Jesus used several examples of trees which did not produce fruit. If a tree is fruitless, it is worthless. It is to be cut down and thrown in the fire. It is the fruit that we bear that makes us worthy of harvest.The question is whether or not God will withdraw the Holy Spirit (or perhaps it is REPULSED) once it has been given. Scripture seems to…[Read more]

Good Lord, t8, I read your post above and I had to look to make sure that it wasn't something that I had written. It only concurred with my beliefs almost exactly. I knew there had to be others with the same understanding as mine.It was that same control 'in the church' that crucified Jesus. Things haven't changed that much.Scripture confirms that…[Read more]

God is Spirit. His Spirit is Holy. Spirit is energy or POWER. The Holy Spirit is God's POWER. This SPIRIT beget MATTER and corruption entered into the world. With Spirit, there is no death. With Matter, it is inevitable.Jesus was God's first begotten (born of flesh). But God had a Spiritual 'Son' BEFORE creation. It was through this 'Son', the…[Read more]

Thank you, Paul, for your kind consideration and your valuable input. The time of 3:00 P.M is just an approximation and not an exact time. In order for ALL of scripture to be in agreement (and for the faithful Jewish followers to comply with the Law), they must have laid Jesus in the tomb after His death (sometime shortly after the ninth hour) but…[Read more]

There are THREE heavens referred to in scripture and these can be differentiated by the context of their use.The first is indeed the atmosphere above the earth. In this heaven, birds fly:Jer:4:25 I beheld, and, lo, there was no man, and all the birds of the heavens were fled.10:13 When he uttereth his voice, there is a multitude of waters in the…[Read more]

Sorry for jumping in so late. Maybe this will help.Most people are unaware that two separate Sabbaths are referred to in the Gospel accounts. The first was an ANNUAL Sabbath, one of SEVEN occurring each year, called High Days. Most of these Sabbaths could fall on ANY day of the week. The second was a weekly Sabbath, occurring every SEVEN days on…[Read more]

Quote Bic,I asked Nick if the Gal 4 verse was referring to Jesus' personal spirit of the Spirit, he said it didn't and that it in fact referred to the Father's Spirit that indwelt Jesus. Perhaps you should read Nick's post more thoroughly before you jump to (wrong) conclusions. I didn't really jump to any conclusions. You asked if the Father's own…[Read more]

Hi, Nick. When I started reading “The Plain Truth”, I was amazed at how I could find hardly any fault in their magazine. This was very unusual because I snorted in disgust, more often than not, at what I normally read. I requested all of their free literature (which also impressed me) and, once again, found myself agreeing to MOST of what they…[Read more]

Hi, Nick. In response to the seeming contradiction between Hebrews 11:5 and 11:13, there could be another answer other than the one you propose. Scripture does not say that Enoch did not die only that he did not SEE death. It says that Enoch was “no more” and that God “took him”. It also gives the number of his days as 365 years: Gen:5:23 And all…[Read more]

Yes, but their bodies being raised is no different than Lazarus' body being raised. There is no indication that they were given “glorified” eternal bodies and that they ascended to heaven. Jesus performed resurrections of bodies back to physical life. Who did He resurrect into ETERNAL LIFE? I say NO ONE YET, and I believe scripture confirms…[Read more]

I can only speak from my experience so that is what I will do. I have had only ONE tongues experience, the second kind as listed by Nick; the kind experienced by those on the Day of Pentecost. It was in a United Pentecostal Church (one of the most POWERFUL churches in the world, I might add, speaking in terms of the Holy Spirit). Of course, I knew…[Read more]

Actually, I think that Is 1:18 is correct in stating that there are two separate judgments. Here is my understanding of the events to take place:Before the return of Jesus, distressing times will come upon the earth and it and the people on it will be shaken to the core. As scripture states in Matthew 24, Jesus' return will spare (from extinction)…[Read more]

Beautiful intro, Nick and a wonderful follow-up, t8. You both spoke very well indeed.I have been receiving a “read the Bible in a year” mailing in my email that is in either the Living Translation or the Message Bible (I believe it's the first) and I was wondering what everyone's thoughts are. It is wonderful to read some of the very difficult…[Read more]

stroshow: It is easy to build an endless amount of false doctrines by using one or two (or even more) verses to 'prove' a point whilst ignoring many other verses which contradict said verses. For example:Luke:14:26 If any man come to me, and hate not his father, and mother, andwife, and children, and brethren, and sisters, yea, and his own life…[Read more]

Papaw: Welcome to the board! I tend to believe everything you posted as the beliefs of Biblical Unitarians. Originally a member of the UPC (United Pentecostals), I agreed with much of what Herbert Armstrong (founder of the Worldwide Church of God) proffered as truth. Because most of these beliefs are in direct opposition to the doctrines supported…[Read more]

What the religious teachers won't tell you is that the curses pronounced in Malachi are not on the laity but rather on the clergy! It was the religious leaders themselves who had profaned the offerings. Start reading in Chapter 2 and notice that God is talking to the priests (2:1). Verse 3:3 refers to the “sons of Levi”, which is the priesthood.…[Read more]

Quote …Enki & Enlil (Sumerian deities)…Enki knew Enlil and begat Elavil…that's what I heard.

t8: Is your moniker pronounced tate?…that's what I guessed. Yes, good stuff, all. Personally, I know too many people who call themselves Christians who don't come close to having the heart or spirit of Christ. Most do not accept the teaching of turning the other cheek. Most still live in (and justify) the eye for an eye system of justice. Most…[Read more]

Don't get me wrong, Nick, there is NOTHING that man can create that will ever come close to the wonder of God's creation. What I am speaking of, of course, is not only the heavenly bodies (the stars and even space itself) but the incredible life forms and life cycles on the earth itself. It is just too awesome to comprehend. Rivers, deserts,…[Read more]

Thanks, Nick, for your kind response. I agree with pretty much everthing that you said except the part about putting on the new OVER the old. Read the verses about new and old wine in new and old wineskins for a better understanding of why the flesh and blood bodies will not EXIST beneath our glorified bodies. In science, there are MIXTURES and…[Read more]