(Vanity) TERRI,COME FORTH!

Lazarus, come forth! When God wrote the Bible He wrote to us from His point of view. However, when we read things, we have a tendency to look at what we read through rose colored glasses. If we take off those glasses and look at things through God's eyes instead, we may see things we really don't like about ourselves.

We are corpses, that's what God Himself call us in Eph 2:5, 5:14, and Col 2:13. These are some of the many verses that address our spiritual estate before salvation. God demands we look at the whole Bible in this light and when we do, He then shows us more.

Lazarus in Jn 11:1-44 is God's spiritual explanation, a parable, of you and me before salvation and then God's salvation comes. He was dead, he stunk, how much more descriptive does God have to make it, he was a rotting corpse!

He could not see, he could not hear, he could not walk, nor think nor speak, nor move on his own, yet Jesus calls him by name and he simply comes forth as he was commanded to do.

God then describes a little bit more about Lazarus' death. He was bound with grave clothes. In the literal account of the raising of Lazarus, this is what he was buried in. But it's the spiritual account that teaches us what God sees. Take off those rose colored glasses and look at the account as God wants us to see it, not as we prefer, seeing only a physical miracle performed by God and not looking at the miracle of salvation that this parable teaches us.

He didn't have on Christ's robe of righteousness, he wore his own sinful estate (Zec 3:3-5). Once we are saved, God gives us a change of clothes/heart (Eze 36:26) and we now wear Christ's robe of righteousness (Isa 61:10) not our old filthy clothes/sins (Zec 3:4). Loose him. Same word "loose" used in Mt 16:19; 18:18. He was now freed from the bondage of Satan Lu 13:16. The people were more concerned about his physical death, Jesus spoke about his spiritual death and rebirth in this chapter. He literally raised the dead but it pointed to the spiritual. Not to be funny but Jesus didn't say, "Lazarus, open one eye and listen to what I'm offering you." The parable here is one of complete death, no life within at all. Therefore no response. The wicked cannot change on their own Jer 13:23. God choose Lazarus' physical death to show us what He sees inside us when He looks. The point is very straightforward, complete death, no life at all. If you are unsaved, God is telling you that there is nothing you can do on your own to save yourself nor help with your salvation, while unsaved, you don't even know you are as a dead man. God must do everything, including choosing you for salvation.

The Gospel call goes out to all mankind, repent. Yet God knows full well that no one will, therefore He did all the work involved with our salvation. This is very fair, no one will be able to say, "you never called me to repentance", He did but they would not repent. Ps 19:1-3 all mankind knows, Rom 2:14, 15 all of us know, it is written in our hearts, but our hearts are now wicked, Jer 17:9. No one will have an excuse on Judgment Day. God calls us to Himself. He has already determined who is saved and only those are made alive, they get called and like Lazarus cannot resist, we have no say in our salvation.

Looking again at Lazarus, we should now see ourself in his place, we too are dead. What can you do to respond to God when He calls? Nothing. If, as God tells us in Rom 3:11, no one seeks God, we certainly cannot come to Him to start with. (The use of the number 4 in the Lazarus parable; 4 days; points to the universality of the situation, north, east, south, west. Rev 5:9, kindred, tongue, people, nation. Psalm 107:2, God calls His redeemed from all lands, vs 3, from the east and the west, from the north and the south. Lazarus is a picture of all mankind, they all get the Gospel message but only God's elect will hear the rest stay in the tomb.) If He calls to all of us and we are dead, we cannot respond to Him either. That's why we're told in Jn 6:44 that God draws us. If we're dead how do we say yes or no? We do as we are commanded, like Lazarus. This is why He used Lazarus as our example. The command went out but Lazarus was dead, no response on his part, he couldn't mull over God's offer. So God now does all the work. Lazarus simply comes back to life. It looks like he is doing something, he was told to rise. But he couldn't hear the offer, he was dead, his ears didn't work. So God gave him life, no choice on Lazarus' part.

The valley of bones in Ezekiel 37 is even more stark. Prophesy to the bones, i.e., declare the Gospel to them. We are the bones, we have no life. The bones are dry, the opposite of wet. Once God saves us, we now have the water of life in us, Jn 4:14; 7:38. The bones are no longer dry and a miracle now happens, they come back to life. They couldn't hear nor resist, they were long dead. This is even more stark then Lazarus coming back to life, these were only bones, their flesh was long gone. Yet God simply grants them life. We are the house of Israel, Gal 6:16, all those who become saved from the beginning of time till the last day, we are made heirs by adoption, Eph 1:5; Rom 2:29. The Israel of God represents all whom God will save. We were those dead dry bones but God has raised us up just like He did to Lazarus in John 11. This theme is found many times throughout the entire Bible if we look for it, if we really want to see it through God's eyes.

The miracle of Lazarus' resurrection is still nothing less than a miracle, even in light of what God is teaching us spiritually in this parable. But when we take off our man made rose colored glasses and ask God to give us sight instead, we will find we see things more clearly than ever before and we'll see things as God sees them, not as we prefer to see them. Has God raised you from the spiritual dead yet as He did with Lazarus?

This is the video that should be shown on the news everynight - it is even more powerful than the balloon video.

http://web.tampabay.rr.com/ccb/videos/Terri_Big_Eyes.rm

This is not reflex action - she heard the doctor, she opened her eyes as wide as she could to impress him.

Even Fox news has ignored this clip.

The rest of Terri is already in heaven however, has been for over a decade.

Now just how do you know that? Is there someplace in the Bible that says if you can't communicate with those around you are dead?

Besides, get a load of this (and please post your regrets):

Here is a seldom seen video showing she can function

This is the video that should be shown on the news everynight - it is even more powerful than the balloon video.

http://web.tampabay.rr.com/ccb/videos/Terri_Big_Eyes.rm

This is not reflex action - she heard the doctor, she opened her eyes as wide as she could to impress him.

Even Fox news has ignored this clip.

FNC is rapidly losing credibility in some areas.
My wife just told me that E.D. Hill was ranting and raving on the air this morning to a black dem congress person from Fla. who had been called by Jesse Jackson and was considering changing his vote. She encouraged him "not" to.

I always knew e.d. was rather dumb, but I hand no ideas of the depths. She is a disgrace to anyone who has ever been a morning show broadcaster or tried to pass themselves off as semi-journalists.

FNC has at least a half dozen other anchorettes who could do a far better job than E.D. Why don't they put her on with BOR so they can both make fools out of themselves while we listen to Rush.

Get serious. That is nothing but reflex action. People with NO BRAIN cannot respond. If I stand next to her long enough sooner or later a reflex action will occur and appear to happen to my command.
My god people are so gulable. Hook up the probes that are still in her head and take a look and the solid green line.
Look at the cat scan that shows her brain a sack of fluid.
She only has brain stem auto reflex function. Nothing more.

I hope her parents get that tube back in soon and they get a whole new batch of tests done. But like all other tests, they won't believe them.

It's fine to have hope, but she's beyond hope. Her parents just can't let go. So let them keep her body alive until they can accept it. No harm in that. Her body is actualy relativly healthy, it's just missing the hard drive.
She isn't "aware", because She isn't there.

"Are you going to shoot him."

Nope, "thou shall not kill". I'm juts saying he's doing a pretty good job of shooting himself, in this insurance.

And since I assume you agree, thou shall not kill, please join the bipartisan Mercy Coalition and stop killing a person by depriving her of food and drink.

NEVER GIVE UP! NEVER GIVE UP! NEVER! NEVER! NEVER! Churchill

Jesus showed us how God looks at human death.

John 11:1-44 (New International Version)

When Jesus saw her weeping, and the Jews who had come along with her also weeping, he was deeply moved in spirit and troubled.
“Where have you laid him?” he asked.
“Come and see, Lord,” they replied.
Jesus wept.
Then the Jews said, “See how he loved him!”

" Now just how do you know that?"

Because I have seen it a thousand times. Listen to yourself, Your saying that she opened her eyes to inpress him. Your saying that although the part of her brain which expresses emotion and forms thought patterns is funtioning when it's not even there. Not only did she have a mere response you say, but she had a measured, thought out response. Sheesh! If she dies, her husband has won his court case to have an autopsy. I guess that's what's needed to put an end to this "Star weekly" type of gossip.

You know, it is possible for people to live with only half of their brain. But in order to live, the remaining half has to be fully funtional. In Terri's case, her remaining part of the brain is completely dead. Not a spark.
The brain has been well mapped in the last 20 years, If I could remember the famous Dr.s name who pioneered it I's tell you. but I can't recall it off hand.
This is what led to successfull cures for people who suffered from seizures, the part of the brain that was malfuntioning would be removed, and the person would be cured. They would loose some memory, or in cases some body funtion, but often things were relearned.

I know people have hope for Terri, and it's sad that her brain died. But that's just how life is sometimes.
She still has those probes in her (remaining part of)brain.
plus there are other methods to detect brain activity. Sadly for her, there isn't any. It is impossible for her to have a controlled reasoned response without brainwave activity.
There comes a time when you must apply fact to these claims.

As long as our focus on Terri does not detract from the medical resources available to all others in need I don't see why she should not be preserved. We have more than enough food and medicine to aid all 6,000,000,000+ people a dozen times over if we learn to harmonize our souls with others and achieve maximum awareness of self and others. However, if this focus on her plight draws our attention away from the plight of nearly a billion starving able minded people we must reconsider our actions. We must not let this rescue mission become a popular fad intended to demonstrate our political "christiandom", this would be banal and immoral in every concievable way. Although I am a firm believer in Christ ( FAQ: I have read the bible 8 times over in 16 different languages and compared it with nearly every other masterpiece yet known) I still believe that the symbolic representation of suffering and redemption cannot take precedent to our fight against evil and the lack of self-awareness (the inner-death as described in the parable of Lazarus). You would be correct in stating that the lesson of Terri Schiavo is not complete.

P.S. Protest and free T-Shirts will have no effect on the debate. We need reasons not politics folks.

"No flesh shall enter heaven"

So she didn't order a pepperoni pizza. Her spirit has moved on long ago. People just can't accept that.
Even if her body was kept alive for another 15 years, she isn't going to grow a new brain and nerve connections. Maybe in another hundred years we'll know how to transpant or graft new brain cells, but even then, She'd become a completely new person with a new personality. she wouln't have memory of her former life. But that is still science fiction today.

Very intelligent writer- Sometimes on the conservative side, i.e. Iraq; but basicaly a socialist. See his article today- "Easter Charade: There's no resurrecting Terri Schiavo" under the Schiavo Posts.

NEVER GIVE UP! NEVER GIVE UP! NEVER! NEVER! NEVER! CHIRCHILL

That's along my thoughts as well, I don't see the harm in leaving her body live either, it provides some hope for her parents.

There is another school of thought however. It could be that her soul is being held in limbo if we go along with the thinking that our "soul" is connected to the energy of every cell in our bodies. ( more of a Jewish belief ) St Augustine of Hippo has long debate on the issue, and concludes otherwize.

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