₦airaland Forum

God2man: What is the meaning of the word "parable"?
Cambridge international dictionary of English: A short simple story which teaches or explains an idea, especially a moral or religious idea.

There are 70 parables in the new testament alone. Jesus used parable to make people understand his teachings. He used it as an illustration, a proverb, or figurativelly.

Now, out of all the 70 parables in the new testament, no name was mentioned, i repeat, no name was mentioned. Looking at Luke 16: 19-31, names were mentioned
1. Abraham ( a real man in the old testament, not an illustration or a figure)
2. Lazarus. ( an unknown man) but he actually existed accrording to the first statement Jesus made, THERE WAS A CERTAIN RICH MAN,(no name), but look closely at the word "CERTAIN" Which is also applicable to other parables for example Luke 16:1-13, THERE WAS A CERTAIN RICH MAN(no name) again. We all know that this is the parable of an unjust steward.

I am concern about Luke 16:19 - 31. My people, THIS IS NOT A PARABLE. It actually happened. Why? Names were mentioned and also the word "certain" is a very powerful word in the context.


My conclusion is that the story of Abraham, the unknown rich man, and Lazarus in Luke 16:19-31, is a literal one, and NOT A PARABLE,Christ never used lies to convey his teachings.
People may not believe that hell is real because Jesus had already predicted it, see:

" And he said unto him, if they hear not Moses and the prophets, neither will they(doubters) be persuaded, though one rose from the dead" Luke 16:31

God bless you.
God2man.

Image123: Can the parable folks please create a thread for parables? i just tried reading through and saw a lot of waste of space, insanity and very uninteresting reading. And all the folks yapping about their views as 'truth'and others' as 'tradition' are just sickening. The Bible is truth, Jesus is truth, God is truth. Like my previous two posts, i expect this also to be largely ignored, or at most quoted and replied with a hopeless one-liner like "DEBUNKED or FAIL". Folks are learning hard from logicb.
On to my continued post. God is Holy and Loving. It is His holiness and Love that produce Hell. Hell is a very general statement in scriptures that mean many things; like hell fire or lake of fire, grave or coffin, a outer darkness sort of place ETC.
Jesus Christ the meek and lowly, loving and gentle, tender and kind Saviour spoke the most of Hell. he created it BTW. Unmistakable is the fact that He often described it as a place of torment, weeping, and darkness.
Mat 8:12 But the children of the kingdom shall be cast out into outer darkness: there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth.

Mat 13:40 As therefore the tares are gathered and burned in the fire; so shall it be in the end of this world.
Mat 13:41 The Son of man shall send forth his angels, and they shall gather out of his kingdom all things that offend, and them which do iniquity;
Mat 13:42 And shall cast them into a furnace of fire: there shall be wailing and gnashing of teeth.

Mat 22:13 Then said the king to the servants, Bind him hand and foot, and take him away, and cast him into outer darkness; there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth.

Mat 24:50 The lord of that servant shall come in a day when he looketh not for him, and in an hour that he is not aware of,
Mat 24:51 And shall cut him asunder, and appoint him his portion with the hypocrites: there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth.

Luk 13:28 There shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth, when ye shall see Abraham, and Isaac, and Jacob, and all the prophets, in the kingdom of God, and you yourselves thrust out.

Jesus is quite unequivocal on this, There shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth. If Jesus says something will be, i wonder the sort of christian that says it will not be.

Hell is basically a God forsaken place or state. Heaven is where God is. If God is not in Heaven, count me out. I want to follow Him and Him alone. Hell is a place of death, separation. Hell fire is a place of eternal separation from God. the very absence of God is what makes the hellishness of hell fire than any other thing. We were made to connect to god. a disconnect will ultimately lead to torment, dissatisfaction and unfulfillment. Hell in scriptures is determined based on context, this has been explained in mine previous posts with bible references. hell may refer to the lake of fire or hell fire, hell may refer to the grave or coffin or place of burial, hell may also refer to what i want to talk on and which this thread may actually need some discussion about. the hell i'm referencing is the place where the ungodly are before they go to the lake of fire. Is there any hell apart from the lake of fire or the grave, yes. Consider the below.
2Pe 2:4 For if God spared not the angels that sinned, but cast them down to hell, and delivered them into chains of darkness, to be reserved unto judgment;
CONSIDER, BEHOLD, that the 'angels' here are in 'hell', waiting for judgement. they are not yet in the lake of fire, as they are reserved unto it. And of course they are not in the coffin. This hell is what is like a detention before final sentence/judgement. a detention is not a place of freedom or enjoyment. It is this hell that one may conclude that sinners are in before they are finally Judged/sentenced to hell fire.
When a man dies, BTW man is said to be made up of spirit, soul and body.
1Th 5:23 And the very God of peace sanctify you wholly; and I pray God your whole spirit and soul and body be preserved blameless unto the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.
Man is not just a soul, or just a body/flesh, or just a spirit. He is uniquely tripartite. When a man dies, his body goes to the dust, his spirit goes up, and his soul goes to either the hell currently spoken of, or to where the Bible calls emmmmmm Abraham's bosom, or paradise, or under the altar. Like hell is generalised, many can simply generalise this as heaven. Cos in a sense, it is heaven, not looking at the technicalities, doctrines, and papers of all the brilliant men around. A simple everyday believer common man can say, my friend has died and gone to heaven. Low battery, i'll continue later with the bible passages you're probably about to scream for.

Techwriter: Yes the world would be better without religion. Religion has caused more wars and head aches in the world than any other philosophy. In fact, Jesus came to abolish religion.

The problem is that many people describe Christianity as a Religion. Christianity is God's search for man, while religion is the opposite – man's search for God. “The difference between Christianity and every other faith in the world is that all other religions are about man trying to reach up to God.  Christianity is about God reaching down to man.” 

This is a very important distinction, and it is core to what I believe, so I would like to try to clarify what I mean.  Here is the way I am defining religion: 

Religion is a system of beliefs or a code of moral conduct that judges (qualifies or disqualifies) a person based on their adherence and obedience to certain codes, rules, laws, traditions, or the performance of required acts. 

Religion (almost universally) is enforced by those in power in an attempt to maintain, increase, or abuse their power over others.  Religion is the creation of man and is not the intention or design of God.

Religion says slave, Jesus says son,
Religion puts you in shackles but Jesus sets you free. Religion makes you blind, but Jesus lets you see

So if you ask me whether the world would be better without a believe in God I would say NO. But better without religion I will say Yes! Why? Because without a believe in higher powers, conscience is destroyed and life generally becomes meaningless.

Even Bertrand Russell a well known atheist seemed to understand this well as he fatalistically observed, “Unless you assume a God, the question of life's purpose is meaningless.

Without God, life has no purpose, and without purpose, life has no meaning.  Without meaning, life has no significance or hope.”

CrazyMan: http://wingrass..co.uk/2012/10/lets-talk-about-sex-by-pastor-e-adeboye.html?spref=fb&m=1

Castos: PLEASE READ SLOWLY.
IT'S VERY IMPORTANT:
If you have
Food in your fridge,
Clothes on your body
A roof over your head and A
place 2 sleep
U r richer than 75% of the
entire
world.
If you have
money in your wallet A little
change
And Can go anywhere you want
U are among the top 18% of the
worlds wealthy people.
If you alive today with more
health than illness,
U are more blessed than the
million
people
who will not survive this week
and die.
If you can actually 'READ' this
message
and understand it,
U are more fortunate than the 3
billion people in the world who
Cannot see
Cannot read Or suffer mental
retardation.
Life is not about complaining
pain
and sorrows. It's about a
thousand other
reasons
to Thank our Creator!!!
Like and
write, "THANK YOU GOD" to
claim this.

Yefet: A GOD GIVEN DREAM ON RAPTURE.

This Monday morning (8.03.10), I woke up at exactly 5:20 AM at the end of this dream:



I had gone to a nearby shop while at home to buy a copy of news paper for my dad. Immediately I stepped out of the shop I heard a loud sound of a trumpet from above which attracted my eyes to the sky and I saw a sign of a shinny white cross in the sky. I concentrated on it and all of a sudden it turned out to be a man spreading His arms. He was dressed in PURE WHITE, VERY BRIGHT and SHINNY GOWN. The whole sky was lit up by His brightness. I could not look up anymore due to the brightness. From all the END-TIMES sermons I had heard and watched together with the scriptures I had read in the Bible, I realized it was my LORD and Savior, Jesus Christ. All of a sudden I saw something I had never experienced in my whole life. It really shocked me. I saw so many people rising and floating in the air with WHITE and SHINNY GOWNS. When I looked up I saw a triangle of light starting from the LORD coming downwards. They were all in a HORIZONTAL POSTURE as if they were asleep. They were moving up along the triangle of light towards the LORD. On looking at the man in white, His hands were cupped as if receiving something. I reckoned the teachings on RAPTURE and knew it was exactly the one taking place. I shouted, “Jesus, My Lord and Savior!” Immediately I saw myself being lifted above the ground and having a look at myself, I realized that I was wearing a very bright white gown. Before going so far I looked down and saw a friend of mine who had been left. He was crying in anguish while putting on clothes as if he was a just waking up. He was giving so many excuses and mentioning the name of a person who had delayed his preparation thus being caught unprepared. He is a believer but seems he was not ready for the LORD. This really touched my heart. I was now very high and together with all who had gone ahead. When I looked keenly, I saw that the sky was littered with A GREAT MULTITUDE of people in white robes. PEOPLE FLOATING in the air! Like many pieces of white handkerchiefs. OH MY GOD! It was such a SHOCKING yet a SPECTACULAR and BEAUTIFUL scene! We were all being pulled to Jesus. I saw all of us surrounding Jesus while He was in the middle. Immediately after this, the Heavens opened and we all got in at once! In there, I saw collection of very still waters. Not even a single wave could be seen. We passed just beside it. Then I saw LORD holding a shepherd’s staff while leading us all, through a bumpy and very rough path .I was on the front line of the multitude on His left side. I saw myself hugging the LORD in tears while saying, “THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU JESUS FOR SAVING ME!” I then saw one of my brothers in Christ who had just given his life to Christ and I asked him,” How blessed are you that just after giving your life to Christ you are here?” He said, “It is all by the grace and mercy of God” I then met a young man who did not look like one coming from the earth and I asked him, “Have you also come from the earth?” He was hesitating until I rephrased my question, “Have you ever lived on earth?” He replied,” I have not lived there but I have been there.”… “To do what?” ….”Doing the will of my Master.”…”Like what?” …”I had been sent TO HIT THE EARTH TO CAUSE AN EARTHQUAKE.” I immediately remembered “Heaven Is So Real” by Sister Choo Thomas where she talked of her encounter with Angels on earth in form of human beings and it clicked in my mind that this must be one of such Angels. I woke up with UNCONTROLLABLE tears rolling down my cheeks while saying," THANK YOU JESUS! THANK YOU JESUS!" When I woke up to read the Bible I found it all there. (1THESS 4:15-18, PSALMS 23) LORD I AM SO HUMBLED FOR SUCH A REVELATION. I LOVE YOU SO MUCH! He is coming for a prepared bride without any kind of spot, blemish or wrinkle. LET’S BE READY FOR HIM!! REV 22:17….REV 22:20 SOON AND VERY SOON WE ARE GOING TO SEE THE KING! TO GOD IS ALL THE GLORY! AMEN.



Amos Muigai

Freksy: The Bible's View of Self-service or Masturbation

There are those that have said that the Bible describes masturbation in Genesis chapter 38, and that Onan was put to death for the offense. But this is not true. The Bible says that when Onan "did have relations with his brother's wife he wasted his semen on the earth." (Genesis 38:9) So apparently Onan interrupted sexual relations with Tamar, spilling his semen on the ground rather than giving it to Tamar. He did this because he did not want to raise up children in the name of his dead brother. And it was for this failure to perform "brother-in-law marriage" that Onan was put to death.
Two other passages in the Hebrew Scriptures have been discussed in literature dealing with the Bible's view of masturbation. The first, Deuteronomy 23:10 and 11, tells of the situation when the Israelites were in a military encampment. According to Today's English Version, it says: "If a man becomes unclean because he has had a wet dream during the night, he is to go outside the camp and stay there. Toward evening he is to wash himself, and at sunset he may come back into camp." But what is mentioned here is not masturbation. Masturbation is defined as: "Erotic stimulation of the genital organs commonly resulting in orgasm and achieved by manual or other bodily contact." (Webster's New Collegiate Dictionary, 1981) Jehovah God so created males that, when they do not engage in sexual intercourse, they will from time to time spontaneously emit semen during sleep. This emission is often accompanied by an erotic dream, hence the expression "a wet dream." Since the emission usually occurs at night, it may also be called a "nocturnal emission."
The other passage discussing this matter is Leviticus 15:16, 17, which says: "Now in case a man has an emission of semen go out from him, he must then bathe all his flesh in water and be unclean until the evening. And any garment and any skin upon which the emission of semen gets to be must be washed with water and be unclean until the evening." Apparently this passage is not referring to masturbation. Evidently it is referring to the aforementioned "wet dream." Although the Bible mentions an 'uncleanness' in association with the emission of semen, this is a ceremonial not a moral uncleanness. This is obvious when we note in the next verse that an Israelite man and wife incurred the same uncleanness when engaging in their God-approved marital relations.

Well, then, do the Christian Greek Scriptures say anything about masturbation? No, they do not discuss the subject. Not even wet dreams are mentioned. But does that mean that the Christian Greek Scriptures give no direction in forming a proper attitude toward masturbation? No, it does not. Consider Colossians 3:5, which reads: "Deaden, therefore, your body members that are upon the earth as respects fornication, uncleanness, sexual appetite, hurtful desire, and covetousness." And 1 Thessalonians 4:4, 5 says: "Each one . . . should . . . get possession of his own vessel in sanctification and honor, not in covetous sexual appetite such as also those nations have which do not know God." Such counsel applies to married Christians as well as to those who are single, but even more restraint needs to be exercised by single persons since finding relief of passion by sexual relations is limited to those who are married.

Can you see that masturbation is a practice that violates the command to deaden "sexual appetite"? True, Jehovah created humans with an appetite, or desire, for sex, even as he created us with an appetite for food and drink. So the Bible is not saying that having sexual appetite is wrong, just as it does not condemn having a natural, proper appetite for food and drink. Yet we know that in our imperfect condition, appetites can get out of control. A person can come to have an inordinate desire for food or alcoholic beverages and become a glutton or a drunkard. Similarly, sex can become a chief or prominent part of a person's life, and he can thus become like people of the nations who have a "covetous sexual appetite."
A person who masturbates is putting improper emphasis on sex. He feeds and enlivens his sexual craving in a wrong way. Yet not only men are involved; there has been an increase of masturbation among women. God, however, provided humans the gift of sex to use within the arrangement of marriage. But a masturbator is using sex outside the marriage arrangement for personal gratification. Such a person needs to deaden his sexual appetite in order to please God. He needs to cultivate the self-control that is necessary to de-emphasize sex in his life and to leave his sexual organs to adjust to any pressures in the normal way.

Jesus taught: "Everyone that keeps on looking at a woman so as to have a passion for her has already committed adultery with her in his heart." (Matthew 5:28) A masturbator often has such kinds of passionate thoughts, fantasizing about having sexual relations. Such a person is certainly not living in accordance with Christ's teaching. There can be no question that these who feed their sexual appetite by masturbating are violating God's instructions to DEADEN their sexual appetite.
But how can a person deaden his sexual appetite and keep from masturbating? True, for people who have practiced this type of self-abuse, it can be a real fight to stop it. But one should not give up in the fight! With Jehovah's help, a person can succeed. He should first develop a hatred for the practice. (Psalm 97:10) Then it is vital that he make the firm determination in his mind and heart to stop masturbating. He must make it a continual subject of his prayers; then he needs to work at what he prays for. He cannot, as it were, feed the flames of passion by reading or looking at things that stir his sexual appetite. Nor can he be talking about matters that feed his inclination to masturbate. Rather, he must keep busy in theocratic pursuits and helping others spiritually, and he will receive the strength to control his sexual appetite.
There is no question about it—keeping integrity to Jehovah calls for a hard fight. But it is worth it!

Freksy: Is cigarette smoking dangerous to health? Is it good for those who sincerely want to fashion their lives after that of Jesus to deliberately engage in things that would adversely affect their lives? If you were the life giver, how would you feel seeing people indulging in things that are detrimental to life? Or are we saying it does not matter to the lifegiver the way we live our lives? If there were cigarettes in time of Jesus, would he or any of his disciples smoke? If we claim it's not a sin to smoke because the bible does not expressly say: " Thou shall not smoke", is there any law prohibiting a child from peeping while the parents are making love? If your neighbor pour acid on you just for the fun of it would it be a sin? Remember, no scripture says: thou shall not pour acid on his neighbor.

Interestingly, the giver of life has given us all the guides we need for healthy and successful living. The scripture contain all these in various forms. Compare 2Tim 3:16,17.
1. In form of stated laws such as the ten commandment and the precepts.
2. In form of object lessons from the bible stories of individual who lived in bible times.
3. Finally, in form of bible principles upon which our Christian conducts are based. For instance, watching of pornography and peeping on unclothedness of others are clear violation of the bible principle found at Psm. 119:37; Matt. 5:28; also, note some things condemn by Paul at Eph. 5:3,4. Lots of unhealthy, unclean and filthy habits one can think of (most of which we do in hidings) are condemned, hence, should not be mentioned in connectionn with Christ followers.

Is Smoking Really Wrong?
"WHY not use tobacco if I enjoy it? If I risk my health, that's my own business." To the millions who find pleasure in smoking, such "logic" is convincing.
Yet, news reports in 1985 blamed smoking for 100,000 deaths a year in Britain, 350,000 a year in the United States, and a third of all deaths in Greece. Common sense suggests that society would not shrug off the moral implications of these figures. But it does. Why?
For one thing, many religious leaders refuse to apply any moral pressure on their flock to stop smoking. The view they take is expressed by the author of a book called The Christian Moral Vision. He sees "no justification for moral pressure" on one who, "having considered the risks . . . [goes on] smoking for the sake of the pleasure it provides." But is this the Bible's viewpoint? Does "pleasure" justify taking needless risks?
No, it does not. Would it not make more sense to try to stay physically and mentally in top shape? For our own good and out of respect for our loved ones and our Creator, the Bible stipulates that we should "cleanse ourselves of every defilement [pollution] of flesh and spirit." (2 Corinthians 7:1; Kingdom Interlinear) Does the harm from tobacco stop at the physical body?
What It Does to Your Life
The tobacco habit can grip you firmly not only physically but also mentally. Aside from polluting one's body, tobacco permeates the whole "spirit" with which tobacco users think, work, and play—the very mood of their daily affairs. A journalist admitted in Reader's Digest: "Without my daily ration of cigarettes, I could not write, eat, sleep, make love or even have fun with my children."
Why does tobacco become so deep-rooted in people's lives, even to the point of causing them to look the other way when facing its ultimate harm—death? Concerning Britain, psychiatrist Judy Greenwood wrote in the Glasgow Herald of January 3, 1985: "If 100,000 people had died from any other preventable cause, . . . it would have provoked a national outrage. . . . But smoking is different . . . This particular social addiction is so ingrained in our culture and commerce . . . that we seem to have developed a blind spot in our national commonsense."
The Spiritual Harm of Addiction
Yes, addiction, not pleasure alone, produces this moral blind spot in the public "spirit" today. And Dr. Richard Pollin, director of the National Institute on Drug Abuse (U.S.A.), asserts that cigarette smoking is now the most serious and widespread addiction in the world—even worse than heroin.
The Bible's viewpoint has no such blind spots regarding addictive substances that would make us slaves both of a habit and of the men who traffic in the habit: "You were bought with a price; stop becoming slaves of men," states 1 Corinthians 7:23.
Were addictive drugs and herbs common in Bible times? Yes, says Tobacco and Kentucky, citing "the evidence of prehistoric pipes excavated at . . . the Mediterranean Sea and inland in Asia Minor [used in smoking] . . . cannabis (marijuana) and other herbs." In fact, adds the book, "fumigation with, or the inhalation of, the smoke of various substances has been a sacred, healing, or pleasurable practice . . . since time immemorial. . . . As with cannabis and opium, so with tobacco."
According to McClintock and Strong's Cyclopedia, the term "pharmacy" was used "in the early ages of the Christian Church" for the "art of inventing and preparing medicaments to do mischief." What view did the Bible take of such substances and those who trafficked in them?


Alcoholic beverages are readily available in many lands. Is it wrong to partake of them? Drinking wine, beer, or other alcoholic drinks in moderation is not forbidden in the Scriptures. (Psalm 104:15; 1 Timothy 5:23) However, heavy drinking and drunkenness are wrong in God's eyes. (1 Corinthians 5:11-13) Surely you do not want overdrinking to ruin your health and disrupt your family life.—Proverbs 23:20, 21, 29-35.

Maximus85: The punishment for Adam was said even before the sin was committed "you will positively die" to the dust you will return. And to the woman, "in pains you will bear children"

Did God ever mention an eternal torment in hell? NO! If God had mention that as purnishment, Adam and Eve would have given it a second thought.

Hell was mentioned in Revelation, the concluding part of that verse said "this means the second death" meaning that Hell fire is a figurative expression, describing what second death is - No hope for resurrection.
I will supply Bible verses later.

inurmind: The greatest lie known to man.

Ptolomeus: best "TOMMOROW"

Yomieluv: Age has nothing to do with marriage,it has to do with maturity,when a person is matured,without being taught it will happen naturally.most people feel that when they've a small money,next thing is marriage,a person aside finance,must be ready mentally,and spiritually.

acidtalk: Please read this thread and each 'sub threads' inside. If at the end of the day you don't discover 60% of what you didn't realize in life before now, I will dinounce my membership on nairaland.

https://www.nairaland.com/1068544/major-differences-between-entrepreneur-employee


It is well with you.