Views/Opinions

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

daddus1 said:

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

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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.

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...

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.

Southern Man said:

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.

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The book of Revelation is as true as it gets. It is to be taken literally because it will all happen. Absolutely NO part of the Bible was just written for that particular time period. if that's the case, then it's just an old washed up book that we should've stopped reading long ago. The Bible is our guide to the past, present and future. It's also our guide on how to get to our "after life" in heaven with God and His Son. It teaches us. Revelation can be a scary book to read because it's hard to wrap our minds around it. But make no doubt, it will all happen. It's not a style of writing, or just a threat, it's going to all happen. When Jesus Christ comes back down from Heaven, EVERY dead person will raise from the dead just like Jesus did after his death. The sad thing is, not all of them will be going to Heaven.
I'm not trying to start an argument at all southern man, but I feel strongly about my faith. The book of Revelation was meant to show us what to expect when Jesus returns. If it was intended to just scare us or just be a style of writing, you can rest assure that it would actually say that somewhere in the Bible. And it doesn't.

Hellbilly said:

would a storm that wipes out a town and kills a bunch of people be a creation of satan? serious question.I am a child of GOD that has alot of questions and think to much sometimes,Im not trying to stir anything just wondering what ya thought

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hellbilly: God allows satan to "live" because we all have a choice to either accept God or to accept satan. Now, God created the earth, and everything that is on, around, and happens on this earth. Unfortunately, sometimes those things include bad situations. God does not allow satan to have complete control over this world for obvious reasons, but he makes it very clear that if we don't choose HIM we will be seeing alot of satan when we die.
Storms are a natural occurance on this earth. Some are much more severe than others. God knows what's going to happen as well. Before a storm hits, he knows if anyone will perish, and he knows what damage will be done. He knows how everything is going to happen. He gave us all minds to make decisions for ourselves, but we're the ones who have to choose Him.
In this case, I don't have an answer as to why God allowed this to happen. I don't understand why God allowed all the stuff in Japan to happen or in Egypt, I honeslty don't know. But God does NOT do things just to be doing them. He has a reason why. It's hard for us to wrap our head around it, but God knows his own reasons.
One thing you can be sure of is that no one knows when their final day is. It may be 40 years away, it may be next week, and it may be in a couple hours. The true question is are you saved by the grace of God? That way is something happens to you, you are going to a truely better place. I'm hoping that the majority of these people killed were Christians, because if so, they are truely in a better place where they will never hurt, never have diseases or sickness again! See when you are a true Christian, death can be a celebration. It's not a dark and horrible thing. Yes, when it's someone who goes before their time it's always hard to take in and accept. But if that person was a Christian, we can give God the glory for saving their sole.

Let me know if you want to talk more about this brother. Good question raised.

Hunting Man said:

We are sinners every day and not asking for forgiveness seems to me to be a bit one sided. I do not get to far into the religion of others and can't go to deep in scripture but I believe asking for forgiveness every day keeps my connection with God timely. Every day I make mistakes as a mere mortal human, simply asking for forgiveness for those errors doesn't put me on the lower end of the list, in my opinion. Communication is the key and how you do it is all that matters. That's my religion guide book.

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Well HM, I'm glad to hear that you are still praying everyday to God. I would encourage you to continue. There are areas in my Christian life where I don't like "hearing" particular lessons. Every now and then in my adult sunday school class, we'll hit a topic that I don't like to talk about. It happens. The Bible touches every possible area in our lives and many people don't like that. (i'm not saying this of you HM).

What HM is saying about satan is 100% TRUE people. There IS a GOD and there IS a devil. If you don't believe in God you are playing for satan's team. It's just that simple. That's what is so scary. I know SO MANY people (including family) that believe just because they are "good people" they don't have to believe in God or pray to him, or go to church or worship and read his word. But that's the whole point. God holds us all accountable and judgement day will come for all of us. Just to "believe" there is a God is not enough. You have to live a Christian life, worship His Name and most importantly, have a relationship with Him. That's what he wants. That's what he requires. Many times I find myself just "getting by" when it comes to being a Christian, and I have to step back and get that close relationship back.
I can honestly say if you believe in Jesus Christ and that God sent Him to die on the cross for our sins, your life will change.... for the BETTER. But it's not just going to happen over night. We've become a society who expects things RIGHT NOW. That's not the way God works. He doesn't use our sense of time. He uses His. Many young Christians fall away into their old lifestyle b/c they think God isn't doing anything in their lives. And the truth is they didn't even give him a chance! Pray to him to change your life for the better, he will give you UNBELIEVABLE strength and courage and he'll help you through the temptations in your life. He WILL NOT allow a temptation to come to you that is too big. He will allow hard times to come though. Because that's when He wants us to rely on him the most. Being tempted is an everyday thing. Saying "NO" sometimes requires God's help. I know it does in my life.

HM... I hope to hear this story someday... if you want feel free to email me anytime if you like. [email protected]