my Bible. There's so much I want to learn in order to get a better understanding and working twords a better relationship with God.