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otemanuduno:
So ur own version is purgatory Abi? Are you a Catholic?

There's no hell fire existing now. Hell fire will be after Jesus comes the second time. That's what the Holy Bible tells me.

otemanuduno:
There was peace of mind until Zeusus Krista(Jesus Christ) introduced the concept of HELL FIRE TILL ETERNITY into it. And those who took him serious are the poor people, whose life expectancy in Nigeria is just around 40.

Hell fire till eternity? There's no such thing as that, this subject is greatly misunderstood.

Harambe (Gorilla) is dead. And that is heartbreaking.

When my children were little we visited many zoos. At one point, we counted that my son had been to 37, and since then the number has increased. So it’s no surprise that from an early age he knew that the scientific name for the lion is Panthera leo, and that the scientific name for the western lowland gorilla—Harambe’s kind—is Gorilla gorilla gorilla. Which we both thought was a pretty cool scientific name.

Western lowland gorillas never gave us a lot of trouble during our zoo years (which aren’t entirely over, incidentally). Except for one time at the absolutely magnificent Henry Doorly Zoo in Omaha, Nebraska, when a fully-grown male silverback rushed to the thick glass window in his enclosure and pounded on it as my wife approached. It about scared the life out of her. We don’t know what it was that agitated him, but we saw first hand that you don’t want to get on the wrong side of a gorilla. I certainly wouldn’t have wanted to be on the other side of that glass.

Several days ago a four-year-old boy got onto the other side of the glass, as it were. The story seems to be that he told his mother he was going to get into the moat around the gorilla enclosure. Naturally enough she told him he would do no such thing, and then—naturally enough—she was distracted by other children, according to reports. In that minute—more than enough time for a four-year-old—the boy slipped away into the gorilla enclosure. Anyone who knows four-year-olds can imagine it happening.

Boy meets gorilla. Similar things have happened in the past and the outcomes have been, on occasion, remarkable and touching. Gorillas have been known to protect children who have fallen into their enclosures. Wouldn’t it be wonderful had that happened in Cincinnati?

Well, some people think that’s exactly what happened, saying Harambe appeared to be protecting the four-year-old boy. However, wildlife expert Jack Hanna said, “The power this animal has is beyond comprehension. They’re a magnificent creature. There’s no doubt in my mind that that child would not be here today if they hadn’t made that decision at the Cincinnati Zoo.”1

Some said, he said. Predictably—this being the age of excoriation and condemnation—a mass of people have criticized and castigated both the mother of the child and the Cincinnati Zoo2. The mother should never had allowed her child to get into the gorilla enclosure—you don’t say?—and the zoo should never, ever have taken the life of the beautiful silverback. But putting blame aside—if we could—let’s remember what that situation was. A child appeared to be in danger. Grave danger. What zoo official would have decided to try to convince Harambe to turn the child over, and then hope for the best? There’s no way in the world that decision could have been made. If it was—and if today the internet was aflame with video of a massive gorilla tearing a child apart—we’d all be traumatized and angry beyond description.

A decision had to be made between two individuals: a 400-pound gorilla and a 35-pound boy. The child’s survival was paramount. The decision was made that the gorilla had to die.

Ghastly. But once the boy went into the enclosure: unavoidable. Harambe died so a four-year-old could live. The response? In many quarters, outrage.

The death of animals can be hard to take. A zoo in Copenhagen euthanized a healthy giraffe in 20143 and there was what CNN described as widespread outrage.4 This is because animals are remarkable. They are masterpieces of creation. I’ve experienced the indescribable joy of holding a young Kiwi bird in my hands5, I’ve walked with lions, and I’ve ridden among impala, giraffes and zebras. The idea of killing a healthy, magnificent, powerful, majestic gorilla? Ouch. No wonder people are upset. But, as cold as it read when reported in the news, accidents—in the words of the unfortunate boy’s mother—happen.

Once the child crossed that line? Game over for Harambe—there was no other way. But a gorilla being killed as a result of human… distraction? People get angry over that. Outraged.

So let’s think about this together.

Six thousand years ago, two people who knew better ate from a tree they were told was absolutely out of bounds. Once they did there was no going back in terms of the plan of salvation. Once Adam and Eve ate the forbidden fruit, the death of Jesus was assured. Not the death of a gorilla. The. Death. Of. The. Son. Of. God.

In addition, it wasn’t ‘forced’ by a God who gave bad news to His Son and told Him that, sorry, there was just no other way. Jesus “gave Himself” (1 Timothy 2:6). 1 John 3:16 says Jesus “laid down His life for us.” Because two people made the incredibly irresponsible, careless, reckless decision to eat a piece of fruit they were explicitly told they should not consume, Jesus—the Creator of the world (John 1:3)—died.

It wasn’t just that He died. He was crucified, a method of execution designed to cause as much pain as possible. Cruel and unusual punishment to the max.

Now, with the greatest respect to Harambe, where’s the outrage?

You’ll recall the death of Cecil the lion, killed by an American hunter on July 1 in 2015 outside Hwange National Park in Zimbabwe. While in Zimbabwe this past March, I asked several people from varying walks of life about Cecil’s death. They told me it barely registered in Zimbabwe. The internet was almost burnt down owing to the heat of the outrage over the death of that poor lion, but the locals didn’t lose any sleep at all. While the issues are complicated—hunting, money, conservation, employment, the ethics of the manner in which Cecil was killed—what was clear is that people all over the world were livid Cecil had been killed. By a hunter. Who had paid a lot of money for the “privilege.”

However, what amused one Zimbabwean friend of mine was that—in his words—while Cecil was one (beautiful, and old) lion, and while the internet hemorrhaged after his death, the lion population in Africa is plunging dramatically. My friend told me that a man in Kenya who farmed six goats recently poisoned eight lions to protect his livelihood. Think about that for a moment.

A Zambian government minister was reported as saying that, “the West seemed more concerned with the welfare of a lion in Zimbabwe than of Africans themselves. In Africa, a human being is more important than an animal. I don’t know about the Western world.”6

Her point was that while it was nice people got upset over the death of Cecil—momentarily—a bigger picture is being ignored. The lion population continues in absolute free fall.

Harambe’s death reminds me that there’s another bigger point being missed. While the world is livid over the very unfortunate death of an animal, there’s a real, bonafide, genuine tragedy of immense proportions being ignored. The Son of God died a needless death on a cross two thousand years ago. He shouldn’t have had to, but He did because of the selfish actions of two people who couldn’t keep out of what they shouldn’t have been into.

Fortunately there’s a massive silver lining. Just as Harambe’s death secured the survival of a four-year-old boy, Jesus’ death made possible the eternal life of an entire planet. All seven billion people alive on Earth today can live eternally if they wish to because Jesus laid down His life.

However, His death is being ignored, forgotten, misrepresented, ridiculed, and under-reported. As a result, multitudes will only have a brief life on this Earth and nothing at all beyond the return of Jesus.

That’s a tragedy.

Where’s the outrage?
Source: http://blog.itiswritten.com/blog/2016/06/01/harambe-wheres-the-outrage/

Answer: In Matthew 12:31, 32, Jesus gives a very solemn warning about a specific kind of sin. He says, “All manner of sin and blasphemy will be forgiven man, except blasphemy against the Holy Spirit.” This sin is also commonly known as the unpardonable sin.

This statement from Jesus has caused all kinds of confusion among Christians, and many who don’t know what this sin is live in fear that they’ve actually committed it. Still, others don’t know how close they’ve come to this disastrous act. Let’s take a few moments to clear this up.

In Greek, the word is blasphemos, and according to one dictionary’s definition, it means “to vilify, to speak impiously, to defame, to rail upon, to revile, to speak evil, to hurt or blast the reputation, nature or works of God.” To call God foul names and to besmirch His Son’s saving grace are certainly forms of blasphemy.

Additionally, in John 10:33, we read that some leaders in Israel were trying to find a reason to stone Jesus. “The Jews answered Him, saying, ‘For a good work we do not stone You, but for blasphemy, and because You, being a Man, make Yourself God.’” These men accused Jesus of blasphemy when He claimed equality with God and the right to forgive sin. Of course, they would have been correct to do so if Jesus were not God.

But blasphemy itself is not the unpardonable sin. In 1 Timothy 1:13, the apostle Paul writes: “Although I was formerly a blasphemer, a persecutor, and an insolent man; but I obtained mercy because I did it ignorantly in unbelief.” We know Paul will be in heaven even though he was a blasphemer. God’s grace to us is exceedingly abundant; it forgives even blasphemy. Remember, “Every sin and blasphemy will be forgiven men.” God’s grace is amazing!

So what about blasphemy against the Holy Spirit is unforgivable? Well, to answer this, we need to understand what the Holy Spirit does. Once we do that, we’ll see why His function is so crucial that blasphemy against Him is so serious a sin that it cannot be forgiven.

The Holy Spirit does three things: First, He teaches us the things we need to know for our salvation (John 14:26). Second, the Spirit guides us into all truth (John 16:13). Third, the mission of the Holy Spirit is to convict of sin (John 16:7, .

This is His work. It is logical, therefore, to conclude that as long as we allow the Holy Spirit to teach us, to guide us, and to convict us, we could never be guilty of committing the unpardonable sin. But suppose we refuse to acknowledge these three operations of the Spirit in our personal experience with God? That is exactly when people begin to approach the deadly parameters of the worst sin on record.

Blasphemy against the Holy Spirit is a perpetual, constant resisting of the drawing love of God’s Spirit, so much so that you lose the capacity to hear the Holy Spirit’s voice. The conscience becomes seared (1 Timothy 4:2). This deadly blasphemy is also called “grieving away” the Holy Spirit. Paul refers to “Grieve not the Holy Spirit, wherewith you are sealed,” meaning we can permanently grieve Him away.

Eventually, a person loses the capacity to repent, and therefore cannot be saved. It is for this sin that a person cannot be forgiven, because they have rejected the Spirit that convicts of sin (John 16:. So if you still feel convicted of sin and have the desire to repent, then you have probably not committed the unpardonable sin.

Are you satisfied with this answer?

If you have not, please read Spiritual Israel One here: https://www.nairaland.com/3130133/spiritual-israel-one

The Road to Building a New Temple

Let’s now follow a brief but directly related tangent.

If we want the fog to clear from around the subject of prophetic Israel, we must also consider the Jewish temple. Many who have focused their attention on a literal nation fulfillment are also expecting the ancient Jewish temple to be rebuilt.

Some of the contemporary so-called Christian “Zionists” who have written on this rebuilding include Thomas Ice, Randall Price, Grant Jeffrey, Hal Lindsey, Tim LaHaye, Dave Hunt, and John Hagee. Their combined published book sales exceed 70 million in more than 50 languages. This shows their views to be extremely influential, and therefore they cannot be simply dismissed. A significant proportion of evangelical, Charismatic, Pentecostal, and fundamentalist Christians worldwide endorse this view.

In the same way the devil has misdirected focus from spiritual Israel to the literal headlines concerning the Middle East today, he has also confused people on the subject of the temple. Oddly, most of the speculation and hopes for a rebuilt temple spring from one vague ethereal reference in the New Testament dealing with the antichrist power. In 2 Thessalonians 2:3,4, we read, “Let no man deceive you by anymeans: for that day shall not come, except there come a falling away first, and that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition; Who opposeth and exalteth himself above all that is called God, or that is worshiped; so that he as God sitteth in the temple of God, showing himself that he is God” (emphasis ours).

Since the Romans destroyed the last Jewish temple in AD 70, many naturally assume that in order for this antichrist being, a specific person in their view, to sit in the temple, it will have to be rebuilt. But let us follow the Biblical clues.

A Spiritual House

Just before King David died, he wanted to build a permanent temple in Jerusalem. Nathan the prophet told David that he would not be able to build this house for God, but that his son Solomon would do it.

First Chronicles 17:11, 12 recounts, “And it shall come to pass, when thy days be expired that thou must go to be with thy fathers, that I will raise up thy seed after thee, which shall be of thy sons; and I will establish his kingdom. He shall build me an house, and I will establish his throne for ever.”

Later, David said the Lord told him “Solomon thy son, he shall build my house and my courts” (1 Chronicles 28:6).

But this is one of the clearest examples in Scripture of prophecy having duel applications. Yes, history records do show that Solomon was the son of David and that he built a physical temple, but the New Testament says that Jesus was the true “Son of David,” who was to build a temple and kingdom that was to last forever. Jesus clearly taught that He had come to transfer the attention from a physical building of worship to something greater: His body, the church.

John 2:19-21, says, “Jesus answered and said unto them, Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up. Then said the Jews, Forty and six years was this temple in building, and wilt thou rear it up in three days? But he spake of the temple of his body.” Jesus’ prophecy concerning the pride of the Jewish nation and the destruction of the temple inspired the most intense rejection of His teaching. Here are some high points of this truth:
• “Behold, your house is left unto you desolate” (Matthew 23:38).

• “And Jesus went out, and departed from the temple: and his disciples came to him for to show him the buildings of the temple. And Jesus said unto them, See ye not all these things? Verily I say unto you, There shall not be left here one stone upon another, that shall not be thrown down” (Matthew 24:1, 2).

• “We heard him say, I will destroy this temple that is made with hands, and within three days I will build another made without hands” (Mark 14:58).

• “And the veil of the temple was rent in twain from the top to the bottom” (Mark 15:38).

And even as Jesus hung on the cross, His mockers reminded Him of His teachings. “Thou that destroyest the temple, and buildest it in three days, save thyself. If thou be the Son of God, come down from the cross” (Matthew 27:40). But of course, Jesus was not speaking of rebuilding the physical temple. He meant to build a spiritual one.

The New Testament Perspective

After the veil in the temple ripped from top to bottom and the early disciples were excommunicated, we find an unusual indifference among the early believers, nearly all Jews, regarding the Jewish temple. Because they knew Jesus to be the true Lamb of God, and that the Jewish temple was designed to accommodate animal sacrifices, the New Testament writers saw the temple as irrelevant. They recognized the establishment of a new spiritual temple and priesthood. See some amazing Biblical evidence for this below, with our emphasis in bold:
• “If any man defile the temple of God, him shall God destroy; for the temple of God is holy, which temple ye are. And what agreement hath the temple of God with idols? for ye are the temple of the living God; as God hath said, I will dwell in them, and walk in them; and I will be their God, and they shall be my people” (1 Corinthians 3:17, 16).

• “Now therefore ye are no more strangers and foreigners, but fellow citizens with the saints, and of the household of God; And are built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ himself being the chief corner stone; In whom all the building fitly framed together groweth unto an holy temple in the Lord: In whom ye also are builded together for an habitation of God through the Spirit” (Ephesians 2:19-22).

• “Ye also, as lively stones, are built up a spiritual house, an holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices, acceptable to God by Jesus Christ” (1 Peter 2:5).

Sadly, even after God provides all this clear biblical evidence that His temple today is a spiritual one, the church, many Christians are waiting for the Jews to rebuild a physical temple on the site where the mosque of Omar (Dome of the Rock) now sits—also known as the Temple Mount. Yet there is no prophecy, promise, or commandment in the Bible that says the temple would be rebuilt again after the Romans destroyed it. Though it might very well be rebuilt, Jesus’ prophecy that not one stone would sit upon another seemed to be of an extremely final tone.

So what does the verse in 2 Thessalonians 2:4 mean? Simply this: This antichrist power would seat itself over the church of God claiming the worship that belongs only to Jesus Christ. Historically, Protestant scholars have consistently applied Paul’s words to the papal power, and to its influence within Christianity.*

But now, let’s return to the “nation” of Israel.
____________________________________

All Israel Saved?

Since we’ve gone this far, we might as well go all the way! Only Jews will be saved. Furthermore, all Jews will be saved! Now after you pick yourself up from the floor, allow us to explain these bold statements.

We all know that people are saved under the new covenant, right? Now notice the wording of this new covenant: “Behold, the days come, saith the Lord, that I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel, and with the house of Judah” (Jeremiah 31:31).

And in the book of Hebrews, Paul expands on this concept: “Behold, the days come, saith the Lord, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah. ... For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, saith the Lord; I will put my laws into their mind, and write them in their hearts: and I will be to them a God, and they shall be to me a people: And they shall not teach every man his neighbor, and every man his brother, saying, Know the Lord: for all shall know me, from the least to the greatest. For I will be merciful to their unrighteousness, and their sins and their iniquities will I remember no more” (Hebrews 8:8, 10-12).

The new covenant is made “with the house of Israel”! God never makes a salvation covenant with Gentiles. In fact, nowhere in Scripture do you find any saving covenant made with anyone but Israelites! So if you want to be saved, you must be born again as a spiritual Jew. This is not to say that all Christians must now be circumcised and sacrifice lambs, but we must have the spiritual equivalent of these things—Jesus, the Lamb of God (the final sacrifice), and circumcision of the heart.

God does not have one method of salvation for Jews and a different one for non-Jews. Everyone is saved the same way under the same program—by grace through faith. Paul uses the analogy of an olive tree to explain that all Gentiles who are saved are grafted into the stock of Israel. “And if some of the branches be broken off, and thou, being a wild olive tree, wert grafted in among them, and with them partakest of the root and fatness of the olive tree; Boast not against the branches. But if thou boast, thou bearest not the root, but the root [supports] thee” (Romans 11:17, 18).

The Christian religion is based on a Jewish manual called the Bible. (In this light, it is difficult to understand how any professed Christian could be anti-Semitic.) Christianity is not a new religion, but rather the completion of the Jewish faith. So with this in mind, we can now better understand what Paul meant when he said, “And so all Israel shall be saved” (Romans 11:26). Some take this verse to mean that God will ultimately save all literal Jews. If this were true, it would contradict every principle of God’s dealings with humans throughout history and Scripture. God is not a racist. In Jesus’ eyes, “There is neither Jew nor Greek” (Galatians 3:28).

We are saved based on choices we make regarding God’s provision, not on national status or physical citizenship. But if, when Paul says that “all Israel will be saved,” he is speaking of spiritual Israel, and if we understand that we become a “true Jew” only by a choice, then it all makes sense.

Israel’s Purpose

The primary functions for the Jewish nation were to preserve Scriptures and introduce the Messiah to the world, which was accomplished at Pentecost. We read, “Much every way: chiefly, because that unto them were committed the oracles of God” (Romans 3:2). And in Acts 2:5, “And there were dwelling at Jerusalem Jews, devout men, out of every nation under heaven.” These converted Jews then took the truth back to their respective countries.

Jesus was also very concerned that the early ministry of His apostles was to focus specifically on the literal house of Israel. “These twelve Jesus sent out and commanded them, saying: Do not go into the way of the Gentiles, and do not enter a city of the Samaritans. But go rather to the lost sheep of the house of Israel” (Matthew 10:5, 6).

But after Jesus’ death, the Jewish Sanhedrin (supreme court) officially rejected the message of the gospel through the Spirit-filled preaching of Stephen. They even executed him. From that point on (AD 34), God opened the doors to the Gentiles.
• “Then Paul and Barnabas waxed bold, and said, It was necessary that the word of God should first have been spoken to you: but seeing ye put it from you, and judge yourselves unworthy of everlasting life, lo, we turn to the Gentiles” (Acts 13:46).

• “For so hath the Lord commanded us, saying, I have set thee to be a light of the Gentiles, that thou shouldest be for salvation unto the ends of the earth” (Acts 13:47).

Prophetic Applications

How does all of this apply to prophecy? The greatest book about prophecy, the book of Revelation, talks about Mount Zion, Israel, Jerusalem, the temple, the Euphrates, Babylon and Armageddon. Thus it is clear that Revelation uses the terminology of the Middle East in its prophecies. But sincere Christians all over the earth are applying these prophecies to literal places in the Middle East and to the modern nation of Jews. Yet once we grasp the New Testament principles discussed in this study, we are able to finally see that there is something wrong with that picture. We should be seeing error messages all over the place!

Remember that when Jesus came the first time, the devil had bamboozled God’s people into making the spiritual prophecies about the Messiah carnal and physical. Satan is doing the same thing today with the subject of Israel. Yet the plain, biblical truth is that Revelation centers on Jesus Christ and God’s Israel in the Spirit, not the Israel of the flesh. And with this correct understanding of spiritual Israel, suddenly other prophecies in the New Testament take on a whole new meaning! It’s now easy to see that the 144,000 of Revelation 7 and 14 are not literal Jews and the new temple will not be earthly, but rather the Body of Jesus and the church (John 2:19, 20).
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An Amazing Fact: “Fools Gold,” or iron pyrites, a mineral composed of iron sulfide, actually contains no gold at all. The mineral is brass yellow and has a metallic luster. The resemblance of pyrite to gold caused many prospectors to mistake it for gold, which is how it became known as fool's gold. Even though it is often found in the vicinity of gold, it is easily distinguished from the real thing by its brittleness.
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Conclusion

This “counterfeit gold” dynamic is also found prevalent in the area of spiritual truth. The Bible teaches that even gold comes in varying degrees of purity: “And the gold of that land is good” (Genesis 2:12). Millions are toting around heavy bags bulging with spiritual “fool’s gold.” They are rejoicing, believing they have discovered something to make them rich. It sparkles on the outside, but when they get to the bank of heaven, they discover this currency is worthless.

Furthermore, the tragic fact is that the popular literal focus miserably fails to grasp the true power of God’s promise. And this failure to recognize this principle will result in false Middle East interpretations and ultimate deception.

Don’t forget that “they are not all Israel, which are of Israel” (Romans 9:6). And remember, “For we are the circumcision, which worship God in the spirit, and rejoice in Christ Jesus, and have no confidence in the flesh” (Philippians 3:3). Share with others the truth that now “there is neither Jew nor Greek, ... for ye are all one in Christ Jesus. And if ye be Christ’s, then are ye Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to the promise” (Galatians 3:28, 29).

Let us not live in the flesh or accept popular, convoluted teachings that focus on an earthly state. Rather, let us live in the Spirit. Like Jacob of old, let us wrestle in prayer and cling to Jesus until by faith we hear Him say, “Thy name shall be called no more Jacob, but Israel: for as a prince hast thou power with God and with men, and hast prevailed” (Genesis 32:28).

Shalom!

Let’s Begin With an Amazing Fact

The European cuckoo is known as a “brood parasite.” The females lay their eggs in the nests of smaller bird species—like the reed warbler. In turn, these unsuspecting mothers unwittingly incubate, feed, and raise the young impostors, typically at the expense of their very own offspring.

One of the most sorrowful tragedies of nature is watching a reed warbler working herself to death to satisfy the voracious hunger of a greedy cuckoo chick while her own young, already weak with starvation, are pushed out of the nest.
Another Brood Parasite

The devil has successfully planted a dangerous lie in modern Christian theology, and it has been unwittingly hatched, adopted and nurtured by most evangelical churches—and now this parasite is pushing out Bible truth with a bigger-than-life-deception. Sadly, this adopted falsehood is growing fat with attention while true interpretations of prophecy are starving with neglect

Today around the globe, millions interested in Bible prophecy have their eyes fixed on Jerusalem. To be fair, it is really not all that difficult with the legitimate news value that comes from that never-ending quagmire of strife and bloodshed between Palestinians and Israelites. Christians are constantly speculating about the modern state of Israel, a rebuilt Jewish temple, and a Middle East Armageddon. These subjects are being discussed through magazines, books, radio, television, the Internet, the pulpit and at Bible prophecy conferences.

It is amazing how many Christians fully buy into this connection of end-time Bible prophecies concerning the nation of Israel. For example, best-selling author Dave Hunt echoes these views on the back cover of his popular book, A Cup of Trembling. He writes: “Fast-moving events in the Middle East point almost daily toward the grand finale—the time of greatest suffering for the Jewish people worldwide, which will climax in the terrifying battle of Armageddon and the glorious return of Messiah to rescue Israel and reign over the world from David’s reestablished throne in Jerusalem.”

A Foundation of Sand

This “Middle East” approach to prophecy became popular among mainline churches in the 1980s with a series of books from Hal Lindsey. In his bestsellers, including The Late Great Planet Earth and Countdown to Armageddon, Lindsey employed this very literal dispensational approach to prophecy, making several very specific, and very errant, predictions. He wrote that a secret rapture of the church would occur in 1981, which would be followed by the building of a new Jewish temple, the advent of the Antichrist, the great tribulation, the invasion of Israel, the battle of Armageddon and the millennium—all by 1988.

Despite every single one of these predictions falling flat, his books continue to sell, making for most a standard that all end-time prophecy is viewable only when filtered through “nation of Israel glasses.” Worse, the seeds of error they contain have sprouted and become firmly rooted in many churches. Now millions of Christians are vigilantly guarding a styrofoam monument with no prophetic veracity, and building on the crumbling sand of popular evangelical trends. What are the primary pillars holding up this diversionary doctrine? While there remain some differences of opinion among these evangelicals regarding the role of modern Israel in the end-times, the majority agrees on the following five events as core prophecies:
1. The rebirth of the state of Israel in 1948.

2. A soon-coming seven years of “Great Tribulation.”

3. The rebuilding of the Jewish temple on Jerusalem’s Temple Mount.

4. The Antichrist’s rise during the tribulation; He’ll enter the temple to proclaim Godhood.

5. A final war against Israel, which will result in Armageddon.

It’s Happened Before!

Here is the big question: Are all of these end-time prophecies in Scripture regarding Israel and the temple speaking of the literal nation of Jews and a physical building, or is there a deeper spiritual application?

Do you remember when Jesus came the first time? His people misunderstood and misapplied the prophecies regarding His kingdom. They eagerly waited and watched for Him to establish a literal, earthly kingdom. Jesus constantly explained that His first coming was to establish a spiritual kingdom. He said, “The kingdom of God cometh not with observation: Neither shall they say, Lo here! or, lo there! for behold, the kingdom of God is within you” (Luke 17:20, 21).

But because the persistent and popular teachings of the day focused on a muscular messiah who would overthrow the Romans and seat himself on David’s throne, the disciples brushed aside or simply ignored Jesus’ comments regarding His spiritual kingdom. They tried to make these spiritual prophecies literal, and the crucifixion crushed their expectations of an Israel with dominion over all the Earth. Longing for freedom from political oppression, they lamented, “But we were hoping that it was He who was going to redeem Israel” (Luke 24:21 NKJV).

Even after His resurrection, the disciples still clung to these popular views that had ingrained themselves in their minds, hoping still for an imminent, literal kingdom. “When they therefore were come together, they asked of him, saying, Lord, wilt thou at this time restore again the kingdom to Israel?” (Acts 1:6). They wanted so much to believe their own view that the devil was able to blind them to the plain truth.

Is it possible that today’s church at large is making the same mistake by misapplying prophecies regarding spiritual Israel and the temple—interpreting them in a literal sense without basis? If so, they could be preparing to embrace a diabolical deception—not to mention experience a devastating disappointment!

“He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches” (Revelation 2:7). We hope this study of end-time prophecy will clear the muddled understanding of prophecy so prevalent in today’s Christian faith.

The Name “Israel”

It is impossible to clearly understand the subject of Israel apart from a careful study of the Old Testament. The first time the name “Israel” appears in Scripture is when it was spoken to Jacob after his long night of wrestling with a powerful opponent. The heavenly stranger finally said, “Thy name shall be called no more Jacob, but Israel: for as a prince hast thou power with God and with men, and hast prevailed” (Genesis 32:28). Thus the name “Israel” was at first a name of heavenly origin applied to Jacob alone. It represented his spiritual victory over sin, through wrestling in prayer and claiming God’s grace.

Jacob had 12 sons who later moved into Egypt. The descendants of these sons eventually multiplied into the 12 tribes, which were later forced into slavery by the Egyptians until the time of Moses. Then God told Pharaoh through Moses, “Israel is my son, even my firstborn ... Let my son go” (Exodus 4:22, 23). Note here that the name “Israel” is expanded to include Jacob’s descendants. Therefore, the name “Israel” first applied to a victorious man, then to his people. You’ll soon see why this is a very important point!

Israel, God’s Son

About 800 B.C., the Lord spoke through the prophet Hosea, saying, “When Israel was a child, then I loved him, and called my son out of Egypt” (Hosea 11:1). Yet by this time, the nation of Israel had failed to live up to the spiritual meaning of its name. You see this verse in Hosea explodes with tremendous importance, when we look at the New Testament.

Approximately 800 years after Hosea’s prophecy, we learn, “Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king” (Matthew 2:1). Because Herod felt threatened by this new child king, he sent soldiers who “slew all the children that were in Bethlehem” (v.16). Joseph was warned of the impending crisis in advance when “The angel of the Lord appeareth to [him] in a dream, saying, Arise, and take the young child and his mother, and flee into Egypt, and be thou there until I bring thee word” (v. 13). So the family arose and “departed into Egypt” (v. 14).

Matthew writes that the child Jesus remained in Egypt “until the death of Herod: that it might be fulfilled which was spoken of the Lord by the prophet, saying, Out of Egypt have I called my son” (v. 15). Notice that Matthew quotes Hosea 11:1—which originally referred to the nation of Israel coming out of Egypt—and actually declares it more perfectly “fulfilled” in Jesus Christ! (Please don’t miss this important point that a prophecy in the Bible can have a duel application with both a literal and spiritual fulfillment.)

Here, Matthew has only touched the surface of a truly shocking principle developed throughout his gospel.

Matthew’s Amazing Revelation

A careful study of Matthew reveals even further that Christ’s story actually repeats the history of ancient Israel, point by point—but He overcame where they had failed. Notice the following amazing parallels between the history of ancient Israel and Jesus Christ:

• In the Old Testament, a man named Joseph has dreams and goes into Egypt to preserve his family (Genesis 45:5). In the New Testament, another Joseph likewise had dreams and goes into Egypt to preserve his family (Matthew 2:13).

• When the young nation of Israel comes out of Egypt, God calls it “my son” (Exodus 4:22). When Jesus comes out of Egypt, God says “Out of Egypt have I called my son” (Matthew 2:15).

• When Israel leaves Egypt, her people go through the Red Sea. The apostle Paul says they were “baptized unto Moses ... in the sea” (1 Corinthians 10:2). Jesus is also baptized “to fulfill all righteousness,” and immediately afterward God proclaims Him, “my beloved Son” (Matthew 3:15-17)

• After the Red Sea crossing, the Israelites spend 40 years in the wilderness—led by the pillar of fire, God’s Spirit. Immediately after baptism, Jesus is “led up of the Spirit into the wilderness” for 40 days (Matthew 4:1, 2).

• At the end of the 40 years, Moses writes Deuteronomy. At the end of Jesus’ 40 days, He resists Satan’s temptations by quoting three Scriptures—all from Deuteronomy!

• In Psalm 80:8, God calls Israel a “vine” that He brought “out of Egypt.” Jesus later declares, “I am the true vine” (John 15:1).

• In the Old Testament, the name “Israel” first applied to one man: Jacob—representing his spiritual victory over sin. Even so, in the New Testament, Jesus Christ is the Israel who came “out of Egypt.” He is the one victorious man who overcame all sin!

More Striking Evidence!

The list of parallels between Jesus and Israel goes on but consider just a few more points.

For example, after healing a group of people, Jesus modestly “charged them that they should not make him known: That it might be fulfilled which was spoken by Esaias [Greek for Isaiah] the prophet, saying, Behold my servant, whom I have chosen; my beloved, in whom my soul is well pleased: I will put my spirit upon him, and he shall shew judgment to the Gentiles. He shall not strive, nor cry; neither shall any man hear his voice in the streets” (Matthew 12:16-19). Here the writer quotes Isaiah 42:1-3, a passage that originally applied to “Israel, ... my servant” (Isaiah 41:. Yet Matthew again tells us it is “fulfilled” in Jesus Christ!

The apostle Paul also follows the principle in his letters of applying statements originally made about the nation of Israel to Jesus Christ. God called Israel “my firstborn” in Exodus 4:22. Yet Paul said it was Jesus Christ who is “the firstborn of every creature” (Colossians 1:15).

The clearest example is when God calls Israel “the seed of Abraham” (Isaiah 41:. However, Paul later writes that Abraham’s seed does not refer to “many,” but to “one, ... which is Christ” (Galatians 3:16). Thus we discover that repeatedly in the New Testament, statements that once applied to the nation of Israel are now applied to Jesus Christ. The Messiah is now “the seed.” Therefore, Jesus is the very essence of Israel! This is an explosive truth, and it cannot be ignored if we are to truly understand the role and identity of modern Israel.

A New Nation

Yet there is more. Remember that the name “Israel” not only referred to Jacob, but also to his descendants—who became Israel. The same principle is seen in the New Testament.

For example, the Lord told the ancient Israelites, “And ye shall be unto me a kingdom of priests, and an holy nation” (Exodus 19:6). In the New Testament, Peter applies these exact words to the church: “But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people” (1 Peter 2:9).

Likewise, immediately after Paul’s statement in Galatians 3 about Jesus being “the seed,” he then tells his Gentile (a non- Jew) converts, “And if ye be Christ’s, then are ye Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to the promise” (Galatians 3:29). Thus in the New Testament, the name Israel not only applies to Jesus Christ, but also to those who are born in Christ—His Church! In other words, all true Christians are now God’s spiritual Israel.

The church is called the body of Christ (1 Corinthians 12:27), which is one reason why James, when writing to the church, addresses it as the 12 tribes that are scattered abroad (James 1:1). From the very beginning, the church has understood Israel to mean a spiritual body of Christ.

Double Vision

Have you ever been hit so hard on the head that you start seeing double? Well, from what we have studied together, the Christian world needs a loving “bonk” on the head with this New Testament truth, so that more people start “seeing double” about the subject of Israel! According to the New Testament, there are now two Israels. One group is composed of literal Israelites “according to the flesh” (Romans 9:3, 4). The other is “spiritual Israel,” composed of Jews and Gentiles who believe in Jesus Christ.

Paul writes, “They are not all Israel, which are of Israel” (Romans 9:6). How’s that for proof! That is, not all are part of God’s spiritual Israel who are of the literal nation of Israel. Paul continues: “That is, They which are the children of the flesh [physical descendants of Abraham], these are not the children of God: but the children of the promise are counted for the seed” (v. . The children of the flesh are only natural descendants of Abraham, but the children of the promise are counted as the true seed. Today, any person—Jew or Gentile—can become part of this spiritual nation of Israel through faith in Jesus Christ.

God Looks on the Heart

Just as there are two Israels, there are also two kinds of Jews. First, there are the Jews who are only natural, physical descendants of Abraham. Second, there are the Jews in Spirit who believe in Jesus Christ. Paul writes, “Behold, thou art called a Jew, and restest on the law, and makest thy boast of God ... For circumcision verily profiteth, if thou keep the law: but if thou be a breaker of the law, thy circumcision is made uncircumcision. Therefore if the uncircumcision [Gentiles] keep the righteousness of the law, shall not his uncircumcision be counted for circumcision? ... For he is not a Jew, which is one outwardly; neither is that circumcision, which is outward in the flesh: But he is a Jew, which is one inwardly; and circumcision is that of the heart, in the spirit, and not in the letter; whose praise is not of men, but of God” (Romans 2:17, 25, 26, 28, 29).

Did you catch that? The implications are staggering! Someone who is “called a Jew” because he is a physical descendant of Abraham, and yet who lives as a lawbreaker, “is not a Jew”—at least, not in God’s eyes. His “circumcision is made uncircumcision.” It is revoked. Thus to God, he is a Gentile. And a believing Gentile, who through faith keeps “the righteousness of the law,” his uncircumcision is counted for circumcision. Thus to God, he is a Jew.

John the Baptist paved the way for this principle when he warned the Jews not to trust their literal ancestry for salvation. “Bring forth therefore fruits meet [worthy] for repentance: And think not to say within yourselves, We have Abraham to our father: for I say unto you, that God is able of these stones to raise up children unto Abraham” (Matthew 3:8, 9).

Later, Jesus echoed this same principle in a showdown with the religious leaders. “They answered and said unto him, Abraham is our father. Jesus saith unto them, If ye were Abraham’s children, ye would do the works of Abraham … Ye are of your father the devil, and the lusts of your father ye will do” (John 8:39, 44).

Paul also writes, “Know ye therefore that they which are of faith, the same are the children of Abraham” (Galatians 3:7). “For we are the circumcision, which worship God in the spirit, and rejoice in Christ Jesus, and have no confidence in the flesh” (Philippians 3:3). Thus, according to Paul, a real Jew in the sight of God is anybody—Jew or Gentile—who has personal faith in Jesus Christ!

Eventually, this truth hit Peter between the eyes, and he told a room full of Gentile converts, “Of a truth I perceive that God is no respecter of persons: But in every nation he that feareth him, and worketh righteousness, is accepted with him” (Acts 10:34, 35).

Eating with the Patriarchs

Remember also when Jesus marveled at the faith of a Gentile soldier. He said, “Assuredly, I say to you, I have not found such great faith, not even in Israel! And I say to you that many will come from east and west, and sit down with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob in the kingdom of heaven. But the sons of the kingdom will be cast out into outer darkness” (Matthew 8:10-12).

Jesus’ declaration stunned the listening crowd. The idea of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob sitting and eating with Gentiles was taboo, unless they had been converted to the Jewish faith! (Acts 10:28).

This is also an underlying theme in the parable of the rich man and Lazarus. The Jews feast on the Word, but they do not share it with the Gentiles starving for truth. Therefore, they are cast out of the kingdom. But Lazarus [the Gentiles], the one who lay outside the gate hungering for the crumbs of truth, abides in Abraham’s bosom (See Luke 16:19-31).

Continue reading Spiritual Israel - Two here: https://www.nairaland.com/3130165/spiritual-israel-two

Superficially looking at these proffessions they appear to be two poles apart, or opposite each other; the Medical proffession and the Soldiering Proffession.One saves lifes, while the other kills it.The medical doctor uses every means available to him, even if he's to make use of knife/needle to operate on a person to save his life,...so far to save one's life no problem...he can do so...right? While d soldier, also by his proffession and according to the exigency of the nature of his duty, can make use of gun/knife or other things at his disporsal to kill. But at the end what have they achieve as d result of thier actions?... Is to save life!

Critically looking at this issue without bais in mind, you would be able to suprisingly discover that the difference between a doctor and a soldier is that, doctor uses knife/ needle and any equally "dangerous" items/instrument or chemical to save THAT PARTICULAR person (the patient), while the soldier uses the gun/knife or other "dangerous" things to SAVE ANOTHER person's life (the citizen). So, you can see that there is very little or no difference, at all, between the two. At the end they ARE ALL LIFE SAVERS!!!

I was driving to an airport and needed to return a rental car before I caught my flight. Time was tight and I wasn’t sure where the rental car place was located, and although I had an address, I had no GPS. It was going to be tricky. I needed help to get where I wanted to go. If I didn’t get it, I’d miss my flight.

I called my wife. “Hey, could you pull up this address on the computer and guide me right to it?” I gave her the address, told her my approximate location and she began guiding me to the rental car company.

“Keep going in the direction you’re going, and in about a mile you’ll want to go south,” she told me.

But that wasn’t right. It couldn’t be. One thing I knew for sure was that the rental car place was to the north. If I went south, I’d get hopelessly lost and waste time I didn’t have.

“No,” I said, “that’s the wrong direction. The airport is north.”

Melissa was firm. “It’s the right direction,” she said. “Take the road south.”

A freeway sign told me the road she was talking about was only half a mile away. I had less than thirty seconds to figure this out. I really didn’t want to botch this and miss a flight.

“But south is the wrong direction,” I said, very politely and without any tension showing in my voice. “I’ll be heading away from the airport!”

She spoke reassuringly and with confidence. “No, you’ll be okay. Trust me. I can see the big picture.”

Melissa was looking at the map on a computer. While I could only see what was directly in front of me, she could see it all.

“Okay,” I said. “It doesn’t feel right, but I’ll do it. I hope you’re right.”

“Big picture,” she said. “Remember?”

So I went south—away from the airport, and away from the rental car location. “This had better work!” I thought to myself. And after driving south for about half a mile, my guide said to me, “Now, see that road going off to your right?” Yes, I saw it. “Take that, and tell me what happens.”

I took the road to the right, and it turned me around and took me north—towards the airport! Then there was a left, a right, a left… and I was exactly where I needed to be.

While I couldn’t see much at all, my wife could see the big picture. And I’ve found that’s how it so often is in life. We can see so little, while God sees everything. We might not know just where to go, or it might seem we’re going in a confusing direction, but God sees the big picture, and He knows that if we follow His leading, we’ll end up exactly where we need to be.

In Psalm 32:8, God says, “I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go; I will guide you with My eye.” Even if you can’t see what’s around the next corner, you can know that God can see, and you can trust Him.

Whatever you’re facing today, trust the guidance of God. You might not always understand it, but He can see the big picture.

As the world races on, have you ever considered what our greatest need is? What do men and women living today need most? If you were starving to death, it might be food. If you were homeless, it might be a place to live. If disease ravaged your body, it might be medicine. If you were lonely and discouraged, it might be love. Is there one thing that, if you had it, could take you through any difficulty you might face in life? Is there one thing that can make the human spirit soar? All over the world people are desperately looking for hope. Someone has well said, “What oxygen is to the lungs, hope is to the human spirit.” Hope buoys up our spirits. It lifts our vision from what is to what will be. It is a candle in the darkness. It provides encouragement for the future. The Bible is filled with the best hope of all—the hope of our Lord’s return.

1. What hopeful promise did Jesus give in John 14:1-3

The Bible Answer: I will come again.

Just before Jesus ascended to heaven, He assured His followers, "I will come again." The fact that Jesus is coming to the world a second time is as certain as the reality that He lived on this earth 2,000 years ago. There is hope on the way.

2. What does the apostle Paul call the second coming of Christ? Titus 2:13

The Bible Answer: The blessed hope and glorious appearing of Jesus.

3. Have Bible prophets predicted the coming of Christ throughout the centuries? Psalm 50:3; Jude 14

The Bible Answer: Yes. Now Enoch...behold the Lord comes with thousands of His saints Our God shall come and shall not keep silent.

Bible writers down through the ages have predicted the coming of the Lord. For every prophecy in the Old Testament predicting the first coming of Jesus as a baby in Bethlehem's manger, there are eight on the second coming of Christ. His coming is mentioned in every book of the New Testament except the small book of Philemon.

4. How will Christ return when He comes to this earth? Will His coming be a real, literal event or simply a spiritual coming into our hearts? Acts 1:9-11

The Bible Answer: This same Jesus, will come in like manner as you saw Him go into heaven.

Jesus' ascension to heaven was a real, literal event. His return will again be a very real, literal event.

Visible!

5. How many will see Jesus when He comes? Revelation 1:7

The Bible Answer: Behold, He is coming with clouds, and every eye will see Him.

Both the righteous and the wicked will see Jesus coming in the clouds of the sky when He returns again the second time. Every living inhabitant of our globe will witness the Second Advent. Christ's return will overshadow every other event on Planet Earth. No one will need to tell you when Jesus returns. You will see His coming!

6. What does the Bible compare Jesus' coming to? Matthew 24:27

The Bible Answer: For as lightning comes from the east and flashes to the west

Audible

7. Will Christ's return be a secret, silent coming? 1 Thessalonians 4:16, 17

The Bible Answer: Descend with a shout, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet of God-

Jesus' coming will be like a mighty blast of a trumpet. Everyone everywhere will hear it.

8. Who will return with Jesus when He comes? Matthew 16:27

The Bible Answer: Come in the glory of His Father with His angels

Jesus' second coming will be the mighty climax of all the ages. He will be surrounded by all His holy angels. Try to imagine what that glorious scene will be like.

9. How does the Bible describe the awesome majesty of our Lord's return? Matthew 24:30; Matthew 16:27

The Bible Answer: Coming on the clouds of heaven with power and great glory

Jesus came silently once. Although angels sang "Glory to God in the highest" in shepherds' fields outside of Bethlehem, only a few had any idea the baby born in Bethlehem was the eternal Son of God. When He comes the second time, He will come in "power and great glory" in spectacular splendor visible to the entire world.

10. If someone tells you Christ's coming will be in secret, should you believe it? Matthew 24:23

The Bible Answer: Do not believe it.

11. What thrilling climactic event will take place when Christ returns? 1 Corinthians 15:51-53

The Bible Answer: The dead will be raised incorruptible; we will be changed.

12. Everyone on earth will have one of two reactions when Jesus comes: A. What will be the reaction of the lost? Revelation 6:14-16. B. What will the reaction of the righteous be? Isaiah 25:9

The Bible Answer: A. Hid themselves in the caves and in the rocks

Filled with guilt and fear, the unsaved run from the Christ who loves them and longs to save them. They have rejected His mercy and turned their backs on His love. Now frightened, they flee to shield themselves from His glory. What a tragic ending.

The Bible Answer: B. We have waited for Him; we will be glad and rejoice in His salvation.

The saved long for His return. Their hearts are filled with joy. He is their Friend, their Savior, their Lord and their King. They delight in His presence here and will delight in it through all eternity

13. When is the time to prepare for the coming of the Lord? 2 Corinthians 6:2

The Bible Answer: Now is the accepted time; now is the day of salvation

14. What event does Jesus liken His coming to? Why? Matthew 24:42, 43

The Bible Answer: He will come swiftly, quickly, at a time when we least expect Him, the thief would come-not allowed his house to be broken into

Jesus likened His coming to a thief breaking into a house. This does not mean Christ will come secretly. It means He will come swiftly, quickly, at a time we least expect Him.

15. Since Jesus is coming unexpectedly, what counsel does He give us? Matthew 24:44

The Bible Answer: Be ready-

To be ready for the coming of Jesus means to eagerly anticipate His coming. It means a heart-longing for His return. It involves a life committed to doing His will. Love for Him leads us to long to be with Him throughout eternity. Are you waiting for HIM?

We learnt that 4 of the abducted chibok girls were spotted somewhere in one of the eastern states. Pls, be on the lookout as a jaw dropping reward awaits anyone with valuable information leading to the recovery of other missings ones. This is not business as usual as we are in the era of #CHANGE! See photos below.

[quote author=Legitman22 post=45673447][/quote]In 1 Samuel 28, King Saul converses with someone who claims to be the dead prophet Samuel. If the dead are sleeping, how can this be?

Read 1 Samuel 28:3–20.

A. At initial glance, this can appear to be a confusing passage in the Bible, but with a little detective work, things begin to quickly make sense.

First of all, does the devil, or the witches who work for him, have the power to resurrect? Obviously not! Only God can create, and only He can truly animate life. Second, this “Samuel” asks Saul, “Why did you bring me up?” If Samuel was in heaven, he wouldn’t have come up; he would’ve come down.

Then you have the many emphatic statements in the Bible that teach the dead are not conscious and know nothing. In Isaiah 8, it says, “And when they shall say unto you, Seek unto them that have familiar spirits, and unto wizards that peep, and that mutter: should not a people seek unto their God? for the living to the dead? To the law and to the testimony: if they speak not according to this word, it is because there is no light in them” (vs. 19, 20).

Jesus also says that the living and the dead do not communicate, even though many say the parable of the Rich Man and Lazarus suggests He does. But this is a grave mistake, there's a book on this subject that clears this up. Here is the link for anyone who want's to read: http://www.amazingfacts.org/media-library/book/e/71/t/the-rich-man-and-lazarus

In addition, the Bible strictly forbids on every level any attempt to communicate with the dead. The reason is that the Bible says Satan can be transformed into an angel of light. Revelation 16:14 says, “For they are the spirits of devils, working miracles.” So devils can work miracles and masquerade as departed loved ones.

So I firmly believe this apparition that claimed to be Samuel was in reality a demon, or the devil himself, masquerading as the deceased prophet. Can Satan appear as something he is not? The Bible warns in 2 Corinthians 11 that we shouldn’t be surprised, because Satan himself is transformed into an angel of light. So the devil can look like Samuel if he wanted. He is a master of deception and illusion. The devil created the appearance of serpents for Pharaoh in Exodus 7:11, 2 Corinthians 11:14.

You will also notice that in 1 Samuel 28:14, Saul asks, “What form is he of?” He’s asking the witch to say what “Samuel” looks like. So really, he’s not seeing things clearly. So the devil is using a medium, which was also strictly forbidden. And the message that he gives is an utterly hopeless message, saying, “You’re going to die. Your sons are going to die.” But God usually have mercy mingled in with His warnings to wayward humans. It really seems like the devil is kicking Saul for the last time while he was down.

This is very important, because on television and in movies today, people are supposedly communing with the dead, telling the audience what their dead ones are saying and doing. And they’re teaching reincarnation. But this is an absolutely diabolical kind of pre-programming that’s preparing the world to be deceived by the devil.

Decker:
Exactly. It's unwise to use the writings of an ancient book written by medieval men who didn't possess a quater of the amount of knowledge and understanding of the world around them as we do now, to arrive at a full conclusive explanation of a concept as elusive as death.

There are a thousand other books that have their own unique explanation for the concept of death, yet, the op has discarded all of them and submitted to the doctrine of this one, irrespective of the fact that he has no rational proof that this book is right.

Decker,

'A thousand books that have their own unique explanation for the concept of death' ...that would mean a thousand different explanations, which may lead to a thousand different confusions. Sorry, my post is for those who believe in the Bible as the only rule of their faith in God. You may continue reading your thousand books. Good luck....but for me and my house, we will serve the LORD, and read the Bible everyday.

Brigance:
You claim gross of people are ignorant on the concept of death...


Yet, all you have on it is what a religious book has told you...


other religious book has a concept of death mentioned in them too..


why should we accept yours and discard theirs?

Hi Brigance,
There may be many religious books but there's is only ONE that satisfactorily settles the issue of the dead and life after death. Which book? The Bible! And it is the only ONE book that tells and teach us how to receive eternal life from JESUS.

ministeriallist:
Good write-up worth reading.
I often think about this question: if a person goes to heaven or hellfire at death, who will be resurrected and from where?
I can only agree with the scripture that the dead know nothing. They can only come to life at the resurrection.

ministeriallist, The scripture is the only safety we have if we'd escape the lies of the devil and his agents. Most peoples' challenge is that, they read the Bible with preconceived ideas...so they try to twist scriptures to suit what they've already been thaught by their pastors and priests and GOs etc. God has not and will never leave us in darkness as regards any topic he wants us to know from the scriptures. Revelation 1:3 - Blessed is he that readeth, and they that hear the words of this prophecy, and keep those things which are written therein: for the time is at hand.

Death just might be one of the most misunderstood subjects today. To many it is enshrouded in mystery and evokes dreaded feelings of fear, uncertainty, and even hopelessness. Others believe that their deceased loved ones are not dead at all, but instead live with them or in other realms! Still others are confused about the relationship between the body, spirit, and soul. But does it really matter what you believe? Yes... absolutely! Because what you believe about the dead will have a profound impact on what happens to you in the end-times. There's no room for guessing, so this Study Guide will give you exactly what God says on this subject. Get ready for a real eye-opener!

1. How did we get here in the first place?

"And the Lord God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul." Genesis 2:7.

Answer: God made us from dust in the beginning.

The spirits of both the righteous and the wicked return to God. Their bodies return to dust.

2. What happens when a person dies?

"Then shall the dust return to the earth as it was: and the spirit shall return unto God who gave it." Ecclesiastes 12:7.

Answer: The body turns to dust again, and the spirit goes back to God, who gave it. The spirit of every person who dies--whether righteous or wicked--returns to God at death.

There is nothing mysterious about the spirit that returns to God at death. It is the breath of life.

3. What is the "spirit" that returns to God at death?

"The body without the spirit ["breath," see margin] is dead." James 2:26. "The spirit of God ["the breath which God gave him," see margin] is in my nostrils." Job 27:3.

Answer: The spirit that returns to God at death is the breath of life. Nowhere in all of God's book does the "spirit" have any life, wisdom, or feeling after a person dies. It is the "breath of life" and nothing more.

4. What is a "soul"?

"And the Lord God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul." Genesis 2:7.

Answer: A soul is a living being. A soul is always a combination of two things: body plus breath. A soul cannot exist unless body and breath are combined. God's Word teaches that we are souls.

5. Do souls die?

"The soul that sinneth, it shall die." Ezekiel 18:20. "Every living soul died in the sea." Revelation 16:3.

Answer: According to God's Word, souls do die! We are souls, and souls die. Man is mortal (Job 4:17). Only God is immortal (1 Timothy 6:15, 16). The concept of an undying, immortal soul goes against the Bible, which teaches that souls are subject to death.

6. Do good people go to heaven when they die?

"All that are in the graves shall hear his voice, And shall come forth." John 5:28, 29. "David ... is both dead and buried, and his sepulchre is with us unto this day." "For David is not ascended into the heavens." Acts 2:29, 34. "If I wait, the grave is mine house." Job 17:13.

Answer: No, people do not go either to heaven or hell at death. They go to their graves to await the resurrection day.


7. How much does one know or comprehend after death?

"The living know that they shall die: but the dead know not any thing, neither have they any more a reward; for the memory of them is forgotten. Also their love, and their hatred, and their envy, is now perished; neither have they any more a portion for ever in any thing that is done under the sun." "There is no work, nor device, nor knowledge, nor wisdom, in the grave, whither thou goest." Ecclesiastes 9:5, 6, 10. "The dead praise not the Lord." Psalms 115:17.

Answer: God says that the dead know absolutely nothing!

Though millions think it is possible, the dead cannot communicate with the living.

8. But can't the dead communicate with the living, and aren't they aware of what the living are doing?

"So man lieth down, and riseth not: till the heavens be no more, they shall not awake, nor be raised out of their sleep." "His sons come to honour, and he knoweth it not; and they are brought low, but he perceiveth it not of them." Job 14:12, 21. "Neither have they any more a portion for ever in any thing that is done under the sun." Ecclesiastes 9:6.

Answer: No, the dead cannot contact the living, nor do they know what the living are doing. They are dead. Their thoughts have perished (Psalms 146:4).

Jesus calls death "sleep." It is a state of total unconsciousness.

9. Jesus called the unconscious state of the dead "sleep" in John 11:11-14. How long will they sleep?

"So man lieth down, and riseth not: till the heavens be no more." Job 14:12. "The day of the Lord will come ... in the which the heavens shall pass away."
2 Peter 3:10.

Answer: The dead will sleep until the great day of the Lord at the end of the world. In death, humans are totally unconscious with no activity or knowledge of any kind.

The righteous will be raised to life and given immortality at Jesus' second coming.

10. What happens to the righteous dead at the second coming of Christ?

"Behold, I come quickly; and my reward is with me, to give every man according as his work shall be." Revelation 22:12. "The Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, ... and the dead in Christ shall rise ... and so shall we ever be with the Lord." 1 Thessalonians 4:16, 17. "We shall all be changed, In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, ... and the dead shall be raised incorruptible. ... For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality." 1 Corinthians 15:51-53.

Answer: They will be rewarded. They will be raised, given immortal bodies, and caught up to meet the Lord in the air. There would be no purpose in a resurrection if people were taken to heaven at death.

The devil's first lie to Eve was "You won't die" - a statement completely contrary to all Scripture.

11. What was the devil's first lie?

"And the serpent said unto the woman, Ye shall not surely die." Genesis 3:4. "That old serpent, called the Devil, and Satan." Revelation 12:9.

Answer: Satan told Eve that sin would not bring death. "Ye shall not surely die," he said.

Those who believe the dead are alive become easy targets for the devil's deceptions.

12. Why did the devil lie to Eve about death? Could this subject be more important than many think?

Answer: It is one of the cornerstones of the devil's kingdom. He has worked powerful miracles down through the ages through people who claim to receive their power from the spirits of the dead. (Examples: Magicians of Egypt Exodus 7:11, Woman of Endor 1 Samuel 28:3-25, Sorcerers Daniel 2:2, A certain damsel Acts 16:16-18.)

A Solemn Warning
In the end-time Satan will again use sorcery as he did in Daniel's day to deceive the world (Revelation 18:23). Sorcery is a supernatural agency that claims to receive its power and wisdom from the spirits of the dead.

Posing as Jesus' Disciples
Posing as godly loved ones who have died, saintly clergymen who are now dead, Bible prophets, or even the apostles or disciples of Christ (2 Corinthians 11:13), Satan and his angels will deceive billions. Those who believe the dead are alive, in any form, will most assuredly be deceived.

All miracle working is not from God, because devils also work miracles.

13. Do devils really work miracles?

"They are the spirits of devils, working miracles." Revelation 16:14. "For there shall arise false Christs, and false prophets, and shall shew great signs and wonders; insomuch that, if it were possible, they shall deceive the very elect." Matthew 24:24.

Answer: Yes, indeed! Devils work incredibly convincing miracles (Revelation 13:13, 14). Satan and his angels will appear as angels of light (2 Corinthians 11:14) and, even more shocking, as Christ Himself (Matthew 24:23, 24). The universal feeling will be that Christ and His angels are leading out in a fantastic worldwide revival. The entire emphasis will seem so spiritual and be so supernatural that only God's elect will not be deceived.

The elect will not be deceived, because they firmly reject everything that is contrary to Scripture.

14. Why will God's people not be deceived?

"They received the word with all readiness of mind, and searched the scriptures daily, whether those things were so." Acts 17:11. "If they speak not according to this word, it is because there is no light in them." Isaiah 8:20.

Answer: God's people will know from their earnest study of His book that the dead are dead, not alive. Spirits of the dead do not exist. Therefore, God's people will reject all miracle workers and teachers who claim to receive special "light" or work miracles by contacting the spirits of the dead. And God's people will likewise reject as dangerous and false all teachings that claim the dead are alive in any form, anywhere.

In Moses' day, people who claimed power to communicate with the dead were stoned to death.

15. Back in Moses' day, what did God command should be done to people who taught that the dead were alive?

"A man also or woman that hath a familiar spirit, or that is a wizard, shall surely be put to death: they shall stone them with stones." Leviticus 20:27.

Answer: God insisted that wizards and others with "familiar spirits" (who claimed to be able to contact the dead) should be stoned to death. This shows how God regards the false teaching that the dead are alive.

No one in God's new kingdom will ever die. Death will cease at the destruction of Satan.

16. Will the righteous people who are raised in the resurrection ever die again?

"They which shall be accounted worthy to obtain that world, and the resurrection from the dead, ... Neither can they die any more." Luke 20:35, 36. "And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain; for the former things are passed away." Revelation 21:4.

Answer: No! Death, sorrow, crying, and tragedy will never enter into God's new kingdom.

Reincarnation is impossible. Because God says all who died, both good and evil, are in their graves.

17. Belief in reincarnation is expanding rapidly today. Is this teaching biblical?

"The living know that they shall die: but the dead know not any thing. ... Neither have they any more a portion for ever in any thing that is done under the sun." Ecclesiastes 9:5, 6.

Answer: Almost half the people on earth believe in reincarnation, a teaching that the soul never dies but is instead continually reborn in a different kind of body with each succeeding generation. This teaching, however, is contrary to Scripture.

The Bible Says
After death a person: returns to dust (Psalms 104:29), knows nothing (Ecclesiastes 9:5), possesses no mental powers (Psalms 146:4), has nothing to do with anything on earth (Ecclesiastes 9:6), does not live (2 Kings 20:1), waits in the grave (Job 17:13), and continues not (Job 14:1, 2).

Satan's Invention
Reincarnation, channeling, communication with spirits, spirit worship, and the "undying soul" are all inventions of Satan, with one aim to convince people that when you die you are not really dead. When people believe that the dead are alive, "spirits of devils, working miracles" (Revelation 16:14) and posing as spirits of the dead will be able to deceive and lead them astray virtually 100 percent of the time (Matthew 24:24).

Those who insist on Scripture proof for all doctrines will not be led astray by Satan.

18. I am thankful for the Bible, which tells us the truth on this sensitive subject of death.

Thought Questions

1. Didn't the thief on the cross go to paradise with Christ the day He died?
No. In fact, on Sunday morning Jesus said to Mary, "I am not yet ascended to my Father." John 20:17. This shows that Christ did not go to heaven at death. Also note that the punctuation of the Bible is not inspired, but was added by men. The comma in Luke 23:43 should be placed after the words "to day" rather than before, so the passage should read, "Verily I say unto thee to day, shalt thou be with me in paradise." Or, "I'm telling you today--when it seems that I can save no one, when I myself am being crucified as a criminal--I give you the assurance today that you will be with me in paradise." Christ's kingdom is set up at His second coming (Matthew 25:31), and all the righteous of all ages will enter it at that time (1 Thessalonians 4:15-17) and not at death.

2. Doesn't the Bible speak of the "undying," "immortal" soul?
No, the undying, immortal soul is not mentioned in the Bible. The word "immortal" is found only once in the Bible, and it is in reference to God (1 Timothy 1:17).

3. At death the body returns to dust and the spirit (or breath) returns to God. But where does the soul go?
It goes nowhere. Instead, it simply ceases to exist. Two things must be combined to make a soul: body and breath. When the breath departs, the soul ceases to exist because it is a combination of two things. When you turn off a light, where does the light go? It doesn't go anywhere. It just ceases to exist. Two things must combine to make a light: a bulb and electricity. Without the combination, a light is impossible. So with the soul; unless body and breath are combined, there can be no soul. There is no such thing as a disembodied soul.

4. Does the word "soul" ever mean anything other than a living being?
Yes, it may mean also (1) life itself, or (2) the mind, or intellect. No matter which meaning is intended, the soul is still a combination of two things (body and breath), and it ceases to exist at death.

5. Can you explain John 11:26, which says, "And whosoever liveth and believeth in me shall never die"?
This refers not to the first death, which all people die (Hebrews 9:27), but to the second death, which only the wicked die and from which there is no resurrection (Revelation 2:11; 21:.

6. Matthew 10:28 says, "Fear not them which kill the body, but are not able to kill the soul." Doesn't this prove that the soul is undying?
No, it proves the opposite. The last half of the same verse proves that souls do die. It says, "But rather fear him which is able to destroy both soul and body in hell." The word "soul" here means life and refers to eternal life, which is a gift (Romans 6:23) that will be given to the righteous at the last day (John 6:54). No one can take away the eternal life that God bestows. (See also Luke 12:4, 5.)

7. Doesn't 1 Peter 4:6 say the gospel was preached to dead people?
No, it says the gospel "was" preached to those who "are" dead. They are dead now, but the gospel "was" preached to them while they were yet living.

8. What about the souls crying out from under the altar in Revelation 6:9, 10? Doesn't this show that souls do not die?
No. This cry was figurative, as was the cry of Abel's blood (Genesis 4:10). The word "soul" here means people (or living beings) who had been slain for their faith. Surely no one believes that souls who die literally lie under the altar, nor do people believe that the righteous beg God to punish their enemies. Rather, the righteous beg for mercy for their enemies, as Christ did on the cross (Luke 23:34).

9. Doesn't the Bible say Christ went and preached to lost souls in hell between His crucifixion and resurrection?
No, the Bible passage in question is 1 Peter 3:18-20. The preaching was done "by the Spirit" (verse 18) in Noah's day--to people who were then living (verses 19, 20). The "spirits in prison" refers to people whose lives were in bondage to Satan. (See Psalms 142:7; Isaiah 42:6, 7; 61:1; and Luke 4:18.)


Quiz Questions

1. The Bible speaks of death as (1)
_____ A sleep.
_____ A change to a different form of life.
_____ An inexplicable mystery.

2. The "spirit" that returns to God at death is (1)
_____ A person's real inner self.
_____ The soul.
_____ The breath of life.

3. A person who dies goes to (1)
_____ Heaven or hell.
_____ The grave.
_____ Purgatory.

4. A soul is (1)
_____ A person's spiritual nature.
_____ The undying part of a person.
_____ A living being.

5. Do souls die? (1)
_____ Yes.
_____ No.

6. When are the righteous rewarded? (1)
_____ In this life.
_____ At death.
_____ At the second coming of Christ.

7. Why does Satan try to deceive people by telling them the dead are not dead? (1)
_____ So they will believe his miracles and be deceived and lost.
_____ Because he feels sorry for them.
_____ Because he is just mean and wicked.

8. Individuals who "communicate" with the dead are actually talking with (1)
_____ Immortal souls.
_____ Holy angels.
_____ Evil spirits impersonating the deceased.

9. In Moses' day God commanded that all who taught that the dead are alive be (1)
_____ Made priests.
_____ Honored for their wisdom.
_____ Killed.

10. How can a person be sure he is safe and right? (1)
_____ Ask God for a special sign from heaven.
_____ Do what the preacher or minister says to do.
_____ Study the Bible prayerfully and carefully and follow it.

11. When a person dies (1)
_____ His spirit, or soul, remains alive.
_____ He is able to observe the living and contact them.
_____ He is dead in every way--the body dies, the soul ceases to exist, and no contact with the living is possible.

12. Are miracles proof that something is of God? (1)
_____ Yes. Only God can work miracles.
_____ No. The devil also works great miracles. So miracle is not a proof that God has worked.

Explorers:
Once our heart stops beating, past few minutes we are considered dead. Person who passed away gets buried, cremated or burnt according to rules of their religion. However it is to be noted that only body dies spirit flies out of the body. Most of our sacred books support Body gets destroyed but the soul remains above all the pain.
It gets a new body in heaven like we change our tore dresses, and takes birth again. But few of the soul don't take the Arial route to afterlife due to many reasons and stick on this earth. Some people believes many spirits roam for revenge due to untimely killing, or because of their loved ones.
Though there is no scientific evidence whatsoever proves the existence of ghosts(intelligent spirits of those who have passed away). But some books and movies have shown much about ghosts.


Source: http://www.fearandyou.in/2015/03/facts-about-ghost.html

http://ohfact.com/interesting-facts-about-ghosts/

I am a Christian who believes in the Bible alone for answers to questions and confusions such as the one you posted. Below is a clear biblical answer that I believe will satisfy any seeker of truth. May God bless you as you read prayerfully.

Are The Dead Really Dead?

Death just might be one of the most misunderstood subjects today. To many it is enshrouded in mystery and evokes dreaded feelings of fear, uncertainty, and even hopelessness. Others believe that their deceased loved ones are not dead at all, but instead live with them or in other realms! Still others are confused about the relationship between the body, spirit, and soul. But does it really matter what you believe? Yes... absolutely! Because what you believe about the dead will have a profound impact on what happens to you in the end-times. There's no room for guessing, so this Study Guide will give you exactly what God says on this subject. Get ready for a real eye-opener!

1. How did we get here in the first place?

"And the Lord God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul." Genesis 2:7.

Answer: God made us from dust in the beginning.

The spirits of both the righteous and the wicked return to God. Their bodies return to dust.

2. What happens when a person dies?

"Then shall the dust return to the earth as it was: and the spirit shall return unto God who gave it." Ecclesiastes 12:7.

Answer: The body turns to dust again, and the spirit goes back to God, who gave it. The spirit of every person who dies--whether righteous or wicked--returns to God at death.

There is nothing mysterious about the spirit that returns to God at death. It is the breath of life.

3. What is the "spirit" that returns to God at death?

"The body without the spirit ["breath," see margin] is dead." James 2:26. "The spirit of God ["the breath which God gave him," see margin] is in my nostrils." Job 27:3.

Answer: The spirit that returns to God at death is the breath of life. Nowhere in all of God's book does the "spirit" have any life, wisdom, or feeling after a person dies. It is the "breath of life" and nothing more.

4. What is a "soul"?

"And the Lord God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul." Genesis 2:7.

Answer: A soul is a living being. A soul is always a combination of two things: body plus breath. A soul cannot exist unless body and breath are combined. God's Word teaches that we are souls.

5. Do souls die?

"The soul that sinneth, it shall die." Ezekiel 18:20. "Every living soul died in the sea." Revelation 16:3.

Answer: According to God's Word, souls do die! We are souls, and souls die. Man is mortal (Job 4:17). Only God is immortal (1 Timothy 6:15, 16). The concept of an undying, immortal soul goes against the Bible, which teaches that souls are subject to death.

6. Do good people go to heaven when they die?

"All that are in the graves shall hear his voice, And shall come forth." John 5:28, 29. "David ... is both dead and buried, and his sepulchre is with us unto this day." "For David is not ascended into the heavens." Acts 2:29, 34. "If I wait, the grave is mine house." Job 17:13.

Answer: No, people do not go either to heaven or hell at death. They go to their graves to await the resurrection day.


7. How much does one know or comprehend after death?

"The living know that they shall die: but the dead know not any thing, neither have they any more a reward; for the memory of them is forgotten. Also their love, and their hatred, and their envy, is now perished; neither have they any more a portion for ever in any thing that is done under the sun." "There is no work, nor device, nor knowledge, nor wisdom, in the grave, whither thou goest." Ecclesiastes 9:5, 6, 10. "The dead praise not the Lord." Psalms 115:17.

Answer: God says that the dead know absolutely nothing!

Though millions think it is possible, the dead cannot communicate with the living.

8. But can't the dead communicate with the living, and aren't they aware of what the living are doing?

"So man lieth down, and riseth not: till the heavens be no more, they shall not awake, nor be raised out of their sleep." "His sons come to honour, and he knoweth it not; and they are brought low, but he perceiveth it not of them." Job 14:12, 21. "Neither have they any more a portion for ever in any thing that is done under the sun." Ecclesiastes 9:6.

Answer: No, the dead cannot contact the living, nor do they know what the living are doing. They are dead. Their thoughts have perished (Psalms 146:4).

Jesus calls death "sleep." It is a state of total unconsciousness.

9. Jesus called the unconscious state of the dead "sleep" in John 11:11-14. How long will they sleep?

"So man lieth down, and riseth not: till the heavens be no more." Job 14:12. "The day of the Lord will come ... in the which the heavens shall pass away."
2 Peter 3:10.

Answer: The dead will sleep until the great day of the Lord at the end of the world. In death, humans are totally unconscious with no activity or knowledge of any kind.

The righteous will be raised to life and given immortality at Jesus' second coming.

10. What happens to the righteous dead at the second coming of Christ?

"Behold, I come quickly; and my reward is with me, to give every man according as his work shall be." Revelation 22:12. "The Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, ... and the dead in Christ shall rise ... and so shall we ever be with the Lord." 1 Thessalonians 4:16, 17. "We shall all be changed, In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, ... and the dead shall be raised incorruptible. ... For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality." 1 Corinthians 15:51-53.

Answer: They will be rewarded. They will be raised, given immortal bodies, and caught up to meet the Lord in the air. There would be no purpose in a resurrection if people were taken to heaven at death.

The devil's first lie to Eve was "You won't die" - a statement completely contrary to all Scripture.

11. What was the devil's first lie?

"And the serpent said unto the woman, Ye shall not surely die." Genesis 3:4. "That old serpent, called the Devil, and Satan." Revelation 12:9.

Answer: Satan told Eve that sin would not bring death. "Ye shall not surely die," he said.

Those who believe the dead are alive become easy targets for the devil's deceptions.

12. Why did the devil lie to Eve about death? Could this subject be more important than many think?

Answer: It is one of the cornerstones of the devil's kingdom. He has worked powerful miracles down through the ages through people who claim to receive their power from the spirits of the dead. (Examples: Magicians of Egypt Exodus 7:11, Woman of Endor 1 Samuel 28:3-25, Sorcerers Daniel 2:2, A certain damsel Acts 16:16-18.)

A Solemn Warning
In the end-time Satan will again use sorcery as he did in Daniel's day to deceive the world (Revelation 18:23). Sorcery is a supernatural agency that claims to receive its power and wisdom from the spirits of the dead.

Posing as Jesus' Disciples
Posing as godly loved ones who have died, saintly clergymen who are now dead, Bible prophets, or even the apostles or disciples of Christ (2 Corinthians 11:13), Satan and his angels will deceive billions. Those who believe the dead are alive, in any form, will most assuredly be deceived.

All miracle working is not from God, because devils also work miracles.

13. Do devils really work miracles?

"They are the spirits of devils, working miracles." Revelation 16:14. "For there shall arise false Christs, and false prophets, and shall shew great signs and wonders; insomuch that, if it were possible, they shall deceive the very elect." Matthew 24:24.

Answer: Yes, indeed! Devils work incredibly convincing miracles (Revelation 13:13, 14). Satan and his angels will appear as angels of light (2 Corinthians 11:14) and, even more shocking, as Christ Himself (Matthew 24:23, 24). The universal feeling will be that Christ and His angels are leading out in a fantastic worldwide revival. The entire emphasis will seem so spiritual and be so supernatural that only God's elect will not be deceived.

The elect will not be deceived, because they firmly reject everything that is contrary to Scripture.

14. Why will God's people not be deceived?

"They received the word with all readiness of mind, and searched the scriptures daily, whether those things were so." Acts 17:11. "If they speak not according to this word, it is because there is no light in them." Isaiah 8:20.

Answer: God's people will know from their earnest study of His book that the dead are dead, not alive. Spirits of the dead do not exist. Therefore, God's people will reject all miracle workers and teachers who claim to receive special "light" or work miracles by contacting the spirits of the dead. And God's people will likewise reject as dangerous and false all teachings that claim the dead are alive in any form, anywhere.

In Moses' day, people who claimed power to communicate with the dead were stoned to death.

15. Back in Moses' day, what did God command should be done to people who taught that the dead were alive?

"A man also or woman that hath a familiar spirit, or that is a wizard, shall surely be put to death: they shall stone them with stones." Leviticus 20:27.

Answer: God insisted that wizards and others with "familiar spirits" (who claimed to be able to contact the dead) should be stoned to death. This shows how God regards the false teaching that the dead are alive.

No one in God's new kingdom will ever die. Death will cease at the destruction of Satan.

16. Will the righteous people who are raised in the resurrection ever die again?

"They which shall be accounted worthy to obtain that world, and the resurrection from the dead, ... Neither can they die any more." Luke 20:35, 36. "And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain; for the former things are passed away." Revelation 21:4.

Answer: No! Death, sorrow, crying, and tragedy will never enter into God's new kingdom.

Reincarnation is impossible. Because God says all who died, both good and evil, are in their graves.

17. Belief in reincarnation is expanding rapidly today. Is this teaching biblical?

"The living know that they shall die: but the dead know not any thing. ... Neither have they any more a portion for ever in any thing that is done under the sun." Ecclesiastes 9:5, 6.

Answer: Almost half the people on earth believe in reincarnation, a teaching that the soul never dies but is instead continually reborn in a different kind of body with each succeeding generation. This teaching, however, is contrary to Scripture.

The Bible Says
After death a person: returns to dust (Psalms 104:29), knows nothing (Ecclesiastes 9:5), possesses no mental powers (Psalms 146:4), has nothing to do with anything on earth (Ecclesiastes 9:6), does not live (2 Kings 20:1), waits in the grave (Job 17:13), and continues not (Job 14:1, 2).

Satan's Invention
Reincarnation, channeling, communication with spirits, spirit worship, and the "undying soul" are all inventions of Satan, with one aim to convince people that when you die you are not really dead. When people believe that the dead are alive, "spirits of devils, working miracles" (Revelation 16:14) and posing as spirits of the dead will be able to deceive and lead them astray virtually 100 percent of the time (Matthew 24:24).

Those who insist on Scripture proof for all doctrines will not be led astray by Satan.

18. I am thankful for the Bible, which tells us the truth on this sensitive subject of death.

Thought Questions

1. Didn't the thief on the cross go to paradise with Christ the day He died?
No. In fact, on Sunday morning Jesus said to Mary, "I am not yet ascended to my Father." John 20:17. This shows that Christ did not go to heaven at death. Also note that the punctuation of the Bible is not inspired, but was added by men. The comma in Luke 23:43 should be placed after the words "to day" rather than before, so the passage should read, "Verily I say unto thee to day, shalt thou be with me in paradise." Or, "I'm telling you today--when it seems that I can save no one, when I myself am being crucified as a criminal--I give you the assurance today that you will be with me in paradise." Christ's kingdom is set up at His second coming (Matthew 25:31), and all the righteous of all ages will enter it at that time (1 Thessalonians 4:15-17) and not at death.

2. Doesn't the Bible speak of the "undying," "immortal" soul?
No, the undying, immortal soul is not mentioned in the Bible. The word "immortal" is found only once in the Bible, and it is in reference to God (1 Timothy 1:17).

3. At death the body returns to dust and the spirit (or breath) returns to God. But where does the soul go?
It goes nowhere. Instead, it simply ceases to exist. Two things must be combined to make a soul: body and breath. When the breath departs, the soul ceases to exist because it is a combination of two things. When you turn off a light, where does the light go? It doesn't go anywhere. It just ceases to exist. Two things must combine to make a light: a bulb and electricity. Without the combination, a light is impossible. So with the soul; unless body and breath are combined, there can be no soul. There is no such thing as a disembodied soul.

4. Does the word "soul" ever mean anything other than a living being?
Yes, it may mean also (1) life itself, or (2) the mind, or intellect. No matter which meaning is intended, the soul is still a combination of two things (body and breath), and it ceases to exist at death.

5. Can you explain John 11:26, which says, "And whosoever liveth and believeth in me shall never die"?
This refers not to the first death, which all people die (Hebrews 9:27), but to the second death, which only the wicked die and from which there is no resurrection (Revelation 2:11; 21:.

6. Matthew 10:28 says, "Fear not them which kill the body, but are not able to kill the soul." Doesn't this prove that the soul is undying?
No, it proves the opposite. The last half of the same verse proves that souls do die. It says, "But rather fear him which is able to destroy both soul and body in hell." The word "soul" here means life and refers to eternal life, which is a gift (Romans 6:23) that will be given to the righteous at the last day (John 6:54). No one can take away the eternal life that God bestows. (See also Luke 12:4, 5.)

7. Doesn't 1 Peter 4:6 say the gospel was preached to dead people?
No, it says the gospel "was" preached to those who "are" dead. They are dead now, but the gospel "was" preached to them while they were yet living.

8. What about the souls crying out from under the altar in Revelation 6:9, 10? Doesn't this show that souls do not die?
No. This cry was figurative, as was the cry of Abel's blood (Genesis 4:10). The word "soul" here means people (or living beings) who had been slain for their faith. Surely no one believes that souls who die literally lie under the altar, nor do people believe that the righteous beg God to punish their enemies. Rather, the righteous beg for mercy for their enemies, as Christ did on the cross (Luke 23:34).

9. Doesn't the Bible say Christ went and preached to lost souls in hell between His crucifixion and resurrection?
No, the Bible passage in question is 1 Peter 3:18-20. The preaching was done "by the Spirit" (verse 18) in Noah's day--to people who were then living (verses 19, 20). The "spirits in prison" refers to people whose lives were in bondage to Satan. (See Psalms 142:7; Isaiah 42:6, 7; 61:1; and Luke 4:18.)


Quiz Questions

1. The Bible speaks of death as (1)
_____ A sleep.
_____ A change to a different form of life.
_____ An inexplicable mystery.

2. The "spirit" that returns to God at death is (1)
_____ A person's real inner self.
_____ The soul.
_____ The breath of life.

3. A person who dies goes to (1)
_____ Heaven or hell.
_____ The grave.
_____ Purgatory.

4. A soul is (1)
_____ A person's spiritual nature.
_____ The undying part of a person.
_____ A living being.

5. Do souls die? (1)
_____ Yes.
_____ No.

6. When are the righteous rewarded? (1)
_____ In this life.
_____ At death.
_____ At the second coming of Christ.

7. Why does Satan try to deceive people by telling them the dead are not dead? (1)
_____ So they will believe his miracles and be deceived and lost.
_____ Because he feels sorry for them.
_____ Because he is just mean and wicked.

8. Individuals who "communicate" with the dead are actually talking with (1)
_____ Immortal souls.
_____ Holy angels.
_____ Evil spirits impersonating the deceased.

9. In Moses' day God commanded that all who taught that the dead are alive be (1)
_____ Made priests.
_____ Honored for their wisdom.
_____ Killed.

10. How can a person be sure he is safe and right? (1)
_____ Ask God for a special sign from heaven.
_____ Do what the preacher or minister says to do.
_____ Study the Bible prayerfully and carefully and follow it.

11. When a person dies (1)
_____ His spirit, or soul, remains alive.
_____ He is able to observe the living and contact them.
_____ He is dead in every way--the body dies, the soul ceases to exist, and no contact with the living is possible.

12. Are miracles proof that something is of God? (1)
_____ Yes. Only God can work miracles.
_____ No. The devil also works great miracles.

tartar9:
kidnapped? or the useless,untrained child you call your daughter eloped with her lover.

@Tartar9,
I don't think you read the whole post. Please read carefully and see if your post does make sense.

Please continue to pass this leaked information until every Yoruba, Igbo and all Christian parts of Nigeria gets alerted.
This was planned many years by Fulanis as a strategic way to Islamization of Nigeria.
That was why Buhari continued running for presidency even at his old age because they knew he is the most possible mean to achieve their goal.
In 1804 - 1808. Fulanis came in from Guinea to the Northern part of Nigeria, led by Usman Dan fodio .He lead in jihad against the Hausa kingdoms of the northern Nigeria. The forces of Usman dan Fodio slowly took over more and more of the Hausa kingdoms through war. By 1810, Fulanis had already conquered all hausas.
They formed boko haram sect solely for the process, waiting for Buhari or any of their Fulani brother to come in power but Unfortunately, Goodluck Jonathan came into power and they became annoyed.
They started their violence to distract him and whether it was Yoruba or Igbo that was on the seat during GEJ'S regime. The same thing could've still happened about Boko haram.
Now their dream has been achieved having their brother on top - The President.
Here is their plan.
They started herdsmen war believing that they have the chance to control all parts of the country since they are in power and forces.
If GRAZING RESERVE BILL is passed and achieved, It means that Fulanis will have a place mapped out for them in all 36 states of Nigeria.
The next thing is that, they will start bringing in their wives and children to increase their population.
With time, they will have their Emir installed in every 36 states which will eventually take part in every leadership community gatherings.
They will eat into every community like worms and the place given to them can never be taken away from them again since it has been passed.
Their sect will be ready to strike in every state and community with no hiding place for anyone since they have known every corners of our community.

It is then that we will beg them to stop killing us for we are ready to become Muslims in order to live.
This is the only time we have to reject this because tomorrow might be late for us to act.
‪#‎SAYNOTOGRAZINGRESERVEBILL‬#
‪#‎SAYNOTOISLAMIZATIONOFNIGERIA‬#
Pass this to everyone in your contact,Yoruba, igbos ,others and all Christian alike.

Please continue to pass this leaked information until every Yoruba, Igbo and all Christian parts of Nigeria gets alerted.
This was planned many years by Fulanis as a strategic way to Islamization of Nigeria.
That was why Buhari continued running for presidency even at his old age because they knew he is the most possible mean to achieve their goal.
In 1804 - 1808. Fulanis came in from Guinea to the Northern part of Nigeria, led by Usman Dan fodio .He lead in jihad against the Hausa kingdoms of the northern Nigeria. The forces of Usman dan Fodio slowly took over more and more of the Hausa kingdoms through war. By 1810, Fulanis had already conquered all hausas.
They formed boko haram sect solely for the process, waiting for Buhari or any of their Fulani brother to come in power but Unfortunately, Goodluck Jonathan came into power and they became annoyed.
They started their violence to distract him and whether it was Yoruba or Igbo that was on the seat during GEJ'S regime. The same thing could've still happened about Boko haram.
Now their dream has been achieved having their brother on top.
Here is their plan.
They started herdsmen war believing that they have the chance to control all parts of the country since they are in power and forces.
If GRAZING RESERVE BILL is passed and achieved, It means that Fulanis will have a place mapped out for them in all 36 states of Nigeria.
The next thing is that, they will start bringing in their wives and children to increase their population.
With time, they will have their Emir installed in every 36 states which will eventually take part in every leadership community gatherings.
They will eat into every community like worms and the place given to them can never be taken away from them again since it has been passed.
Their sect will be ready to strike in every state and community with no hiding place for anyone since they have known every corners of our community.

It is then that we will beg them to stop killing us for we are ready to become Muslims in order to live.
This is the only time we have to reject this because tomorrow might be late for us to act.
‪#‎SAYNOTOGRAZINGRESERVEBILL‬#
‪#‎SAYNOTOISLAMIZATIONOFNIGERIA‬#
Pass this to everyone in your contact,Yoruba, igbos ,others and all Christian alike.

Latty88:
This is bad! Mods please move this to front page

Hi Latty 88,

How do I post this link to the front 'page worthy posts' column?. I tried posting it there but couldn't find a way out. Any help?

A petition to the IGP, NASS and Hon Minister of Women Affairs over the abduction and Islamization of my 13 year old daughter in Bauchi.

My name is Elder Bawa Buba, an ordained Elder of Seventh-day Adventist Church Miya, in Ganjuwa LGA of Bauchi state. I write to petition you over the abduction and islamization of my 13 year old daughter Alheri Bawa by her uncle Mal Dauda Buba without my consent and approval.

On the 13th April 2016, my daughter left Miya town to visit her uncles in our family compound in Siri Village . She later followed one of her uncle's children to to spend the weekend in Bauchi city to spend the weekend.

I thought she was in the village but after three days I sent for her to come back home but was told she has followed her uncle's children to Bauchi town.

I made a called to Dauda Buba, who is a son to my Elder brother, to whom my daughter has gone to visit to enquire whether my daughter was with him as reported. To my surprise he confirmed the information and told me that he has also islamized her and that I should forget about seeing her any soon. I was shocked and thought it was a joke. I asked him why he didn't discussed with me and my daughter has never mentioned such an intentions. He told me that I should just understand and allow my daughter remain with him.

This is a big issue because when Christianity and Islam came to our village, I accepted Christianity while other of my brothers accepted Islam. Few are still practicing traditional religion. I was seen as an outcast in the family till date. I believe he did something to my daughter and she's not in her right sense right now.

My story continues. I went to the village and reported the issue to my brothers who were not pleased with Dauda did. They all expressed displeasure over the issue and call upon Dauda to return my daughter to me but he told them he won't and that Bauchi state Sharia Commission and other big names are aware of the girl's change of faith and since I'm doing nothing at the moment I cannot drag with me. My family members were helpless and advice me to take the case to Hakimin Miya, Alhaji Sulaiman Yakubu.

I reported to Hakimin Miya who went to Bauchi and asked him to return my daughter. He told Hakimi he will but did not after 3 days Hakimi sent his dogari to Bauchi but he could not. Hakimi now told me to take the case further.

I reported to Gajuwa Police Division, the DPO Mr Tambuwal, told me that it's not in his jurisdiction that I should report to GRA Bauchi Division. I have no resources at all for these. I asked my Church pastor for help since the issue have gone beyond family. One of my brother gave me the address of Mal Dauda Buba, the abductor my daughter, who work as a security man in GRA, after Nehima Clinic, Behind Govt House Bauchi. I went to the house and I was lucky to meet him at the gate. With my Church pastor and a deacon in Church, we greeted with him. I then asked why he love to bring problem to my family. I told him the pain and trauma he has brought to my family just because he feel I'm poor and will have no one to stand for me while he will use my daughter's conversion for personal gain among the Muslim elites in the state, especially the state Sharia Commission which he is boasting of in the phone with me.

To my surprise he told me that the issue is no longer family but religious so I should put family aside and accept that fact or I should go to Sharia Commission who are the only ones with power to release my daughter from him.

As we were talking my daughter came out excited to seeing me and wanted to follow me home, I held her hands and asked her to enter the pastor's car so that we'll go home. As she was going, Mal Dauda Buba rushed and held unto her hijab and told her that she is irresponsible and she will not follow me unless the sharia commission are here since they are aware of her decision. My daughter shouted "Na FASA, na FASA" that's "I'm not longer interested". At this points we started dragging with him over my daughter. Within seconds the place was filled with hoodlums who wanted to turn the issue into a religious crisis. They threatened to burn my pastor's car. They place became and the tension was high. Mal Dauda was shouting, "this religious issue, not family", " He brought his church people".

At this point some Muslim leaders in the area came and expressed their disapproval towards Mal Dauda's action as unIslamic but he insisted that he will not let her go. They now told my pastor to see how he will get me out of the place because I was no longer in my right mind because of the pains and trauma I have been through and my daughter's willingness to follow me. I was ready to die with my daughter in my hand.

The hoodlums were increasing in number and the Muslim elders begged my pastor to take me away and that I should not worry, the police will return my daughter to me because mal Dauda's action and the boys around is not Islam.

My pastor now dragged me by force into the car And drove away from the scene.

Later on we went to GRA Division Police station and laid our complaints. The police were quick in action at the beginning. They attached a policeman to us who later arrested the man and brought him to the station.

The man was asked to sit behind the counter to explain his side. The man then made a call to the Sharia Commission. They requested to speak with the police. After speaking with the police, the man was ask to come to the front of counter by Inspector Abdulraman Dass who was in charge. The man now begin to speak boldly. We were just watching with surprise.

The station DCO ASP Joseph came out immediately and ask me to go to court and request for the custody of my daughter. That it's a civil case. My 13 year daughter is abducted, Islamized and forced to stay with a criminal and the police called it a civil case. We were ask by the DCO to hire a lawyer and go to court over my daughter.

Were is the money to file a case? Which court should I go to? Sharia Court? I'm in trauma and pain. All I want is the custody of my daughter Alheri Grace Bawa. Pls sir, use your office to return my daughter back to me. I'm home in the village back to my wife and remaining 5 children as we weep and wait for justice for me and my family.

– Eld Bawa Buba, Miya, Bauchi state. Please #ShareUntilTheyHelp

Just write them that you have N350,000,000 and you want TB Josh to bless it, I promise you will receive immediate phone call from them...business guys.

KingEli:
Hi everyone, please I have this issue that has been bothering me for a while. I visited a church recently and I liked the experience I got. But when ever its time to pray, everyone starts shouting and jumping. I on the other hand love to pray quietly. I believe that prayer is like a conversation between a person and his father (God) and since God is not deaf,,there is no need for shouting at him. The one that disturbs me most is that the pastor always ask the congregation to speak in tongues. Its more of a command that they must speak in tongues. Me, I'm not down with that. Infact I find it funny whenever they start shouting and saying stuff no one understands. Please my fellow nairalanders must you speak in tongues before you are a good christian?....Help a brother out cuz I feel like an alien anytime I'm in that church..





Lalasticlala abeg so something

What people call speaking in tongues today is far from what the Bible teach. Let's read Acts 2:1-12

And when the day of Pentecost was fully come, they were all with one accord in one place. 2 And suddenly there came a sound from heaven as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled all the house where they were sitting. 3 And there appeared unto them cloven tongues like as of fire, and it sat upon each of them. 4 And they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance.
5 And there were dwelling at Jerusalem Jews, devout men, out of every nation under heaven. 6 Now when this was noised abroad, the multitude came together, and were confounded, because that every man heard them speak in his own language.1 7 And they were all amazed and marvelled, saying one to another, Behold, are not all these which speak Galilaeans? 8 And how hear we every man in our own tongue, wherein we were born? 9 Parthians, and Medes, and Elamites, and the dwellers in Mesopotamia, and in Judaea, and Cappadocia, in Pontus, and Asia, 10 Phrygia, and Pamphylia, in Egypt, and in the parts of Libya about Cyrene, and strangers of Rome, Jews and proselytes, 11 Cretes and Arabians, we do hear them speak in our tongues the wonderful works of God. 12 And they were all amazed, and were in doubt, saying one to another, What meaneth this?

These people heard the disciples speaking in their own languages as listed above. They were not babbling for God's sake as majority of "Christians" do today!


Also consider what Paul says in 1 Corinthians 12:8-11 & 27-30

8 For to one is given by the Spirit the word of wisdom; to another the word of knowledge by the same Spirit; 9 To another faith by the same Spirit; to another the gifts of healing by the same Spirit; 10 To another the working of miracles; to another prophecy; to another discerning of spirits; to another divers kinds of tongues; to another the interpretation of tongues: 11 But all these worketh that one and the selfsame Spirit, dividing to every man severally as he will.

Please NOTE that the spirit gives to every man as he wills. How come we see a whole church or congregation of 100 or 10,000 people all speaking in tongues at once? What is happening? God is not an author of confusion...our Creator God is a God of harmony and not Baal as the Bible recorded the story of Elijah where all the prophets of Baal spoke in tongues and cut themselves.


27 Now ye are the body of Christ, and members in particular. 28 And God hath set some in the church, first apostles, secondarily prophets, thirdly teachers, after that miracles, then gifts of healings, helps, governments, diversities of tongues.6 29 Are all apostles? are all prophets? are all teachers? are all workers of miracles?7 30 Have all the gifts of healing? do all speak with tongues? do all interpret?

Should all speak in tongues? No!...God through the Holy spirit gives the gift of tongue as the need arise, as in the account of Acts 2. It was needed for the gospel to spread. For instance, as an evangelist I happen to find myself in one typical Yoruba, Hausa or Igbo village where the inhabitants/villagers don't understand any other language other than their native language and God have a message for them, the Holy Spirit will give me the gift of tongue so as to enable me pass the message to them in their own language and not to babble as what majority of christendom do today and call it speaking in tongues...

chai.....can this explanation be clearer than this? I hope this helps someone.

What people call speaking in tongues today is far from what the Bible teach. Let's read Acts 2:1-12

And when the day of Pentecost was fully come, they were all with one accord in one place. 2 And suddenly there came a sound from heaven as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled all the house where they were sitting. 3 And there appeared unto them cloven tongues like as of fire, and it sat upon each of them. 4 And they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance.
5 And there were dwelling at Jerusalem Jews, devout men, out of every nation under heaven. 6 Now when this was noised abroad, the multitude came together, and were confounded, because that every man heard them speak in his own language.1 7 And they were all amazed and marvelled, saying one to another, Behold, are not all these which speak Galilaeans? 8 And how hear we every man in our own tongue, wherein we were born? 9 Parthians, and Medes, and Elamites, and the dwellers in Mesopotamia, and in Judaea, and Cappadocia, in Pontus, and Asia, 10 Phrygia, and Pamphylia, in Egypt, and in the parts of Libya about Cyrene, and strangers of Rome, Jews and proselytes, 11 Cretes and Arabians, we do hear them speak in our tongues the wonderful works of God. 12 And they were all amazed, and were in doubt, saying one to another, What meaneth this?

These people heard the disciples speaking in their own languages as listed above. They were not babbling for God's sake as majority of "Christians" do today!


Also consider what Paul says in 1 Corinthians 12:8-11 & 27-30

8 For to one is given by the Spirit the word of wisdom; to another the word of knowledge by the same Spirit; 9 To another faith by the same Spirit; to another the gifts of healing by the same Spirit; 10 To another the working of miracles; to another prophecy; to another discerning of spirits; to another divers kinds of tongues; to another the interpretation of tongues: 11 But all these worketh that one and the selfsame Spirit, dividing to every man severally as he will.

Please NOTE that the spirit gives to every man as he wills. How come we see a whole church or congregation of 100 or 10,000 people all speaking in tongues at once? What is happening? God is not an author of confusion...our Creator God is a God of harmony and not Baal as the Bible recorded the story of Elijah where all the prophets of Baal spoke in tongues and cut themselves.


27 Now ye are the body of Christ, and members in particular. 28 And God hath set some in the church, first apostles, secondarily prophets, thirdly teachers, after that miracles, then gifts of healings, helps, governments, diversities of tongues.6 29 Are all apostles? are all prophets? are all teachers? are all workers of miracles?7 30 Have all the gifts of healing? do all speak with tongues? do all interpret?

Should all speak in tongues? No!...God through the Holy spirit gives the gift of tongue as the need arise, as in the account of Acts 2. It was needed for the gospel to spread. For instance, as an evangelist I happen to find myself in one typical Yoruba, Hausa or Igbo village where the inhabitants/villagers don't understand any other language other than their native language and God have a message for them, the Holy Spirit will give me the gift of tongue so as to enable me pass the message to them in their own language and not to babble as what majority of christendom do today and call it speaking in tongues...

chai.....can this explanation be clearer than this? I hope this helps someone.

The truth, the truth alone and nothing but the whole TRUTH = JESUS!

orisa37:
The Bible Question is "Let anyone with Understanding calculate the number of the beast, for it's the number of a person. Its number is six hundred and sixty six". Using the British numerical basis on which the . Bible is written, the following add up to 666. "The Selfish" and "Man is Wicked". The conclusion therefore is The Selfish man is Wicked. So if you, I, Obama, Buhari, Jonathan, Cameron, Angela, Putin etc etc are selfish, we are wicked as well. The Lord watches the way of The Righteous but the way of the Wicked shall perish. Donald Trump beware!!!! And stop running your smelling Irish mouth.

Continuation:


3. What does the papacy say is her symbol, or mark, of authority?

Answer: Notice the following section from a Catholic catechism:

"Question: Have you any other way of proving that the Church has power to institute festivals of precept?"

"Answer: Had she not such power, she could not have done that in which all modern religionists agree with her - she could not have substituted the observance of Sunday the first day of the week, for the observance of Saturday the seventh day, a change for which there is no Scriptural authority."

So the papacy is here saying that it changed Sabbath to Sunday and that virtually all churches accepted the new holy day. Thus, the papacy claims that Sunday as a holy day is the mark, or symbol, of her power and authority.

Reference: Stephen Keenan, A Doctrinal Catechism [FRS No. 7.], (3rd American ed., rev.: New York, Edward Dunigan & Bro., 1876), p. 174.

4. Did God predict such a change in Scripture?

Answer: Yes! In describing the Antichrist in Daniel 7:25, God said it would "think to change times and laws."

A. How has the papacy tried to change God's laws? In three different ways: In her catechisms she has (1) omitted the second commandment against veneration of images, and (2) shortened the fourth (Sabbath) commandment from 94 words to just eight. The Sabbath commandment (Exodus 20:8-11) clearly specifies Sabbath as the seventh day of the week. As changed by the papacy, the commandment reads: "Remember that thou keep holy the Sabbath day." Written thus, it can refer to any day. And, finally, she (3) divided the tenth commandment into two commandments.

B. How has the papacy attempted to change God's times? In two ways: (1) She has changed the time of the Sabbath from the seventh day to the first day. (2) She has also changed God's "timing" for the beginning and closing hours of the Sabbath. Instead of counting the Sabbath day from sundown Friday night to sundown Saturday night as God mandates (Leviticus 23:32), she adopted the pagan Roman custom of counting the day from midnight Saturday night to midnight Sunday night. God predicted these "changes" would be attempted by the beast, or Antichrist.

Notice the following section from a Catholic catechism:

"Question: Which is the Sabbath day?

Answer: Saturday is the Sabbath day.

Question: Why do we observe Sunday instead of Saturday?

Answer: We observe Sunday instead of Saturday because the Catholic Church transferred the solemnity from Saturday to Sunday." 9

Here is another Catholic statement: "The Church is above the Bible and this transference of Sabbath observance from Saturday to Sunday is proof positive of that fact." 10

The papacy is saying in these references that its successful change of Sabbath observance to Sunday worship is proof that its authority is greater, or "above," Scripture.

Peter Geiermann, The Convert's Catechism of Catholic Doctrine (St. Louis, B. Herder Book Co., 1957 ed.), p. 50.

The Catholic Record (London, Ontario, Canada, Sept. 1, 1923).

5. How could anyone dare attempt to change God's holy day?

Answer: We ask the papacy, "Did you really change Sabbath to Sunday?"

She replies, "Yes, we did. It is our symbol, or mark, of authority and power."

We ask, "How could you even think of doing that?"

It's a pertinent question. But the question the papacy officially asks Protestants is even more pertinent. Please read it carefully:

"You will tell me that Saturday was the Jewish Sabbath, but that the Christian Sabbath has been changed to Sunday. Changed! but by whom? Who has authority to change an express commandment of Almighty God? When God has spoken and said, Thou shalt keep holy the seventh day, who shall dare to say, Nay, thou mayest work and do all manner of worldly business on the seventh day but thou shalt keep holy the first day in its stead? This is a most important question, which I know not how you can answer. You are a Protestant, and you profess to go by the Bible and the Bible only and yet in so important a matter as the observance of one day in seven as a holy day, you go against the plain letter of the Bible, and put another day in the place of that day which the Bible has commanded.

The command to keep holy the seventh day is one of the ten commandments you believe that the other nine are still binding who gave you authority to tamper with the fourth? If you are consistent with your own principles, if you really follow the Bible and the Bible only, you ought to be able to produce some portion of the New Testament in which this fourth commandment is expressly altered."

Refeference: Library of Christian Doctrine: Why Don't You Keep Holy the Sabbath-Day? (London: Burns and Oates, Ltd.), pp. 3, 4.

[center]Tragically, both Catholicism and Protestantism stand guilty before the judgment bar of heaven for rejecting God's holy Sabbath, His sacred sign of identification.[/center]

6. What solemn warnings has God given regarding His law and His sign, or mark?

Answer: A. God warns religious leaders against causing people to stumble by saying that some commandments do not matter (Malachi 2:7-9). For example, some ministers teach, "It doesn't matter what day you keep holy."

B. God warns people who want their ministers to preach smooth fables rather than the truth about His law (Isaiah 30:9, 10).

C. God warns people about hardening their hearts against the truth of His law (Zechariah 7:12).

D. God warns people who say it would seem "strange" to keep God's lawlike the Sabbath, for example (Hosea 8:12).

E. God states that the upheaval, tragedy, problems, and woes of earth come because people refuse to follow His law, and have even tried to change it (Isaiah 24:4-6).

F. God warns religious leaders who refuse to preach the prophecies of the end time (Isaiah 29:10, 11).

G. God solemnly warns that leaders who teach there is really no difference between sacred things (such as God's holy Sabbath) and common things (such as Sunday) will face His indignation (Ezekiel 22:26, 31).

7. Revelation 13:16 says people will receive the mark of the beast in the forehead or in the hand. What does this mean?

Answer: The forehead represents the mind (Hebrews 10:16). A person will be marked in the forehead by a decision to keep Sunday as a holy day. The hand is a symbol of work (Ecclesiastes 9:10). A person will be marked in the hand by working on God's holy Sabbath or by going along with Sunday laws for practical reasons (job, family, etc.). The sign, or mark, for either God or the beast will be invisible to people. You will, in essence, mark yourself by accepting either God's sign or mark, the Sabbath, or the beast's mark, Sunday. Though invisible to men, God will know who has which mark (2 Timothy 2:19).

8. According to Isaiah 58:1, 13, 14, what decisive message does God deliver to His people in the last days?

"Cry aloud, spare not, lift up thy voice like a trumpet, and shew my people their transgression." "If thou turn away thy foot from the sabbath, from doing thy pleasure on my holy day; and call the sabbath a delight, ... Then shalt thou delight thyself in the Lord." Isaiah 58:1, 13, 14.

Answer: He says, show "my people" that they are (innocently perhaps) sinning because they are trampling on My holy day, and ask them to quit breaking My Sabbath so I can bless them. Speak loudly so they will hear you!

Notice that the third angel of Revelation 14:9-12, who brings the message about the mark of the beast, speaks with a loud voice also (verse 9). The message is too important to treat as ordinary. It's a life-or-death issue. Jesus says His sheep, or people, will follow Him when He calls them. (John 10:16, 27).

9. Do people who worship on Sunday (as a holy day) have the mark of the beast now?

Answer: No! No one will have the mark of the beast until Sunday worship becomes an issue forced by law. At that time (just very close), those who decide to follow the false teachings of the beast and worship on Sunday (the beast's counterfeit holy day) will receive the mark of the beast.

Those who follow Jesus and obey His truth will keep His Sabbath day holy and receive His mark. Those who expect to refuse the beast's mark in the future must step under Jesus' Sabbath banner now. His power is available to those who obey Him (Acts 5:32). Without Him, we can do nothing (John 15:5). With Him, all things are possible (Mark 10:27).

10. According to the book of Revelation, whom did John specifically see in God's eternal kingdom?

Answer: The answer is threefold and very clear:

A. Those who have God's mark, or sign (His Sabbath), in their foreheads (Revelation 7:3).

B. Those who refused to identify with the beast or his image and who refused to have his mark or name in their foreheads (Revelation 15:2).

C. The people who today, and for eternity, follow where Jesus leads, trusting Him fully in everything (Revelation 14:4). There is no other way.

11. What is Jesus saying to people today?

"He that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life." John 8:12.

Answer: What a fantastic promise! If we follow Him, we will not end up in darkness but will, instead, have glorious truth. Nothing could be more exciting! Further, following Him and keeping His Sabbath will put God's mark on our foreheads and protect us from the dreadful plagues (Psalms 91:10) that will fall upon the disobedient (Revelation chapter 16). It also marks us as ready for translation at Jesus' second coming. What blessed protection and assurance God has offered us! Would you accept it NOW?

[b]

orisa37:
The Bible Question is "Let anyone with Understanding calculate the number of the beast, for it's the number of a person. Its number is six hundred and sixty six". Using the British numerical basis on which the . Bible is written, the following add up to 666. "The Selfish" and "Man is Wicked". The conclusion therefore is The Selfish man is Wicked. So if you, I, Obama, Buhari, Jonathan, Cameron, Angela, Putin etc etc are selfish, we are wicked as well. The Lord watches the way of The Righteous but the way of the Wicked shall perish. Donald Trump beware!!!! And stop running your smelling Irish mouth.

A tattooed number, a computer chip under the skin, or something more subtle? It's one of the most misinterpreted prophecies in all of the Bible - yet it is so important to correctly understand this subject. But in studying the mark of the beast, we must address some very sensitive issues, naming names and being specific. This is not a popular thing today, but we must be firm because God loves His people and He wants them to know the truth. This message is not ours, but Jesus'. And with eternal death facing those who receive the mark, it would be a crime to not help Him deliver this message. This lesson should probably be prefaced with a warning: "THE DEVIL DOES NOT WANT YOU TO READ AND UNDERSTAND THIS INFORMATION." Please read Revelation 13:1-8, 14:9-12, and 16-18, and pray for the Holy Spirit to grant you an honest and understanding heart before embarking on this study adventure.

a terrible conflict is in progress between God and the devil. It has raged through the centuries since Lucifer, heaven's most powerful angel, rebelled against God. With the angels who joined him, he attempted to overcome God and seize control of the universe. God and the loyal angels had no choice but to eject Lucifer and his angels from heaven. Lucifer, who became known as the devil and Satan, was infuriated. His determination to destroy God and control the universe has grown with every passing year. Amazingly, he has won the support of the vast majority of earth's people in his rebellion. The Lord also asks for people's loyalty and support, but He leaves all free to choose. Soon every person on earth will have aligned with either Satan or God. The final battle between Satan and God is just ahead, and it is described in the book of Revelation. This book points out that God has an emblem, or mark, which will identify His people. Satan also has an emblem, or mark, that will identify those who support him. As usual, Satan will work through an earthly power symbolized in Revelation by a beast to impose his mark. This Study will reveal the beast's mark, which every lost person of the end time will receive. Unless you know what his "mark" is, how will you avoid receiving it?

1. In order to know what the "mark" is, we must first identify the beast. How does the Bible describe the beast?

Answer: Revelation 13:1-8, 16-18 provides 11 identifying characteristics. They are listed below:

A. Rises from sea (verse 1).

B. Composite of the four beasts of Daniel chapter 7 (verse 2).

C. Dragon gives it power and authority (verse 2).

D. Receives a deadly wound (verse 3).

E. Deadly wound healed (verse 3).

F. Strong political power (verses 3, 7).

G. Strong religious power (verses 3, .

H. Guilty of blasphemy (verses 1, 5, 6).

I. Wars with and overcomes the saints (verse 7).

J. Rules for 42 months (verse 5).

K. Has mysterious number 666 (verse 18).

Do some of these points have a familiar ring? Certainly! We encountered many of them earlier when we studied about the Antichrist in Daniel chapter 7. The "beast" of Revelation 13 is simply another name for the "Antichrist," which we learned from Daniel 7 is the papacy.

Prophecies of Daniel and Revelation often cover the same ground as prior prophecies, but each time new features are added that help make the prophecies certain. So expect to learn some new things about the Antichrist from this Study Guide. Now let's consider, one by one, the 11 points that describe the beast.

A. It would rise from the sea (Revelation 13:1).
The sea (or water) in prophecy refers to people, or a populated area (Revelation 17:15). So the beast, or Antichrist, would arise from amid the established nations of the then-known world. The papacy, as we all know, arose in western Europe, so it fits this point.

[center]A Word of Explanation

In harmony with God's command to honor all people (1 Peter 2:17), we pause here to recognize the papacy/vatican/catholic system for her many good deeds and activities. Her hospitals, orphanages, care for the poor, homes for unwed mothers, and care for the aged are appreciated universally. She can honestly be lauded for many things. But, like all other organizations, she has also made mistakes. God pinpoints some of her errors in Revelation. The Lord, who blesses and comforts, must sometimes chasten and correct. Please ask His Spirit to speak to you as you study this crucial topic. [/center]

B. It would be a composite of the four beasts of Daniel chapter 7 (Revelation 13:2).
Study the comparison below to see how it all fits together:

Daniel chapter 7 Revelation chapter 13
Babylon Lion-like beast (vs. 4) "Mouth of a lion" (vs. 2)
Medo-Persia Bearlike beast (vs. 5) "Feet of a bear" (vs. 2)
Greece Leopard-like beast (vs. 6) "Like unto a leopard" (vs. 2)
Rome Ten-horned beast (vs. 7) "Having ... ten horns" (vs. 1)


The four beasts of Daniel 7 are depicted as part of Antichrist, or the beast, because the papacy incorporated pagan beliefs and practices from all four empires. She clothed them in spiritual garb and spread them to the world as Christian teachings. Here is one of many supporting statements from history: "In a certain respect, she [the papacy] has copied her organization from that of the Roman Empire, has preserved and made fruitful the philosophical intuitions of Socrates, Plato, and Aristotle, borrowed from both Barbarians and the Byzantine Roman Empire, but always remains herself, thoroughly digesting all elements drawn from external sources." This point definitely fits the papacy.

C. The beast must receive its power, seat (capital), and authority from the dragon (Revelation 13:2).
To identify the dragon, we go to Revelation chapter 12, where God's end-time church is pictured as a pure woman. In prophecy, a pure woman represents God's true people or church (Jeremiah 6:2 Isaiah 51:16). (In Study Guide 23, we will present a detailed study of God's end-time church of Revelation chapter 12. Study Guide 22 explains Revelation chapters 17 and 18, where fallen churches are symbolized by a fallen mother and her fallen daughters.) The pure woman is portrayed as pregnant and about to deliver. The dragon crouches nearby, hoping to "devour" the baby at birth. However, when the baby is born He evades the dragon, fulfills His mission, and then ascends to heaven. Obviously the baby is Jesus, whom Herod tried to destroy by killing all the babies in Bethlehem (Matthew 2:16). So the dragon represents pagan Rome, of which Herod was a king. The power behind Herod's plot was, of course, the devil (Revelation 12:7-9). Satan acts through various governments to accomplish his ugly work in this case, pagan Rome.

We will quote just two supportive references from history, though there are many: (1) "The Roman Church ... pushed itself into the place of the Roman World-Empire, of which it is the actual continuation. ...The Pope ... is Caesar's successor." 2 (2) "The mighty Catholic Church was little more than the Roman Empire baptised. Rome was transformed as well as converted. The very capital of the old Empire became the capital of the Christian Empire. The office of Pontifex Maximus was continued in that of Pope." 3 So this point also fits the papacy. She received her capital city and power from pagan Rome.

D. It would receive a deadly wound (Revelation 13:3).
The deadly wound was inflicted when Napoleon's general, Alexander Berthier, entered Rome and took Pope Pius VI captive in February of 1798. Napoleon decreed that at the death of the pope, the papacy would be discontinued. The pope died in France in August of 1799. "Half Europe thought ... that without the Pope the Papacy was dead." So this point also fits the papacy.

E. The deadly wound would be healed, and the entire world would give homage to the beast (Revelation 13:3).
Since its healing, the strength of the papacy has grown and increased until today she is one of the most powerful religio-political organizations and influence-centers in the world. Malachi Martin, consummate Vatican insider and intelligence expert, reveals the following in his best-selling book The Keys of This Blood (page numbers in parentheses):

[center]ABOUT THE POPE:

He is as determined to be world ruler as was Constantine in his day (49). He is protected by four governments (120). He is the best-known person of the 20th century (123). He is personal friends with the leaders of 91 countries (490). People of the world seem to him ready for strong worldwide moral government with control (160). Sixteen thousand journalists covered his American visit (490).

ABOUT THE PAPACY:

The American ambassador says the Vatican is unmatched as a "listening post" (120). The Vatican knows by Saturday what will happen on Monday anywhere in the world (439). Papal structure is prepared for worldwide rule now (143).

Obviously, the wound is healed and the eyes of the nations are upon the Vatican/Pope [Francis], so this point also fits the papacy.[/center]

F. It would become a strong political power (Revelation 13:3, 7).
See item E above.

G. It would become a very powerful religious organization (Revelation 13:3, .
See item E above.

H. It would be guilty of blasphemy (Revelation 13:5, 6).
The papacy is guilty of blasphemy because her priests claim to forgive sins and her popes claim to be Christ.

I. It would war with and persecute the saints (Revelation 13:7).
The papacy did persecute and destroy millions of saints during the Dark Ages.

J. It would reign for 42 months (Revelation 13:5).
The papacy reigned for 42 prophetic months, or time, times and half a time which equals 1,260 years, from A.D. 538-1798.

K. It would have the mysterious number 666 (Revelation 13:18).
This verse says, "It is the number of a man," and Revelation 15:2 says it is "the number of his name." What man do you think of when you think of the papacy? Naturally, we all think of the pope. What is his official name? Here is a Catholic quote: "The title of the pope of Rome is "Vicarius Filii Dei" (English: "Vicar of the Son of God".6 Malachi Martin, in The Keys of This Blood, uses the same title for the pope on pages 114, 122. A footnote for Revelation 13:18 in some Douay [Catholic] versions of the Bible says, "The numeral letters of his name shall make up this number."

Let's take a shocking look.
On the Pope's official mitre is the title "Vicarius Filii Dei" which means "Vicar of the Son of God." The claim that this is his official title has been stated publicly through the years. The April 18, 1915 issue of Our Sunday Visitor, states: "The letters inscribed in the Pope's mitre are these: "VICARIUS FILII DEI," which is Latin for Vicar of the Son of God."
In Revelation 13:18 it says, "Count the number of the beast; for it is the number of a man; and his number is Six hundred threescore and six. (666)."
Let's do it now and see what we find. Remember the Roman numerals you learned in school?
V = 5
I = l
C = 100
A = 0
R = 0
I = l
U = 5
S = O
"U" and "V" have the same value. Look in your encyclopedia under "Alphabet."
F = 0
I = 1
L = 50
I = 1
I = 1
D = 500
E = 0
I = 1
----------- Total = 666!
In Greek, Hebrew, and Latin, it comes out the same.

Again, the papacy fits the identification point. The beast with the "mark" is the papacy. No other power in history could possibly fit these divine descriptive points. Now that we have positively identified the beast, we can discover her mark, or symbol of authority. But first, let's look at God's sign of authority.

2. What is God's mark, or symbol, of authority?

"I gave them my sabbaths, to be a sign between me and them, that they might know that I am the Lord that sanctify them." Ezekiel 20:12. "It is a sign between me and the children of Israel for ever: for in six days the Lord made heaven and earth." Exodus 31:17.

Answer: God is saying in the texts above that He gave us His Sabbath as a glorious sign of His power to create and His power to sanctify (convert and save) us. In the Bible, the words seal, sign, mark, and token are used interchangeably. God's sign, the Sabbath, represents His holy power to rule as Creator and Saviour. Revelation 7:1-3 says it will be written upon the foreheads (minds, Hebrews 10:16) of His people. It will signify that they are owned by Him and have His character. Hebrews 4:4-10 confirms this by saying that when we enter His rest (receive salvation), we should keep His seventh-day Sabbath holy as a symbol, or mark, of salvation. True Sabbath-keeping signifies that a person has surrendered his life to Jesus Christ and is willing to follow wherever Jesus leads.

Since the symbol, or mark, of God's authority and power is His holy Sabbath day, it seems likely that the symbol, or mark, of God's challenger, the beast, might also involve a holy day. Let's see if it does.

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