Just recently with Trump in Louisiana:
Posted on 08/19/2016 9:19:02 AM PDT by amorphous
Or believed them.
34 Think not that I am come to send peace on earth: I came not to send peace, but a sword.
35 For I am come to set a man at variance against his father, and the daughter against her mother, and the daughter in law against her mother in law.
36 And a man's foes shall be they of his own household.
37 He that loveth father or mother more than me is not worthy of me: and he that loveth son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me.
38 And he that taketh not his cross, and followeth after me, is not worthy of me.
I couldn’t agree with you more!
Why, this isn’t a game of gotcha?
There are some very pious people who will not fit your understanding, but God will find the way.
The writer of Hebrews had a wee bit different take on this than you seem to have.
Piety, a work, doesn't save else the Pharisees would have been Jesus' target of praise instead of what He said of them. God has already 'found the way'.
Romans 1:19-21. There is no excuse, that's why it isn't a game of gotcha. You talk like one who espouses universal salvation, there isn't and the Lord Himself said so in no uncertain terms. John 14:5-7. Your argument is with Him. Read the Word and lean not on your own understanding.
I personally know of several people who have "died" and returned after trauma. Some tell the story of the tunnel of light and how a great feeling of calmness and security swept over them, and etc. At least one person I know personally, saw demons. This person, a very stubborn, rebellious type, who was never very 'religious', found Christ because of what they saw.
Did this person die and then got sent back, thereby given a second chance? Maybe. It's something a number of people have went through. Then there is the whole reincarnation thing. And a little known writing called, "The Apocryphal of John", describe something similar. However the door to the afterlife works, it's another of the Almighty's great mysterious we understand little about.
To cut to the chase, what I'm getting at, is repentance, some use the phrase, "acceptance of Christ", must be something that can only occur while we're in our bodies. It doesn't make sense that we'd be given the opportunity to do so on judgement day - though I'd actually hope for that to be the case. :-)
So the theory, "there will be a time where all rise from the dead before the last Judgement in preparation for it." and "then Christ will reveal Himself to those who did not know Him or did not understand who He was", kind of eliminates the need for a 'judgement day' in the first place, don't you think?
For we will be judged on how we lived life here on earth - not in the hereafter, IMO.
As regards salvation, it is because there is a devil and sinful flesh. The entire Bible teaches without contradiction that "The Lord is nigh unto them that are of a broken heart; and saveth such as be of a contrite spirit." (Psalms 34:18)
Which speaks of the heart condition, and thus the publican and contrite criminal (Lk. 18; 23) were saved by casting themselves on the mercy of God as damned and destitute sinner, with Christ being that mercy. OT saints were saved by looking forward to Christ via the sacrificial system which were typological of Christ as the scapegoat and atonment, and which He fulfilled, and who NT believers looked directly to.
And Aaron shall lay both his hands upon the head of the live goat, and confess over him all the iniquities of the children of Israel, and all their transgressions in all their sins, putting them upon the head of the goat, and shall send him away by the hand of a fit man into the wilderness: And the goat shall bear upon him all their iniquities unto a land not inhabited: and he shall let go the goat in the wilderness. (Leviticus 16:21-22)
And the bullock for the sin offering, and the goat for the sin offering, whose blood was brought in to make atonement in the holy place, shall one carry forth without the camp; and they shall burn in the fire their skins, and their flesh, and their dung. (Leviticus 16:27)
And this shall be an everlasting statute unto you, to make an atonement for the children of Israel for all their sins once a year. And he did as the Lord commanded Moses. (Leviticus 16:34)
For the life of the flesh is in the blood: and I have given it to you upon the altar to make an atonement for your souls: for it is the blood that maketh an atonement for the soul. (Leviticus 17:11)
Who hath believed our report? and to whom is the arm of the Lord revealed? For he shall grow up before him as a tender plant, and as a root out of a dry ground: he hath no form nor comeliness; and when we shall see him, there is no beauty that we should desire him. (Isaiah 53:1-2)
But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed. All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way; and the Lord hath laid on him the iniquity of us all. (Isaiah 53:5-6)
...for the transgression of my people was he stricken. (Isaiah 53:8)
Yet it pleased the Lord to bruise him; he hath put him to grief: when thou shalt make his soul an offering for sin, he shall see his seed, he shall prolong his days, and the pleasure of the Lord shall prosper in his hand. He shall see of the travail of his soul, and shall be satisfied: by his knowledge shall my righteous servant justify many; for he shall bear their iniquities. (Isaiah 53:10-11)
For it is not possible that the blood of bulls and of goats should take away sins. Wherefore when he cometh into the world, he saith, Sacrifice and offering thou wouldest not, but a body hast thou prepared me: (Hebrews 10:4-5)
And said unto them, Thus it is written, and thus it behoved Christ to suffer, and to rise from the dead the third day: And that repentance and remission of sins should be preached in his name among all nations, beginning at Jerusalem. (Luke 24:46-47)
Be it known unto you therefore, men and brethren, that through this man is preached unto you the forgiveness of sins: And by him all that believe are justified from all things, from which ye could not be justified by the law of Moses. (Acts 13:38-39)
For he mightily convinced the Jews, and that publickly, shewing by the scriptures that Jesus was Christ. (Acts 18:28)
And when they had appointed him a day, there came many to him into his lodging; to whom he expounded and testified the kingdom of God, persuading them concerning Jesus, both out of the law of Moses, and out of the prophets, from morning till evening. And some believed the things which were spoken, and some believed not. And when they agreed not among themselves, they departed, after that Paul had spoken one word, Well spake the Holy Ghost by Esaias the prophet unto our fathers, Saying, Go unto this people, and say, Hearing ye shall hear, and shall not understand; and seeing ye shall see, and not perceive: For the heart of this people is waxed gross, and their ears are dull of hearing, and their eyes have they closed; lest they should see with their eyes, and hear with their ears, and understand with their heart, and should be converted, and I should heal them. Be it known therefore unto you, that the salvation of God is sent unto the Gentiles, and that they will hear it. (Acts 28:23-28)
So some think Jews could know the Father long before Christ was on this earth, be presented the Ten Commandments and be delivered by the hand of God Himself from bondage and slavery to be abandoned in the end?
I don’t know about that.
I am Christian but I kind of think faithful Jews were kind of given the front door key and Jesus saved the rest through sacrifice to adopt the rest of us through the side door.
Now I do also realize tons of Christians are related to those Jews who converted long ago as well.
People are not perfect and are never worthy by their own merit, but I’m not sure God the father would ignore Jews like they were following a pagan God by staying with God the Father. To me that seems to make no sense.
This is where there could be IMO some misunderstandings regarding original writings through time, culture and languages.
In the end I think the Jews will be in good hands.
Hi, you can see #70, but maybe piety was not the best word.
Jews are an almost eternally faithful to God people going back as long as we could regarding humanity.
In the end I think God will not let them go. I am one Christian who believes the Jews will be just fine.
Do you have the OT in your Bible? The Jews, exiled to Assyria, Babylon, crushed by Rome, the prophets of Baal slain by Elijah, Ahab and Jezebel, those 'eternally faithful? So long as they believed in the Messiah promised in the Garden, I agree with you. Since the birth of Christ, not so unless hereditary Jews by race, but believers in the Lord.
I am one Christian who believes the Jews will be just fine.
I can see that, but there is no basis in God's Word to support that belief outside of Christ.
That's a lot more than the JEWS seem to believe!
(They have a VERY old set of writings that says...)
First, in respect to the afterlife, it's not the believer in Judaism, nor any other believer, whose road to salvation is special. It's those who are in Christ, whom have had a special place prepared for them:
John 14 “Do not let your hearts be troubled. You believe in God; believe also in me. My Father’s house has many rooms; if that were not so, would I have told you that I am going there to prepare a place for you? And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am. You know the way to the place where I am going.”
To be perfectly honest with you, I'm not sure where the line is drawn, in respect to who is, or who isn't 'in Christ'. Certainly the disciples were. Beyond those, I suspect many, who think they are, are sadly mistaken. But no doubt, there are many who are 'in Christ'.
I'm confident we are all judged daily, throughout our lives. Otherwise, how else would those who judge who is, and who isn't, in Christ, know at any given time?
So, those in Christ have a special place waiting for them, according to scripture, and a special time when those who are living, at the time of Yeshua's coming, will be transformed - never having known death. And those in Christ, not living at the time, will rise even before those living.
1 Thessalonians 4:16 For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a loud command, with the voice of an archangel, and with the trumpet of God, and the dead in Christ will be the first to rise. 17 After that, we who are alive and remain will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And so we will always be with the Lord.
Let's move on to everyone else ( i.e., those not in Christ). There are good, decent people, of all beliefs, of all races, and of all ages. There are those who are aware of and keep the commandments, and those who yet aware, don't keep God's commandments - don't live righteously.
In the unaware crowd, there are also those with a kind/good heart, who treat others accordingly, who instinctively live righteously in this respect. You might say they have the Holy Spirit - and by all accounts do - IMO.
Scripture tell us we're also judged by our knowledge/awareness of the Almighty's word and commandments. The following passage of scripture mentions 'Gentiles', I believe it better fits all those who know nothing of God's or the Son's commandments (i.e., the law).
Many twist this passage, and many passages like it, to mean that believers of Judaism must follow 'the law', then turn right around and mistakenly use it, and scriptures like it, to exempt themselves from a requirement to also follow God's commandments (i.e., live righteously).
Romans 2:13 For it is not those who hear the law who are righteous in God's sight, but it is those who obey the law who will be declared righteous. 14 (Indeed, when Gentiles, who do not have the law, do by nature things required by the law, they are a law for themselves, even though they do not have the law, 15 since they show that the requirements of the law are written on their hearts, their consciences also bearing witness, and their thoughts now accusing, now even defending them.)
16 This [Judgement] will take place on the day when God will judge men's secrets through Jesus Christ, as my gospel declares.
Under God's plan for humanity, ALL are covered. :-)
Considering Franklin Graham is not a televangelist....
Just recently with Trump in Louisiana:
Jesus said he was sent by the Father and did his will. We would not be saved without the Holy Spirit who draws us and seals us into the body of Christ. I know it is the name of Jesus we call on to be saved but salvation is of God, and to me the whole Bible is the redemption story of the Son of God coming as the sacrifice for sin once and for all.
From the beginning we were created to glorify our creator and all He is, which is much more than I can conceive. All God is will take us an eternity to understand. I don’t believe God works separately in Himself, He is one.
God the Father, God the Son, God the Holy Spirit.
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