by AGuest 135 Replies latest watchtower bible
Religion is regarded by the common people as true, by the wise as false, and by rulers as useful.- Seneca the Younger (circa 4 B.C.E - 65 C.E)
NOTE THE DATE this still stands today!!!!!!
or maybe this God (should have been on post b4 this)
"And the Lord said to him, "Who has made man’s mouth? Or who makes him dumb or deaf, or seeing or blind? Is it not I, the Lord?" [Exodus 4:11. NT]
Religion is regarded by the common people as true, by the wise as false, and by rulers as useful.-
Awesome quote.
ash
It certainly was about the offering as well as, what was "in" Cain. Because of what was NOT in Cain is what drove him to offer what he did. Also, we certainly do know now the circumstances of what Cain didn't fix!! Cain's offer was very distinctive from Abel's because Abel brought the blood of his firstborn lamb. Abel knew that any work of his hand could not please God. While Cain brought the work of his hand. This is foreshadowing that works are not acceptable to God as an offering but only the blood of Christ is...the lamb of God. Christ shed His Holy blood for us so that we may have acceptance before God. It is the only way. Abel had Christ in him which led him to abey God's requirement for an acceptable offering. Cain did not. Christ has been from the beginning and it is noteable that in the OT there were others who knew Him. -- DJ
Interesting hypothesis. Too bad it's not supported by what the words ACTUALLY SAY.
You say that god was justified in his mistreatment of Cain because Cain didn't have the love of Christ in his heart FOUR THOUSAND YEARS BEFORE JESUS WAS BORN? Personally, I find that assumption on your part quite ridiculous.
If god was a bloodthirsty divinity who would be pleased only by the shedding of the blood of an animal, he should have made that clear. Did he? No record of him doing so IN THE SCRIPTURES.
Again: Cain was a farmer and as an offering to god brought what he had. God was wrong for rejecting it.
God was wrong for rejecting it.
ooooooh, you're gonna get it when god gets home!
I ain't skeered a no god. When he gets home, I'm gonna kick his ass.
When he gets home, I'm gonna kick his ass.
I'll bring the cheap booze and billyclubs! I'll be right there with ya. My first question will be to find out if he remembers ANY of my prayers. The intenisty of the beating will co-incide with that.
ash
Well, there was SO much added since I last posted... but may you all have peace. And may I ask that whatEVER your position... believe in God... don't believe in God... blame God... don't blame God... that you not let your DIFFERENCES cause you to be unkind and unloving? For what BENEFIT is there in that? YOU think YOU are "right"... another believes he or she is. However, if we leave off respect... what difference does it make whether you believe or not? Because in either case... you would be "wrong" in your dealing with one another.
Now, with that said, I will first respond to the definition of "faith" - it is NOT a "belief". I may BELIEVE... that it will rain to day, because I see some clouds. However, it might NOT rain; it might clear up, instead.
FAITH, however, is "the ASSURED EXPECTATION if the things HOPED for"...
in other words, you are CERTAIN that you WILL... RECEIVE... what you have HOPED for...
"the EVIDENT DEMONSTRATION... of REALITIES"
in other words there is EVIDENCE that has been DEMONSTRATED... to support the REALITY...
"though not BEHELD."
Which means... not SEEN or HEARD... with the PHYSICAL eyes or ears! When someone says, "Behold!"... aren't they saying "Look... and SEE"? Or "Hear that?"
Faith is RECEIVING... or KNOWING (not thinking, not hoping, not wishing, but KNOWING)... that you WILL receive... what you hoped or wished for... because by SOME means... it has been DEMONSTRATED to you that you WILL.
Hear... please... and get the sense of it. For WAY too long, folks have been taught, and thus believe... that faith... is "blind". It is NOT. People who have TRUE faith... KNOW in what they are putting their faith and KNOW what it is they are to receive... and KNOW that they WILL receive it.
Noah... although NO ONE else heard it... KNEW to build an Ark... and KNEW it was going to rain. HOW did he KNOW? Because... at SOME point... he was given an EVIDENT DEMONSTRATION. Is it recorded? Doesn't seem to be.
Moses... KNEW to lead Israel from Egypt. HOW did he KNOW? Well, HE says God spoke to him in the mountain, from a burning bush. Did anyone ELSE see or hear it? Nope. But... Pharaoh soon found put WHY Moses had faith.
Rahab... hid the spies. Why? Because she heard about what God had done with Israel... and didn't NEED to see it with her own EYES. She KNEW it was true!
And that... is why many do not have their prayers/questions answered: they LACK faith! They DOUBT. And the one who DOUBTS... should not suppose that he or she will receive ANYTHING. For DOUBT... is the OPPOSITE of faith... and FAITH is answered... while doubt... is ignored. That has been the case, since Day 1.
I bid you peace... and will move on to the next subject: Abel knowing Christ.
A slave of Christ,
SJ
And the above is why AGuest is the queen of arrogance.
It can never be that AGuest is loony, pimping loonier stories... no the answer is always that the rest of humanity has doubts, or is hypocritical, basically, isn't good enough.
Well Shelby, I never doubted till I was forced to.
btw, shelby ALL CAPS won't make your unsupported assertions any more than just that, unsupported assertions.
Have Christ in Him? Yes, he did. And peace to you all!
For Abel knew that it was only by means of eating from the "leaves" of the Tree (of Life), which "tree" IS Christ... the "true vine" and "root" of Jesse... could he live. Adam and Eve could not get back into the Garden. Nowhere, however, does it say that Abel could not "enter". As long as he went "through" the Christ... he, too, could enter. And thus, Abel WILL "live forever"... for he will be resurrected... to life.
John 6:51-53; 11:25; 15:1
Christ was in existence before even Abraham came into existence". Which is why Moses, who came AFTER Abraham, deemed the "reproach of the Christ" as riches GREATER "than the treasures of Egypt."
John 8:58; Hebrews 11:26
Again, I bid you peace.
A slave of Christ,
SJ
I suppose your version of God and mine are a bit different. I believe that a God who created "me" would know and accept the personality that "He" gave me, and would understand and be forgiving of my foibles. "He" could handle it if I got angry with "Him", because "He" is perfect and I am not. "He" could also handle it because "He" is supposedly the superlative and personified expression of love. If "He" cannot handle my anger, my blaming him for things that are beyond my control or any other petty little hissy fit that I might express (as a divine expression of the way "He" created imperfect lil ole me), then "He" isn't much of a "god", is "He"?
Now that isn't to say that I do not feel a sense of personal responsibility and accountability for my own actions, because I do. Very much so. But "God" should not be someone that I need to walk around on eggshells around - of ALL people in the universe - "God" is the ONE person I should be the MOST free to express myself with, and know that even if I get mad at "Him", or even say some pretty heated things to "Him" in my imperfect angry state of mind (doesn't happen often anymore, btw), that "He" will accept me as I am and still love me, regardless of how I feel about "Him" at any given moment.
As long as I am doing my personal best in all that I do, that should be enough to please "God". After all, "He" gave me whatever talents and abilities that I have to work with. When "God" starts expecting more of me than I am able to give, then it seems to me that I am on my way back to the KH.
Love, Scully (member of Ellipsis Anonymous, Canadian Chapter )
