blackbird

No. I have no pseudo science. Noah's flood could explain why we find fossils far above sea level and far inland. All I'm saying. Didn't say it was fact.

There is one point of view in the Westminster Confession of Faith, which is not the Bible or inspired Scripture. It is however taught and believed to be what the Bible teaches by major denominations such as the Presbyterian and Reformed Churches. It was drawn up in England about 1640. In the Reformed churches, which originated in the Netherlands and Geneva (John Calvin) they call it the doctrine of Total Depravity. It is part of Calvinism. The Confession says in Chapter VI. Of the Fall of Man, of Sin, and of the Punishment Thereof 1. Our first parents being seduced by the subtilty and temptation of Satan, sinned in eating the forbidden fruit. This their sin God was pleased, according to his wise and holy counsel, to permit, having purposed to order it to his own glory. 2. By this sin they fell from their original righteousness and communion with God, and so became dead in sin, and wholly defiled in all the faculties and parts of soul and body.

taxme, I should add the important fact is the Holy Scriptures teach God as eternal, with no beginning and no end. Perhaps I was not correct to say it is an assumption. It is correct to say it is what the Bible teaches. This is how God identified himself to Moses and through Moses to Israel at the time of the Exodus. When Moses was speaking with God in Exodus ch3, "And God said unto Moses, I AM THAT I AM: and he said, Thus shalt thou say unto the children of Israel, I AM hath sent me unto you." Exodus ch3:14 15 And God said moreover unto Moses, Thus shalt thou say unto the children of Israel, The LORD God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, hath sent me unto you: this is my name for ever, and this is my memorial unto all generations. 16 Go, and gather the elders of Israel together, and say unto them, The LORD God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, of Isaac, and of Jacob, appeared unto me, saying, I have surely visited you, and seen that which is done to you in Egypt: Exodus ch3: 15, 16

No. First I never said God appeared from nothing. I think any theologian or Bible scholar will say God always existed. That is accepted as a given by believers in God. It is kind of like in science where do an experiment to prove something. You make certain assumptions or have certain building blocks. God's eternal existence is as basic belief or assumption if you will. It must be so because nothing else makes any sense otherwise. Also, secondly, you said it is impossible for something to come from nothing. That is another reason why God always existed. He did not come from nothing. That would not make sense either. It is also a reason to believe God created the universe because the universe had to have a beginning. It too did not come from nothing by it's own power. God created it.

When I speak about say born wicked or corrupt, I am not referring to children. And I am not quoting the word for word Bible verses. On one hand people want to hear one's opinion but when I give it of course if always falls short. I do the best I can and don't claim perfection in my words or thoughts. It is impossible to speak if one is going to wait for perfect words and ideas. Communicating doesn't work like that. Whenever one speaks about the Bible or God, of course someone who doesn't believe it will think it's arrogant. I can't do anything about that. I only say what I believe. You don't have to believe anything I say. You are better off to check into it yourself from the Bible or sources that explain things in the Bible that one can trust. I don't mean to sound arrogant. If I come across that way, I apologize. Regarding people being sinful, this is what the Bible actually says: 9 What then? are we better than they? No, in no wise: for we have before proved both Jews and Gentiles, that they are all under sin; 10 As it is written, There is none righteous, no, not one: 11 There is none that understandeth, there is none that seeketh after God. 12 They are all gone out of the way, they are together become unprofitable; there is none that doeth good, no, not one. 13 Their throat is an open sepulchre; with their tongues they have used deceit; the poison of asps is under their lips: 14 Whose mouth is full of cursing and bitterness: 15 Their feet are swift to shed blood: 16 Destruction and misery are in their ways: 17 And the way of peace have they not known: 18 There is no fear of God before their eyes. 19 Now we know that what things soever the law saith, it saith to them who are under the law: that every mouth may be stopped, and all the world may become guilty before God. 20 Therefore by the deeds of the law there shall no flesh be justified in his sight: for by the law is the knowledge of sin. 21 But now the righteousness of God without the law is manifested, being witnessed by the law and the prophets; 22 Even the righteousness of God which is by faith of Jesus Christ unto all and upon all them that believe: for there is no difference: 23 For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God; Romans ch3 vs 9-23 I have included extra verses there to give the context. The apostle Paul was speaking about Jews and Gentiles. Those are the two categories of people discussed in those parts of the Bible.

Yes. Climate change is the fad or rage now. I think a lot of people blame the weather events happening now on climate change. Could be climate change but climate has always changed. I don't think man can stop the climate from changing or control the earth's temperature. I found fossils near here in a creekbed above sea level. When I lived up in northwest BC, there are fossil beds that are around 2000 feet above sea level or higher. Could have been caused by Noah's flood when the water covered the earth.

God always existed. He is eternal. Always was and always will be. No, he was not born. He had no parents because he always existed. He is not part of the material universe. He is separate from that. The Bible says he created man in his image. So man is a special creation. The Bible says Jesus Christ is the image of the invisible God. "Who is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of every creature." Colossians 1:15 That means Jesus Christ already existed. He was there before any of his creation. God is a trinity, three persons in one God: God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit. As far as we know they always existed. God used his Son to create the universe.

Yes, newborns and little kids are cute. It's not the point. Babies and little kids are in a different situation and may not be accountable to same degree as somebody older with some understanding who does something bad. But according to the Bible, people are still born with that sinful nature although it may not be evident until they get older. So you don't agree that people in general are sinful or in rebellion against God. People that don't accept God as a fact are opposing him to begin with according to the Bible. Talking about babies and little children, whom Jesus said he loved, misses the point. We are talking about the Biblical teaching of mankind in general.

The Bible tells us why there is evil going on in the world and there is a lot of it. Crime galore, drug dealing, alcohol and drug related serious problems, social problems, domestic problems, terrorism widespread in the world. Criminal gangs, rapes, robberies, beatings, etc. Wars, corruption in governments, countries, law enforcement corruption, etc. etc. The list would never end. All this boils down to the human heart which the Bible says is born wicked and corrupt. Who would deny this is the nature of humans? Not many I would think. The evidence that God created the universe is all around us. I can't think of any way that it could come about by accident and I think the world's best scientists will agree. They can't come up with a plausible reason. God had a reason why he created the universe and mankind, although we might not fully understand why. It is only logical. Perhaps he just enjoys creating things and sharing with mankind. But you will say why does he allow all the evil things to happen? I tried to explain he has a long term plan. All that will come to a conclusion on his timetable. He doesn't operate on our timetable. A day with God is as a thousand years. Time is a creation too. It's a human concept based on principles of physics which God created as well. I prefer to believe what he says rather than rejecting it and risking where I spend eternity. I'm far from perfect, but that's why Jesus died on the cross, to save sinful people like me. It's man's only hope and salvation.

Well, it depends on a number of things. One man's claims can mean something or nothing. But if a number of people report the same thing as having seen the resurrected Christ, that is something to pay attention to and examine.

As I explained, christianity arose out of Judaism when Christ came. True believers still lived in Old Testament times. . Jesus himself was a Jew and I believe all of the apostles were Jews who had seen Christ after the resurrection. They were willing to die for what they believed. They certainly believed Christ was who he said he was and after they had seen Christ after the resurrection, they became bold believers. That is what the lawyer I mentioned above found. He was once a skeptic but after he examined all the evidence, he could not deny that the weight in favour of the resurrection was overwhelming.

This is why you need to study the New Testament to understand what happened. Rome had nothing to do with it. Peter was not a pope and probably never even was in Rome. The Old Testament looked forward to a coming Messiah. There are prophecies which predicted that. So when Jesus came to earth, that prophecy was fulfilled (Isaiah 9:6) for example. Those who accepted Christ as Messiah and believed in him were true believers. I don't know it it uses the word "christian" but they were followers of Christ. The major apostle Paul was converted on the road to Damascus. I believe in order to have been an Apostle, one had to have seen the resurrected Christ. That was one of the qualifications. So when Christ came, the Old Testament system of animal sacrifices was abolished because Christ was the one all sufficient sacrifice when he died on the cross. The Old Testament Judaism became redundant. From the time Christ came, to be a true worshiper of God, one had to believe in Christ as Lord and Savior. That's why the Old Testament system was no long valid. But many Jews did not believe Christ was the Messiah. They then became followers of a dead religion or no religion. But they should never have been persecuted as they were in the last 2000 years.

Just got the dinner call. be back after a bit or bite Haha.

You have a misunderstanding of christianity. Before Christ came true believers in God did follow Jusaism. That is true. That was the way God ordained to be worshipped from the beginning when he called certain men such as Abraham to the promised land. Anyone could join and worship the true God. They would then become a convert and become a Jew. There may be a special name for them but can't remember right now. So there were true believers in Old Testament times that were not called christians. After Christ came, the Old Testament way of worship was set aside by christianity. Jews who believe in Christ like the Apostle Paul were converted to Christianity.

Well, if one knows the Bible, he is in a unique position to show how these other religions are false.. I don't claim to know the Bible that well, but anyone can find out certain things about what the Bible teaches through the internet for example. One can find out what the difference is for example between what the Bible says and Hinduism or between the Bible and Islam. It doesn't take a Bible scholar to google these subjects. The information about Islam, Hinduism, and the what the Bible teaches is all there on the internet. One can Google it without knowing much about what's in the Bible and still find the information.

Well, no. christianity goes back to the beginning in the Bible, that is, several thousand years. Before Christ came 2000 years ago, you had the Old Testament. That all started with Adam and Eve and the geneology is even given in the Bible leading up to Noah and the great flood. Then the geneology is given from Noah down through the ages. So I think the Old Testament going back to Abraham or Noah is around 3,500 years. I don't know anything about Hindism, but it can probably be easily shown to be false with the Bible.

I would add that people only become believers if God calls them. They don't become believers because of a preacher or some gimmick like a snake oil salesman. That's not how God works. We don't need slippery preachers or crafty characters. The truth is what matters.

Maybe that's why the missionary I met who spent twenty years in India didn't see anyone converted. Guess they have their Gita. Unless you really spoke the language well, you probably wouldn't get anywhere. But I don't know. Maybe he didn't know what he was doing and wasn't really called to the task. Yes there are cults that come to the door, much like snake oil salesman. But I don't believe what the Bible says is a hoax. I think it's legit.

It's not a cult. Read the gospel of John. I am not going to make any judgment. That is a pointless road to go down. I'm just pointing to the King James Bible (1611) the only inspired Bible in the English language. (modern versions are corrupted by use of corrupt manuscripts) Incidentally I met a man once who said he had spent I think twenty years in India as a missionary and never saw anyone converted to christianity. Sounds kind of strange. I wonder why.

Well, all I can do is point to is the Bible . Read the gospel of John. What Jesus taught is completely exclusive. There doesn't seem to be any allowance for anything else. There is only one true faith. People can draw their own conclusions. That is why missionaries risked their lives and everything to go into these remote jungles and far off lands in days gone by.

It doesn't matter much what anyone thinks. God is omnipotent and whether everyone believes or not make no difference. His plan will still go forward. Those who don't get on board, will be left behind. The train is going to keep going!

I believe these things prophesied are going to take place. Israel was God's chosen people in the Old Testament, although anybody could convert to Judaism in those days. Since Christ came one must be converted to Christ to be saved. I think it is far safer to be a believer and be saved. We have always had disasters, yes, but maybe they are getting worse. Seems to be a lot of hurricanes, tornadoes and floods in the U.S. Earthquakes in Asia, Japan, south America too. We can see the new world order creeping in. Trudeau trying to get in thick with the UN and climate change gang. Maybe Trump will slow it down. But what is prophesied, will happen at some point. Things look a little shaky with North Korea and Iran as well. Iran is a sworn enemy of Israel. Israel is a democracy and a friend of the west. We need to stand behind them. .

It's a shame because it is extremely important and the argument makes complete sense. It would only take a few minutes to read anyway. It's up to you. Jesus warned about a place called hell a number of times. So if he really did rise from the dead and was telling the truth, we need to pay attention.

Briefly to summarize from rough memory and may not be exactly how it will be. The last days are already here. Wars, kingdom rising against kingdom. A push toward one world government or globalism is now in progress. A new world order will develop. That is what the world is heading toward now. Jesus is prophesied to return and remove all believers before the last seven year reign of the anti-Christ begins. This is referred to as the rapture. Those remaining will be in for terrible times. If one becomes a believer during this time, he may be martyred for refusing to take the mark of the beast. (a mark or computer chip in his right hand or forehead). The new world order will begin at some point, financial systems will collapse. An anti-Christ will head the one world government. Money will be abolished and everyone will who is around at that time will have to take a mark, possibly a computer chip implanted in the right hand or forehead. Money will be gone. Nobody will be able to buy or sell without this mark (or computer chip) in his/her right hand or forehead. Believers in Jesus should not take the mark or implant. They will be beheaded. It will be as in the days of Sodom and Gomorah.. People will not have natural affections any more. There will be a lot of violence and drug use. There will be all kinds of upheavals, natural disasters. Along with the anti-Christ, there will be a false prophet leading a false one-world religion. The whole world will be against Israel. There will be several campaigns that will eventually lead up to Armageddon. Many nations will move against Israel. There may be a nuclear war. There will be battle over Jerusalem. We see even today the controversy over Jerusalem. The world's three main religions claim to have a stake in Jerusalem. Jerusalem always has been a focal point of great conflict and in the last days will be the focal point. These things are described in Revelation. Leaving out some events, after seven years, the Lord will return to earth and destroy Israel's enemies. The Lord will return to earth at Mount of Olives, just outside Jerusalem. Then the Lord will establish rule over the earth from Jerusalem for a thousand years. Believers will rule with Him. After a thousand years a new heaven and a new earth will be created. Ref. Matthew Ch24, 2 Thessalonians ch2, Revelation.

The Bible does have the answers to those questions. What you believe or accept on this subject will first of all depend on what you are willing to consider and believe concerning the Bible. But a more urgent question was examined by one the foremost legal minds. I would like you to consider this question examined by a professor of law, Dr. Simon Greenleaf, who thought the whole thing was a hoax. Whether the christian faith is fact or fiction rests on whether Jesus Christ actually rose from the dead. This question has been studied in depth by a man who was a skeptic but one of the greatest legal minds. I give part of it and the link for the rest. quote The Resurrection of Jesus Christ is either ... the greatest event, or the greatest fraud — in history! Did Jesus Christ actually rise from the dead? Dr. Greenleaf, the Royal Professor of Law at Harvard University, was one of the greatest legal minds that ever lived. He wrote the famous legal volume entitled, A Treatise on the Law of Evidence, considered by many the greatest legal volume ever written. Dr. Simon Greenleaf believed the Resurrection of Jesus Christ was a hoax. And he determined, once and for all, to expose the "myth" of the Resurrection. After thoroughly examining the evidence for the resurrection — Dr. Greenleaf came to the exact opposite conclusion! He wrote a book entitled, An Examination of the Testimony of the Four Evangelists by the Rules of Evidence Administered in the Courts of Justice. In which he emphatically stated: "it was IMPOSSIBLE that the apostles could have persisted in affirming the truths they had narrated, had not JESUS CHRIST ACTUALLY RISEN FROM THE DEAD, . . ." (Simon Greenleaf, An Examination of the Testimony of the Four Evangelists by the Rules of Evidence Administered in the Courts of Justice, p.29). Greenleaf concluded that according to the jurisdiction of legal evidence the resurrection of Jesus Christ was the best supported event in all of history! And not only that, Dr. Greenleaf was so convinced by the overwhelming evidence, he committed his life to Jesus Christ! What changed his mind? What evidence did Dr. Greenleaf encounter that so drastically turned him around? What facts did he discover that he could not rationally ignore? In order to answer that, let's go back to that scene nearly 2,000 years ago. That eery night in the garden of Gethsemene, as a blood-thirsty mob came and arrested Jesus Christ. He was brought before Pilate, and there in plain view, Jesus Christ was spit upon, cursed, he was laughed at, whipped, beaten. He was branded a blasphemer. And He was sentenced to die by the most extreme, shameful form of capital punishment ever devised — crucifixion. Galatians 3:13 reads, "Cursed is every one that hangeth on a tree". Jesus Christ died a curse. He died as a criminal. He died in open shame and disgrace. In the eyes of the world, Jesus Christ died a total disgrace! And there stood His apostles — in stunned unbelief. Here was their hope. Here were 11 men that had forsaken all and followed this man. They believed in this man for 3 years. Can you imagine what was going on in their minds? Didn't He heal the sick? Didn't we see Him walk on water? Didn't we see Him raise people from the dead? Didn't we see Him still the raging storm? And to end like this? THAT NIGHT, THERE STOOD 11 DEFEATED AND CONFUSED MEN! They had given up everything for naught. And then to die like He did. Beaten. Smitten. Humiliated. Guilty. Blasphemer. A complete disgrace! And Mark 14:50, says, "And they all forsook him, and fled". There was the apostle Peter, the one who boasted, just days earlier, "Though I should die with thee, yet will I not deny thee." (Matthew 26:35) There he was that night, standing in the mob, defeated, confused, and hurt. Jesus was dead! He was crucified as a blasphemer! One of the women saw Peter and said, "you were one of them, you was with Jesus of Nazareth". The Bible says "he began to curse and to swear, saying, I know not this man of whom ye speak." (Mark 14:71) Three times Peter denied the Lord, cursing and swearing, "I know not this man". "And they all forsook him, and fled!" BUT SOMETHING HAPPENED! Something happened to that small band of frightened and humiliated men. . . Less than two months later — they went back into Jerusalem boldly preaching, at the threat of death, that — JESUS CHRIST WAS ALIVE! Listen to Peter in Acts 2,: "Ye men of Israel, hear these words; Jesus of Nazareth, a man approved of God among you by miracles and wonders and signs. . . ye have taken, and by wicked hands have crucified and slain. . . THIS JESUS HATH GOD RAISED UP, WHEREOF WE ALL ARE WITNESSES." What transformed these fearful and confused men into fierce, bold lions? Acts chapter 4:18-19, reads, "And they called them, and commanded them not to speak at all nor teach in the name of Jesus. But Peter and John answered and said unto them, Whether it be right in the sight of God to hearken unto you more than unto God, judge ye." And verse 20 reads, "For we cannot but speak the things which WE HAVE SEEN AND HEARD". What had these men seen? What had these men heard? What was it that beatings, threatenings, jail, torture and even death could not silence? In Acts 5, they put in jail and beaten — and verse 41 says "And they departed. . . rejoicing that they were counted worthy to suffer shame for his name". What had these 12 men seen that they would eventually die a horrible death for? Friend, there's only one event in the history of this universe that could explain such a change. THE RESURRECTION OF JESUS CHRIST! One theory suggests the apostles fabricated the resurrection. Two major problems: One, If the body of Jesus Christ was available, you'd better believe, the Roman authorities would have paraded His body for all to see. Christianity was spreading like a wild fire! And nothing could have quenched that flame quicker than the body of Jesus Christ! An article, suggesting Jesus faked His death and resurrection, appeared in the prestigious British Journal of the Royal College of Physicians. The article makes the assertion, "the whole episode was planned by Jesus and his followers. . . that death would be feigned so that early removal from the cross might be secured." Do you know the problem with that — if the resurrection of Jesus Christ was not true — there were 11 men that knew it! Remember, friend — THESE MEN WERE EYEWITNESSES! They were there! "Even as they delivered them unto us, which from the beginning were EYEWITNESSES. . ." Luke 1:2 "That which was from the beginning, which we have HEARD, which we have SEEN WITH OUR EYES, which we have LOOKED UPON, and our HANDS HAVE HANDLED. . ." 1 John 1:1 "For we have not followed cunningly devised fables, when we made known unto you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but were EYEWITNESSES of his majesty." 2 Peter 1:16 And these men went so far as seal their testimony with their blood! They died a horrible and martyrs death! FOR A LIE. . . KNOWING IT WAS A LIE! There is no way, these 12 men could have all been deceived. For this reason — these 12 men not only died for a lie — and here is the catch — THEY KNEW IT WAS A LIE! If the resurrection of Jesus Christ a lie — THEY KNEW IT! You can not find a group of 11 men in the history of this universe who forsook all, were beaten, were jailed and even went so far as die for a lie — KNOWING it was a lie! IT IS IMPOSSIBLE! Michael Green, principal of St. John's College, Nottingham, writes concerning the apostles, ". . . You could imprison them, flog them, kill them, but you could not make them deny their conviction that on the third day he rose again." Dr. Greenleaf wrote, "IT WAS IMPOSSIBLE that the apostles could have persisted in affirming the truths they had narrated, had not JESUS CHRIST ACTUALLY RISEN FROM THE DEAD!" And then there's the man called Saul of Tarsus. Saul of Tarsus thought Jesus was a false messiah, a fake, a blasphemer. And to exterminate Christianity totally, became his passion! The Bible describes him: "As for Saul, he made havock of the church, entering into every house, and haling men and women committed them to prison." (Acts 8:3) "And Saul, yet breathing out threatenings and slaughter against the disciples of the Lord, . . ." (Acts 9:1) Saul of Tarsus was one of Christianitys' most rabid persecutors. One day traveling the dusty road to Damascus, Saul burning with vengeance, with documents authorizing him to capture all the followers of Jesus. But on the road to Damascus something happened to Saul of Tarsus. . . "And as he journeyed, he came near Damascus: and suddenly there shined round about him a light from heaven: And he fell to the earth, and heard a voice saying unto him, Saul, Saul, why persecutest thou me? And he said, Who art thou, Lord? And the Lord said, I am Jesus whom thou persecutest". (Acts 9:3-5) And on the road to Damascus, the greatest conversion in history took place! For Saul of Tarsus, among the greatest enemies of Jesus Christ, that ever lived — became the Apostle Paul — THE GREATEST CHRISTIAN THAT EVER LIVED! What happened to this man? What could so transform this man, that he completely dedicated his life to spreading the gospel of Jesus Christ? And was later beheaded at Rome in 67 A.D. for his faith in Jesus Christ. There is only one possible explanation — THE RESURRECTION OF JESUS CHRIST! Gilbert West and Lord Lyttleton, two Oxford students, believed Christianity was a "tale gone mad" and they determined to refute the Christian faith. Lyttleton resolved to disprove the conversion of Saul of Tarsus, and West would refute the resurrection of Jesus Christ. They figured a careful, rational, examination of the evidence would easily disprove the Christian faith. But after examining the evidence — they both separately came to the opposite conclusion! Lyttleton concluded that Saul of Tarsus did, in fact, convert to the Apostle Paul through Jesus Christ. And Gilbert West concluded that the Resurrection of Jesus Christ was among the best established facts in all of history! West went on to write a book entitled, "Observations on the History and Evidences of the Resurrection of Jesus Christ". Professor Thomas Arnold, former chair of history at Oxford, and author of the famous volumes, History of Rome, was skillfully educated in the study of historical facts. Professor Arnold, stated, "I have been used for many years to study the histories of other times, and to examine and weigh the evidence of those who have written about them, and I know of no one fact in the history of mankind which is PROVED BY BETTER AND FULLER EVIDENCE of every sort, than the great sign which God has given us that Christ died and rose again from the dead." After investigating the evidence of the resurrection, Lord Darling, former Chief Justice of England, stated, ". . . there exists such overwhelming evidence, positive and negative, factual and circumstantial, that no intelligent jury in the world could fail to bring in a verdict that the resurrection story is true." To deny the resurrection of Jesus Christ you have to close your eyes to the overwhelming facts of history. And friend that's a very serious thing to do If Jesus Christ actually rose from the dead — what He said about "after death" is not something to take lightly! And Jesus Christ warned of a place called hell — over and over! He mentioned hell eight times more than heaven! In Luke 16:23, Jesus described a man that had died, and Jesus said, "And in hell he lift up his eyes, being in torments,. . ." Jesus said plainly — the man was in hell! Jesus went on to describe the man, in verse 24, ". . . for I am tormented in this flame." Friend, Jesus Christ believed in a place of fire and torment called hell! Unquote http://av1611.org/resur.html