Short Takes

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● John 6:53 . . Truly, Truly, I say to you: unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man
and drink His blood, you have no life in yourselves.

The kind of life about which Jesus spoke is not of this world.

● John 6:54 . . He who eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life

Eternal life is far and away superior to human life because it's immune to any and
all natural causes of death, e.g. insects, disease, poisonous plants and animals,
criminal assaults, bullets, cutting tools, falls, crushing, suffocation, blunt force
trauma, starvation, dehydration, fire, old age, etc. etc. Eternal life never gets old, it
never wears out, nor does it wear off because it's supernatural.

Now; the grammatical tense of John 6:54; it's present tense rather than future;
indicating that when people correctly dine upon Jesus flesh, and correctly imbibe his
blood, they obtain eternal life immediately: no delay, no waiting period, and no
probation.

NOTE: Eternal life and immortality are not the same thing. Jesus had eternal life
when he was here (John 5:26) but he didn't obtain immortality till after his
resurrection. (Rom 6:9, Rev 1:18) So eternal life has no effect upon one's health:
it's not like that.

People lacking eternal life, lack unity with God's son.

● 1John 5:11-12 . . God has given us eternal life, and this life is in His son. He who
has the Son has the life; he who does not have the Son of God does not have the
life.
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Some years ago, a two-bit substitute Sunday school teacher wasted the hour
by sitting us thru a Hollywood movie based upon the life of Joseph. At the
conclusion of the "show" I raised my hand and asked the teacher if he
thought Joseph was born again.

I wish you could've seen the look on his face as his mind instantly went into
oscillating vapor lock trying to understand what I meant. He was baffled by
my question.

Well; I explained, Jesus said that no one can enter the kingdom of God sans
the Spirit birth he spoke of at John 3:3-7. The language and grammar of
his statement strongly suggests there are no exceptions, viz: the birth
isn't optional, rather, it's mandatory-- not just mandatory for some, but for
everyone.

One day I asked an experienced Jehovah's Witness if he was born of the
Spirit. He answered no, and added that he did not expect to undergo a Spirit
birth in either this life or the next because his hope isn't in Heaven.

The JW was somehow unaware that Jesus' discussion with Nicodemus
wasn't about things in Heaven, rather, things on Earth.

● John 3:12 . . . If I have told you earthly things and yet you do not believe,
how will you believe if I tell you heavenly things?

In other words: the kingdom of God, and the Spirit birth requirement,
pertain to Messiah's theocratic world down here on the ground rather than
the supreme being's celestial world up in the sky.

It's both tragic and ironic that the Watchtower Society's rank and file
missionaries go worldwide advertising a kingdom that they themselves will
never be allowed to enter: not because they didn't work hard enough to
deserve it, but simply because they were led to believe themselves exempt
from the Spirit-birth requirement.
_
 
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The love that God extends to mankind in general per John 3:16 is a nondescript
love that anybody can practice because it's merely benevolence, e.g. kindness,
sympathy, generosity, tolerance, charity, courtesy, and keeping a civil tongue in
one's head.

The love that God extends to His son's friends per John 16:27 goes beyond
benevolence. It's an emotional love that expresses itself in feelings like fondness
and affection.

The love per John 3:16 is typically extended without passion or prejudice; whereas
that of John 16:17 mirrors 1Sam 18:1 & 2Sam 1:26.

I grew up in a dysfunctional home. Consequently the thought of God actually liking
me, instead of only tolerating me as a nuisance and/or an inconvenience, is nigh
unto impossible for me to comprehend.
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● 1Tim 5:24-25 . . Some people lead sinful lives, and everyone knows they will be
judged. But there are others whose sin will not be revealed until later.

Some folks are so shamelessly, unabashedly, outrageously, and defiantly wicked
that there's no doubt in any rational person's mind that those kinds of people are
headed into really big trouble down the road. Whereas others haven't a clue that
not only will their good conduct be evaluated for flaws, but so will their sensibilities;
which are typically influenced by customs and culture rather than molded into
suitable condition by the supreme of all beings.

I think it can go without saying that some very decent folks are going to be very
surprised to discover that many of their concepts relative to good and evil were evil
quite often and they didn't know it.
_
 
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FAQ: Was it really necessary to restore Jesus' crucified dead body to life? Why
couldn't it remain deceased and him taken Heaven in spirit form?

REPLY: Jesus' crucifixion was an adequate atonement for people's sins, but by itself
wasn't enough for someone to obtain exoneration.

● Rom 4:25 . . He was delivered over to death for our sins, and was restored to life
for our justification.

The Greek word translated "justification" is dikaiosis (dik-ah'-yo-sis) which means
acquittal; defined as an adjudication of innocence.

People merely forgiven still carry a load of guilt; viz: they have a criminal record.
The resurrection of Christ's crucified dead body allows God to wipe their records
clean so that on the books, it's as though they've never been anything but 100%
innocent so that when the books are opened per Rev 20:11-15 there will be nothing
found in them with which folks may be accused.

● 1Cor 15:17 . . If Christ is not risen, your faith is futile; you are still in your sins.

This clearing of one's guilt that I'm talking about is obtained via the kindness and
generosity of God through belief in the resurrection of Christ's crucified dead body.
If the Devil can succeed in convincing people that Jesus' crucified body is still dead
or, even better yet, make them question whether the man even existed at all; then
they will fail to obtain an acquittal, and consequently end up coming out on the
wrong side of things.
_
 
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● Rom 3:23 . . All have sinned, and come short of the glory of God

In other words: God has made His own personal sinless perfection the standard by
which everyone is evaluated. Obviously then; no one among the Jews or the
Gentiles-- except for Christ --has ever, nor will ever, measure up; not even the
holiest people that one can imagine, e.g. Noah, Daniel, or Job; and those were
some very righteous guys. (Ezek 14:12-20)

The thing is: Christ's crucifixion and resurrection satisfies justice for people's sins,
and gives them a rating of innocence and exoneration that they could never in a
million years attain on their own. But if the plan of salvation was finished at that
point, they would still be short of the glory of God, viz: the ultimate goal of
salvation is God's own personal sinless perfection which, again, is something that
people could never in a million years attain on their own.

Now with justice satisfied and out of the way by means of Christ's crucifixion and
resurrection; the supreme being is at liberty to become extremely benevolent with
a remarkable act of God that when fully completed will equip folks with a personal
sinless perfection comparable to His own.

● 2Pet 1:3-4 . . His divine power has given us everything we need for life and
godliness through our knowledge of Him who called us by His own glory and
goodness. Through these He has given us His very great and precious promises, so
that through them you may participate in the divine nature and escape the
corruption in the world caused by evil desires.
_
 
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Jesus' crucifixion, and the subsequent resurrection of his dead body, are sometimes
called substitutionary. But according to the Bible, he took people along with him
into those events, which makes his crucifixion and resurrection joint actions
wherein his believing followers participated.

● Rom 6:3 . .Or do you not know that as many of us as were baptized into Christ
Jesus were baptized into His death?

● Rom 6:6 . . Knowing this, that our old man is crucified with him

● Gal 2:20 . . I am crucified with Christ

● Col 3:1-4 . . For you died when Christ died

● Rom 6:4-5 . .We are buried with him by baptism into death: that like as Christ
was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should
walk in newness of life. For if we have been planted together in the likeness of his
death, we shall be also in the likeness of his resurrection

● Eph 2:6 . . God raised us up with Christ

● Col 2:12 . . Buried with him in baptism, wherein also ye are risen with him

It's no doubt possible to allegorize the above passages, but I strongly suggest
taking them as-is. I don't know how God went about making Jesus' followers joint
participants in his crucifixion and resurrection, but then to this day I still haven't a
clue yet how God went about making Adam's posterity joint participants in the
forbidden fruit incident per Rom 5:12-21.

There is an obvious benefit to all this. Jesus went to the cross bearing guilt, but was
restored to life without guilt (Rom 6:10-11). So then, all those unified with Jesus in
his death, burial, and resurrection are also back from the dead without guilt, i.e.
they came back with him 100% innocent.

● Rom 8:34 . .Who then will condemn us? Will Christ Jesus? No, for he is the one
who died for us and was raised to life for us.
_
 
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● Heb 4:14-16 . .Therefore, since we have a great high priest who has gone
through the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold firmly to the faith we
profess. For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our
weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are;
yet was without sin. Let us then approach the throne of grace with frankness, so
that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.

Now the thing is: the high priest in Heaven despises rote. So it would be wise to put
prayer books away in storage and voice one's concerns from the heart with free,
candid, forthright, and sincere expression because frankness stresses lack of
shyness or secretiveness or of evasiveness from considerations of tact or
expedience; ergo: frankness implies transparency, i.e. unbridled freedom of speech
and the liberty to speak your mind without fear of ridicule, shame, disgrace,
retribution, or retaliation, viz: with Messiah on the job, people may speak to
Heaven just as we'd speak with their wives and/or their best friends, like this:

"Come now, let us argue this out-- says The Lord. No matter how deep the stain of
your sins, I can remove it. I can make you as clean as freshly fallen snow. Even if
you are stained as red as crimson, I can make you as white as wool." (Isa 1:18)

That promise is just as good today as it was back in Isaiah's day; made possible by
Jesus' crucifixion.

"He was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the
punishment that brought us peace was upon him, and by his wounds we are
healed. We all, like sheep, have gone astray, each of us has turned to his own way;
and The Lord has laid on him the iniquity of us all." (Isa 53:5-6)
_
 
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FAQ: Isn't Judaism equally as useful as Christianity for sinners seeking God's
forgiveness? Isn't that the whole purpose of Yom Kippur, a.k.a. the Day of
Atonement?

POSIT: Pinning one's hopes on the Day Of Atonement is futile. For one thing:
there's no one to perform the ritual seeing as how there is neither a Temple nor a
fully functioning Aaronic high priest on duty in Jerusalem at this time. In point of
fact, neither of those two essential elements of the Day of Atonement have been in
Jerusalem since 70 AD. But that's not the worst of it.

The original sacrificial system was effective-- to a point --for addressing the
peoples' actions, and for sanitizing their bodies, but totally ineffective for
addressing the people themselves, viz: their persons, the core of their being.

For example: when Adam tasted the forbidden fruit, his perception of decency
underwent a radical change. Whereas before, he was comfortable seen undressed;
afterwards he was uncomfortable seen naked even by his wife.

The thing is: Adam's moral compass went awry, i.e. his conscience became
humanistic.

● Gen 3:22 . . And The Lord God said: The man has now become like one of us,
knowing good and evil.

In other words: Adam began looking to his own intuition for moral direction instead
of looking to his maker, viz: Adam became a tin God.

Point being: none of the Levitical system's rituals address the corruption inherent
within the human conscience that came about by means of the forbidden fruit
incident.

● Heb 9:13-14 . .The blood of goats and bulls and the ashes of a heifer sprinkled on
those who are ceremonially unclean sanctify them so that they are outwardly clean.
How much more, then, will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit
offered himself unblemished to God, cleanse our consciences from acts that lead to
death, so that we may serve the living God.

The Greek word translated "consciences" basically pertains to mental activity
especially as it pertains to moral perception. So we're not talking about outwardly
sinful behavior here. (cf. Rom 2:16 and Heb 4:12)

Bottom line: no matter how perfectly pious somebody attains, they will never be
completely ready for God until they avail themselves of Christ's crucifixion to atone
for their defective internal mechanism that discerns between good and evil, right and
wrong, and wise and unwise.
_
 
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I know of the Protestant minister asked by Audie Murphy's widow Pamela to speak
at her husband's funeral. Mr. Murphy, as you may already know, was a 32nd
degree Scottish Rite Mason and a Shriner; but he wasn't a Christian.

In amazement, the minister asked Mrs. Murphy why she chose a Christian to speak
at her husband's funeral.

Although Audie himself wasn't a Christian, Pamela was; and she explained that the
Hollywood crowd would be there the day of his funeral, and having hob-nobbed
with pampered celebries during her husband's acting career, she was fully aware
that many of them were rarely confronted with something serious about the
afterlife.

Well; they got both barrels that day, and were very annoyed because they were
expecting the usual sappy, feel-good rhetoric with which their ilk are accustomed.

Some may feel that Hell isn't an appropriate topic at a funeral. But I think that,
other than Xmas and Easter, you couldn't pick a better time to bring it up,
especially since Christ said that the majority ends up there.

● Ecc 7:2 . . It is better to go to a house of mourning than to go to a house of
gaiety, for death is the destiny of every man; the living should take this seriously.

According to the Bible; not many great people are called (1Cor 1:26). If that's true,
then we have to expect that the majority of the world's best and brightest
achievers-- the really big names in sports, science, medicine, law, politics,
technology, business, industry, religion, entertainment, and education, etc --don't,
and won't, make it to safety when they pass on.

As I watched some of the splendor and pomp of President Gerald Ford's funeral
back in January of 2007, I couldn't help but wonder if he was in a position to really
appreciate it; as I suspect people in Hades would certainly no longer really care
anymore whether they were given an unknown pauper's disposal in a City
incinerator, or reverently placed in a grand tomb in the National Cemetery with
world-wide television coverage.
_
 
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● Deut 27:26 . . Cursed be anyone who does not confirm the words of this law by
doing them.

Something that should be emphasized is that the curse is irrevocable; so it's very
important to come to grips with it; and the sooner the better.

● Matt 5:18 . . For assuredly, I say to you: till heaven and earth pass away, not one
jot or one tittle will by any means pass from the law till all is fulfilled.

In other words: whoever deserves that curse is absolutely certain to get it.

In point of fact, Deut 27:26 is grammatically present tense rather than future,
indicating that the curse is instant-- no delay and no waiting period. i.e. it's already
on the books hanging over people's heads like a guillotine just waiting for the man
in charge to give the executioner a signal to let go the rope keeping the blade in
check.
_
 
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FAQ: Can you cite an Old Testament example where God approved human
sacrifice?

REPLY: Yes.

● Gen 22:1-2 . . Now it came about after these things, that God tested Abraham,
and said to him: Abraham! And he said: Here I am. And He said: Take now your
son, your only son, whom you love, Isaac, and go to the land of Moriah; and offer
him there as a burnt offering on one of the mountains of which I will tell you.

NOTE: According to Gen 18:23-33, Abraham wasn't above challenging God's
judicial sensibilities. Had the old boy seriously believed that offering his son Isaac
as a burnt offering was wrong, he would've said something; in point of fact, he had
three days to think about it. (Gen 22:4)

Did Abraham slay Isaac? No; but did Abraham offer Isaac? Yes.

● Gen 22:9 . .Then they came to the place of which God had told him. And
Abraham built an altar there and placed the wood in order; and he bound Isaac his
son and laid him on the altar, upon the wood.

You see, once a gift dedicated to God is placed on an altar, it's a done deal--
whether the offering is dead or alive makes no difference. In point of fact, the letter
to Hebrews credits Abraham with offering his son in obedience to God's command.

● Heb 11:17 . . By faith Abraham, when he was tested, offered up Isaac, and he
who had received the promises offered up his only begotten son

Had God disapproved human sacrifice, He would've stopped Abraham before Isaac
was laid on the altar.

But the real clincher is the 53rd chapter of Isaiah, which speaks of a human
sacrifice fully arranged, sanctioned, and worked out by none other than "the arm of
The Lord". In other words: it was a task wherein God rolled up His sleeves and
really got down to business.
_
 
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● Ps 139:1-12 . . O Lord, you have examined my heart and know everything about
me. You know when I sit down or stand up. You know my every thought when far
away. You know what I am going to say even before I say it.

. . . I can never escape from Your spirit. I can never get away from your presence.
If I go up to heaven, You are there; if I go down to the place of the dead, You are
there.

. . . I could ask the darkness to hide me and the light around me to become night--
but even in darkness I cannot hide from You. To You the night shines as bright as
day; darkness and light are both alike to You.

In a nutshell that's saying all the things we've done in secret-- privately, behind
closed doors, and/or when we thought no one was looking --was observed, and
it was noted.

● Heb 4:13 . . Nothing in all creation is hidden from God's sight. Everything is
uncovered and laid bare before the eyes of Him to whom we must give account.
_
 
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Eternal life is often mistaken for immortality. The two are not the same.

Immortality is a tangible kind of life pertaining to a superhuman body with
perpetual youth.

Eternal life, on the other hand, is a spirit kind of life; which is why it's possible for
people to obtain eternal life prior to obtaining immortality.

For example: Christ had eternal life all along (John 5:26, 1John 1:1-2) but
according to Rom 6:9 and Rev 1:18, he didn't obtain immortality till after his
crucified dead body was restored to life.

Likewise Christ's believing followers have eternal life now, today (John 5:24) but
according to Rom 8:23-25, 1Cor 15:51-53, and 1Thss 4:14-17 they won't obtain
immortality until their resurrections.

So then; I think we can safely conclude (in a nutshell) that immortality is
something that can be seen, while eternal life is something that cannot be seen.

The properties of eternal life are a little easier to understand when juxtaposed with
human life.

Human life was created.

Eternal life wasn't created.

There's a large variety of created life.

There is only one eternal life.

Human life's primary characteristic is human nature; roughly defined as the
fundamental dispositions and traits of the human being.

Eternal life's primary characteristic is divine nature, roughly defined as the
fundamental dispositions and traits of the supreme being.
_
 
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Well; it appears to me that all entries in the lamb's book of life were completed
early on, even before anybody was created.

● Eph 1:3-5 . . Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has
blessed us in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in Christ. For He
chose us in him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in His
sight. In love He predestined us to be adopted as his sons through Jesus Christ, in
accordance with his pleasure and will

Everything is a foregone conclusion with God; nothing surprises Him. God foresaw
the forbidden fruit incident, He foresaw Cain and Abel, He foresaw the Flood and
knew He'd regret Mans creation, He foresaw the Tower of Babel, He foresaw Sodom
and Gomorrah, He foresaw the Exodus, He foresaw the Holocaust, He foresaw all
the folks who won't bow to the Beast, and He has seen the Lake of Fire and the end
of the world as we know it.

In other words: there are no new believers to God. He's already foreseen every one
of them back at the very beginning just as He's foreseen everything else ahead of
time before it comes to pass. Ergo: if somebody's name isn't already in the lamb's
book of life, then their name will never be in there because the book is closed; it's
finished.

NOTE: When I was a kid back in the decade of the 1950s, I asked my mom how I
have free will if God already knows all my choices before I make them. Well; mom
wasn't all that deep of a thinker, so she couldn't respond. But the thing is: I make
my own decisions, He only foresees them, viz: God is the ultimate crystal ball, so to
speak.
_
 
.● Eph 1:4-5 . . He predestined us to be adopted as His sons through Jesus Christ,
in accordance with His pleasure and will

There are important differences between adopted kids and foster kids.

The latter have no inheritance rights, they have no right to be known by a foster
father's name, they have no right to a foster father's love, they have no right to
address their foster father with a filial vocative like dad, pop, or papa; and they
have no right to a place in his genealogy.

Plus, foster care is temporary. Older kids eventually age out of the foster system
and the State ceases to assist foster fathers to continue providing for them. At 18
the older kids are legally adults in my country, and the responsibility for their
providence is upon themselves. Ouch!

Adopted kids' circumstances are so, so much better. They are legally just as much
an adopted father's children as his biological offspring. Ergo: adopted kids have
inheritance rights, they have a right to be known by their adopted father's name,
they have a right to their adopted father's love, they have a right to address their
adopted father by a filial vocative, and they have a right to a place in his
genealogy.

Plus, adoption is permanent. Older kids don't age out of their adopted homes so
they always have a family support base to fall back on should their circumstances
become difficult. (cf. Luke 15:11-24)

Not every Christian is related to God as His kin by adoption. But those in that
envious position aren't left to guess at whether they are or not.

● Rom 8:15-16 . . For you have not received a spirit of slavery leading to fear
again, but you have received a spirit of adoption as sons by which we cry out,
"Abba! Father!" The Spirit Himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children
of God.

A tragic case in point is Mother Teresa. For virtually the entire five decades as a
missionary, Teresa felt not the slightest glimmer of The Lord's presence. I'm talking
about 50 years. Her feelings of abandonment were so strong that she eventually
began doubting there's a God out there, and if there is one, she wasn't sure He
even liked her and might even be disposed to quite condemn her. That poor soul
went to her death without the slightest assurance she would be safe on the other
side.

Point being: Teresa was deprived the Spirit's witness per Rom 8:16. That being so,
then I must assume Teresa left this life on her own instead of in God's care.

NOTE: Abba is neither English nor Greek; it's Aramaic. The word means father, but
not as an ordinary noun. Grammatically, it's a filial vocative. For example: when
I'm puttering around out in the garage, and my son and his mother are in the
kitchen talking about me, then "dad" is merely an identifier that informs my wife
who my son is talking about. But when my son wants to get my attention and calls
out: "Dad, come inside." then the same noun becomes a filial vocative.
_
 
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● Acts 17:28 . . For in Him we live and move and have our being. As some of your
own poets have said; "We are his offspring."

The Athenian poets wrote about mankind in general which, if we go back to the
beginning, we see that mankind came into existence by means of creation. In other
words: we should understand mankind's birth as sort of like when Geppetto
constructed Pinocchio. The little wooden boy was the image and likeness of its
father but wasn't the father's direct descendant.

A preponderance of textual evidence indicates born-again Christians are similar to
Pinocchio, viz: they are children of God by creation rather than direct descendants.

2Cor 5:17
Eph 2:10
Eph 4:24
Col 3:9-10

God has only one child qualified to be known as His direct descendant.

John 1:14
John 1:18
John 3:16
John 3:18
1John 4:9

The thing is: were born-again Christians to be God's direct descendants, they would
be divine beings because like gives birth to like, i.e. were God to reproduce, He
would produce Gods, viz: duplicates of Himself like as people produce duplicates of
themselves. For example:

● Gen 5:3 . . And Adam lived an hundred and thirty years, and begat a son in his
own likeness, after his image; and called his name Seth.
_
 
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FAQ: Do animals go to Hell?

REPLY: No.

FAQ: Why not?

REPLY: Because mankind was created in the image an likeness of God whereas
animals weren't.

FAQ: So?

REPLY: The image and likeness of God implies personal responsibility combined
with a sense of good and evil. The animal kingdom, on the other hand, is amoral;
defined as having or showing no concern about whether one's behavior is morally
right or wrong.

The image and likeness of God also implies a sense of justice, i.e. an inclination to
to honor good by penalizing evil.
_
 
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● Luke 16:29-31 . . Abraham said to him: They have Moses and the prophets; let
them hear them. And he said: No, father Abraham; but if one goes to them from
the dead, they will repent. But he said to him: If they do not hear Moses and the
prophets, neither will they be persuaded though one rise from the dead.

* The man's protest suggests his brothers weren't exactly what we might call
conscientious students of the Bible.

Anyway; I've seen a few movies relative to the so-called Rapture. They all leave out
a very showy portion of that future event wherein 2,000 years of Christians will
return from death to join those living so that all together can ascend to meet Christ
up in the sky all at one time. We're talking about an event wherein Christians won't
just vanish at the snap of the fingers like Hollywood typically portrays the Rapture,
but instead the entire scene will be an activity easily observed by everyone all
'round the world as millions of Christians of all ages, races, and genders rise in the
air like a plague of locusts.

I expect quite a few Christians will be taken up from interior locations like office
buildings, factories, mines, garages, homes, schools, vehicles, and malls, etc.
Nobody will bump their heads on the way out because, according to John 20:19 and
John 20:26, He who created all things can easily manipulate the structure of solid
objects to allow the human body to pass thru unimpeded.

Point being: I can't help but wonder about the effect this event is going to have
upon unbelieving folk around the world who observe it; especially when 2,000 years
of deceased Christians suddenly make an appearance alive. Well; I think it will
make unbelievers nervous at first, but I kind of suspect it won't suffice to change
their minds.
_
 
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FAQ: Atheists have plenty of logical reasons for rejecting Christianity and the Bible.
What logical reasons do you have for accepting Christianity and the Bible?

REPLY: None.

FAQ: How it is that you trust Christianity and the Bible without knowing for sure
whether they're true?

REPLY: My conscience insists Christianity and the Bible are true, viz: it's an intuitive
conviction that I am unable to shake off.

Why does anybody believe what they believe? Buddhist, Muslim, Hindu, Bahá'í,
Hare Krishna, Jehovah's Witness, Mormon, Catholic, Baptist, Judaism, Voodoo,
Wiccan, Jain, Druze, Native American, etc, etc, etc. The answer? Because it grips
their heart-- the core of their being --which is very different than persuading
someone with logic and reasoning.

When folks are persuaded to buy into a religion by means of logic and reasoning,
they can be just as easily persuaded to give it up by logic and reasoning. But
someone whose heart is gripped by their religion is not easily removed regardless
of how strong, how sensible, how convincing, nor how logical the opposition's
argument. In point of fact, one of the prerequisites to salvation is believing with
one's heart rather than one's head. (Rom 10:8-9)

FAQ: Are you suggesting people end up in Hell merely because their intuition
failed to convince them that Christianity and the Bible are true?

REPLY: My personal opinion? I think atheists are not entirely honest. They profess
very sensible reasons for rejecting religion while down deep inside they're a mite
worried.

Mark Twain once said he didn't believe in an afterlife; nevertheless expected one.
Twain likely meant that for humor, but it's actually a pretty realistic statement.
_
 
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