What do you think of predestination? Gods absolute soverignty? Please cite spefic passages?
148380
Read the passage in Exodus about the ten curses.  It mentioned 10 times that God hardened Pharon's heart and 10 times Pharon hardened his heart.  So God has the soverignty but choose to allow men to decide.
94769
God shedding His wonderful grace on you and despite circumstances finally seeing the truth. It is nothing of your own power but of Gods mercy and grace. He chose us before the foundations of the Earth.\n\nEyelovesJesus: You are so sweet! God bless!
623792
The Post Tribulation Rapture (catching away) is very much what the Bible teaches us. Jesus said AFTER those days of tribulation he would come (See Matthew ch.24).\n\nThe Apostle Paul makes it 100% clear in his letter to the Thessalonians in that the man of Perdition must first be revealed before Jesus comes.., [2 Thessalonians 2:1-12]\n\nAnd in the Book of Revelation is more coverage.\nREVELATION 13:7, tells us that the Antichrist is given power to make war against the saints.\n\nREVELATION chapter 20 verses 4-6 also makes a surprising statement. Read about the resurrection of the dead in verse 5.\n\nThe Book of Daniel also mentions this man of perdition having power to kill the saints.  The Pre-Tribulation Rapture is a work of "wishful thinking" with an assumption that God would pay more favor to the Gentiles over the Jews.\n\nThe Apostle Paul said of good things and bad things have an order - FIRST to the Jews - THEN - to the Gentiles, and not the other way around.\n\nTo say Jesus will come before the Antichrist is calling not just the Apostle Paul a liar (read 2nd Thessalonians.), but calling Christ a liar too (read Matthew ch.24).\n\nSome preacher dude started the pretrib thought and it was the Devil.  Please note that the Bible Says the Antichrist comes first.  MUSLIMS believe their Mahdi will arrive with Jesus in tow to convince Christians that this Mahdi (who is actually the Antichrist) is the true anointed one.\n\nIn light of the Mahdi's coming ahead of Christ - Many PreTrib believers will fall for  this ruse.., as this Mahdi and his false Jesus (false prophet) will explain (twist) the scriptures and quote the Quran to make sense and magically fill in the blanks.\n\nI am firm in my belief that the Pretribulation idea works to the advantage of Islam.  Can you imagine the horrible mistake of falling for the Antichrist's ruse - accepting him as messiah - Then when Jesus comes, to fight against Jesus ignorantly thinking Jesus is the Antichrist!?\n\nThe sad thing is - once anyone accepts the Mahdi, bowing to him and accepting his mark of homage.., its too late. The Bible says there is no forgiveness for blasphemy of the Holy Spirit. Calling Jesus the Antichrist IS Blasphemy of the Holy Spirit -seeing Jesus maintained that His spirit will be sent to us from the father -  The Spirit of Christ is the Holy Ghost.\n\nBut we all have decisions to make. Only the sincere who remain faithful will make it.
484255
I find it very depressing.  Without a God, there is no absolute moral standard.  The only morals are what people and society "feel" is right or wrong, which change with every generation.  Also, if there were no God, and after we die there is nothing...then what is the point of life?  Why not just run out and murder and rape and do whatever you feel like?  Very good question.  I'm glad I am assured that I have eternal life thanks to my Savior Jesus Christ, and that I have an absolute moral standard to live by...the Bible.
1130194
It boils down to 2 things for me, how does one reconcile omnipotence, omnibenevolence and omniscience with this world and the life on it. And, why are there so many billions of people living in entire, huge countries whose culture has nothing remotely like the xian god and jesus. Here is a post I did before on the topic:\n\nBecause I look at what life was like for human beings for the past 40,000 years (maybe 6,000 for you). People lived for an average of 30-40 years. More than 50% of children died before age one (until about 100 years ago!). I look at thousands of children permanently blinded by parasites they get from playing in creeks in underdeveloped countries.\n\nThen I look at children of modern developed countries, of any religion. I see that they live until their EIGHTIES!! Have all their teeth for a very long time. Have excellent health, etc... And I see that this has nothing to do with religion or god. It is medicine and science. So was it god's plan that hundreds of generations of people would suffer and die in their 40's and suddenly in the 19th and 20th century, everything would get better?\n\nThat's nothing other than sadistic.\n\nI also look at all the different gods and interpretations of these gods for the past 4,000-5,000 years. I see how silly it is to point to one religion in the roman era and say "Ah, THIS is the correct one!"\n\nI also posted this in answer to that question:\n* The bible has many contradictions\n* The bible shows the OT god to be violent and bloodthirsty. He also kills thousands of children.\n* For thousands of years, man has had a lifespan of 30-40 years. 100 years ago in the US, 50% of children died before age 1. Modern medicine has greatly reduced this. During eras in western history when the catholic church was in charge and belief in god and church attendance was required, this did not change. So prayer seems not to have been the answer.\n* The history of religions and gods seems to show that man has no consistent image or view of what god is or does.\n* The bible is open enough to interpretation that if you walked into a church and asked 3 people questions about the bible or god's will, you would get probably 8 different answers.\n* People kill each other in god's name every day and he apparently does nothing to stop it.\n* 50% of conceptions do not result in birth\n* 1 in 8 pregnancies result in twins and one twin is eventually reabsorbed.\n* Children are born with no brains, with no limbs, retarded, blind.\n* Children go blind from parasites every day, children suffer asthma, and other diseases\n\nNotice I focus on CHILDREN, not adults so please don't tell me that millions of children are dying b/c god wants us to have free will. These children barely have free will yet and toddlers don't have it at all.
293972
I do my very best to put Him before anything else.  I do love God.  Feel free to contact me through the link on my profile page.  Praise God!!\n\nI also put verses and thoughts out there on my 360 page.  As soon as the link is restored by Yahoo (for some reason everyone's link to their 360 page has been removed) you should check them out and see what you think..I would love some feedback on them.  I only started them a few days ago, so there aren't many.
915187
Your final destination (heaven or hell) was determined by God before the earth was created.\nEphesians 1: 4-11 .....he chose us in him before the creation of the world...he predestined us...in accordance with his pleasure and will....having been predestined according to his  plan...\nAlso - John 6: 44 & 65; Acts 13:48; Romans 3:10,11, Romans 8:5-14 & 27-30; Romans 9: 11-24; 1 Corinthians 1: 18-31; Ephesians 2: 1-10; Titus 3:5; 2 Thessalonians 2: 11-14; 1 Peter 1: 1,2; 1 Peter 2: 8,9.
1171424
i believe that as god giveth us life he also can taketh away.. and it says in the bible that all of us will die here on earth.. our souls goes back to god who gave it, and one day all will rise and we will  be held accountable for our lives here on earth...i do not think we will know the day, time or hour, but we should be prepared to meet our lord now.. there are signs in the bible and i believe are all coming to pass...but i think we should try and strive to live a moral life.. and john 3 16 says that whosoever believeth in me shall have eternal life...god has a purpose for all of his creation.. and i think he gives us choices here on earth..i know that living a christian life will not always be easy and it is not a bed or roses.. but at the end i think that we will be very happy when we reach the other side...the road to heaven is narrow and the road to hell is very wide...meaning those that think they can steal,kill, destroy, lie, and live immoral lives are living the lives of satan, and will not enter the kingdom of god.. we all make mistakes but we ask the lord to forgive us.. i think that if we seek the lord through prayer and his word he is there to help us in our time of sorrow.. i do not understand the atheist and those that deny our lord...god bless you and i hope this helped you... and thank you for the question for i can tell how i feel about our lord jesus christ....
471756
Well friend,\nI am a christian.\nAnd this is what that verse means to me.\n\nThe main problem with christians is that they always like to read such verses from a worldy perspective ignoring the spiritual aspect of it.\n\nLook at the begining it mentions of future and hope. Thats what we should be aiming for NOT earthly fortunes or satisfactions.\n\nSeeking the Lord comes with calling upon our Lord as well as praying to Him NOT just sitting around and trying to "argue" out things in your mind. Honesty is important here.\n\nNow consider, the phrase...\n"will restore your fortunes and gather you from all the nations and all the places where I have driven you, says the LORD, and I will bring you back to the place from which I sent you into exile."\n\nSome people like to take the that and say, Hey, God will bless me!!\nIt is true but does it mention necessarily EARTHLY blessings? No. I believe its more spiritual blessings that you will inherit one day in the afterlife. For the spiritual blessings are eternal as opposed to the temporary blessings on earth.\n\nWell, dont seek after earthly things as others do, these are all vanity.\n\nAs for me,\n"Jesus is enough"\nNothing else I want.\n\nRegards
463442
I think there's a lot to be said for the ideas - in books like Dallas Willard's "Divine Conspiracy" and NT Wright's new one "Simply Christian" that we will have a job to do in the afterlife.\n\nIn other words, I think we will be, in some sense, responsible for the new creation. I'm thinking, in terms of Bible references, of places where Jesus tells the parable of the talents, or where Paul talks about people getting in "as through fire." \n\nNT Wright is very interesting to read in this regard. He points out that many of the references to the afterlife hint at us being brought back to a renewed earth, with the New Jerusalem almost being lowered down to this earth - this renewed creation. It sounds weird to you, I am sure, if you are used to thinking of the afterlife as our soul going up to Heaven. But if you read the Bible with this new way of looking at it, so much makes sense.\n\nSo, I think that, based on what we do here, how long we are Christians and what we do with that time we are given, we will have more or less responsibility for God's creation after death. Remember, Jesus' woe sayings - he hinted that it works that way in Hell, as well. He basically hints that there are layers, or degrees of both punishment and reward. That's how I see it.
455537
I have many favorites, but this one really stands out to me.\n\nHebrews 11:3\n\n"By faith we understand that the universe was formed at God's command, so that what is seen was not made out of what was visible."\n\nI really like this verse because it shows that our faith in God is not visible, but we still trust and believe in it.  Not all things are visible, but we always rely that they are there.  Oxygen and air, for example, are not visible yet we breathe the fresh air we intake into our lungs in order to survive every day.  \nWe need the breath of God in order to live fully.
786046
Tough question.  And the source of many a paradox and dilemma "question".\n\nIf, on one hand, God DOES know in advance, then there's argument that predestination is in play.\n\nIf, on the other hand, God does NOT know in advance, then how can He be all knowing and all powerful?\n\nMy sincere answer to your question is that I don't know, and I don't believe that it matters either way.
414198
I think I know what you are saying... it has been my thought too... but with a different final conclusion....life can be hell..we can all go through persecution and our own battles of armagedon. It feel like god has left us....\n\nthe scripture also says he who endures to the end will be saved.. it also says to the church of smyrna (church of martyrs) and the church of philadelphia (weak, suffering but faithful) that they will be kept from the hour of temptation that will come upon all the earth.  The marytyrs will already be dead, and the philadephians will be raptured. Everyone else in the church will have to go through their own tribulation, and be tested, since they avoided it earlier.\n\nSo my viewpoint is that if we are willing to go through tribulation for our faith now, we will be spared from the great tribulation that is to come in the near future. Everyone has to be tested for their faithfulness...\n\nif you are suffering now, your hope is in your heavenly reward to come, and the promise that you will be taken out before the world plunges into total wickedness.
1094420
"the present heavens(universe) and earth by His(God's) word are being reserved for fire, kept for the day of judgment and destruction of ungodly men...the day of the Lord will come like a thief, in which the heavens will pass away with a roar and the elements will be destroyed with intense heat, and the earth and its works will be burned up." (2 Peter 3)\n\nIn light of God's revelation, we should be investing in and looking for new heavens and a new earth in which righteousness dwells.
452572
Show me the verse where it says that your life down to the minute is predetermined. The Bible says that the hairs on your head are numbered, and this is in reference to how much God pays attention to you, not to how he planned how much hair you would have. There are several verses and passages in the Bible that hint at something - God is not omniscient (all knowing) in the way humans have made Him out to be. For example - He will forget our sins, He told Abraham that NOW He knew that Abraham truly feared God, He will tell some on judgement day "I never knew you." Is he all-powerful - yes, in that He can do anything that is good (he cannot, for example, lie). If He is all powerful, then can He not, as the examples I listed suggest, choose to know or NOT know whatever He pleases? He certainly does know quite a lot, but for His reasons, there are things He chooses not to know. In the interest of preserving our free will, I think He chooses not to know all the choices we will make. Were we created with a plan for our lives, a purpose, a mission? Yes, but we still have the option to refuse to accept it.
292663
Both.\n\nWe are predestined for God's glory, meaning God has a plan for every life he created.  This plan is to further his Glory and to perform great things through us.\n\nWe have free will.  We chose if we are to walk this path or choose not too.\n\nSince God exists outside of time, he already knows what is going to happen.  But it is still OUR choice to walk in obedience or walk in the world.
552108
The case of free will vs. predestination has everything to do with whose eyes you look through. Yes, because God dwell in eternity and sees the end from the beginning, He already knows the outcome of your decision. He looks at the earth's timeline, then chooses those who choose Him. However, to have true children and not robots, God gave us a free will to choose. We can choose to love God, we can choose to hate Him, or we can choose to exchange the concept of God for only what we can see within our puny science. If free will truly did not exist, God would provide a world with only one choice and provide tons of evidence to MAKE you believe. But He does not do that. He provides just enough evidence to allow you to think beyond the physical and into the eternal. But you must decide for yourself. But do not be surprised if God knows your decision the moment you make it.\n\nYes, God sees our life as a done deal. Yet, we ourselves do have free will to choose. It would be like I could go back in time, meet with George Lucas while attending USC film class. I would know everything about what he would write and the companies he would start. Does he have freewill to write Star Wars? Yes. Would my knowledge change the fact that Darth Vader will be Luke Skywalker's dad? No. It's a done deal because I am not bound by time.\n\nSo what is the big deal about free will? Well, those of us with children understand that there is a big difference between programming our computers to wake you up in the morning with "good-morning father-I-love-you" and having your little son or daughter jump on your bed at the crack of dawn yelling "Good morning daddy! I love you!" The Almighty God has a myriad of angels proclaiming "Holy, holy, holy"--but they have seen Him, so it is easy. Think what it means to God, having NOT seen Him, yet lifting your arms and proclaim, "Good morning Lord! I love you!"\n\nBlessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ: According as he hath chosen us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before him in love: Having predestinated us unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to himself, according to the good pleasure of his will, to the praise of the glory of his grace, wherein he hath made us accepted in the beloved. In whom we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of his grace. Ephesians 1