Last I heard, God was alive and well and living in Mexico City.
If you see him, please tell him I said "Hey," and remind him that he owes me money...
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Finding God
- Thread starter Thief
- Start date
If you see him, please tell him I said "Hey," and remind him that he owes me money...
Do you have a big picture Thief? Is there a reason why the Spirit that is God placed us here on this material earth?
If God created angels (as spirit creatures) to live with him in heaven, why did he put us in a material realm?
NoGuru
Don't be serious. Seriously
Clarify "in the darkness."
If you mean by staring into a dark room and God jumps out like Zoolander, then nay! If you mean by experiencing the vast silence and expanse within yourself, I could get on board with this.
I believe anyone earnestly looking for something is going to find it. We each find that something, even the same something, in all sorts of places.
Acts 17: 24-27
God that made the world and all things therein, seeing that he is Lord of heaven and earth, dwelleth not in temples made with hands. Neither is worshiped with men's hands, as though he needed any thing, seeing he giveth to all life, and breath, and all things. And hath made of one blood all nations of men for to dwell on all the face of the earth, and hath determined the times before appointed, and the bounds of their habitation. That they should seek the Lord, if haply they might feel after him, and find him, though he be not far from every one of us:
_____
You can't wait for your ship to come in, you need to swim out and pull it into shore.
Thief
Rogue Theologian
i suspect.....cannot prove....
Forming spirit from spirit has a limitation.
in the big picture...God would be talking to Himself
when He first said I AM!
and being in more than one place at one time is talking to your reflection
there was nothing else to work with but the substance He had made
so here we are....and this form is a blend of substance and spirit
a unique spirit on each occasion.
Thief
Rogue Theologian
Clarify "in the darkness."
Acts 17: 24-27
God that made the world and all things therein, seeing that he is Lord of heaven and earth, dwelleth not in temples made with hands. Neither is worshiped with men's hands, as though he needed any thing, seeing he giveth to all life, and breath, and all things. And hath made of one blood all nations of men for to dwell on all the face of the earth, and hath determined the times before appointed, and the bounds of their habitation. That they should seek the Lord, if haply they might feel after him, and find him, though he be not far from every one of us:
_____
Before the creation of light.....there was darkness
God was there
see Genesis
NoGuru
Don't be serious. Seriously
I've seen it, and read the multiple replies to that effect. 
It's just such a reversal of what we typically think. Not saying you're wrong by any means and I'm a bit of a joker.
Your post reminded me of the old story of the astronaut who came back from space and said something to the effect of "I met God, she's black." The great nothingness, and void, the spaces between.
It's certainly an interesting proposition.
It's just such a reversal of what we typically think. Not saying you're wrong by any means and I'm a bit of a joker.
Your post reminded me of the old story of the astronaut who came back from space and said something to the effect of "I met God, she's black." The great nothingness, and void, the spaces between.
It's certainly an interesting proposition.
I remember a time I was also lonely and depressed just sitting in the dark. I can imagine how lonely He must have felt for God knows how long. I'm glad He managed to shake it off, turn on the lights and make Himself some playmates He could order about and do with whatever He likes.
Do you really place limitations on the Creator? God first created millions of spirit sons in heaven, so his material creation was a complete departure from his creation in the spirit realm.
As was pointed out once before, God never said "I AM". His name means "I Will Be" or "Become".
It is a statement of his intent, not of his existence.
He will 'become' whatever he needs to be to fulfill his purpose. (Isaiah 55:11)
Really? You believe that he is everywhere? (omnipresent?) Jesus gave him a location..."Our Father who art in Heaven"
God is omniscient (all knowing) but nowhere is he said to be "omnipresent".
As a material being, made in God's image and likeness, that doesn't mean that we are each a direct creation of the Father.
Having a spiritual side to our nature sets us apart from the animals. Our spirituality makes it possible for us to worship, which is something animals do not have, yet they share the same air and environment as we do. Not one of them worships their Creator like we do. God's spirit can guide us in the right way if we are receptive to it.....but the devil can hijack our spirit if we stray from the path that God has set for us. Obedience to all of his commands is a necessary requirement for salvation.
Jeremiah 23:24 "Can a man hide himself in secret places so that I cannot see him? declares the Lord. Do I not fill heaven and earth? declares the Lord."
Belief in the omnipresence of God was nothing new in Jesus' day. When the Jews dispersed and scattered, they were far from the Temple, which was central to their worship. The easiest way to get around that was to make God omnipresent.
The Pharisees reasoned that since “God was everywhere, He could be worshiped both in and outside the Temple, and was not to be invoked by sacrifices alone. They thus fostered the synagogue as a place of worship, study, and prayer, and raised it to a central and important place in the life of the people which rivaled the Temple.” (Encyclopaedia Judaica.)
An understanding of the nature of God is important since many faiths have their own slant on what the scriptures are telling us about Him.
The New Catholic Encyclopedia for example, refers to God as the one “who is actually present in all existing places and things.” Likewise, John Wesley, founder of the Methodist Church, wrote a sermon entitled “On the Omnipresence of God” in which he stated that “there is no point of space, whether within or without the bounds of creation, where God is not.”
So, what does the Bible teach? Is God omnipresent, existing in all places in heaven, on earth, and even in humankind at the same time?
Actually, the Bible speaks of God as having a specific place of dwelling—the heavens. It records a prayer of King Solomon in which he called upon God: “May you yourself listen from the heavens, your established place of dwelling.” (1 Kings 8:43) As already mentioned, when teaching his disciples how to pray, Jesus Christ told them to address their prayers to “Our Father who art heaven” (Matthew 6:9)
After his resurrection, Christ entered “into heaven itself, now to appear before the person of God,” (Hebrews 9:24)
These verses clearly indicate that God dwells, not everywhere, but only in heaven. What do humans actually know about heaven? Only very basic snatches from the little that is given us in scripture. There is nothing in scripture to indicate that the ancient Jews believed that their God was omnipresent.
Thief
Rogue Theologian
I AM.....was ....is ...and shall always be.....
a statement of existence.
most people believe God is omnipresent
and without a physical body....could well be
and the kingdom of heaven is within you
so it is written
that we are separate from God is temporary
for those who understand.....the kingdom is within us
and the separation could prove permanent for those not 'intending' to be 'there'
i believe we end up with others who think and feel as we do
How else to be happy?
How else to be fair?
Since Yahweh is the one who revealed is name to humans who already knew that he existed, his name means more than that.
As confirmed by the Jewish understanding of the divine name, YHWH is the causative form, the imperfect state, of the Heb. verb ha·wahʹ (be or become); meaning “He Causes to Be or Become”].
The same Greek expression at Exodus 3:14 (from the Greek Septuagint Version, the translation that was often quoted by the apostles in the first century C.E.) reads, e·goʹ ei·miʹ ho Ohnʹ, “I am the Being.” This is quite different from the simple use of the words e·goʹ ei·miʹ (I am) at John 8:58 and in many other verses. In the book of John alone this expression is used 400 times and applies to people other than Jesus.
The verb ei·miʹ, at John 8:58, is evidently in the historical present, as Jesus was speaking about himself in relation to Abraham’s past. Numerous translators indicate this in their renderings. For example, An American Translation reads: “I existed before Abraham was born!”
God is not most people. Jesus gave him a location and who would know better than him?
Again this is a mistranslation of the original text. Without context this is misleading.
What was Jesus telling those Pharisees? That the kingdom was in their wicked hearts?
Matthew 15:3-9:
To the Pharisees Jesus said....“Why do you overstep the commandment of God because of your tradition?.....you have made the word of God invalid because of your tradition. You hypocrites, Isaiah aptly prophesied about you when he said: ‘This people honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far removed from me. It is in vain that they keep worshipping me, for they teach commands of men as doctrines.’”
There is no way that Jesus was telling those men what you believe he said.
When he said "the Kingdom of God is within you" (Luke 17:21) he was saying that as the King of God's kingdom, he was there "in their midst" which is how the NASB renders that verse. The kingdom is a real government which will rule from heaven over earthly subjects. He chose those who would rule with him and he went to 'prepare a place for them' in heaven.
Be where? The kingdom will rule over redeemed mankind. It was God's original purpose to have a perfect race of faithful and obedient children living forever in paradise conditions on earth. Adam messed that up with one disobedient act, unleashing sin and death into human experience. Do you understand that if Adam had remained obedient under test as Jesus did, there would have been no need of a redeemer, no need for a kingdom, no need for any human to go to heaven and no need for any human to get old, to suffer and to die.
This is a trait for humans to gather with those of like mind. The trouble is, we also gather with those who are dead wrong if we agree with them. It is God's way of finding out what is in our hearts. We are telling him all about ourselves every day, so that when the judgment comes, no one will be able to tell God that they made a mistake. If we made a choice, it was because that is where we wanted to be without coercion.
Humans almost always need reinforcement to follow a certain path. Because we have a tendency to run with the crowd, it is a challenge to stop and take stock of where we are and ask ourselves how God feels about us and our activity, goals and ambitions. If our lives reflect a religious faith, how closely does that faith stick to the teachings of Christ? Have we been led to believe false doctrines and to practice false religious festivals because everyone else is doing it?
Origins matter to God and we have to remember that He was around to observe the originals. If a festival was originally dedicated to a false deity, then we have no business adopting it and carrying on its customs.
If a belief was introduced after the death of Christ and his apostles, then we have to question its origins. If Christ did not teach it, we have to reject it no matter how many people accept it. Its never been about the numbers.....and its never been about individuals either.
In a world ruled by the devil, nothing is as it seems. (1 John 5:19)
Thief
Rogue Theologian
this was all you needed to post^
SpiritQuest
The Immortal Man
Yes, Jesus said to go into your closet (inner space) to pray. When your eye is single then your body shall be full of light. From darkness to light.
Thief
Rogue Theologian
SpiritQuest
The Immortal Man
When you seek, then you will find out what happens. I cannot tell you.
Shadow Wolf
Certified People sTabber
I didn't find god in the darkness, but during my darkest days I discovered my former god was false.
Thief
Rogue Theologian
Thief
Rogue Theologian
are you still looking?
is there Someone Greater?.....that you call upon
Shadow Wolf
Certified People sTabber
Nope. I'm too busy learning about and enjoying the Earth and Life. And if there is a god who created us and this world for us, I can only assume that this entity would delight in our lustful curiosity to learn about this creation, explore it, and derive pleasure from it. Much like the pleasure an artist derives when the audience enjoys a created work of art.
I'm only human. If I ever overcome the inherent shortcomings and flaws that implies, I'll get back to you on that question.