My two cents...an editorial

[KathleenElsie]

What I find comforting is that when the time comes (a time we should hut hurry nor ignore) God's will sill be DONE. When I read that people are cheering for the evil times not only come now and faster so that they can hurry but because this won't give others time to repent claim their own place in Heaven I am saddened at their selfishness. My goal is to have everyone get to Heaven or at least have a real chance to claim the salvation that God has provided.
I find my faith comforting and it helps me when I am suffering. But I sure don't want the suffering to get worse for others so I can go to my mansion in the sky while others are condemned to hell. I no more want to take someones else mansion and make it mine here or in heaven.
I will offer my suffering (physical, emotion etc) to the Lord as an offering for other souls and pray that the Lord will grant time for others to join us. I will let God do His work in his time and try to hurry it along.
I will pray for others even if they don't believe. Because if they truly don't believe my prayers will not be in vain and they just might help.
I will will preach my faith and when necessary use words. As I believe that examples are better then words.
And lastly to those that don't believe in God. What does it hurt you that others believe in God anyway. If we believer are wrong we just die and become dirt like everyone else. No harm done.
If I do not believe and it turns out I was wrong will I have an acceptable "reason" to give? I prefer the "no harm" argument.

[Ektarr]

Kathleen, this is a fascinating post, and I really appreciate you sharing it with us. For me, it answers questions that I've had for a longtime, and illuminates the errors in the arguments that other have given to try to point out "contradictions" in Scripture. I've written here before - somewhere - that I believe that the things that are happening in the World, as depressing and even desperate as they are, are things that are going along just as they should. As I wrote before, "I've read the Book...I know how it ends." I can only pray that I have the strength to hold up in the face of what's coming, and that my meager faith is enough to carry me to the end. Anyway, everything's gonna be alright, but the struggle goes on in the meantime. No sense in making it too easy for them!

To illustrate with the saying about turning the other cheek: it specifies that the person has been struck on the right cheek. How can you be struck on the right cheek? As Wink emphasizes, you have to act this out in order to get the point: you can be struck on the right cheek only by an overhand blow with the left hand, or with a backhand blow from the right hand. (Try it).

But in that world, people did not use the left hand to strike people. It was reserved for "unseemly" uses. Thus, being struck on the right cheek meant that one had been backhanded with the right hand. Given the social customs of the day, a backhand blow was the way a superior hit an inferior, whereas one fought social equals with fists.

This means the saying presupposes a setting in which a superior is beating a peasant. What should the peasant do? "Turn the other cheek." What would be the effect? The only way the superior could continue the beating would be with an overhand blow with the fist--which would have meant treating the peasant as an equal.

Perhaps the beating would not have been stopped by this. But for the superior, it would at the very least have been disconcerting: he could continue the beating only by treating the peasant as a social peer. As Wink puts it, the peasant was in effect saying, "I am your equal. I refuse to be humiliated anymore." That is not all. The sayings about "going the second mile" and "giving your cloak to one who sues you for your coat" make a similar point: they suggest creative non-violent ways of protesting oppression.

Roman law permitted soldiers to force civilians to carry their gear for one mile, but because of abuses stringently prohibited more than one mile.

If they ask you to do that, Jesus says, go ahead; but then carry their gear a second mile. Put them in a disconcerting situation: either they risk getting in trouble, or they will have to wrestle their gear back from you.

Under civil law, a coat could be confiscated for non-payment of debt. For the poor, the coat often also served as a blanket at night. In that world, the only other garment typically worn by a peasant was an inner garment, a cloak. So if they take your coat, Jesus says, give them your cloak as well. "Strip naked," as Wink puts it. Show them what the system is doing to you. Moreover, in that world, nakedness shamed the person who observed it.

Thus, these sayings from the Sermon on the Mount, these seemingly mild sayings, are actually potent ways of confounding and exposing injustice. King and Gandhi may not have been aware of the finer points of modern Biblical scholarship, but they were no doubt clear that Jesus was counseling a radical new way of empowering the underclass.

And so, those little verses from the Gospel of Matthew are the foundation upon which King and Gandhi built their world-moving campaigns for social justice.Main NavigationHomeEmbracing AngerLong Live ImpermanenceNo Birth, No DeathTurning the Other Cheek

[Ringo]

What I find comforting is that when the time comes (a time we should hut hurry nor ignore) God's will sill be DONE. When I read that people are cheering for the evil times not only come now and faster so that they can hurry but because this won't give others time to repent claim their own place in Heaven I am saddened at their selfishness. My goal is to have everyone get to Heaven or at least have a real chance to claim the salvation that God has provided.
I find my faith comforting and it helps me when I am suffering. But I sure don't want the suffering to get worse for others so I can go to my mansion in the sky while others are condemned to hell. I no more want to take someones else mansion and make it mine here or in heaven.
I will offer my suffering (physical, emotion etc) to the Lord as an offering for other souls and pray that the Lord will grant time for others to join us. I will let God do His work in his time and try to hurry it along.
I will pray for others even if they don't believe. Because if they truly don't believe my prayers will not be in vain and they just might help.
I will will preach my faith and when necessary use words. As I believe that examples are better then words.
And lastly to those that don't believe in God. What does it hurt you that others believe in God anyway. If we believer are wrong we just die and become dirt like everyone else. No harm done.
If I do not believe and it turns out I was wrong will I have an acceptable "reason" to give? I prefer the "no harm" argument.

Very interesting. Where have you read that anyone is cheering for evil times to come faster so that there won't be time for those who are unsaved to repent and claim their place in heaven??? And anyone desiring that the Lord should Rapture us out of this world soon is SELFISH??? You say that it's your goal that everyone gets to heaven or has a chance to claim the salvation that God has provided. That is not our goal, that is God's goal. It is our prayer that the unsaved will repent, not our goal. I'm saddened by your ignorance and for the fact that you consider anyone praying "come quickly Lord Jesus" today, "selfish". For it was the Lord Himself who said "pray always that you are accounted worthy to escape the wrath to come". Your ignorance concerning the Age Of Grace is also saddening. If you had any understanding you would know that when the last person to repent and accept the salvation that God has provided in the Age Of Grace we are now living, then, and only then will the Rapture take place and the Tribulation begin. If you have a problem with God's plan of salvation and His Timetable concerning End Times and the end of the Age of Grace, and who will and who won't have time to be saved, I suggest that you take that, and who you deem selfish, up with Him.

I say it again, it's exciting to witness God's word in relation to End Times being fulfilled. The Lord commanded us to be aware of the time and season pointing to His return, for He said,"when you see these things taking place, you can know that His return is very near, right at the door". Israel is God's time table, not whats going on in America. My comfort is in knowing that regardless of what evil is happening and will yet happen, I won't be here. For the Lord has said that the Rapture will happen "at a time you think not", when we least expect it. Not at a time of chaos, fighting in the streets, or doom & gloom. Quite to the contrary, He said, "when they are eating and drinking and giving in marriage", that means everything is NORMAL. And BTW, cheering or praying about the Rapture won't hurry or slow down anything, the end of the book is already written, God is neither early or late. And, if you believe God, everyone does have a chance to claim the salvation that He has provided, regardless of any time table. I suggest that you study scripture more and assume less, maybe then you won't be so saddened.

[THE DUKE OF ESSEX]

An excellent post Ringo. You sum it up all to well. As a reformed Roman Catholic I can see where K.E. gets her beliefs. However, they are her beliefs, and I learned long ago that you cannot get someone so caught up in their own religious superiority to even look at the big picture without prejudice. All religions are fine with me... as long as they don't say that any other religion will insure your eternal damnation.

[JBozeman]

Well I owe everybody and appology, not necessarily for what I said, my attitude sometime stinks and shows in what I type. Please forgive my arrogance!

I still believe Obama is an arrogant, power hungry progressive who desire nothing less than being King. I believe Obama is God's judgement on America. While I believe that, I also believe that II Chronicles 7:14 is still as true as the day is was penned. God has never said something He did not mean. There are two entities that God is interested in and has a plan for both of them. The Church, (Body of Christ) and Israel. There is the Rapture for the Church and as Jeremiah wrote about, "The time of Jacobs Trouble" Jacob being Israel and their trouble is yet to come.

Between now and the rapture, as it always has been, "Faith comes by hearing and hearing of the Word of God"! Example is wonderful and the exercise of Free Speech sharing God's truth brings about the transformation of those who believe. The Word of God does it's Work in those who believe.

it is in these days, as every day, the word tell us to Be Strong in the Lord and the Power of His Might. I have none of my own so must recieve it from what He makes available. Who knows how bad it will get here before the church is taken away and then, without question, all Hell will break loose on this globe and this country. You cant't find the USA in the End Time structure anyway because we are probably by that time, whenever that takes place, be a none entity a none nation, at least a none power on earth. Isn't that and amazing thougt for the USA. God forgive us for what we have brought on ourselves. It is like King George III has risen from the dead and we put him in the White House.

Take Care
Stay Safe

Boze

[JJFlash]

As we know, there are disagreements among Christians in different denominations (and even within the same denomination), but may I suggest that this is NOT the place to air them out. It will give ammunition to the atheists who inhabit this thread and may cause some others to stumble. The atheists I really couldn't care less about as they've made their bed and they get to lie in it. Others, however, may be in the process of making the most important decision of their lives, and we should not dissuade them by arguing amongst ourselves in an open forum such as this.

I consider anyone who puts their faith in the grace of God thru Jesus for their salvation, repents of their sin, AND who attempts to live by the precepts outlined in God's Word as a brother or sister in the Lord.

[Conservative Wife & Mom]

As we know, there are disagreements among Christians in different denominations (and even within the same denomination), but may I suggest that this is NOT the place to air them out. It will give ammunition to the atheists who inhabit this thread and may cause some others to stumble. The atheists I really couldn't care less about as they've made their bed and they get to lie in it. Others, however, may be in the process of making the most important decision of their lives, and we should not dissuade them by arguing amongst ourselves in an open forum such as this.
I consider anyone who puts their faith in the grace of God thru Jesus for their salvation, repents of their sin, AND who attempts to live by the precepts outlined in God's Word as a brother or sister in the Lord.

+1, Flash. Well stated and, IMHO, divinely inspired!

[oldvet53]

We have faced the most abusive congress and senate in the history of the United States.
At town hall meetings we were ignored by congressional types while a cell phone call was more important. We were intimidated by union thugs and roughed up at others to push an agenda that no-one in their right mind wanted. We have been victimized by new black panthers at the polling places. We have been told by Congress and the Senate that we don't know what is best for us. We have been forced to sit idle while big government drug it's feet for the oil spill disaster of the century. We have watched as profitable businesses and banks have had their @$$es handed to them by unlawful unconstitutional hostile government take-overs.
Enough is Enough! We are all responsible in this mess. We the people voted them in and now the time has come to vote them out. We need to hold our politicians accountable and replace them with statesmen. We need to do it before more American lives/jobs are lost.

Just my two cents!

AMEN!!!!