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Sadly, too much truth in what you write.

I don't know their hearts--at least, not for certain.

I think, hope that a portion of their hearts really desire to walk with God and to have a RELATIONSHIP WITH HIM.

But so far, what I observe is

an obsession with the text very akin to the obsession the pharisees of Jesus' dusty pathed days with the law--the text of that era.

And, it would be different

IF their obsession with the text was

A LOT MORE

congruent

WITH THE TEXT!!!

But wholesale layers of it; the focus of their distortions and private interpretations and evidently what really too persistently bears all the hallmarks of a doctrine of demons from hell--all that is

directing people AWAY FROM MOMENT BY MOMENT INTIMACY WITH GOD--THE FATHER, SON AND SPIRIT.

The Scriptures for them appear to have become channels which direct them not to God but into endless cycles of mental, intellectual, ego driven, law driven text masturbation. And even that is fruitless.

It doesn't bring life and certainly not eternal life but keeps directing folks to endless dead works, dead ends--lock-step law keeping of a dead, dry, fruitless sort that has no moment by moment enlivening by God's Spirit--God's LIVING, ACTIVE, *CURRENT,* SPECIFIC-TO-THE-PERSON-AND-MOMENT WORD OF GOD to direct and bring Resurrection Life to that person in that moment and that situation--and thereby to all around.

It's just sad.

I pray that before God wraps things up with history as we've known it and they pass from this life to the next, by whatever route--that they realize and submit to Holy Spirit's direction and active CURRENT ministry in their lives. Alas, I'm not optimistic.

I had hopes when one of their number began a more rational, even tempered, more authentic sounding 'dialogue' that there might actually be some iron sharpening iron true dialogue between us. I should have known better. These ducks virtually never change their quacks so easily or quickly as that!

Sure enough, the hardballs with poisoned spikes came out again fairly quickly. And this on our thread started for an entirely different purpose.

They clearly have NO REGARD WHATSOEVER for the golden rule of our Lord Jesus Christ. Thankfully, even in my outrage and sternness with them, EVEN IN THAT VERY STERNNESS, I WAS DOING UNTO THEM AS I'D HAVE WISHED DONE UNTO ME were I walking in the kind of error they are obviously walking in, according to The Scriptures.

It was the most loving thing I could think of doing with them--to try and forcefully hit them upside the head with startling, pointed words to get their attention such that PERHAPS Holy Spirit could slip some truth into their being in the process or perhaps when they were not so alert to such possibilities from being pricked with such pointedness. Some people have reached me for good in such ways at such times. And, God has mercifully used me to reach many people through such 'foolishness of God' ways through this flawed vessel. But, I knew the odds were against it even in the best of times.

Evidently they think that stealilng another brother's thread; wholesale trashing the purposes of the thread; the Scriptural foundation of the thread AND assaulting and trashing the personhood and Christianity of the thread originator--and demanding that one and all kowtow to their unBiblical demon doctrines of closing one's ears and eyes to Holy Spirit's ongoing ministry an communications--evidently they construe all that as righteous saintliness. I don't think Christ agrees.

Welllll, we have certainly tried and with more patience than they have shown by light years of difference.

I've been skeptical that they really left when Scripture came out in a flood. But you are right. If they can't manipulate their proof texts effectively toward putting people under the 'Holy Spirit'-silenced-and-locked-in-a-first-century-monestary-cell demon doctrine--then they aren't really interested in any true dialogue about the Scriptures.

Ah well. It's probably a good thing. IF THEY THINK THAT THEY CAN CONTINUE TO COME ON THIS THREAD, TRASH IT AND US AND PROPER DISCERNMENT, DIVIDING AND INTERPRETATION OF SCRIPTURE ON THE TOPIC OF THE THREAD--AND PONTIFICATE SUCH A DOCTRINE OF DEMONS AND GET A WIMPY, PASSIVE FREE PASS FROM ME, then they are truly ignorant, blind and deluded.

i PRAY that there is some significant part of their hearts left that prevents them from being classified wholesale or 100% as 'whited sepulchres' in Jesus' words. But, I must say, there's scant evidence on this thread that there's anything teachable left in their hearts, minds and spirits--AT ALL.

Most of my adult life, I've treated their espoused position as just one more Biblical area where reasonable people can come to different conclusions. But in recent years, as the end times have raced ever more rapidly and ever more dramatically to their Biblically prophecied conclusion, I have come to see that set of doctrines of man; doctrines of demons as just that--hideous distortions designed to keep people away from intimacy with God--just as the RELIGIOUS SPIRIT stuff of Jesus' dusty pathed days was engineered to do--and did so effectively--and which so extremely outraged our Lord and triggered HIS MOST FIERY AND STERNNEST ZEAL.

I do KNOW that probably sooner than most suspect, God IS GOING TO DEMONSTRATE TO EVERY CREATURE ALIVE AND CERTAINLY TO EVERY HUMAN ALIVE THAT HE IS MAJESTIC, ALL POWERFUL, FULL OF GLORY AND ACTIVE IN THE AFFAIRS OF MAN IN SUPERNATURAL MIRACULOUS WAYS IN THE !!!!!!!NOW!!!!!!!

The frightening possibility is that such RELIGIOUS SPIRIT HARD HEARTEDNESS will be blind to God and HIS WORKING even then. That would be awesomely frightening.

Anyway, we can only do what we can do.

And, you have done wonderously in your Scripture listings and your very reasoned and polite presentations of reality.

I'm humbled by your example and PRAISE GOD FOR IT.

His best to you and yours. THANKS MORE THAN WORDS CAN CONVEY.

LUB,