Views/Opinions
 

There is something that concerns/puzzles me and I would like to know what the members here have on their mind in regards to this. I'm probably not the most religious person here but throughout my life I've heard many different things about the apocolypse and prophecies and such. One thing that I've always thought of was something about the "water on fire". Would the Gulf oil spill and burning be a sign of that? Also does anyone believe that God can become angry with pollution, violence, corruption and other negative actions and show signs of it through natural disasters (earthquakes, tsunamis, tornadoes, hurricanes, etc.) Now keep in mind that I do not have any intentions of offending anyone here nor do I want to start a war of words. I just ask that any responses be kept civil in regards to the respect of others. Thanks.

Hey timberghost!
I think you had a can of worms and let them set out in the 90 degree heat for three days. lol
What you ask is a very complex question. Also very contraversial.
I don"T know anything about the water on fire but I will look it up.
As for pollution, violence, corruption and other negative human actions,
God hates sin,for the most part what we are dealing with here he gave us this world and we are to be good stewards of it
but some of us want to use it for their own personal advantage and gain of wealth to the detriment of others. One of the Ten Commandments is to love your brother (neighbor) as yourself. What does BP love in the Gulf, you and I or their dough? Violence is pretty much a no brainer if you again believe the mentioned commandment. Corruption again becomes another no brainer, if you loved your neighbor as yourself you wouldn"t steal, swindle or take bribes. I feel any action which shows lack of love towards others is, well, sinful. I know I sound like the preacher you don"t want to hear but unfortunately, I speak from my own less than perfect path therefore, I and almost everyone are experts "in their own field" if you get my drift. We all do stuff we regret but fortunately I have found a Savoir in Jesus.
As for the natural disasters around the world, God is God, supreme in all He does. Again in the Bible it is stated that there will be all these things until the Lord returns. Sometimes we just don"t get it and He wakes us up!
Just an old boys opinion
daddus1

Thanks for your input, I really do appreciate it.

i am not a thological scoller, but hear is my take on it. it may or may not be the end of times, but ether way there is nothing we can do about it? we cant stop Gods will. all we could do if we knew it was the end of time would be exept Jesus as our savior, repent for our sins, and live out the rest of our time hear with our friends and family making sure they know how much we love them. BUT we should already be doing thoughs things.

Well said...... The water on fire I believe is mentioned in the book of Revelation, along with a bunch of other horrors. Alot of people take these things literally and believe this is all yet to come. There are all kinds of books out on the End Times, the Beast, and all that goes with it. I was taught that the book of Revelation was written for the people of that time and in a style of writing called Apocaliptic writing (however ya spell it). It was symbolism for what was happening to the christians from the Roman empire. People of that time was use to that style of writing and it wasn't a mystery to them at all. There are several other places in the Bible that kind of writing can be found. Revelation is actually a book of hope. The main message in the book is "God wins". As far as God using natural disasters and such as warnings or whatever, yes He will, if He desides to. It happened many times in the Old Testament. But....we can talk about it all until the cows come home. No one knows for sure but God.

Jesus gave to John the visions described in the book of Revelation that we might know what will soon come to pass. The book of Revelation will be fullfilled exactly as it has been penned.

I will have to take a look, but I dont recall anything pertaining to water on fire. it is written that a third of the waters of the world will become blood.

It is important when quoting scriptures to devulge of what version of bible you are referencing. there are some you should steer clear of. I generally refer to KJ, NKJ and NIV

Don't know TG about the fire on water issue. I do know our's is a loving God that one day got mad at us and relieved the world of sinners. He then sent One down to save us for all eternity. I don't think he looks at us today and is pleased but he made us a promise and he will carry it out. That's good enough for me to believe.

Timberghost, I think asking questions is a great thing to do when studying the Bible. I have been a Christian since I was 11 (19 years) and there are still things that I don't understand. The book of Revelation is a tricky one. If you notice, alot of Pators don't do many sermons on that book because of this.
The world we live in is not a good one. I do believe that God is disappointed in alot of people for the way they live their life. As Christians, it is our job to tell them about God and how he sent his son Jesus to die on the cross for our sins. There are alot of things that God "puts us through" in our lives. Death, divorce, loss of job, floods, hurricanes, etc.... I would not say that he does these things beceause he does not love us. God loves everyone, after all, he MADE us. I do believe though that the day of his reckoning is QUICKLY coming. For christians, this is awesome. For the rest of the world, this is scary.
Keep in mind one thing... I think of this every time I hear someone talk bad about God... When Jesus comes back some day, EVERY KNEE WILL BOW. This includes everyone on this earth, and everyone that has ever been on this earth. this will happen because HE is LORD, no one else.
As for when he's coming back, I have no clue, But I CAN'T wait, personally...

The thing to remember is Satan caused sin when he tempted Eve. God allows sin to happen but is incapable of it. The Bible states that Satan is the prince of this world and creates all the bad that happens. That doesn't mean God can't use bad things for a greater good.

well put guppy...
that is probably the single most toughest thing to have to explain to a non-believer- why does a loving God allow bad things to happen? Death is the ultimate God-turner-away-from (if that's a slogan??) I have known people who are STRONG believers but when a close loved one unexpectedly passes, they turn on God. It's scary because I have never had someone extremely close to me pass away. I can only hope and pray that my faith in God will get me through it.
Non-believers also think that loss of jobs, bankrupcy, gambling debts, etc... are all because God doesn't love them or have time for them. God allows us to LIVE OUR LIVES how we want. And ultimately, he judges us on our lives and if we are Christians or not and if we lived our life in a Christ-like manner.
It's just extremely tough for a believer to explain to a non-believer why God sometimes allows bad things to happen.