Posts by Raphael

30

Son of God vs.God

by Mazzie Brossmann in

does anyone know how many religons believe jesus was the son of god rather than god in human form?

those of you who are still christians, do any of you now believe jesus is god?.

Raphael

Reniaa,

Provided you are not a Jehovahs Witness, I agree with much of your reasoning .

I went from being a Jehovahs Witness , to an Evangelical trintarian Christian and now simply a Christian who refuses to be labled.

While I nolonger share the Witness views on Christ , I also do not share many of the Evangelical view either.

I think we need to watch we are not so sidetracked by debating the trinity , we actually forget about glorifying , praising and honouring Christ .

For me Jesus is the living son of God , and now partakes of the divine nature . He sits at the fathers right hand in glory - this glory conferred on him by God ( not shared) As God does not share his Glory with anyone . Also the fullness of God dwelling in Christ , does not make him God anymore than God in dwelling in every believer makes us God . Jesus is the perfect image/reflection of his Father God , just as Adam also called Gods son was before the fall. We have the same opportunity to become Gods sons and daughters , and to also be glorified alongside the his only begotten SON.

34

Am I a trinitarian ?

by PSacramento in

Raphael

One either accepts the doctrine of the Trinity or there can be no salvation , for those who cannot and will not believe - there is only one fate - eternal torment in the lake of fire ...

11

Walsh Trial questions.

by Fatfreek in

i've pasted a portion of the transcript below.

my question is in regard to the identity of the q. and the a. persons.

is the q = to covington or clyde?

Raphael

DEUTERONOMY 18:22 COMES TO MIND :

When a prophet speaks in the name of the LORD, if the thing does not come about or come true, that is the thing which the LORD has not spoken. The prophet has spoken it presumptuously; you shall not be afraid of him

52

Jesus as Michael

by Kphoto in

let me start by stating that i'm not a jehovah's witness but have family who have been discussing it with me and i am hoping for a better answer than i have gotten thus far.

i can find no scriptural backing for jesus being the arch-angel michael.

in fact i find things that seem to show me that they are two distinctly different beings.

Raphael

The Bible Students have a very insightful discussion on the topic - worth reading.

http://godandson.reslight.net/michael.html

The conclusion I have reached is that , we may all differ on who Michael is and that is fine, I dont believe God will zap anyone with a bolt of lightning should they be wrong either way.

Shalom ;-)

52

Jesus as Michael

by Kphoto in

let me start by stating that i'm not a jehovah's witness but have family who have been discussing it with me and i am hoping for a better answer than i have gotten thus far.

i can find no scriptural backing for jesus being the arch-angel michael.

in fact i find things that seem to show me that they are two distinctly different beings.

Raphael

Hi Lilly,

I prefer not be dogmatic about these sorts of issues, as dogmatism leads to religiosity which I abhor. The Watchtower denied freedom of thought and theology and most institutionalised religions have fallen into the same trap. True spirituality does not concern itself with dogma. We are invited into relationship with Yaweh and his son Yeshua "John 17:3" what defines that relationship is as the lord Yeshua taught love .

52

Jesus as Michael

by Kphoto in

let me start by stating that i'm not a jehovah's witness but have family who have been discussing it with me and i am hoping for a better answer than i have gotten thus far.

i can find no scriptural backing for jesus being the arch-angel michael.

in fact i find things that seem to show me that they are two distinctly different beings.

Raphael

"in an effort to hide this fact this scripture has been tampered with in some Bibles such as the NWT. It translates this verse “May Jehovah rebuke you” instead of the “Lord”. There is no support in the early Greek Manuscripts for inserting the name Jehovah here and this is shown even in the Kingdom Interlinear Translation of Greek Scriptures distributed by the Watchtower Bible & Tract Society . (See page 1055 for the Greek translation of Jude 9). The original Greek translates this verse as “Lord” (Jesus), not Jehovah. "

The above is an incorrect assumption as it is likely Peter was quoting from a Jewish apocraphyl book , writen before the time of Christ and therfore the "lord" in Jude 9 could in all reality be in reference to Yaweh and not Yeshua.

A number of evangelical christians also believe Michael is Christ and the issue is in fact one of semantics as follows:

the Baptist evangelist Charles Spurgeon [10] and the Presbyterian Commentary author Matthew Henry, [11] who believe that the Archangel Michael is not an angel but is instead the uncreated, divine Son of God. In this view "archangel" means "head of the angels" rather than "head angel," and is a title similar to "Prince of the host." (Daniel 8:11

Personally I believe that Michael the Archangel , does have reference to Jesus and that this in no way diminishes his deity , but affirms it - Jesus has the power to become whatever he needs to to . In some way it is similar to Prince Charles or the Queen , who both hold numerous titles including military titles and are considered heads of various organisations , yet still remain Royalty .I dont think we should get too hung up on this issue , ultimately we will only know for certain , when Christ returns - and all things are reveled. It is not an issue that effect s salvation- having a relationship with God the father and Jesus does !

45

If you could travel anywhere in the world.

by reneeisorym in

my husband and i decided to go somewhere next year -- anywhere in the world.

consider we live in america and have never been ouside of america.

(well -- jamaca/caimen islands but that doesn't really count!

Raphael

I spent a number of years living in South Africa and it is a stunningly beautiful country , despite it's many socio-economic and politcal problems. I had to do my community service in Durban as I was still an active JW at the time and with compulsory millitary conscription the only alternative to prison was community service . I spent 4 years working as a youth counsellor - loved travelling all over Kwa-Zulu Natal into remote countryside meeting amazing young people and visiting some beautiful places - fond memories and would give it a thumbs up for any adventurous travellers.

Living in Europe now and one of my favourite places is the south coast of France, Nice is an excellent base with easy access to Monaco and the beautiful towns of Antibe and Cannes, and if visiting London first only a 2 hour flight away.

10

THE NATURE OF MAN

by Raphael in

just out of intertest , thought i'd start a discussion on the nature of man/woman i.e is there a dichotomy between spirit and body or are we the sum of all these parts i.e body + spirit + mind and also what is the intermediate state of spirit and soul between between death and resurrection ?

and if there is a dichotomy between body and spirit , at what point does the spirit enter the body prior to birth?...

.

Raphael

Thanks FD, I would have to agree with you entirely if we are simply a product of evolution, howevr I am a creationist although believe that God is the source of various evolutionary processes , particularly in relation to the animal and floral kingdoms and has endowed humans with the ability to adapt to various environments etc - although this could be developed further in another discussion

10

THE NATURE OF MAN

by Raphael in

just out of intertest , thought i'd start a discussion on the nature of man/woman i.e is there a dichotomy between spirit and body or are we the sum of all these parts i.e body + spirit + mind and also what is the intermediate state of spirit and soul between between death and resurrection ?

and if there is a dichotomy between body and spirit , at what point does the spirit enter the body prior to birth?...

.

Raphael

yeah , thanks - meant hard wired ;-)

10

THE NATURE OF MAN

by Raphael in

just out of intertest , thought i'd start a discussion on the nature of man/woman i.e is there a dichotomy between spirit and body or are we the sum of all these parts i.e body + spirit + mind and also what is the intermediate state of spirit and soul between between death and resurrection ?

and if there is a dichotomy between body and spirit , at what point does the spirit enter the body prior to birth?...

.

Raphael

Thanks for your answers guys, I think there is truth in both your points of view , It seems logical that the spirit and body are configured or hard wired for want of a better expression at the moment of conception and for me that would mean interdependent in every way (perhaps this is what David meant when he spoke of all his parts being "knit together "in his mothers womb) ?

So can the spirit be concious without the body or a body ? I think not , I say this because it seems they are interdependent , the spirit could be likened to the essence of our being, however it requires the body as a vehicle, through which to find expression, so in other words my body is the physical reflection of my spirit and working together they make me a living soul - so my body and spirit are intrinsic to one another by their very nature , one cannot exist without the other - any thoughts ?

And adding to that , the earthly nature of my body is obviously required in order for me to experience life on this physical plane of existence.