GodlyGuy, let’s try this another way. I would be interested to hear you share your understanding of the following scripture:
Matthew 6:1-8
What do you think Jesus is trying to tell us here. Enlighten me, please.
TT
“Believe those who seek the truth.
Doubt those who find it.” --Andre Gide
Three other quickies for Godly Guy:
“Let him who is without sin among you cast the first stone.”
“But I say unto you, first remove the beam from your own eye, and then you will be able to see to remove the splinter from your fellow man’s.”
“For now abideth faith, hope, love, these three, but the greatest of these is love.”
Think on the attitute Jesus, and John, are suggesting is the Christian one in these. Then post what you feel may have been done wrong on this thread.
Wally…I’d much rather have Bishops than be a Pawn and get Rooked. 
You keep that up, Poly, and we’ll just have to toss you out into the knight, mate.
Let it be known this is the first time I’ve quoted scripture just to quote scripture.
[/disclaimer] (that is kinda cute how y’all do that)
Paul wrote in Ephesians 4:30-32
Peace.
† Jon †
Phillipians 4:13
godlyguy:you never answered my question:where does it say in the Bible that you wont be able to tell the seasons apart?
Snark:very funny!I,myself,couldn’t win a regular mud-wrestling match with David Spade.
Tho I bet some posters would like to see an orangecakes-Byz match! 
I’ve noticed that threads of this nature tend to run about 300 posts. As I type this, the thread is at 124. Which means it’s…
Halftime!
Pat: At the half, it’s God 17, evil 10. We’ll have a recap after the break, and then we’ll throw it back to JB, Terry, Cris and Howie for look at action elsewhere in the league.
Jesus saves… Gretzky grabs the rebound… He Scores!
Terry: Well, the Athiests and Bad People have the home field advantage, but God is a real scrapper. I think he’ll be able to hold off a second-half run and stick in there for the win.
JB: Excuse me, Terry . . . we’ve–yes, we’ve just received word from the sidelines, and it looks like God’s starting running back, Godly Guy, has disappeared! He went off the field just before the end of the half, and just can’t be found anywhere in the locker room or on the sidelines. If he doesn’t return to face the challenging defense posed in that first half, it could be a blow to God’s chances here today! Chris, Howie: impressions?
Tom, I have a hard time understanding how you interpret the Bible. The way I read it, Paul does say:
2Thes. 5:1-3 - “Now brothers, about times and dates we need not worry to write to you, for you know that the day of the Lord will come like a thief in the night. While people are saying, “Peace and safety,” destruction will come on them suddenly, as labor pains on a pregnant woman, and they will not escape.” There are your shmoes Tom.
2Thes. 5:4-5 - “But you brothers are not in darkness so that this day (the Day if the Lord) should surprise you like a thief. You are all sons of the light and sons of the day. We do not belong to the night, or the darkness.” Then in verse 9 it says: “For God did not appoint us to suffer wrath but to receive salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ.” And there is the part where we Christians all escape.
You were talking about Revelation here, right? I can’t even begin to quote the dozens of Scriptures that mention hoping in God, and hoping for Christ’s return, and those that mention the “time is near.” Ok, I’ll quote one. “The hour has come for you to wake up from your slumber, because our salvation is nearer now than when we first believed. The night is nearly over; the day is almost here.” Romans 13:11-12
The entire book of Revelation is based on the hope of glory. We do not know the time, but we should think that it is near. For nearly two millenia, believers have thought that “the time is near.” It is this continual hoping, and waiting that keeps us running the race. Jesus said many times that we should be prepared, ready, and anxiously longing for His return. Sure, Revelation uses imagery, but it certainly “lie.”
Adam
Blast. That last line should read “Revelation…doesn’t lie.”
Blast. That last line should read “Revelation…doesn’t lie.”
I heard the challenge!!! I will give you the Matthew 6 translation today or tommorrow! I have a little HW! Remember I have school during the day so bad mouthing me then about dissapearing!
Adam…see “Second Coming?” now at a Great Debates thread near you.
DrFidelius wrote:
It’s like I’ve been tryin’ to tell y’all: If today’s youth would just get laid more often, we wouldn’t have these problems!
Adam: Paul actually used the word “scmoe?” Dang, I must’ve missed that line in my copy of the KJV.
[aside]You may recall someone on this board posting how hilarious it was to see you accusing me of not knowing the Bible. The fact still remains you’ve apparently learned nothing new since then.
I’ll make a deal with you: you and I will both sign up for a correspondence course in the Bible (Old & New Testaments). We’ll publicly post here our grades upon completion of the course or upon completion of each assignment, your choice.
I have in mind a particular Baptist church in Atlanta, Georgia.
What do you say?[/aside]
ARG220, would you please pay attention to the issues we are discussing? Your quotation from Paul shows the saved being delivered and the unsaved being smashed at the same time. This is the pretty well accepted description of the Last Judgment for the 1800 years prior to the Rapturous reinterpretation of Revelation and Thessalonians that occurred a hundred years ago.
I was specifically pointing out that Paul’s statement does not mesh well with the idea that after some rapturous event, other people would continue to live on earth through a period of Tribulation that lasts for years. The marriage of those two ideas is recent and is not believed by many Christians.
As to Revelation lying. I certainly do not believe that it lies. However, if, (after removing the figurative components), you choose to read Revelation as an accurate foretelling of specific events, you are faced with the obvious fact that the opening lines that are not cloaked in symbolism call for the events to happen soon. I don’t care if a thousand years to us is but a day to God, Revelation was written for people and 1,900 years is not soon.
Paul also clearly expected the imminent return of Jesus (at least in his early letters such as Thessalonians). His expectations were incorrect. :::shrug:::
By the time Revelation was written, so few of the original disciples were still living that the imminent return was not a strong part of Christian belief. Recognizing that the near events in Revelation are an attempt to console and bring hope to the 9th decade Christians of Asia Minor (with transcendant lessons for us, today) simply makes better Scripture than trying to force an historical foretelling on the author that was never intended.
Tom~
Stop telling God what to do.
You know Tom, I was going to come back with a snappy argument. But, then I started reading, and cross referencing. And things looked differnt this time around. Perhaps God is showing me things. ???
I am not saying you’re right. I still believe that Revelation is a prophecy of things to come, and not just a book made to comfort the believers of that time. However, I may see a stronger argument for a Post Trib Second Coming. Now I’m more confused than ever, because I still see strong evidence for pre-trib, and the typical Rapture that most Fundamentalists believe in.
Basically, I’m done with this thread, and discussion. I need to study more, and dig deep in the Word. So, Thanks Tom. You may have helped God in showing me a new light.
Adam
“Life is hard…but God is good”
GG - I definatly like your spunk. You might need a little work on the tact…but the energy level is about right…
Your kind of like me, you need a spellchecker on this thing…
Well, Adam, I’m sorry to have missed what you would have considered a snappy answer, but I’m glad that you are actually reading and thinking about the material. (I’m not being snide and only a little bit ironic.)
If you conclude that your original belief was/is correct, that’s fine. I have never claimed that the Tribulationists made it all up while drinking cheap wine. I only point out that there are other–and older–understandings that can be taken from the text.
Remember, our current discussion began over whether a majority of Christians believed in “The Rapture,” (which is generally shorthand for the whole Tribulation debate). My point has not been to take sides (although I haven’t hidden where I stand), but to point out that many Christians have come to a different understanding.
Tom~
Andros said:;
It’s funny. It may also be scriptural. There’s a line near the end of Zephaniah that most translations render “…and He will rejoice over you, as on a day of festival.” Taking what they claim is a more literal reading of the verb, the Jerusalem Bible translators render it as “dance.” This in turn gave rise to what has to be the strangest item in contemporary Christian music, a number by Carey Landry called “And the Father Will Dance.”
(Maybe this should be in “Mundane Religious Things I Must Share”?