Nelg

Certainly we evolve! We change. We just do not change from one species to another. Animals are one "kind" and humans are another "kind." There are no transitional movements from one kind to another kind. The changes (micro-evolution) can be seen within humans, but no transition from human to animal. There is micro-evolution within horses, reptiles, birds, fish, etc., but no transitional record in biology, archeology, or paleontology of any transition from one group (kind) to the other. That information is the active supposition and fiction of those who "think" it might have happen. "We think...." or "I assume that it might have happened . . . " "this way." They must do that because there are no scientific facts that prove that it did happen through mega-evolution (evolving from one species to another). Yes, we are evolving now as humans.

He could win, but the USA would loose. It will takes is at least ten years to recover from many of the asinine decisions and actions of his presidency. Another four years of the same type of leadership and we will really be hurting. I'm so thankful for term limits!!

There were not the problems in genetics then as there are now. In Genesis Jacob was married to his half-sister (Gn 12:13-19) and later so was Abraham (Gn 20:2,5,12).

Who care, but where did you get yours?

Two months. . . . to think of another excuse that will be acceptable for postponement.

Could easily happen if the guns are taken away. If you don't think that that could happen, look at the countries where it has happened.

The moment guns are removed from the populous is the day we loose control of everything and become the slaves of those who have them - criminals, government, and foreign powers.

WHY is this or any vaccine being "commanded" to be taken? What is absolutely frightening is that another freedom is being removed. If I do not want to take the vaccine, I will not take the vaccine. The government can find another place to stick the needle and it is not in the arm. Read more: http://dinarvets.com/forums/index.php?/topic/205989-what-is-inside-a-vaccine/#ixzz3hCVPw9UR

There is a big, big difference between the security of the believer and the "impossibility of apostasy." As a believer continuing in the love of God and faithfulness to Him, I am completely secure in His holiness and grace and eternity in the kingdom of God awaits us with open arms. But when I choose to reject His love, follow my own path of willfully sinning, I am dooming myself to an eternity of destruction. The Holiness of God is the driving force behind all the other attributes possessed by Him. God is Love, but God is first and foremost HOLY. Holiness causes His Love to send us Grace to make us HOLY that we might have fellowship with Him.

WHY is this or any vaccine being "commanded" to be taken? What is absolutely frightening is that another freedom is being removed. If I do not want to take the vaccine, I will not take the vaccine. The government can find another place to stick the needle and it is not in the arm.

PLEASE!!! How racially bigoted can a group get!?? Going to a "Black Lives Matter Conference"!! Bigoted, bigoted, bigoted! WAKE UP AMERICA! ALL LIVES MATTER!!!!

Hi Bettyboop. Don't hear from you often. Need to write more. Thanks.

Except the command to "be fruitful and multiply" was given them while they were still in Paradise (Gn 1:28). It is possible that the whole earth may have been destined to be like the Garden of Eden God made at that time. Since in the Garden there was no progression of time and age as we know it, and Adam and Eve started working to populate the world, there could have been a long period of brother-sister, aunts-uncles, cousins, cousin's cousins, etc. for a long period. No pain in child birth, no death, no contraceptives, no shame! Boom! Big population! It was only after Adam and Eve sinned by not trusting in God that the world world got messed up: no more Garden Life, death came to everything, pain in childbirth, ground wouldn't produce, people had to work hard to stay alive, and mankind stated taking advantage of those around him, etc. A cascade of terrible things came into being and mankind started acting without God. We are still trying to do things our own way, and we are making life more and more difficult for ourselves. We even have Bob mating with Jack, Jill with Sharon, and Crosby with Nash! The world is moving in a direction farther away from it's Creator, and the direction is not back to the Garden!

Actually, I like the dinosaur stuff. The skin colors on some of them are extremely creative. DNA is more like a butterfly than a reptile. Makes you wonder what type of suits ancient man wore. Instead of "bear" they might have had bright yellow and red dinosaur jackets.

Yep! Is is a pip. I've been reading some of the "new atheist" writers and watching their videos concerning the intellect of man. Thing is, they state it in such a hubris manner I get to laughing at them and the way they make their arguments, that I forget what they are trying to prove or deny. Funny stuff.

The rolling of the dye was a terrible stupid illustration. Mainly because God has already established a formula for our DNA. The use that one makes of the brain may determine the next stage of our advancement or decline, but that is determined by how we use our brain in the present environment. With our tech. advancement, our brains may be moving backward. I love science. I'm a believer in God, and that God created all the different species in all the created worlds. There may be vastly different species and brain functions within His creation. It may be so in this world. But no one knows that at this point in time. Science is just beginning its search and what they will find may be astonishing, wonderful, and frightening. What I do know is that mankind was created in God's image (not physical). God placed in all species the ability to adapt and change, grow and decline, but not the change from one species to another. If you want to know how the mind of man/woman works, you are not going to find out by studying the brain of a fly, or snake, of pig, of chimp! You will find out by studying the mind of the human species. Seems to me that a lot of money is for research is being flushed down the scientific toilet when a "scientist" is trying to find out about man's brain by studying a butterfly. Let him study the human species.

Evolution is always within species. Humans evolve; horses evolve; birds evolve, etc. What cannot be scientifically proven is an evolution from one species to another.

Good one Ron. This goes along with your clarification. Hebrews 10:19-39, the writer was encouraging the saints to maintain their confident faith during the pressures to renounce Christ. Such a rejections puts them in great danger at final judgment.

Nelg, on 17 Jul 2015 - 08:32 AM, said: I’ll not debate about the definition of “belief system” other than to say that the reason it was in quotes is to use something that you might understand since you are fond of using such a system. Good you agree! Satan’s design of such a world belief system, although you’re bickering clearly indicates uncertainty to its application. Eph 2:2; 2Cor 4:4– Re 14:8; 17:5 Isaiah’s words were fulfilled 2,500 years ago. However, the words recorded at Isaiah 47:8 are quoted in the book of Revelation and given a future application. There the Bible foretells the end of the harlotlike organization called “Babylon the Great”—the world empire of false religion. (Revelation 16:19) The designation “Babylon” for the false religions of the world is appropriate, since it was in ancient Babylon that false religion got its start. From there it spread to the four corners of the earth. (Genesis 11:1-9) Religious doctrines that originated in Babylon, such as the immortality of the soul, hellfire, and the worship of triune gods, are shared by virtually all religions, including Christendom. Modern-day religions have perpetuated many of ancient Babylon’s doctrines. Hence, the world empire of false religion is well named Babylon the Great. (Revelation 17:5) That international religious conglomerate has already suffered a fall similar to that of ancient Babylon in 539 B.C.E. (Revelation 14:8; 18:2) In 1919 the remnant of Christ’s brothers came out of spiritual captivity and shook off the religious influence of Christendom, a dominant part of Babylon the Great. http://wol.jw.org/en... foreseen&p=par Nor will I try to defend my study of the Scripture, since you know nothing of my life given to understanding the word of God. My study has been independent and eclectic from several schools of higher learning. By “independent” I mean that there is no particular doctrinal position from a religious organization to which I must uphold. My studies and beliefs are mine learned from a study of the Scriptures over the years. So try to discredit it you must, but that is really just a waste of your time and mine. Did Jesus waste his time exposing false teachings and practices? One can’t defend what is boastfully claimed, "independent and eclectic from several schools of higher learning." “Independent”― completely on one’s own. “Eclectic from several”― adding emphasis, as too more than one or others. “Schools of higher learning”― Worlds (mans) schools. Nelg: I don’t have to explain this but I will. This was written in order for you to know me. If it offended you; then my apologies. Was not my intention to make you feel uncomfortable. By the time Jesus appeared on earth, the scribes had become an elite class of teachers, more attached to traditions than to the true teachings of God’s Word. They liked to be called “Rabbi,” which had become an honorific title meaning “My Great (Excellent) One.” (Matthew 23:6, 7,) In the Christian Greek Scriptures, the scribes are often associated with the Pharisees, some of whom were themselves teachers of the Law. Jesus accused both groups of making the word of God invalid because of their tradition and teaching “commands of men as doctrines.” (Matthew 15:1, 6, 9) Small wonder that neither Jesus nor most of his disciples were educated in the rabbinical schools.—John 7:14, 15; Acts 4:13; 22:3. Nelg: Since Jesus was their teacher and they spent three years teaching them, that is really all they needed at the time. Then after Jesus was resurrected and ascended, He placed within them the Holy Spirit who taught them all things and brought all things to their remembrance (Jno 14:16-18, 26; 16:12-15). So in reality, they needed no one else. The disciples had a superb education for they were being taught by God. Though the Jewish leaders viewed Peter and John as “men unlettered and ordinary,” this does not mean they were illiterate or unschooled. Regarding the word a·gram′ma·tos applied to them, Hastings’ Dictionary of the Bible (1905, Vol. III, p. 757) says that to a Jew “it meant one who had had no training in the Rabbinic study of Scripture.” Jesus went up into the temple and began teaching. And the Jews were astonished, saying: “How does this man have such a knowledge of the Scriptures when he has not studied at the schools?” (Joh 7:14, 15) Nelg: Yep, they were having a hard time understanding that Jesus was the one who had given the Law and commandments, the prophets, their revelation, and anything that the Jews thought they knew to them. He was the Word of God, who gave them the word of God. Nelg: The words of Moses were the words of the One who created Him (Ex 4:11-12). Since the Word, Christ, was the LORD and Creator (Jno 1:1-2; Col 1:16-17), He was also the One who gave all the words to Moses. The OT claims that Moses wrote under the same supernatural direction that accompanied his spoken message. “Then the LORD aid to Moses, ‘Write down these words, for in accordance with these words I have made a covenant with you and with Israel’”(Ex 34:27; cf.17:14; 24:4; Nu 33:2; Dt 31:9). In the Pentateuch, it is stated no fewer than 420 times that the express words of God are being recounted. So, Jehovah God, the Christ or Word gave the Pentateuch to the Jews (and to us). Moses is not the only OT personality for whom the claim is made that he is speaking or writing for God or the LORD. The formula “Thus says the Lord” or its equivalent appears nearly eight-time n the Book of Isaiah. And Jeremiah recounted his call to a prophetic ministry this way: “Then the LORD reached out his hand and touched my mouth and said to me, ‘Now, I have put my words in your mouth’” (Jer 1:9). So it was for all of the OT prophets (Hos 1:1; Am 1:3; Mic 1:1; et al.). Jesus said concerning the words that will judge us in the last day “He who rejects Me, and does not receive My sayings, has one who judges him; the word I spoke is what will judge him at the last day. For I did not speak on my own initiative, but the Father Himself who sent Me has given me commandment, what to say, and what to speak. And I know that His commandment is eternal life; therefore the things I speak, I speak just as the Father has told Me.”(Jno 12:48-500. Nelg: The conclusion is that the Word, Christ gave the OT and Jesus, the Word, gave the NT (Christ, Word, Jesus are all the same person). God is the Author of the word of God so the disciples were taught pretty well. Now when they saw the outspokenness of Peter and John, and perceived that they were uneducated and ordinary men, they were astonished. And they began to realize that they had been with Jesus. (Acts 4:13) There can only be one source for learning the truth of God’s word the bible, being taught by our heavenly Father the only true God Jehovah, the Most High over all the earth. This is what Jehovah says, your Repurchaser, the Holy One of Israel: “I, Jehovah, am your God, The One teaching you to benefit yourself, The One guiding you in the way you should walk. If only you would pay attention to my commandments! Then your peace would become just like a river And your righteousness like the waves of the sea. (Isaiah 48:17,18; Ps 83:18) Nelg: There is but one source of Truth, Jehovah. All other sources are prone to have dogma rule their interpretation. Sad, but many thrive on book and magazines and bibles translations from their own particular denominational bias. Not only sad, but a bad habit. Nelg: Take a little closer look at the passage in Isaiah 48. It is very enlightening concerning Jehovah. “Listen to me, O Jacob, even Israel whom I called; I AM He, I am the first, I am also the last.” This is quoted in Revelation 1:17-18, the vision John had of the One who gave him the words and visions of Revelation. Here He says who He is. “And when I saw Him, I fell at His feet as a dead man. And He laid His right hand upon me, saying, ‘Do not be afraid; I AM the first and the last (ring in bells- nelg). And the living One; and I was dead, and behold, I am alive forevermore, and I have the keys of death and of Hades.” Here the risen Jesus states that He is the Jehovah of Isaiah 48! Notice what the passage says, “I, even I, have spoken; indeed I have called him [israel, Jacob –Nelg] I have brought him, and he wlll make his ways successful. Come near to Me, listen to this: from the first I have not spoken in secret, from the time it took place, I was ther. And now the LORD [adonai] God [YHWH] has sent Me, and His Spirit. Thus says the LORD, you Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel; I AM the Lord your God, who teaches you to profit, Who leads you in the way you should go.” The conclusion is that the LORD God in Isaiah, Jesus says is Himself before He came to dwell in the flesh. Jesus is Jehovah of the OT. Jesus’ knowledge was enhanced by his having had an intimate relationship with his Father and God before coming to the earth. Therefore he knew God as no other man did, and this enabled him to provide authoritative teaching concerning his Father. As Jesus himself said: “No one fully knows the Son but the Father, neither does anyone fully know the Father but the Son and anyone to whom the Son is willing to reveal him.”—Mt 11:27; Joh 1:18. Nelg: No doubt, since He was part of the Godhead. John states, “No man has seen God at any time; the only begotten God who is in the bosom [eis ton kolpon] of the Father, He has explained Him.” “Theos,”[first in Greek word order] no one has ever seen.” The present verse constitutes an inclusion with 1:1. There it was said that the Word was with God and the Word was God. Here in 1:18 it is similarly said that the “one-or-a-kind Son” was God and that he was with God in the closest way possible. This relationship, is presented as the all-important reason why Jesus, the enfleshed [sarx] Word (v, 14) was able to overcome the vast gulf that had existed between God and humankind up to that point- For God no one had ever seen-not even Moses (1:17; Num 12:8). As Jesus asserts later in te Gospel, anyone who has seen Him has seen the Father (14:9; cf. 12:45). In the OT, God had stated clearly that no one could see His face and live (Ex. 33:20). Moses received a glimpse of God’s back (Ex 33:20), as did Hagar (metaphorically; Gn 16:13). The saints of the OT usually were terrified of seeing God (Ex 3:6; Jud 13:21-22; Isa. 6:5). The reason for humankind’s inability to see God is two-fold: first, God is spirit (Jno 4:24); and second, mankind fell into sin and were expelled from God’s presence (Gen 3; Isa 59:2). Jesus surmounted both obstacles; He, Himself God, became a human being, so that others could see God in Him (John 1:14; 14:9-10; cf. 20:28); and being sinless, He died for people, so that their sinfulness no longer keeps them from entering into fellowship with God (Jn 1:29; Rm 5:1-11). Nelg: The phrase “in the bosom” [eis ton kolpon] or “in closest relationship” refers to the unmatched intimacy of Jesus’ relationship with the Father, which enabled Him to reveal the Father in an unprecedented way. Nelg: Just a note on the phrase “only begotten God.” There is a question as to whether the original reading here is “monogenes huios” or “monogenes theos.” With the information from MS P66 and P75, both of which read “monogenes theos,” the preponderance of the evidence now leans in the direction of the “one of a kind God. Reason? 1. It has superior MS support; 2. It represents the more difficult reading; 3. It serves as a more proper climax to the entire prologue, attributing deity to the Son by way of inclusion with 1:1 and 1:14; 4. It seems o account best for the other variants. More than likely the “monogenes huios” represents a scribe's assimilation of 3:16, 18. Jehovah, “the greatest teacher of all.” (Job 36:22, Today’s English Version) Focusing on the Father’s teaching, Jesus next says: “It is written in the Prophets, ‘And they will all be taught by Jehovah.’”—John 6:45. Surely, it would be a privilege to be among those of whom the prophet Isaiah wrote: “All your sons will be persons taught by Jehovah.” (Isaiah 54:13) Nelg: Parallels the passage in Jer 31:31ff. “All shall know the LORD.” Jehovah first became both Father and Teacher when he created his only-begotten Son, the prehuman Jesus. This one is called “the Word” because he is Jehovah’s Chief Spokesman. (John 1:1, 14; 3:16) The Word served “beside [the Father] as a master worker,” and he learned well from his Father’s teaching. (Proverbs 8:22, 30) In fact, he became the Agent, or instrumentality, through whom the Father created all other things, including spirit “sons of God.” How they must have rejoiced to be taught by God! (Job 1:6; 2:1; 38:7; Colossians 1:15-17) Later, the first human, Adam, was created. He too was a “son of God,” and the Bible reveals that Jehovah instructed him.—Luke 3:38; Genesis 2:7, 16, 17. Jehovah God, the Creator, is the Grand Instructor, or Teacher, of his servants. (1Ki 8:36; Ps 27:11; 86:11; 119:102; Isa 30:20; 54:13) The creative works themselves teach that an all-wise God exists, and they provide a field for investigation and observation that to the present day has only been partially tapped. (Job 12:7-9) Additionally, by means of special revelations, Jehovah God has taught humans his name, purposes, and laws. (Compare Ex 4:12, 15; 24:12; 34:5-7.) Such revelations are found in God’s Word, the Bible, and serve as a basis for correct teaching regarding his will. (Ro 15:4; 2Ti 3:14-17) God’s spirit also functions as a teacher.—Joh 14:26. Jesus, in his prehuman existence, was “the first-born of all creation.” (Colossians 1:15, NJB) He was “the beginning of God’s creation.” (Revelation 3:14, RS, Catholic edition). “Beginning” [Greek, ar·khe′] cannot rightly be interpreted to mean that Jesus was the ‘beginner’ of God’s creation. In his Bible writings, John uses various forms of the Greek word ar·khe′ more than 20 times, and these always have the common meaning of “beginning.” Yes, Jesus was created by God as the beginning of God’s invisible creations. (Nelg – taken from a previous post) Nelg: After reading the above, it is clear that you consider Jesus to be a created being. I do take exception to that interpretation. It is clear that Jesus is the “only begotten” God; so that is conception and not creation. The Word or Christ, the pre-incarnate Jesus was never created. He always existed in the form of God (Phil 2). Colossians 1:15 [Hos estin eikon tou theou tou haoratou prototokos pases ktiseos] “He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation.” Colossians 1:16 “For in Him all things were created, in the heavens and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities – all things have been created through Him and for Him.” Colossians 1:17 “And He is before all things, and in Him all things hold together. Colossians 1:18 “He is also head of the body, the church; and He is the beginning, the first-born from the dead; so that He Himself might come to have first place in everything.” Colossians 1:19 “For it was the good pleasure for all the fullness to dwell in Him.” Colossians 2:9 “For in Him all the fullness of Deity dwells in bodily form. . . “ [Hoti en auto katoikei pan to pleroma tes Theostetos somatikos.] Nelg: The argument revolves around the phrase in verse 15, “firstborn of all creation.” Nelg: Since we are speaking of the pre-existence of Christ, the word “prototokos” (firstborn) could not apply to the Word/Christ as coming into existence, for being born applies to the physical world of procreation. God did not bring Christ into existence in any “birth process” before time began! Especially since Christ is eternal and eternal has no beginning or ending. So it must have a different use when applied to the Christ. The Greek word for “firstborn” is a term with roots in the OT. When the word is used literally, it can denote the first that comes from the womb, whether of woman or beast (Ex 13:2). Prototokos, is an expression of rank, or preeminence and “first” and “born” no longer play into the meaning. Ephraim is a symbol for the kingdom of Israel; and Jeremiah 31:9 Ephraim’s older brother, Manasseh, was the “firstborn” (Gen 48:14), and the indication is that as “firstborn” it indicated his primacy (Gen 48:19). The “firstborn” (Col. 1:15) does not indicate the origin of the Second Person of the Godhead. There is a precise Greek word to indicate the “first” of a particular created order; it is the term proto-ktistos. This word is defined by classical scholars Liddell & Scott as meaning “founded or created first” (p. 1400). Nelg: This is not the term employed by Paul to depict Christ in the Colossian context, though the apostle had a term available should he have wanted to make that point. That he did not is significant. Nelg: Balz and Schneider observe that prototokos in Colossians 1:15 emphasizes a “superiority of essence,” and it does not suggest that Christ is “a part of the creation himself, but [he] stands rather in a unique relationship to God, the ‘invisible’” (Vol. 3, p. 190). Nelg: W. Michaelis, in the Kittel/Friedrich dictionary, notes that the “for” clause (that begins verse 16) provides the explanation for the term “firstborn,” namely that “all things owe their creation to Christ’s mediation.” He insists that the point “is not that Christ is the first creature”; rather, the thought being emphasized is “Christ’s supremacy over creation” (Bromiley, p. 968). Nelg: Moreover, since the apostle affirms that Jesus created all things, it would follow logically that if he himself were a created being, he must have made himself! Recognizing this necessary though absurd conclusion, the Watchtower Society presumptively inserted the term “other” into the New World Translation at verse 16; “because by means of him all [other] things were created.” Their use of brackets reveals awareness that there is no textual basis for the insertion. Firstborn: Preeminent in His Resurrection Nelg: Finally, the use of “firstborn” in verse 18 sheds light on the foregoing text. The Savior is described as “the firstborn from the dead” (cf. Rev. 1:5). Jesus was not the “firstborn from the dead” as a consequence of being the first one ever to be raised from the dead. There were resurrections from death both in the Old Testament (cf. 1 Kgs. 17:8-24), and during the personal ministry of the Lord (cf. Jn. 11:17ff). Nelg: Christ is “firstborn from the dead” in that he demonstrated his power over the grave. He was even instrumental in effecting his own resurrection (Jn. 2:19). Further, unlike others, who were resurrected, Jesus was raised to die “no more” (Rom. 6:9). He is the ever-living one who now has the “keys” over both death and Hades (Rev. 1:18). Nelg: There is simply no justification for the notion that the pre-incarnate Word (Jn. 1:1,14) was a created being. Nelg: In reality, there is no basis for a fanatical theory that Christ had an origin, a beginning. Of course they want to do this in order to deny the deity of Christ. Yet there are too many other passages that establish that very fact. For example the Christ predicted by the prophets would be “the everlasting” Father (Isa 9:6), Isaiah also prophesied that the one coming would be “the first and the last, and there is no God besides Me” (Isa 44:6). In the Book of Revelation, Jesus, speaking to John calls Himself “the first and the last” (1:17). Micah declares that his goings forth have been “from everlasting” (5:2). Christ is designated as “the Alpha and the Omega” (Revelation 21:6; 22:13), which expression is applied to God earlier in the same document (1:8). The phrase constitutes a strong assertion of the true and eternal deity of Jesus Christ. Nelg: Now, if the Creator, Jesus Christ, Jehovah, is eternal without a beginning and without end, wouldn’t that be saying that Jehovah, the LORD, is not eternal? Certainly it would! Think I’ll just forget about that dogma. I’ll stick with believing that Christ is eternal. It’s biblically correct. Nelg: The other term “firstborn” speaks of Christ’s resurrection from the grave, as per the text. The significance is that Jesus, in taking on human sarx [flesh] became a mortal being and limited in what He could do and be as a mortal being. There are some who say that the resurrection of Jesus is just one of many resurrections in the Bible. Not so. Jesus’ resurrection was unique in that the body of Jesus was changed and was not resurrected back from the grave in a physical body; it was not the same as the one placed in the tomb. Jesus’ mortal body [subject to death and decay] was put into the tomb, but the body resurrected was immortal [never to die or decay, a body that was fitted for the eternal kingdom of God. NO ONE was ever raised with an immortal body but Jesus Christ. He only has immortality (1Tim 6:13-16). This is the body that was “first-born from the dead,” the “first-fruits of those whose body is asleep in the grave. It was unique like no other body. That is one of the reasons that Christ, the Word, became flesh that He might have a body that was subject to death and decay and He could be given a new resurrected, spiritual form of a new body (1Cor 15:20-58). This is the meaning that Paul, the apostle, is giving to the “first-born” from the dead (physical body), the spirit of the individual is already with Christ in the Paradise of God. These “spirits of just men made perfect” (Heb 12:22-23), are waiting for the “new body” they will receive at Christ’s return (1Thess 4:13-18). So the “first-born from the dead” has nothing to do with the eternality of Christ. He is eternal (Heb 914). His human flesh or body that He took on at birth die on the cross, but never faced decay because of the resurrection (Acts 2:29-32). Nelg: The idea that Jesus was created is a contradiction of the Bible, and a mockery of the plan executed by God “who has saved us, and called us with a holy calling, not according to our works, but according to His own purpose and grace which was granted us in Christ Jesus from all eternity, but not has been revealed by the appearing of our Savior Christ Jesus, who abolished death, and brought life and immortality to light through the gospel, for which I was appointed a preacher and an apostle and teacher (2Tim 1:9-11). Nelg: By the way, I noticed the statement you made about the immortality of the soul. I don’t teach that. As you can see above, immortal has to do with the body only. And only one person has an immortal body at the present, Jesus. He made it possible for all those saved to has immortality, but that comes after the resurrection on the last day. Nelg: (More later.)

Why is it geographic? God created all things, and that "all" is inclusive of everything that exists: universes that have yet to be discovered. This earth and every nation is ruled and controlled by God. He desires all to be saved from sin and death. Therefore since the beginning of the body of Christ there have been individuals going all over the world preaching and teaching about Him. By the end of the first century Christianity has spread to all of the known world. There is a desire in every person to find what is missing in their life; a spiritual void that must be filled. If there is no Christianity or gospel being preached, the individual usually fills that void with gods of their own making; even if it SELF. There are no barriers, boundaries, or limitations to Christ. . . just man's failure to listen.

There are approximately 73 different sects in Islam. (http://www.real-islam.org/73_8.htm ) The two major groups are the Sheia and the Sunni. As with any of the religions of the world, men have divided it into "beliefs"(?) that suit man's mind. Christianity have multiple denominations filled with the dogmas of man, geared to the thoughts and intent of man and not God. It was never God's desire, will, or purpose to create multiple denominations. They are an abomination to the prayer of Jesus in John 17. . . "Sanctify them in the truth; Thy word is truth. As Thou didst send Me into the world, I also have sent them into the world. And for their sakes I sanctify Myself, that they themselves also may be sanctified in truth. I do not ask in behalf of these alone, but for those also who believe in Me through their word; that they may all be one; ever as Thou, Father, in Me, and I in Thee. that they also may be in Us; that the world may believe that Thou didst send Me.And the glory which Thou hast given Me I have given to them; that thy may be one, just as We are one; I in them, and Thou in Me, that they may be perfected in unity, that the world may know that Thou didst send Me, and didst love them, even as Thou didst love Me." Of all the things that man's dogma have accomplished it is the division in the body of Christ. It has never been right. As Jesus prayed, it has caused more unbelief than Satan ever could with fleshly sins, though denominationalism is "of the flesh." Their is "sin in the camp" and until that is removed (denominationalism) then we can expect people to reject the "Christian religion." When I was 12-20 years of age I was part of "denominational religion.) When was 21 I left my denomination and never looked back. I have preached and taught the "gospel of Christ," rejected any thing that looked like denominationalism, and lived my life as only a child of God, a Christian. My what freedom that gives!! I became one with God and Christ, and one with everyone who is/was a Christian. I understand where this lady is coming from. It is NOT the right of government to infringe on the religious beliefs of another human being. That is NO what government's role is in society. But neither do I want the government to infringe on my Christian beliefs either. Yet it is becoming more and more the prospect that government is going to do just that! Christians will be under as much persecution and rejection as the Jews and Muslims. Atheism, agnosticism, and scientism are quickly gaining control of government, media, and institutions of learning. ANYONE who has faith in God, any god, but specifically those connected with Christian, Jews, and Muslims will be rejected, persecuted, and ridiculed as myth believing radicals. Her plight and the plight of many Christians and Jews is one of trials until the end of this creation. Either we understand how we are going to deal with it or we suffer through it. As for me and my house, we will serve Jehovah. Renomac, I would agree. But there is more involved than that. Next (if not already) it will be the Christian.

"Be thou faithful unto death. . . "

Let every person be in subjection to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and those which exist are established by God. Therefore he who resists authority has opposed the ordinance of God; and they who have opposed will receive condemnation upon themselves. For rulers are not a cause of fear for good behavior, but for evil. Do you want to have no fear of authority: Do what is good, and you will have praise from the same; bfor it is a minister of God to you for good. But if you do what is evil, be afraid; for it does not bear the sword for nothing; for it is a minister of God, an avenger who brings wrath upon the one who practices evil. Wherefore it is necessary to be in subjection, not only because of wrath, but also for conscience sake. Submit yourselves for the Lord’s sake to very human institution: whether to a king as the one in authority; or to governors as sent by him for the punishment of evil doers and the praise of those who do right. For such is the will of God that by doing right you may silence the ignorance of foolish men. Act as free men, and do not use your freedom as a covering for evil but use it as bondslaves of God. Honor all men; love the brotherhood, fear God, honor the king.

The meeting will be to discuss "How to determine who is pulling whose tail?" The report says that the committee might be tied up for awhile, but their is no mention of a discussion of "How did our tails get tied together in the first place?"

Baghdad and Erbil are together . . . . like two cats with their tails tied together and hanging over a limb. Both think their tail is being pulled by the other.