Posted on 11/19/2006 8:34:42 PM PST by gondramB
Have you ever read
PILGRIM'S PROGRESS?
The Slough of Despond strikes most earnest believers sooner or later.
Tests abound in this life. This is Boot Camp.
But we CAN overcome by The Blood of The Lamb and the word of our testimony.
BTW, I've been through more utterly despairing situations than most people I have met or known in my 59 years.
God IS faithful . . . in His ways, in His time.
He's not a vending machine.
He insists on being boss, thankfully.
I was outside looking up at the stars and praying, so overflowing with wonder, love, and joy: "Oh, Jesus! Oh, Father! Oh, HOLY Spirit! Thank You for fellowshipping with us in our suffering, and thank You that we may fellowship in Thine."
Amen!
Though I still flinch, often enough, at the pain . . . plenty of times.
HE IS
Worth it! And, the sense of identification with Him is worth it.
Thx.
I'm increasingly of the opinion that
religion
is a vaccination
AGAINST
authentic spirituality, authentic relationship with God Almighty.
I am beginning to think you are correct on that, Quix.
But what was really interesting was that when I went in the church, and saw all the people standing around in concern, I got this feeling. It is hard to describe. It was like an inner warmth and a feeling of absolute peace.
Anyway, as she woke up she for some reason fixated on me and looked puzzled (like "who is this guy?"). I am just a First Responder, and there was a Paramedic and EMT there and I figured I was just in the way, so I left the building. I've never been back there, but I've always wondered if I went back would it feel the same way.
Yes. "In Him we live and move and have our being."
ping for later.
Was listening to Chuck Missler on C2CAM . . .
He mentioned that encoded under the surface text of Isaiah 53 were all the names of those present at The Cross (I gather even standing afar off) in terms of the Disciples . . . though one name . . . which statistically because of it's shortness and other qualities tends to show up plenty BY CHANCE and should have shown up at least once in Isaiah 53 . . . that name was NOT there--Judas.
Interesting, anyway.
I do not read anywhere the command to preach codes - is this code found in every translation as indeed the Power of God is? Only the Good News that Jesus Christ the Unblemished Lamb has come just as foretold, has paid the penalty for our sin just as foretold, has risen from the dead just as foretold, and He is Lord, King, and God just as promised - faith in these facts are become Salvation!
Thanks for your kind reply.
You might find this thread of some interest:
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-religion/1742763/posts
= = =
Of course we are not instructed to preach codes . . . though perhaps in a sense we are when we preach the Whole counsel of the whole of Scripture as Scripture's surface text also is encoded as Christ mentioned such that the pharisees et al would not see and understand.
But in terms of the ELS(Equidistant Letter Sequence) codes, they are calculated on the most widely accepted Hebrew version.
Interestingly, given some accusations that one letter difference would throw the whole thing off--and there are different versions from antiquity--they have begun experimenting and finding that God has left evidence of His Majesty to set such things up in more than one version, as I understand it. Awesome. But that's just a beginning exploration almost as an idle curiosity.
The vast bulk of the research has been done and is done with the most widely accepted (by Jewish scholars) Hebrew version.
I see the codes as something like the stars and Heavens declaring the Majesty of God. "Just" another clue to His Majesty and power.
They have affirmed that Christ came in the flesh and all the basic doctrines of the faith.
And, they are now so statistically out of the ball park of due to chance--they are well beyond any galactic cluster known, so to speak in terms of being unlikely due to chance. The statistics are incredible. I think in some cases, they are beyond the capacity of Micrsoft Xcell to calculate.
It used to be that they thought they might have someting significant at 10 letters. Then they discovered that wasn't really that significant. Too much could still occur by chance. Last I heard the minimal statistically significant code has to have AT LEAST 30 characters in length.
That rules out a LOT of fly-by-night websights and Drosnin's junk.
But then along comes things like 125 and this latest 296 letter long code--that's left everyone in the dust.
It also appears that some of the statistically insignificant length codes may well be valid because their keywords cross keywords about the same thing in the surface text and because there are clusters of them around the key phrases in the surface text. When a collection of sometimes artfully arranged individually too short codes are collected together around a key word/phrase . . . then those can become statistically awesome as a collection.
But there's also a phenomenon which is kind of awesomely beautiful. There is a code which in Hebrew forms a cross. I forget the term. I think it's 3 letters across and 3 letters down. Could be 5. Anyway--it's statistically insignificant. It occurs quite frequently by chance alone.
HOWEVER, in at least one main region of the Old Testament text where the surface text is predicting the crucifixion, the cross, there's massively more such little crosses than chance would predict, clustered around those surface text passages and through them. There's no explanation if it's all chance. And the difference in frequency of the crosses appearing in those passages is significantly above chance.
I see it as God laughing at the super rationalists. I see it as Him playing with man. I see it as Him having man's intellect in derision.
He's already made fools of the two most publicized naysayers. They were caught in serious deception and their statistical design etc. has been proven not only faulty but ridiculous compared to the authentic codes now found to be so long. There's NOTHING their design or anyone else's design can discover in unencoded Hebrew Moby Dick or anything else which can come remotely even close to the same region--the same galactic cluster--the same ball park.
I see the codes as a kind of God inspired gilding, illuminating--kind of like the ancient illuminated manuscripts--awesomely beautiful Godly doodling in the margins so to speak. Though it's not in the margins.
The codes are woven into the woof and warp of the fabric of Scripture--the foundation of Scripture itself at the letter level. That's why it's utter nonsense to label it numerology or any other evil thing. Doesn't fit the definitions by a googillion miles. But Holy Spirit inspired each word. Jews believe God dictated the 5 books of Moses letter by letter. No way would God allow satan to corrupt His Word at such a level.
And, as Christ said--they attest that He came in the flesh and the basic doctrines of Scripture.
Anyway--I don't consider them more than an added fascinating embellishment God has provided for this era of computers to reveal yet more of His TIMELESS power and majesty. I think it MAY BE TRUE THAT THIS IS THE UNLOCKING OF THE SECRETS DANIEL WAS TOLD TO LOCK UP until the time of the end.
but I've always wondered if I went back would it feel the same way.
= = = =
Hard to say.
Quite likely not. But possibly similar.
1. If a church/congregation stays close to The Lord and worship is authentic, heart-felt and Spirit-led, you might feel quite similarly or more so walking into the building. That, sadly, tends to be a big "if."
2. God seems to have an aversion to doing the same sort of 'supernatural' confirmation thing over and over in the same way and the same place. Kind of like He doesn't want us addicted to the phenomena but in love with HIM AS HE IS vs merely in love with such side effects so to speak.
3. The situation would be different and the focus would be different. That setting was being compassionate, supportive, nurturing etc. to a sister who was having a difficulty. Next time, the pastor could be in the midst of a declarative sermon against sin. The subjective atmosphere of the place would likely be different even though Holy Spirit could be intensely there in the midst of such a sermon.
4. IT IS a GREAT clue, as Scriptue indicates, TO FOLLOW AFTER PEACE--AND THE SORT OF PEACE YOU FELT. That's a good rule of thumb about following an inner still small voice that one might wonder if it's Holy Spirit, or not.
May God lead you and all you love into deeper and deeper intimacy with Him.
First I really appreciate you and everyone else who has been willing to share on this thread.
>>I sat down with my wife and watched a film called Bruce Almighty - a tounge in cheek comedy about God<<
I feel some commonality with your experience. God seems not to worry about manner of dress or joking a bit about religion or listening to loud music etc... it sounds from talking to many people about this that the key is moment of openness to hear Him.
Thank you again.
Hi Motleygal! How have you been, long time no see! Not that I'd ever forget a nice person like you. :) I saw your reply and your tagline on the "experience with God" thread. Kinda made me sad. I know what you mean about people though. The whole dang world seems so cold sometimes. Makes me so mad when good things happen to nasty people and the nice ones are left to suffer sometimes. I don't know, it's just so screwy sometimes.
I just saw you and thought I'd pop in to say hello and give you a warm ((hug)). There are nice people out there, just a little hard to find sometimes. Take care, hope to see more of you, MG! - Gina
I had reason to look back at this vanity thread today.
And it made me want thank those who posted to it - the thread was deeply personal for me.
But we’ve lost a lot of Freepers this year and I didn’t want to be insensitive by pinging those who are no longer here. So I went through the thread and found that every single person who posted still has an active account. And I wonder if that says something.
Not about me. And it certainly doesn’t stop us from disagreeing about other things. Or from disagreeing with the mods etc.
But I wonder if it doesn’t say something about those who have had and chose to share a personal experience that we all wound up tolerant. Tolerant enough to avoid getting so wrapped up in the conflict that we could no longer find a place here.
Anyway, I appreciate you all.
Paul
Hey likewise! Thanks for your post. I went in without thinking about it, read down it and learned things new, again.
THANKS FOR YOUR KIND WORDS.
John and Paula Sanford write in their
TRANSFORMATION OF THE INNER MAN or some such title
TRUTH WITHOUT LOVE IS BRUTALITY.
LOVE WITHOUT TRUTH IS (useless) SENTIMENTALITY.
I think that’ strue.
Christ brought us both in Himself.
And thank you. Its nice in the middle of the conflict that fills the world to find instances of kindness and sharing.
True, true. Thx.
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