Let me guess. The near-dead took a spiritual watch with him in the afterlife that is perfectly synchronized with the clock at the hospital. So, that they could compare the time those visions took place. Of course! You had those visions when your brain was flat-lining! Hallelujah.
A blinded skeptisim may be much worse. Time will tell, not too long to wait even; Maybe.
You are fee to live this life without consideration of the Spirit and that in my opinion is a iving death, to which is a lasting death.
I have found that connecting with the Spirit of all life, is living. When one embraces this life in the Spirit, that is actually what it is to be alive and one welcomes the birth into the worlds to come.
Since there is no evidence whatsoever of any spirit, I find it very easy to leave without consideration of them. Incidentally, I also find it easy to live without consideration of Mickey Mouse, Superman, garden fairies, Mother Goose, etc.
I have found that connecting with the Spirit of all life, is living. When one embraces this life in the Spirit, that is actually what it is to be alive and one welcomes the birth into the worlds to come.
Regards Tony
Actually Jesus worked within a liberal Pharisee paradigm but there's no way of knowing if he thought of himself as such. Paul, upon arrest, said "I am a Pharisee", which would have put him at odds with Jesus if Jesus wasn't one himself.
Basically, it was sort of a "family argument" by all indications, and they can be the worst.
I find since there was No 'family' argument about the ' 12 ' apostles which Paul never included himself among the '12' even though it was Matthias who replaced Judas. Paul was appointed as apostle to the 'nations'.
There was No 'family' argument when the Pharisee Gamaliel counseled against interfering with the work of Christians (Acts 5:34-39), and 'Pharisee Paul of Tarsus' became an apostle of Jesus - Acts of the Apostles 26:5; Philippians 3:5-8.
The above is what happens when one doesn't consider the context with the times and situations and also ignores the Law that Jesus said he would fulfill. Plus you ignored what's said and its implications in Romans 13:4.
If you looked up "Just War Theory", you would see that it only allows for defense, not offense, and even with that it's quite limited in other areas as well.
Again, I find Romans 13:4 is in harmony with Matthew 26:52; Revelation 13:10.
Christian subjection is in a relative subjection to God's absolute subjection - Acts of the Apostles 5:29
Misuse of God-given authority rests on the 'public servants ' and Not on Christians.
Man teaches that war equals freedom. In reality war equals capitalism.
To avoid being ' tainted ' it is man who makes heroes out of the military, thus absolving both civilians and military of any blame.
- Romans 12:19; Ecclesiastes 5:8
On the other hand, Christians 'do' expect to be well and happy in a 100 years.
Although that sounds out of the ordinary, we are all invited to pray the invitation of Revelation 22:20 for Jesus to come!
Come and bring the lasting benefits of Revelation 22:2 for the ' healing ' of earth's nations.
Come and bring the lasting healing benefits as described at Isaiah 35th chapter.
It's an analysis of what Jesus taught in the context of the times, the situation, and Jewish Law. Your response simply does not reflect any of that, thus is dangerously bogus because it allows innocent people to be decimated by aggressive forces, whether that be on the personal level or the societal level. Therefore, it does it not stand up to common sense nor common decency, plus it encourages self-centeredness (not willing to help others in need), which is the opposite of that which Jesus taught.
Anyhow, it is too much in error to take a particular verse(s) and not put it into context, which is that which any good theologian will do.Take care.
Yes, we want to put Matthew 26:52 and Revelation 13:10 in context. In context with Acts of the Apostles 5:29.
I find nothing self-centered about Jesus' teaching us about the good neighborly Samaritan.
We are all to widen out, broaden out, in being willing to help others in their time of need.
That Samaritan helped on a one-on-one basis as was needed even going that 'extra mile' so to speak.
- And, as also found at James 1:27 to help needy widows and orphans without being spotted up by the world.
On the other hand, Christians 'do' expect to be well and happy in a 100 years.
Although that sounds out of the ordinary, we are all invited to pray the invitation of Revelation 22:20 for Jesus to come!
Come and bring the lasting benefits of Revelation 22:2 for the ' healing ' of earth's nations.
Come and bring the lasting healing benefits as described at Isaiah 35th chapter.
Matthew 16:24 Then Jesus told his disciples, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. 25 For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will find it.26 For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world and forfeits his soul? what shall a man give in return for his soul?"
To be happy you must carry a cross. Matthew 16:24 Then Jesus told his disciples, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. 25 For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will find it.26 For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world and forfeits his soul? what shall a man give in return for his soul?"Regards Tony
'carry a cross' in that Christians would be hated (Matthew 10:22) just for being a Christian.
I find some people think of ' a cross to bear ' in meaning they have to endure a sickness.
One does Not ' pick up ' a sickness as in bending down to pick up something.
So, to ' carry a cross ' as the expression goes, means to bear up with being a Christian in an anti-Christian world.
Many give up being on the ' narrow road ' or 'narrow path ' leading to everlasting life.
Thus, they could end up forfeiting their soul, or life as a living soul, and end up a dead soul.
That is why Luke could write at Acts of the Apostles 3:23 that one's soul can be destroyed.
Christians are 'happy' because of access to prayer, Scripture and good uplifting association as Jesus promised.
I could be that prayer and fellowship are worthless without the cross. The cross being sacrifice of self to serve all others. The cross can have many other metaphorical meanings.
True Happiness is found in giving and sacrafice of self to all humanity. How else are the poor, destitute and needy helped?
I could be that prayer and fellowship are worthless without the cross. The cross being sacrifice of self to serve all others. The cross can have many other metaphorical meanings.
True Happiness is found in giving and sacrafice of self to all humanity. How else are the poor, destitute and needy helped?Regards Tony
I find 'many' look at sacrifice as just including the physical or material aspects of humanity.
Jesus did do physical /material acts, but the theme of his work was first ' spiritual healing '.
Jesus first priority was declaring God's kingdom of Daniel 2:44 over healing and feeding - Luke 4:43.
Declaring the good news of God's kingdom government because that is the overall solution for man's problems.
Sure, helping can give a person ' helper's high ' but that helping is a temporary fix. Jesus' coming fix is permanent.
So, Jesus set up his followers to be self-sacrificing to all humanity - Matthew 28:18-20; Matthew 24:14 - to the point that they would have the same self-sacrificing spirit as Jesus displays as per John 13:34-35.
That means they would tell the whole world about the good news of God's kingdom government coming.
Even modern technology has helped make possible rapid Bible translation so that now people even in remote areas of Earth can now have Scripture in their own mother tongue or native languages.
I find 'many' look at sacrifice as just including the physical or material aspects of humanity.
Jesus did do physical /material acts, but the theme of his work was first ' spiritual healing '.
Jesus first priority was declaring God's kingdom of Daniel 2:44 over healing and feeding - Luke 4:43.
Declaring the good news of God's kingdom government because that is the overall solution for man's problems.
Sure, helping can give a person ' helper's high ' but that helping is a temporary fix. Jesus' coming fix is permanent.
So, Jesus set up his followers to be self-sacrificing to all humanity - Matthew 28:18-20; Matthew 24:14 - to the point that they would have the same self-sacrificing spirit as Jesus displays as per John 13:34-35.
That means they would tell the whole world about the good news of God's kingdom government coming.
Even modern technology has helped make possible rapid Bible translation so that now people even in remote areas of Earth can now have Scripture in their own mother tongue or native languages.
God's Kingdom from the Father, the Comforter, says that deeds have always been what spiritual faith is all about.
The bible had reached the last continent in 1844. It was at that time that many saw that prophecy had been fulfilled. Given what happened in 1844, I woud agree with them.
I find since there was No 'family' argument about the ' 12 ' apostles which Paul never included himself among the '12' even though it was Matthias who replaced Judas. Paul was appointed as apostle to the 'nations'.
There was No 'family' argument when the Pharisee Gamaliel counseled against interfering with the work of Christians (Acts 5:34-39), and 'Pharisee Paul of Tarsus' became an apostle of Jesus - Acts of the Apostles 26:5; Philippians 3:5-8.
You really do not understand the liberal Pharisee paradigm that Jesus appears to have worked from, intentionally or coincidentally, and one of the names some theologians have given them is "Love Pharisees" since they put so much emphasis on the love ("agape") of God and people. This is also where Paul and the apostles were operating from, namely "the law of love".
Again, I find Romans 13:4 is in harmony with Matthew 26:52; Revelation 13:10.
Christian subjection is in a relative subjection to God's absolute subjection - Acts of the Apostles 5:29
Misuse of God-given authority rests on the 'public servants ' and Not on Christians.
Man teaches that war equals freedom. In reality war equals capitalism.
To avoid being ' tainted ' it is man who makes heroes out of the military, thus absolving both civilians and military of any blame.
- Romans 12:19; Ecclesiastes 5:8
To use one word for the above: "illogical". It defies common sense and common decency since taking such a position leaves innocent people, including children, totally at the mercy of tyrants.
Not every single problem can be handled "one-on-one", which is why Jesus mandated the "Church" ("Community"). Also, Jesus said he'd guide his Church until the end of time, thus sending the Holy Spirit in that context to the Church at Pentecost and also to us as individuals.
In general, the positions you take as we see above are largely anti-Torah in terms of going against the teachings of the OT, and it begs the question as why would God end up totally changing His mind whereas it says in Torah that anyone who teaches that the Law can be abandoned is a "false prophet"?
Jesus' approach on this was quite subtle, thus putting what he believed the intent of the Law was in simple terms-- "I will write the Law on your hearts".
"...The well-being of mankind, its peace and security, are unattainable unless and until its unity is firmly established. This unity can never be achieved so long as the counsels which the Pen of the Most High hath revealed are suffered to pass unheeded....."
Thus I see that says we have to turn back to Gods advice and Laws.
Man has various needs, but don't always get them.
For example, man needs to eat physically, otherwise he will die. Yet many are not eating, and they are dying.
I believe the same is true of man who does not believe he needs to pay heed to any god. The Bible says he will also die - an eternal death.
Do you think many atheist and other people will submit to God?
Even religious people don't submit to God. How much more so those that scoff at religion and God.
I agree with the Bible, which says, 'this unity can never be achieved by man, but the Prince of Peace will bring it about.
Isaiah 9:7 To the increase of his rulership And to peace, there will be no end, On the throne of David and on his kingdom In order to establish it firmly and to sustain it Through justice and righteousness, From now on and forever. The zeal of Jehovah of armies will do this.
Does Bahaullah teach this Bible message?
The evidence of man's track record is all around us, and it doesn't look good imo.
Have you read or heard about Vivisection, done by the Japanese scientist, - Japan's covert biological and chemical warfare research and development unit?
Unit 731 - Wikipedia
Thousands of men, women, children, and infants interned at prisoner of war camps were subjected to vivisection, often without anesthesia and usually ending with the death of the victim. Vivisections were performed on prisoners after infecting them with various diseases. Researchers performed invasive surgery on prisoners, removing organs to study the effects of disease on the human body. These were conducted while the patients were alive because it was thought that the death of the subject would affect the results.
Prisoners had limbs amputated in order to study blood loss. Those limbs that were removed were sometimes re-attached to the opposite sides of the body. Some prisoners had their stomachs surgically removed and the esophagus reattached to the intestines. Parts of organs, such as the brain, lungs, and liver, were removed from some prisoners. Imperial Japanese Army surgeon Ken Yuasa suggests that the practice of vivisection on human subjects (mostly Chinese communists) was widespread even outside Unit 731, estimating that at least 1,000 Japanese personnel were involved in the practice in mainland China.
Germ warfare attacks
Prisoners were injected with diseases, disguised as vaccinations, to study their effects. To study the effects of untreated venereal diseases, male and female prisoners were deliberately infected with syphilis and gonorrhoea, then studied. Prisoners were also repeatedly subject to rape by guards.
Plague fleas, infected clothing and infected supplies encased in bombs were dropped on various targets. The resulting cholera, anthrax, and plague were estimated to have killed at least 400,000 Chinese civilians. Tularemia was tested on Chinese civilians.
Unit 731 and its affiliated units (Unit 1644 and Unit 100 among others) were involved in research, development and experimental deployment of epidemic-creating biowarfare weapons in assaults against the Chinese populace (both civilian and military) throughout World War II. Plague-infected fleas, bred in the laboratories of Unit 731 and Unit 1644, were spread by low-flying airplanes upon Chinese cities, including coastal Ningbo in 1940, and Changde, Hunan Province, in 1941. This military aerial spraying killed thousands of people with bubonic plague epidemics.
It is possible that Unit 731's methods and objectives were also followed in Indonesia, in a case of a failed experiment designed to validate a synthesized tetanus toxoid vaccine.
Instead of being tried for war crimes after the war, the researchers involved in Unit 731 were secretly given immunity by the U.S. in exchange for the data they gathered through human experimentation. Other researchers that the Soviet forces managed to arrest first were tried at the Khabarovsk War Crime Trials in 1949. The Americans did not try the researchers so that the information and experience gained in bio-weapons could be co-opted into the U.S. biological warfare program, as had happened with German researchers in Operation Paperclip.
Sure, maybe they will turn back to God's advice and laws. Just wait for it.
There is too much to discuss in this one post, so I started with your final question.
This is for you to decide, but we have a lot to consider about bible prophecy and the way man has interpreted it. I ask when has man ever embraced a New Message from God safe in their current thoughts? Have not all previous Messages shown how man had strayed far from the teachings, all the while they are thinking they have it right? Why is our age going to be any different, especially given the warnings in all of the Holy Scriptures.
Thus it is safe to say, we did not get it right and the appearance of Christ as promised, will repeat the need for us to change our views.
I covered that in a separate post above
I have come to see the bible in a different light and see no reason why the Lords Prayer does not indicate this.
There is so much in your post. I am happy to chat about it all, but need to break it down as unfortunately I run out of time.
Peace be with you and may you always be well and happy, regards Tony
Surely Bahais are included in that phrase "we have a lot to consider about bible prophecy and the way man has interpreted it", because they are men, and not god - Bahaullah included.
When considering a new message, we give consideration to where that message comes from, but I don't want to discuss these matters on this thread, so perhaps another time this may come up.
I see this advice as being alive in the spirit and not allowing the world to dominate thoughts and actions, not that we are not to live in and partake of what the world offers.
God gave this world to humans to rule over with Love and Justice to all living things. Thus Gods kingdom on earth as it is in heaven, is to rise to this spiritual calling and implement all of Gods advice and laws in our lives, always in remembrance of God and His Messengers.
Thus God gave us rule of the earth but our hearts are God's.
I see that Baha'u'llah has given this system as promised. It is up to the world now to implement a just rule and again become mindful of what God has given when undertaking that rule.
Which leaves me with a big question mark. How exactly will peace and security be achieved, according to Bahais? ...and even bigger ones. Are Bahais really not mixing religion with politics... Really?How really do Bahais believe world peace and security will be achieved?Do you believe God will use man-made government yo bring it about, or God's government in the habds of Christ - Daniel 2:44, 45; 7:13, 14, 27; Isaiah 9:6, 7; Psalms 2?
Concerning The Baha’is, the United Nations and Universal Peace
Quote... "The global fear induced by the invention and first use of nuclear weapons evoked Abdu’l-Baha’s prescient predictions in North America that ultimately peace would come because the nations would be driven to accept it. Baha’is understand that the United Nations is far from perfect, and will require significant further evolution before it can match Baha’u’llah’s great vision of a unified world governing body." Unquote
It seems Bahaullah's vision is a political one. How is this not true?
Proponents of world government offer distinct reasons for why it is an ideal of political organization. Some are motivated negatively and see world government as the definitive solution to old and new human problems such as war and the development of weapons of mass destruction, global poverty and inequality, and environmental degradation. More positively, some have advocated world government as a proper reflection of the unity of the cosmos, under reason or God.
I'm really not sure of your position on this, so can you help me out please?
Particularly the big questions in maroon. Thanks.
Today, yes, some do submit. During the millennium, yes, some likely will. Evidently some likely won't today, or tomorrow. However that's not my jurisdiction.
