Posted on 08/20/2020 10:25:03 AM PDT by sevinufnine
I’d settle for just turning a profit!
I’m sure a lot of them do!
“That’s called ‘free will’.”
No, that is wrong. Free will cannot be random, or it is not free will at all. This is essentially the argument of the materialists, that we only have the illusion of “free will” but really all our choices are determined by random processes.
“An omnipotent God can decide that being omniscient is really, really boring, and elect to not look ahead and ‘just see what the monkeys are doing’ today.”
Perhaps, but then God isn’t really omniscient. He would have the ability to be omniscient but not exercising it I suppose. These questions, and the like, such as “can God create a weight so heavy He can’t lift it?” are all kind of silly though, since one of the other classic properties of a theistic God is ineffability.
Well, it’s a lot more tempting than to be a real prophet. Real prophets get a lot of suffering, and nobody respects them while they’re alive. False prophets get all the money and fast cars and private jets!
Now you're projecting and making your own scripture. It's best to stick to the script. When it's close, the faithful will know that it is nigh and be ready.
Currently, 77 Christians a week are being killed for their faith. How is dying under the AntiChrist any different that Arab Christians being beheaded by Muslims, or North Korean Christians being worked and starved to death in their gulag?
I decoded Nostradamus' dating some years ago; all of his dates are Julian dates - except the enigmatic 1999 of X-72.
Unfortunately Nostradamus used the date for the beginning of the Julian Calendar as 4713 BC; that date coincides with the calculation of Joseph Scaliger in 1582 (I suspect they had already agreed on this date; they knew each other.) It is said that Scaliger arbitrarily picked the year 4713 B.C. since it would include all the events then known in human history.
You can see from my calendar page that all the dates, including Biblical date calculations, fit nicely in to the Julian Calendar chronology except that the 4713 date does not work out as a starting date in current events in the modern calendar.
I have to say that I have found almost all of today's interpretation of Nostradamus almost completely incredible. Examining the original Old French quatrains {4-line verses} reveals that modern interpretations have combined numerous verses and lines to accomplish the desired result of the commentator. Many TV offerings, on the History Channel e.g., lack any sort of credibility, mostly due to the commentator's distortions.
Besides the Old French, Latin is credible as is Greek sometimes.
I took the approach of translating much of the quatrains into Hebrew, admittedly sometimes loosely, in order to explain some of the seer's enigmatic words AND some of his repeated themes. I fear the effort - much of it posted on my web site - is difficult to understand, although Hebrew academics have agreed it is interesting in light of much of what was going on in the European Renaissance Kabbalistic and alchemistic writing.
In other words, I think Nostradamus was a Jewish mystic who converted to Christianity - perhaps because earlier his family had little choice in order to escape deportation or prosecution.
Paul talked about the grievous wolves that would creep in. Jude spoke of such people. Yet i think Christ was speaking of persons who were a magnitude more deceiving then even these present TV evangelist persons are.
I read of a young Indian Swami who was all the rage nearly a century ago who had caught a lot of Europe by storm with his philosophy, his assumed God like status, and he he had strange powers to read thoughts and do miracles. He was on a boat coming to America to spread his new religion to America. As the boat came into NY Harbor he was suddenly lost and acting confused and could do no miracles, readings, or other occult like tricks....he had to leave the country citing “atmospheric conditions” in America would not let him display his powers were there. The Christian relating the story suggests that God’s Holy Spirit countenance over America was still so strong that a Satanically empowered person as this Swami was, was suddenly reduced to idiocy as the demonic presence was bound inside him. The Swami was said to have quickly disappeared from public life after that.
That is type of influence I believe Jesus was speaking of in Matthew 24:24. The others you cite are pikers compared to what this Swami was and I think you’ll see more and more like this Swami person hitting America.
I reserve judgment on Benny Hinn. He got thoroughly criticized some years back by some major Evangelical organizations and to me it appeared that he took their discipline to heart and he preaches more of an orthodox balanced message. Don’t know what to make of the” miraculous” claims and baptisms of the Spirit so I won’t make a judgment until I know different. The money and flashy stuff is not a good sign however.
The whole premise depends on living to see the Rapture. There are literally billions of people sleeping in Christ today. What I was writing about was the Last Days when the Bridegroom comes for His Bride. The problem will arise when a Christian has been "double minded or luke warm" and is left behind where they buy and sell. The picture is the same as Noah's Flood. The elect of God built the Ark and got inside 7 days before the first drop of rain fell. Rain was the wrath of God's punishment on unbelievers as God destroyed the earth. Can you hear the people beating on the side of the Ark and hear the screams of the people trying to get inside the Ark for safety? God shut the door from the outside and the door can't be opened. Scripture says Jesus is the "Door". God shuts doors that can't be opened and opens doors that can't be shut. Another type and shadow of the Rapture and God's wrath is Sodom and Gomorrah. Lot was taken out of Sodom before the brimstone fell. Jesus said He would return as it was in the days of Noah and as it was in the days of Lot.
The point is are you willing to give your life to Jesus as He gave His life for you? He doesn't require you to commit suicide, but just to live your life for Him. If you are double minded or luke warm and you still live your carnal life while insisting you are Christian, He may require you to physically die in your flesh to go to Heaven. Until Jesus returns we all die of something. But if He comes while you are alive in the flesh, you will want to be found following Christ in Brotherly Love to be taken in the Rapture. To love God with all your heart, mind, soul, and strength, and love your neighbor as yourself covered the whole 10 Commandments according to Jesus.
I hate to say it but, IMO, The majority of the church thinks they will go with Jesus at the Rapture, but there will be much less than we think. There were 7 churches in Rev 2-3, but only one has the promise to avoid the Tribulation.(Rev 3:10) The Rev churches are told that they are close, but they must overcome the called out problem to be taken. He tells them what they are doing right and what He sees them doing wrong.
One thing I have observed is everybody thinks they are good and see nothing to repent for. You could talk to a prisoner in prison for murder and they will most likely say it was only one, or it was the victims fault. Most Christians believe they repented back when they were baptized so they are good enough now.Scripture says we must repent and God is quick to forgive. The ones that won't repent after the sin "will be beaten with many stripes". God will discipline the children He loves. The law Jesus paid for was the law of sin and death. If you sin, you repent and you don't have the second death. Matthew 5 says the 10 Commandments will never die until Heaven and earth pass away.
Another answer to your question is God never promised MEN wouldn't persecute you. In fact He promised MEN would persecute you. His promise was you are NOT a child of HIS wrath. You could be murdered tonight living in Portland and God is innocent. These Christians being beheaded are being murdered by men. It's very important to be repented up and prayed up.
What if these people that are dying all around the world told their captors Jesus was not he Son of God and I accept Allah and their captors let them go? Will God give them a mulligan after we killed God's son? If you reject the salvation Jesus gave you, then you are self righteous and will be judged as such. If you don't eat His flesh and drink His blood, you have no part in Him. Many think they are "good enough" to receive mercy from God.
“Einstein said it was a family matter, it was all relative.”
His relativity and time theory has been proven time and again. Time always goes slower when your relatives are visiting.
Guess what, I still have my fingers crossed. It lets me sleep at night. Plus, I have a great wife/friend and a loving little doggy. Just try to think there IS something behind all this. Simple reasoning would say why WOULD God throw the dice if not looking for some kind of outcome? Good luck to you, I know your mental anguish.
Interesting, but IMHO it's wrong. There are set rules (physics) that exist. An apple falls from the tree; an orange is laying on the ground; a pear falls into your lap. While those are random happenstance, do you as a sentient being NOT have the choice which to eat? I disagree with "materialists". That's why I also disagree with mindful human discrimination being bad.
We do it every day from the choice of breakfast to the time we go to bed. It IS the burden of being sentient beings.
Thanks!
I will be 105 in 2060................I hope...................
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.