₦airaland Forum

This is not the time to question the wisdom of the dead. People make mistakes, may his soul rest in peace, Amen.

OLAADEGBU:
The Wonderful Angel
February 1, 2011

"And the angel of the LORD said unto him, Why askest thou thus after my name, seeing it is secret?" " (Judges 13:18)

This intriguing encounter occurred during one of Israel's periods of apostasy and servitude, when the people had been ruled for 40 years by the pagan Philistines.  There was one godly couple in the tribe of Dan, however, who evidently had long been praying for a son, and God finally answered their prayers. "The angel of the Lord" came to give the good news to Manoah and his wife.  The remarkable son who was to come was mighty Samson, who later would free his people.

But it is the Angel Himself who is most intriguing here.  His name was "Secret," meaning "too marvelous even to comprehend."  The same word is translated "Wonderful" in Isaiah 9:6, where it is cited as a name of the coming divine Son, whose name would also be "mighty God" and "everlasting Father."

This "angel of the Lord" was thus none other than God the Son in one of His rare pre-incarnate appearances, or theophanies, when the invisible God manifested Himself visibly to man.  There are many created angels (Hebrews 12:22), or "messengers," of God, but on certain occasions, this One who is called "the angel of the Lord" (also "the angel of his presence," as in Isaiah 63:9, and "the Angel which redeemed me," as in Genesis 48:16), is clearly none other than God Himself.  In such cases, it could only have been the pre-incarnate Christ, for the Bible says: "No man hath seen God at any time; the only begotten Son, which is in the bosom of the Father, he hath declared him" (John 1:18).

God had already revealed Himself in this way to great men of God, and now even to an unknown couple.  Eventually this Angel, whose name is Wonderful, "was made flesh, and dwelt among us" (John 1:14), and will one day dwell with His people forever (Revelation 21:3). HMM

For more . . . .

It's this same passage of the Holy Bible that convinced me that the Angel of the Lord is the pre-incarnate Jesus Christ. He is the same Being in Exodus 23:21, because God said that His Name is in Him (the Angel of the Lord)

SEFAGO:
LOL, beats me too
Are u making fun of me  ? But honestly though, I have noticed that the West loves books that exoticise (is that a word?) a particular culture (Well not just the west actually)

As I argued previously, contrary to Achebe's belief that his book did good to Africans and humanized them in literature, I personally think it did contrary. Yes most europeans love Achebe but they love his books because the protagonist Okonkwo truly coincides with their views of the nobel and savage african. They love the traditional plot, and most of them would be quite happy if Africa looked exactly as it is portrayed by Acehebe. They kind of ignored all other books of Achebe such as "no longer at ease" and "Anthills of the savannah." While exemplifying the one that romanticizes the nature of we africans.

Maybe its just me, because lots of people think my theory is crap anyways.

Maybe, he was being honest about the olden days in Africa, but I do agree with you. Things Fall Apart, only reinforced the cavelike image of Africans particularly the story of Okonkwo drinking palmwine from a human skull, then, the killing of twins in the society which was approved by our culture and the murder of Ikemefuna which was also approved by the society. Christianity came in and abolished the caste system like Osu that was prevalent in the society (and still is) then, and people are screaming that African society should not have been colonizsed. Dont think so!

MP007:
and she couldnt turn down the appointment

I wonder.

M.L.Swiss:
You're absolutely DUMB ! Take a look at the definition you just copy pasted ! How is your parent's sibling's wife your AUNT? You AREN'T blood related to your uncle's wife !

Go and challenge the meaning of "Aunt" in a court of law against the dictionary and lets see who will prevail.

M.L.Swiss:
You must be kidding right? How in the world can you be related to your uncle's wife? What makes her your aunt?

Definitions of aunt on the Web:

the sister of your father or mother; the wife of your uncle
wordnetweb.princeton.edu/perl/webwn

M.L.Swiss:
How can  your uncle's wife be your aunt? :O

Your uncle's wife is your aunt.

http://skepticsannotatedbible.com/quran/19/index.htm

Read the above, particularly the highlighted part with a sincere heart.

Didnt this same woman say she will never join politics until her children are all grown up?

There is a novel that talks about triplets who were separated. I think it's call Mark of the cobra, paccesseters novel.

FORTUNE -- A luxury suite at the W Hotel in Dallas is as good a place as any to conquer the world. At least it seemed that way in 2007 when Tobechi Onwuhara got the crew together. They'd meet there often, seven or eight of them. Some had nicknames from the Ian Fleming lexicon: C, Q, and E. Others were called Mookie, Orji, Uche. They would spread out on designer sofas and at the wet bar, open three-ring binders, and fire up laptops with hard-to-trace wireless cards. On a nearby table there'd be prepaid cellphones with area codes taped to them. A phone for Southern California. A phone for Northern Virginia. A phone for any place Onwuhara had found the "good money." . . .


http://money.cnn.com/2011/01/24/real_estate/onwuhara_home_equity_fraud.fortune/

vedaxcool:
I DEY LAUGH!

You are very laughable indeed, the sun ejected the material used in the formation of the earth, the authorof Genesis placed the sun three days after the creation of the earth, it is just like the author of Chronicles II who made a son older than his father, instead of the other way round, we so not need your fanticsm here to tell us science believes what science believes, this is common sense as the sun is older than the earth. I know I know this is what you believe in but it is evidently wrong

Scientists have been able to reconstruct detailed information about the planet's past. The earliest dated Solar System material was formed 4.5672 ± 0.0006 billion years ago,[23] and by 4.54 billion years ago (within an uncertainty of 1%)[18] the Earth and the other planets in the Solar System had formed out of the solar nebula—a disk-shaped mass of dust and gas left over from the formation of the Sun. This assembly of the Earth through accretion was thus largely completed within 10–20 million years.[24] Initially molten, the outer layer of the planet Earth cooled to form a solid crust when water began accumulating in the atmosphere. The Moon formed shortly thereafter, 4.53 billion years ago.[25]

The current consensus model[26] for the formation of the Moon is the giant impact hypothesis, in which the Moon was created when a Mars-sized object (sometimes called Theia) with about 10% of the Earth's mass[27] impacted the Earth in a glancing blow.[28] In this model, some of this object's mass would have merged with the Earth and a portion would have been ejected into space, but enough material would have been sent into orbit to coalesce into the Moon.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Earth


Again according to Christianity/Judaism, the earth is just barely above 6000yrs old,adding the ages of Adam till Jesus, you can't help but laugh at the poor logics and tragic comedy the aurthors of the bible provide. Alethia try to reason very well. If Science confirms the bible it is right but if it rejects senseless statements it is just science. I STILL DEY LAUGH!

Show me a verse in the Holy Bible that says the earth is 6000 years.

Daughter snatched from hospital reunited with mom 23 years laterBy the CNN Wire Staff
January 20, 2011 5:35 p.m. EST
Missing girl found, 23 years laterSTORY HIGHLIGHTS
Carlina White was abducted in 1987 from a hospital room
Girl told authorities she had felt she was raised by a family to which she did not belong
She did internet search recently and found information on her abduction case

RELATED TOPICS
Missing Children
National Center for Missing & Exploited Children
New York City
Find out more about this story from CNN affiliate WABC.

(CNN) -- In 1987, an anguished, trembling Joy White pleaded for someone to help her find her infant daughter.

"I hope she's all right," the heartbroken mother told reporters at the time before collapsing in tears.

Now, 23 years later, White is crying tears of joy as the decades-long mystery of her missing daughter reached a happy ending.

Searching for a missing loved one? Share your story, photos

The saga started on August 4, 1987, when White took her sick baby, Carlina, to a Harlem hospital because of an extremely high fever, a New York police official said.

Carlina was admitted in the hospital and White went home to rest. When the mother returned, Carlina was gone.

Years passed as White searched for her daughter, all the time holding onto a photograph of a baby girl she had only held for three weeks.

On January 4, White's phone rang.


The 23-year mystery surrounding Carlina White has come to an end for her biological family.The woman on the other end of the line said she was Carlina, and she sent White a picture taken in 1987.

The face in the photograph bore a striking resemblance to that of the baby in the tattered picture White had held on to.

Police, too, agreed that the photographs looked alike and carried out a DNA test.

On Tuesday, the results came back -- and they were a match.

"Carlina was a missing link," Pat Conway, Carlina White's aunt, told CNN affiliate WABC as she raised her hands in the air. "We have gotten her back. In the name of Jesus, Hallelujah. Hallelujah. Hallelujah."

For her part, Carlina Renae White, had nursed a nagging feeling that she was raised by a family to which she did not belong, said Ernie Allen from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children.

Raised under a different name, Carlina grew suspicious when the woman who raised her could not provide her with a birth certificate.

So she scoured the internet for answers, stumbling on the website of the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children. There, she came across an item about a baby girl who had been taken from a New York hospital.

She called the center, which in turn notified authorities.

Authorities are not saying much about the woman who raised Carlina White as they continue their investigation.

"I never gave up hope," Carlina White's grandmother, Elizabeth, told WABC. "It is like she has been around us all her life. She wasn't a stranger. She fit right in."


http://www.cnn.com/2011/CRIME/01/20/new.york.missing.reunion/index.html?hpt=Sbin

OLAADEGBU:
The Trinity In Creation

"In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth. And the earth was without form, and void; and darkness was upon the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters. And God said, Let there be light: and there was light" (Genesis 1:1–3).

These incomparable words open God’s written revelation to man, telling us how our Time/Space/Matter universe came to exist.  No other religious writings, ancient or modern, do this.  All others begin with the assumption of an eternal, self-existing universe.  The truth is, however, that the eternal, self-existing, transcendent, omnipotent Triune God simply called the universe into being by His word.  "By the word of the LORD were the heavens made. . . . For He spake, and it was done" (Psalm 33:6,9).

The Hebrew for "God" is the uni-plural Elohim, a plural noun (as noted by the “im” ending), yet normally represented by a singular pronoun "He." This is the first foreshadowing of the marvelous doctrine of the Trinity—only one Creator God, yet functioning as three divine Persons.  It is significant that His created universe is actually a tri-universe, with each of its distinct components (“beginning” = time; “heaven” = space; “earth” = matter) comprising and pervading the whole universe.  Just as the Father is the source and background of all being, so space is the background of all that happens in the physical universe.  Just as the Son manifests and speaks for the Father, so matter manifests and functions in space.  Just as the Spirit interprets and energizes the Son and the Father in human experience, so space and matter are interpreted and experienced in phenomena operating in time.

The Father planned the work of creation, the Son did the work (“all things were made by Him”—John 1:3), and the Spirit energized it ("the Spirit of God moved").  The Triune God created and now sustains our tri-universe! HMM

Excellent Piece, I bow down to Yahweh my Creator!

OLAADEGBU:
Both cannot be justified in the eyes of God.  Lying to protect your family members during an invasion of armed robbery is still wrong, what makes you think the armed robbers would believe you anyway?  As Christians we should walk by faith and not by sight, if we believe God and say the truth even when it hurts God can still perform His miracle to deliver us.  Remember that All liars (if they don't repent) will have their part in the lake of fire.

I agree with you, for Jesus Christ says that we should not fear those who can kill the body but not the soul, rather we should fear the one who can destroy both.

Their automatical belief in Jesus Christ as the Savior of the World is the basis of them being born again. And they were willing to die for their faith in Him.

Note please, I dont condone any of them. It was just an inquiry partiuclarly in light of lying to protect your family members during an invasion of armed robbery.

justcool:
@Deep Sight

The process can easily be surveyed. For a man who truly loves his family, this love emanates from his spirit and forms a protective aura around him. By telling a lie to save his family, this lying or speaking is a gross material action which will receive a reaction of like nature. This reaction will be returned to the man based on the law of reciprocal action. This reaction on reaching the man, will be mitigated or completely diffused by the protective aura of such a man.

The greatly mitigated karma may end up being redeemed by an unconscious symbolic action. The next day or the next month, this man may meet a stranger asking for direction; by stopping and offering the stranger direction, this man has reaped the karma resulting from his lying. He has balanced the equation without knowing it. At first he told a lie by withholding the truth or misdirecting/misleading another person; then letter he offered a stranger direction by speaking the truth or giving the stranger to right direction. The karma that may have necessitated that he became a victim of a lie or deception, now gets paid without him being a victim. What would have caused him sorrow now causes him joy, for helping the stranger gives him(the man who once lied) joy. Like the Yorubas would say, “what would have severed your head has just knocked off your hat.”

Speaking belongs to gross matter, words taken on forms in the realm of medium gross matter. But spiritual intentions are far stronger and far more reaching in their effect. The volition that gave rise to the lie was a good volition, and hence its consequences out weigh the consequences of words. Even though the reciprocal effect of the spiritual volition will be reaped by the man’s spirit; it effects is very far reaching, this volition radiates through the aura of the man offering him protection even in the gross material realms. This is why I maintained that the intention is the most important, here by intention I mean that which emanates from the spirit.

The radiation of the spirit permeates everything; hence a man's environment or situations he often finds himself in is often a reflection of his inner being(his spiritual state). Therefore if this intention is really a strongly emanating from the spirit it can affect the man's situation in ways that he may never find himself in a situation where he will have to do something wrong or lie in-order to save his family.

Should ever find himself in such a situation, a way will be shown to him through which he can save his family without lying.

Have you considered that the man could have simply refused to disclose where his family was?  Rather than lying he could have just said, “I won’t tell you where they are.”

Thus the spiritual volition is justified but the lie is not.

Thanks

Thought as much when I was about to ask, are you a member of eckankar?

Jenwitemi:
It is quite easy to think and talk in black and white when discussing issues like this. . . until one is confronted LIVE with them. . . then it is no longer so black and white and easy.

But would that still be considered a sin, lying to protect your family from mauraders? That's a good question.

jikings:
lies, schemes by Nigerians to get a stay, Oyibo go de fall mugu for life!
Lived in Niaja for 20 years and yet to see or hear anyone being forced to do this esp in the SE.
Niaja people never cease to amaze me, 

I agree with you.

This is a question that I have pondered on and decided to ask all Nairalanders if stealing is ever justified and if so, in what circumstances.

Lets say that you are the student body president of a Nigerian university and a certain sum of money has been allocated to be paid to students for their annual bursary. After disbursing them, you realize that there are some left over money. Now, there are certain students from underprivileged background who are on the verge of being kicked out for lack of fees. There are some left over money that could easily pay off their fees, but your dilema is two fold: If you are return back the left over money to your governor, chances are he will easily pocket it, but if you choose to help out these indigent students financially to better their future, would that be considered stealing in the eyes of God?

I would like a response on this subject.

mazaje:
The reason is because the Jews that wrote the genesis creation account were poly theist. . .Elohim means Gods. . .Forget about the BIG LIE Christians are telling you about father, the the son and the holy spirit. . .There is nothing like, the father, the son and the holy spirit in any part of the OT, Jew today do not believe in any part of the Christian claim of the father, son and holy spirit. . . . .The ancient Jews were NOT monotheist, monotheism gradually evolved into their religion.

Do not cast me from your presence or take your[b] Holy Spirit[/b] from me. – (Psalm 51:11)

That's the utterances of King David, of the Old Testament to God Almighty when he was rebuked for his illicit affair with Bathsheba.

I have a hunch this story is fake, but you can read more of this beat up topic here: https://www.nairaland.com/nigeria/topic-107592.0.html

Who is to be blamed for broken marriages, Man or Woman?

I still say, that each case deserves a single analysis. You certainly cant generalize by heaping blame on either parties without knowing the root cause of their divorce.

NAJALYN:
Companionship & procreation are very strong reasons for marriage. They complement each other; one can not be divorced from the other if the marriage MUST be meaningful. Companionship, yes. But without procreation there is no marriage. So both MUST of necessity flow together. We have seen a lot of cases of divorce because couples are unable to have children.  If Companionship is the sole reason for marriage, why the high divorce rate? So Companionship & Procreation are very important in marriage.

Says who? In America, there are couples who opt for a childless marriage and are happy with it.

awuf2008:
The rate of divorce cases accross the world is on the increase and if d trend is not checked, it could lead to situation whereby men wil no longer get married. And from research, it shows the women are mostly the causes of broken marriages in naija and around d world. Do u hv a different view? Make your contributions known here.

Who did this unfounded research?

abstinence if you are not married.

jamaicangi:
What black man is US president?  I thought that a half-black man was president? 

Don't tell me that the brainwashing of the African Americans by white Americans is now reaching into the minds of Nigerians.

We (Blacks) should not believe in the one drop rule,

One drop rule is completely ridiculous!

Technology has broken down communication boundary in the globe and can speed up communication between relatives and loved ones, by simply logging onto any of the social networking sites like Facebook. One can rely on GPS or Google Maps for direction at far distance place, rather than calling up the hosts for directions and then losing your way. Worth mentioning is the telecommunications industry like cellphones and the like to further speed up communication, the internet for job browsing and keeping abreast with world news and . . . mention it, but the downside is the rise in addiction to the internet, a decline on face to face interaction and relationships.

Still, would you say that technology, like the internet, has complicated or simplied our lives?

Thieves!!!

not really a big deal, even Obama sends his daughters to private schools.

Blazay:
Hell no.
I'd rather relocate to a homeless shelter before I move back to Nigeria.
Heavens forbid.

You are not serious!