I know the bible well - ask me a question that you have never understood about it or christianity

Read about the sheep and the goats. Can a goat turn into a sheep if it really wants to?


No but God offers Salvation, IE to turn Goats to Sheep if we accept it.


"Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners." This saying is true, and it can be trusted. I was the worst sinner of all! (1 Timothy 1:15)

Jesus came to save sinners, not to merely offer salvation. Jesus said that He completed His mission. Is there anybody who doubts what His mission was, or that He succeeded in it?


I have brought glory to you here on earth by doing everything you gave me to do. (John 17:4)


God wants everyone to be saved and to know the whole truth, which is, There is only one God, and Christ Jesus is the only one who can bring us to God. Jesus was truly human, and he gave himself to rescue all of us. (1 Timothy 2:4-5)


And you gave him power over all people, so that he would give eternal life to everyone you give him. Eternal life is to know you, the only true God, and to know Jesus Christ, the one you sent. (John 17:2-3)


Everything and everyone that the Father has given me will come to me, and I won't turn any of them away. I didn't come from heaven to do what I want! I came to do what the Father wants me to do. He sent me, and he wants to make certain that none of the ones he has given me will be lost. Instead, he wants me to raise them to life on the last day. My Father wants everyone who sees the Son to have faith in him and to have eternal life. Then I will raise them to life on the last day. (John 6:37-40)

I'm confused about what happens after death. Ecclesiastes says something like "the dead know nothing", yet the NT says "to be absent from the body is to be present with the Lord."

Also confused about Gehenna/Sheol/Paradise.

Read this, and decide for yourself what Jesus's mission was, and whether He succeeded.

God did not send his Son into the world to condemn its people. He sent him to save them! (John 3:17)


CONTEXT!!!

List it all, not what you want to, to make a point.

John 3:16
"For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth (Choice) in Him should not perish but have everlasting life".
17) For God sent not His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that through Him might be saved".
18) He that believeth on Him is not condemned, BUT HE THAT BELIEVETH NOT IS CONDEMNED ALREADY BECAUSE HE HAS NOT BELIEVED IN THE NAME OF THE ONLY BEGOTTEN SON OF GOD".

Frankly speaking, I am having a problem trying to follow the logic here. It is Biblically without question that Christ came to save the lost and all humans are lost and dead in the sight of God until they are QUICKENED/SAVED/ MADE ALIVE(Ephesians 2:1-4) by Christ in them who is the hope of glory.

Maybe someone else can respond to this better than me.


Jesus said that He came to save everything.

Everything and everyone that the Father has given me will come to me, and I won't turn any of them away. I didn't come from heaven to do what I want! I came to do what the Father wants me to do. He sent me, and he wants to make certain that none of the ones he has given me will be lost. Instead, he wants me to raise them to life on the last day. My Father wants everyone who sees the Son to have faith in him and to have eternal life. Then I will raise them to life on the last day. (John 6:37-40)

Big churches will tell you that Jesus came to offer salvation to people who choose to follow Jesus. Those preachers will tell you that billions of people will be lost.

Jesus said that He came to make sure that nothing that was given to Him is lost. And Jesus said that He has been given everything, and that He succeeded in His mission.

What was His mission? To "offer salvation to the lost", or to "save the lost"? They are not the same thing.

The churches teach that billions of people will be lost. Surely if billions of people go to hell, that is a victory for Satan. How can it be complete victory for Jesus if billions of the people that He made are lost? Jesus said that His job is to make certain that none of what He has been given is lost.

Jesus said that He won't rest if there is even one sheep missing. He won't be satisfied with finding 99 sheep and losing one. He wants all his sheep. And He wants everything else that He owns as well. Otherwise, it won't be complete victory, will it?

Find where Jesus said what He came to do in the bible. Decide for yourself if you agree with what He said His mission is, and whether He succeeded. Do you think that Jesus had complete victory? If He did, then He must have done this successfully:

"He sent me, and he wants to make certain that none of the ones he has given me will be lost."

I'm confused about what happens after death. Ecclesiastes says something like "the dead know nothing", yet the NT says "to be absent from the body is to be present with the Lord."

Also confused about Gehenna/Sheol/Paradise.


The saved person who trusted in Christ go directly to heaven upon death. Their body goes in the ground but their spirit goes to heaven.

The wicked lost person who refuses to accept Christ go to Sheol (Hebrew) Hades (Greek). It is the same place different names.

the thief on the cross believed in Jesus and asked that Jesus remember him when He came into His Kingdom -- the thief was saved. 

I'm confused about what happens after death. Ecclesiastes says something like "the dead know nothing", yet the NT says "to be absent from the body is to be present with the Lord."

Also confused about Gehenna/Sheol/Paradise.


The saved person who trusted in Christ go directly to heaven upon death. Their body goes in the ground but their spirit goes to heaven.

The wicked lost person who refuses to accept Christ go to Sheol (Hebrew) Hades (Greek). It is the same place different names.


How are these bible verses related?
[link to www.godlikeproductions.com]


the thief on the cross believed in Jesus and asked that Jesus remember him when He came into His Kingdom -- the thief was saved. 


Saved is a broad stroke obscuring the complete picture. :note:

See link that follows to understand the complete picture. 

John 14:2
In my Father's house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you."

Matthew 13:43
"Then shall the righteous shine forth as the sun in the kingdom of their Father. Who hath ears to hear, let him hear."

These two verses are related to a 3rd bible verse that speaks of a 3rd heaven. 

2 Corinthians 12:2
"I knew a man in Christ above fourteen years ago, (whether in the body, I cannot tell; or whether out of the body, I cannot tell: God knoweth;) such an one caught up to the third heaven."

What do these 3 bible verses have in common?

Here is the 4th and final bible verse that describes the glory associated with the three heavens. 

1 Corinthians 15:40-41
"There are also celestial bodies, and bodies terrestrial: but the glory of the celestial is one, and the glory of the terrestrial is another.

There is one glory of the sun, and another glory of the moon, and another glory of the stars: for one star differeth from another star in glory."

Bible References to The Three Degrees of Glory

In 1832, it was revealed to Joseph Smith, his counselor Sydney Rigdon, and other subsequent prophets that after we die, go to the spirit world, and are judged, we will be received into one of three Kingdoms. These are collectively referred to as the Three Degrees of Glory. The lowest kingdom is called the Telestial Kingdom. This will be the world all those who rejected Christ and never repented of their sins will go. The next highest is the Terrestrial Kingdom. This will be where those who accepted Christ, but didn't endure to the end and never fulfilled all the saving ordinances will go. The highest kingdom, where God the Father lives, is called the Celestial Kingdom. This will be the world where all those who accepted Christ, endured to the end and received all the saving ordinances will go.

The concept of three kingdoms makes the judgments of God more fair and just. This way, people who lived good lives but never fully accepted the gospel of Christ will still receive a fitting reward, and those who long suffered, sacrificed and endured to the end will receive the highest possible reward, Eternal Life with God. 

Here are the verses in the bible that make reference to these different Kingdoms.

Matthew 13:43
"Then shall the righteous shine forth as the sun in the kingdom of their Father. Who hath ears to hear, let him hear."

I included this reference because it's almost an esoteric reference to the Celestial Kingdom. The Kingdom of God is the Celestial Kingdom. The Celestial Kingdom is referred to symbolically in the scriptures as the Glory of the Sun. Jesus, teaching in parables, says in this verse that the righteous in the Kingdom of God the Father will shine like they were the sun, or part of the Glory of the Sun. What makes me think this is an esoteric reference is that He ends it by saying "who hath ears to hear, let him hear,"like the believers should understand his subtle Celestial reference.

John 14:2
In my Father's house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you."

Notice Jesus isn't just saying "My Father's only Kingdom is a big place". He is alluding, if not outright saying, that there are many mansion, ergo, different kingdoms in store for us. Like He said, if this were not so He would have told us.

2 Corinthians 12:2
"I knew a man in Christ above fourteen years ago, (whether in the body, I cannot tell; or whether out of the body, I cannot tell: God knoweth;) such an one caught up to the third heaven."

In this verse Paul is teaching of a third heaven, implying that there is more than one eternal destination, and hierarchical glories.

1 Corinthians 15:40-41
"There are also celestial bodies, and bodies terrestrial: but the glory of the celestial is one, and the glory of the terrestrial is another.
There is one glory of the sun, and another glory of the moon, and another glory of the stars: for one star differeth from another star in glory."

Paul is teaching about the resurrection. In verse 40 he teaches that people will be resurrected into one of three bodies: a Celestial body, a Terrestrial body, and assumable a Telestial Body. These body we're resurrected into will correspond with the glory and kingdom we receive. Notice the next verse blatantly teaches that there is one glory of the sun (The Celestial Kingdom), another glory of the moon (The Terrestrial Kingdom), and a glory of the stars (The Telestial Kingdom). The sun, moon, stars is obviously symbolic of the hierarchy in glory of the kingdoms. - [link to www.moroni10.com]


This subject WAS added to my log of direct links:       
[link to www.godlikeproductions.com]

MC

I posted a new thread on this because I'm new to this site and didn't know what how to post in here. Figured it out, though.
I was wondering if there was anything in the bible about showing respect and/love to the mentally ill? I recently read a news report about a family in MN who, along with their 13-year-old son who is severely autistic, has been banned from taking mass at their church. To me this goes against everything that God teaches. I automatically came up with Mark 10:14 which says "Suffer the little children to come unto me, and forbid them not: for such is the kingdom of God." Are there any verses that talk specifically about mental illness? A friend of mine thinks there is but neither of us are sure.

I posted a new thread on this because I'm new to this site and didn't know what how to post in here. Figured it out, though.
I was wondering if there was anything in the bible about showing respect and/love to the mentally ill? I recently read a news report about a family in MN who, along with their 13-year-old son who is severely autistic, has been banned from taking mass at their church. To me this goes against everything that God teaches. I automatically came up with Mark 10:14 which says "Suffer the little children to come unto me, and forbid them not: for such is the kingdom of God." Are there any verses that talk specifically about mental illness? A friend of mine thinks there is but neither of us are sure.

I'm confused about what happens after death.  Ecclesiastes says something like "the dead know nothing", yet the NT says "to be absent from the body is to be present with the Lord."

Also confused about Gehenna/Sheol/Paradise.


The saved person who trusted in Christ go directly to heaven upon death. Their body goes in the ground but their spirit goes to heaven.

The wicked lost person who refuses to accept Christ go to Sheol (Hebrew) Hades (Greek). It is the same place different names.


How are these bible verses related?
[link to www.godlikeproductions.com]


the thief on the cross believed in Jesus and asked that Jesus remember him when He came into His Kingdom -- the thief was saved. 


Saved is a broad stroke obscuring the complete picture.

See link that follows to understand the complete picture. 

John 14:2
In my Father's house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you."

Matthew 13:43
"Then shall the righteous shine forth as the sun in the kingdom of their Father. Who hath ears to hear, let him hear."

These two verses are related to a 3rd bible verse that speaks of a 3rd heaven. 

2 Corinthians 12:2
"I knew a man in Christ above fourteen years ago, (whether in the body, I cannot tell; or whether out of the body, I cannot tell: God knoweth;) such an one caught up to the third heaven."

What do these 3 bible verses have in common?

Here is the 4th and final bible verse that describes the glory associated with the three heavens. 

1 Corinthians 15:40-41
"There are also celestial bodies, and bodies terrestrial: but the glory of the celestial is one, and the glory of the terrestrial is another.

There is one glory of the sun, and another glory of the moon, and another glory of the stars: for one star differeth from another star in glory."

Bible References to The Three Degrees of Glory

In 1832, it was revealed to Joseph Smith, his counselor Sydney Rigdon, and other subsequent prophets that after we die, go to the spirit world, and are judged, we will be received into one of three Kingdoms. These are collectively referred to as the Three Degrees of Glory. The lowest kingdom is called the Telestial Kingdom. This will be the world all those who rejected Christ and never repented of their sins will go. The next highest is the Terrestrial Kingdom. This will be where those who accepted Christ, but didn't endure to the end and never fulfilled all the saving ordinances will go. The highest kingdom, where God the Father lives, is called the Celestial Kingdom. This will be the world where all those who accepted Christ, endured to the end and received all the saving ordinances will go.

The concept of three kingdoms makes the judgments of God more fair and just. This way, people who lived good lives but never fully accepted the gospel of Christ will still receive a fitting reward, and those who long suffered, sacrificed and endured to the end will receive the highest possible reward, Eternal Life with God. 

Here are the verses in the bible that make reference to these different Kingdoms.

Matthew 13:43
"Then shall the righteous shine forth as the sun in the kingdom of their Father. Who hath ears to hear, let him hear."

I included this reference because it's almost an esoteric reference to the Celestial Kingdom. The Kingdom of God is the Celestial Kingdom. The Celestial Kingdom is referred to symbolically in the scriptures as the Glory of the Sun. Jesus, teaching in parables, says in this verse that the righteous in the Kingdom of God the Father will shine like they were the sun, or part of the Glory of the Sun. What makes me think this is an esoteric reference is that He ends it by saying "who hath ears to hear, let him hear,"like the believers should understand his subtle Celestial reference.

John 14:2
In my Father's house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you."

Notice Jesus isn't just saying "My Father's only Kingdom is a big place". He is alluding, if not outright saying, that there are many mansion, ergo, different kingdoms in store for us. Like He said, if this were not so He would have told us.

2 Corinthians 12:2
"I knew a man in Christ above fourteen years ago, (whether in the body, I cannot tell; or whether out of the body, I cannot tell: God knoweth;) such an one caught up to the third heaven."

In this verse Paul is teaching of a third heaven, implying that there is more than one eternal destination, and hierarchical glories.

1 Corinthians 15:40-41
"There are also celestial bodies, and bodies terrestrial: but the glory of the celestial is one, and the glory of the terrestrial is another.
There is one glory of the sun, and another glory of the moon, and another glory of the stars: for one star differeth from another star in glory."

Paul is teaching about the resurrection. In verse 40 he teaches that people will be resurrected into one of three bodies: a Celestial body, a Terrestrial body, and assumable a Telestial Body. These body we're resurrected into will correspond with the glory and kingdom we receive. Notice the next verse blatantly teaches that there is one glory of the sun (The Celestial Kingdom), another glory of the moon (The Terrestrial Kingdom), and a glory of the stars (The Telestial Kingdom). The sun, moon, stars is obviously symbolic of the hierarchy in glory of the kingdoms. - [link to www.moroni10.com]


This subject WAS added to my log of direct links:       
[link to www.godlikeproductions.com]

MC


I do hope that everyone understands that they are being exposed to  Mormon Church doctine, not Bible doctrine or even Bible teaching.

I mean, I do not care, I just thought everyone should know that Mormonism is not Christianity. That is not mean and insenitive, it simply is factual.

What you are being exposed to is the Book of Mormon.
You see, according to their belief you are here because Father God and Mother God had sex in heaven, and bingo, here you are. 

One of their beliefs is salvation after death. All you have to do is send in the information to Salt Lake City Temple, (along with a donation I think) and someone will "stand in" for the person who has died and be baptized for them.
That way, you can live like the devil and still go to heaven.

You see, Mormons do not believe the Bible is the Word of God unless it is expounded upon by the book of Mormon.

I'm confused about what happens after death.  Ecclesiastes says something like "the dead know nothing", yet the NT says "to be absent from the body is to be present with the Lord."

Also confused about Gehenna/Sheol/Paradise.


The saved person who trusted in Christ go directly to heaven upon death. Their body goes in the ground but their spirit goes to heaven.

The wicked lost person who refuses to accept Christ go to Sheol (Hebrew) Hades (Greek). It is the same place different names.


How are these bible verses related?
[link to www.godlikeproductions.com]


the thief on the cross believed in Jesus and asked that Jesus remember him when He came into His Kingdom -- the thief was saved. 


Saved is a broad stroke obscuring the complete picture. :note:

See link that follows to understand the complete picture. 

John 14:2
In my Father's house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you."

Matthew 13:43
"Then shall the righteous shine forth as the sun in the kingdom of their Father. Who hath ears to hear, let him hear."

These two verses are related to a 3rd bible verse that speaks of a 3rd heaven. 

2 Corinthians 12:2
"I knew a man in Christ above fourteen years ago, (whether in the body, I cannot tell; or whether out of the body, I cannot tell: God knoweth;) such an one caught up to the third heaven."

What do these 3 bible verses have in common?

Here is the 4th and final bible verse that describes the glory associated with the three heavens. 

1 Corinthians 15:40-41
"There are also celestial bodies, and bodies terrestrial: but the glory of the celestial is one, and the glory of the terrestrial is another.

There is one glory of the sun, and another glory of the moon, and another glory of the stars: for one star differeth from another star in glory."

Bible References to The Three Degrees of Glory

In 1832, it was revealed to Joseph Smith, his counselor Sydney Rigdon, and other subsequent prophets that after we die, go to the spirit world, and are judged, we will be received into one of three Kingdoms. These are collectively referred to as the Three Degrees of Glory. The lowest kingdom is called the Telestial Kingdom. This will be the world all those who rejected Christ and never repented of their sins will go. The next highest is the Terrestrial Kingdom. This will be where those who accepted Christ, but didn't endure to the end and never fulfilled all the saving ordinances will go. The highest kingdom, where God the Father lives, is called the Celestial Kingdom. This will be the world where all those who accepted Christ, endured to the end and received all the saving ordinances will go.

The concept of three kingdoms makes the judgments of God more fair and just. This way, people who lived good lives but never fully accepted the gospel of Christ will still receive a fitting reward, and those who long suffered, sacrificed and endured to the end will receive the highest possible reward, Eternal Life with God. 

Here are the verses in the bible that make reference to these different Kingdoms.

Matthew 13:43
"Then shall the righteous shine forth as the sun in the kingdom of their Father. Who hath ears to hear, let him hear."

I included this reference because it's almost an esoteric reference to the Celestial Kingdom. The Kingdom of God is the Celestial Kingdom. The Celestial Kingdom is referred to symbolically in the scriptures as the Glory of the Sun. Jesus, teaching in parables, says in this verse that the righteous in the Kingdom of God the Father will shine like they were the sun, or part of the Glory of the Sun. What makes me think this is an esoteric reference is that He ends it by saying "who hath ears to hear, let him hear,"like the believers should understand his subtle Celestial reference.

John 14:2
In my Father's house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you."

Notice Jesus isn't just saying "My Father's only Kingdom is a big place". He is alluding, if not outright saying, that there are many mansion, ergo, different kingdoms in store for us. Like He said, if this were not so He would have told us.

2 Corinthians 12:2
"I knew a man in Christ above fourteen years ago, (whether in the body, I cannot tell; or whether out of the body, I cannot tell: God knoweth;) such an one caught up to the third heaven."

In this verse Paul is teaching of a third heaven, implying that there is more than one eternal destination, and hierarchical glories.

1 Corinthians 15:40-41
"There are also celestial bodies, and bodies terrestrial: but the glory of the celestial is one, and the glory of the terrestrial is another.
There is one glory of the sun, and another glory of the moon, and another glory of the stars: for one star differeth from another star in glory."

Paul is teaching about the resurrection. In verse 40 he teaches that people will be resurrected into one of three bodies: a Celestial body, a Terrestrial body, and assumable a Telestial Body. These body we're resurrected into will correspond with the glory and kingdom we receive. Notice the next verse blatantly teaches that there is one glory of the sun (The Celestial Kingdom), another glory of the moon (The Terrestrial Kingdom), and a glory of the stars (The Telestial Kingdom). The sun, moon, stars is obviously symbolic of the hierarchy in glory of the kingdoms. - [link to www.moroni10.com]


This subject WAS added to my log of direct links:       
[link to www.godlikeproductions.com]

MC


I do hope that everyone understands that they are being exposed to  Mormon Church doctine, not Bible doctrine or even Bible teaching.

I mean, I do not care, I just thought everyone should know that Mormonism is not Christianity. That is not mean and insenitive, it simply is factual.

What you are being exposed to is the Book of Mormon.
You see, according to their belief you are here because Father God and Mother God had sex in heaven, and bingo, here you are. 

One of their beliefs is salvation after death. All you have to do is send in the information to Salt Lake City Temple, (along with a donation I think) and someone will "stand in" for the person who has died and be baptized for them.
That way, you can live like the devil and still go to heaven.

You see, Mormons do not believe the Bible is the Word of God unless it is expounded upon by the book of Mormon.


Mormon being an ancient prophet of the Amercan Continent for those not familliar with the term often used to describe members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. 

... In common with the rest of Christianity, we believe in a Godhead of Father, Son, and Holy Ghost. However, we testify that these three members of the Godhead are three separate and distinct beings. We also testify that God the Father is not just a spirit but is a glorified person with a tangible body, as is his resurrected Son, Jesus Christ.

When first communicated to mankind by prophets, the teachings we now have in the Bible were “plain and pure, and most precious and easy” to understand (1 Ne. 14:23). Even in the transmitted and translated version we have today, the Bible language confirms that God the Father and his resurrected Son, Jesus Christ, are tangible, separate beings. To cite only two of many such teachings, the Bible declares that man was created in the image of God, and it describes three separate members of the Godhead manifested at the baptism of Jesus (see Gen. 1:27; Matt. 3:13–17).

In contrast, many Christians reject the idea of a tangible, personal God and a Godhead of three separate beings. They believe that God is a spirit and that the Godhead is only one God. In our view, these concepts are evidence of the falling away we call the Great Apostasy.

We maintain that the concepts identified by such nonscriptural terms as “the incomprehensible mystery of God” and “the mystery of the Holy Trinity” are attributable to the ideas of Greek philosophy. These philosophical concepts transformed Christianity in the first few centuries following the deaths of the Apostles. For example, philosophers then maintained that physical matter was evil and that God was a spirit without feelings or passions. Persons of this persuasion, including learned men who became influential converts to Christianity, had a hard time accepting the simple teachings of early Christianity: an Only Begotten Son who said he was in the express image of his Father in Heaven and who taught his followers to be one as he and his Father were one, and a Messiah who died on a cross and later appeared to his followers as a resurrected being with flesh and bones.

The collision between the speculative world of Greek philosophy and the simple, literal faith and practice of the earliest Christians produced sharp contentions that threatened to widen political divisions in the fragmenting Roman empire. This led Emperor Constantine to convene the first churchwide council in a.d. 325. The action of this council of Nicaea remains the most important single event after the death of the Apostles in formulating the modern Christian concept of deity. The Nicene Creed erased the idea of the separate being of Father and Son by defining God the Son as being of “one substance with the Father.”

Other councils followed, and from their decisions and the writings of churchmen and philosophers there came a synthesis of Greek philosophy and Christian doctrine in which the orthodox Christians of that day lost the fulness of truth about the nature of God and the Godhead. The consequences persist in the various creeds of Christianity, which declare a Godhead of only one being and which describe that single being or God as “incomprehensible” and “without body, parts, or passions.” One of the distinguishing features of the doctrine of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is its rejection of all of these postbiblical creeds. 

In the process of what we call the Apostasy, the tangible, personal God described in the Old and New Testaments was replaced by the abstract, incomprehensible deity defined by compromise with the speculative principles of Greek philosophy. The received language of the Bible remained, but the so-called “hidden meanings” of scriptural words were now explained in the vocabulary of a philosophy alien to their origins. In the language of that philosophy, God the Father ceased to be a Father in any but an allegorical sense. He ceased to exist as a comprehensible and compassionate being. And the separate identity of his Only Begotten Son was swallowed up in a philosophical abstraction that attempted to define a common substance and an incomprehensible relationship.

These descriptions of a religious philosophy are surely undiplomatic, but I hasten to add that Latter-day Saints do not apply such criticism to the men and women who profess these beliefs. We believe that most religious leaders and followers are sincere believers who love God and understand and serve him to the best of their abilities. We are indebted to the men and women who kept the light of faith and learning alive through the centuries to the present day. We have only to contrast the lesser light that exists among peoples unfamiliar with the names of God and Jesus Christ to realize the great contribution made by Christian teachers through the ages. We honor them as servants of God. ... - [link to www.lds.org]

Is the Trinity Biblical?
An indepth article = [link to 14lds.com]

Your other ascertations demonstrate the depth of your ignorance of the restored gospel, which is the same gospel that was established anciently.  Such as this example from the bible:

Acts 1:24 And they prayed, and said, Thou, Lord, which knowest the hearts of all men, shew whether of these two thou hast chosen,
25 That he may take part of this ministry and apostleship, from which Judas by transgression fell, that he might go to his own place.
26 And they gave forth their lots; and the lot fell upon Matthias; and he was numbered with the eleven apostles.

Answer me this:

Why was Matthias called as an Apostle if the Apostles were meant to cease?

MC

I'm confused about what happens after death.  Ecclesiastes says something like "the dead know nothing", yet the NT says "to be absent from the body is to be present with the Lord."

Also confused about Gehenna/Sheol/Paradise.


The saved person who trusted in Christ go directly to heaven upon death. Their body goes in the ground but their spirit goes to heaven.

The wicked lost person who refuses to accept Christ go to Sheol (Hebrew) Hades (Greek). It is the same place different names.


How are these bible verses related?
[link to www.godlikeproductions.com]


the thief on the cross believed in Jesus and asked that Jesus remember him when He came into His Kingdom -- the thief was saved. 


Saved is a broad stroke obscuring the complete picture. :note:

See link that follows to understand the complete picture. 

John 14:2
In my Father's house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you."

Matthew 13:43
"Then shall the righteous shine forth as the sun in the kingdom of their Father. Who hath ears to hear, let him hear."

These two verses are related to a 3rd bible verse that speaks of a 3rd heaven. 

2 Corinthians 12:2
"I knew a man in Christ above fourteen years ago, (whether in the body, I cannot tell; or whether out of the body, I cannot tell: God knoweth;) such an one caught up to the third heaven."

What do these 3 bible verses have in common?

Here is the 4th and final bible verse that describes the glory associated with the three heavens. 

1 Corinthians 15:40-41
"There are also celestial bodies, and bodies terrestrial: but the glory of the celestial is one, and the glory of the terrestrial is another.

There is one glory of the sun, and another glory of the moon, and another glory of the stars: for one star differeth from another star in glory."

Bible References to The Three Degrees of Glory

In 1832, it was revealed to Joseph Smith, his counselor Sydney Rigdon, and other subsequent prophets that after we die, go to the spirit world, and are judged, we will be received into one of three Kingdoms. These are collectively referred to as the Three Degrees of Glory. The lowest kingdom is called the Telestial Kingdom. This will be the world all those who rejected Christ and never repented of their sins will go. The next highest is the Terrestrial Kingdom. This will be where those who accepted Christ, but didn't endure to the end and never fulfilled all the saving ordinances will go. The highest kingdom, where God the Father lives, is called the Celestial Kingdom. This will be the world where all those who accepted Christ, endured to the end and received all the saving ordinances will go.

The concept of three kingdoms makes the judgments of God more fair and just. This way, people who lived good lives but never fully accepted the gospel of Christ will still receive a fitting reward, and those who long suffered, sacrificed and endured to the end will receive the highest possible reward, Eternal Life with God. 

Here are the verses in the bible that make reference to these different Kingdoms.

Matthew 13:43
"Then shall the righteous shine forth as the sun in the kingdom of their Father. Who hath ears to hear, let him hear."

I included this reference because it's almost an esoteric reference to the Celestial Kingdom. The Kingdom of God is the Celestial Kingdom. The Celestial Kingdom is referred to symbolically in the scriptures as the Glory of the Sun. Jesus, teaching in parables, says in this verse that the righteous in the Kingdom of God the Father will shine like they were the sun, or part of the Glory of the Sun. What makes me think this is an esoteric reference is that He ends it by saying "who hath ears to hear, let him hear,"like the believers should understand his subtle Celestial reference.

John 14:2
In my Father's house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you."

Notice Jesus isn't just saying "My Father's only Kingdom is a big place". He is alluding, if not outright saying, that there are many mansion, ergo, different kingdoms in store for us. Like He said, if this were not so He would have told us.

2 Corinthians 12:2
"I knew a man in Christ above fourteen years ago, (whether in the body, I cannot tell; or whether out of the body, I cannot tell: God knoweth;) such an one caught up to the third heaven."

In this verse Paul is teaching of a third heaven, implying that there is more than one eternal destination, and hierarchical glories.

1 Corinthians 15:40-41
"There are also celestial bodies, and bodies terrestrial: but the glory of the celestial is one, and the glory of the terrestrial is another.
There is one glory of the sun, and another glory of the moon, and another glory of the stars: for one star differeth from another star in glory."

Paul is teaching about the resurrection. In verse 40 he teaches that people will be resurrected into one of three bodies: a Celestial body, a Terrestrial body, and assumable a Telestial Body. These body we're resurrected into will correspond with the glory and kingdom we receive. Notice the next verse blatantly teaches that there is one glory of the sun (The Celestial Kingdom), another glory of the moon (The Terrestrial Kingdom), and a glory of the stars (The Telestial Kingdom). The sun, moon, stars is obviously symbolic of the hierarchy in glory of the kingdoms. - [link to www.moroni10.com]


This subject WAS added to my log of direct links:       
[link to www.godlikeproductions.com]

MC


I do hope that everyone understands that they are being exposed to  Mormon Church doctine, not Bible doctrine or even Bible teaching.

I mean, I do not care, I just thought everyone should know that Mormonism is not Christianity. That is not mean and insenitive, it simply is factual.

What you are being exposed to is the Book of Mormon.
You see, according to their belief you are here because Father God and Mother God had sex in heaven, and bingo, here you are. 

One of their beliefs is salvation after death. All you have to do is send in the information to Salt Lake City Temple, (along with a donation I think) and someone will "stand in" for the person who has died and be baptized for them.
That way, you can live like the devil and still go to heaven.

You see, Mormons do not believe the Bible is the Word of God unless it is expounded upon by the book of Mormon.


Mormon being an ancient prophet of the Amercan Continent for those not familliar with the term often used to describe members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. 

... In common with the rest of Christianity, we believe in a Godhead of Father, Son, and Holy Ghost. However, we testify that these three members of the Godhead are three separate and distinct beings. We also testify that God the Father is not just a spirit but is a glorified person with a tangible body, as is his resurrected Son, Jesus Christ.

When first communicated to mankind by prophets, the teachings we now have in the Bible were “plain and pure, and most precious and easy” to understand (1 Ne. 14:23). Even in the transmitted and translated version we have today, the Bible language confirms that God the Father and his resurrected Son, Jesus Christ, are tangible, separate beings. To cite only two of many such teachings, the Bible declares that man was created in the image of God, and it describes three separate members of the Godhead manifested at the baptism of Jesus (see Gen. 1:27; Matt. 3:13–17).

In contrast, many Christians reject the idea of a tangible, personal God and a Godhead of three separate beings. They believe that God is a spirit and that the Godhead is only one God. In our view, these concepts are evidence of the falling away we call the Great Apostasy.

We maintain that the concepts identified by such nonscriptural terms as “the incomprehensible mystery of God” and “the mystery of the Holy Trinity” are attributable to the ideas of Greek philosophy. These philosophical concepts transformed Christianity in the first few centuries following the deaths of the Apostles. For example, philosophers then maintained that physical matter was evil and that God was a spirit without feelings or passions. Persons of this persuasion, including learned men who became influential converts to Christianity, had a hard time accepting the simple teachings of early Christianity: an Only Begotten Son who said he was in the express image of his Father in Heaven and who taught his followers to be one as he and his Father were one, and a Messiah who died on a cross and later appeared to his followers as a resurrected being with flesh and bones.

The collision between the speculative world of Greek philosophy and the simple, literal faith and practice of the earliest Christians produced sharp contentions that threatened to widen political divisions in the fragmenting Roman empire. This led Emperor Constantine to convene the first churchwide council in a.d. 325. The action of this council of Nicaea remains the most important single event after the death of the Apostles in formulating the modern Christian concept of deity. The Nicene Creed erased the idea of the separate being of Father and Son by defining God the Son as being of “one substance with the Father.”

Other councils followed, and from their decisions and the writings of churchmen and philosophers there came a synthesis of Greek philosophy and Christian doctrine in which the orthodox Christians of that day lost the fulness of truth about the nature of God and the Godhead. The consequences persist in the various creeds of Christianity, which declare a Godhead of only one being and which describe that single being or God as “incomprehensible” and “without body, parts, or passions.” One of the distinguishing features of the doctrine of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is its rejection of all of these postbiblical creeds. 

In the process of what we call the Apostasy, the tangible, personal God described in the Old and New Testaments was replaced by the abstract, incomprehensible deity defined by compromise with the speculative principles of Greek philosophy. The received language of the Bible remained, but the so-called “hidden meanings” of scriptural words were now explained in the vocabulary of a philosophy alien to their origins. In the language of that philosophy, God the Father ceased to be a Father in any but an allegorical sense. He ceased to exist as a comprehensible and compassionate being. And the separate identity of his Only Begotten Son was swallowed up in a philosophical abstraction that attempted to define a common substance and an incomprehensible relationship.

These descriptions of a religious philosophy are surely undiplomatic, but I hasten to add that Latter-day Saints do not apply such criticism to the men and women who profess these beliefs. We believe that most religious leaders and followers are sincere believers who love God and understand and serve him to the best of their abilities. We are indebted to the men and women who kept the light of faith and learning alive through the centuries to the present day. We have only to contrast the lesser light that exists among peoples unfamiliar with the names of God and Jesus Christ to realize the great contribution made by Christian teachers through the ages. We honor them as servants of God. ... - [link to www.lds.org]

Is the Trinity Biblical?
An indepth article = [link to 14lds.com]

Your other ascertations demonstrate the depth of your ignorance of the restored gospel, which is the same gospel that was established anciently.  Such as this example from the bible:

Acts 1:24 And they prayed, and said, Thou, Lord, which knowest the hearts of all men, shew whether of these two thou hast chosen,
25 That he may take part of this ministry and apostleship, from which Judas by transgression fell, that he might go to his own place.
26 And they gave forth their lots; and the lot fell upon Matthias; and he was numbered with the eleven apostles.

Answer me this:

Why was Matthias called as an Apostle if the Apostles were meant to cease?

MC

Well, when I go into great detail I am accused of being too indepth and so I tried to make it simple and easy. Now because of that, I am "ignorant" of the Mormon Religion.

First of all, I do not care if that is te faith you choose.
IF you are a Mormon, be proud of it!!! Be what you say you are.

BUT DO NOT TRY AND BE SOMETHING THAT YOU ARE NOT!
I said once and now repeat it again:

MORMONISM IS NOT CHRISTIAN. IT IS MORMONISM!!!

I AM NOT LOOKING FOR A FIGHT NOR AN ARGUMENT, I AM SIMPLY STATEING THE FACTS.

If you do not know these things, then YOU should be the one learning them my friend. Here are YOUR Religion's FACTS:

Mormonism teaches that God used to be a man on another world and that he became a god by following the laws and ordinances of his god on his home world. He brought his wife to this world, a woman he had married on the other world. She is, essentially a goddess.

In his present god-state, he rules our world. He has a body of flesh and bones. Since god and his wife are both exalted persons, they each possess physical bodies. In their exalted states as deities, they produce spirit children that grow and mature in the spiritual realm. The first spirit born was Jesus. Afterwards Lucifer was born along with the rest of us. So, Mormonism teaches that we all pre-existed in the spirit realm having been produced from the union of god and his goddess wife. That makes Jesus and Lucifer brothers. Therefore, we all existed in spirit form before coming down and entering the bodies of human babies that are being born on earth. During this ‘compression' into the infant state, the memories of their pre-existence is 'veiled.'

God the father, who is called Elohim, was concerned for the future salvation of the people on earth. In the heavenly realm, the Father had a plan for the salvation of the world. Jesus endorsed the Father's plan. Lucifer did not. Lucifer became jealous and rebelled. In his rebellion he convinced a large portion of the spirits existing in heaven to side with him and oppose god. God being more powerful then they, cursed these rebellious spirits to become demons. They can never be born in human bodies. 

The remaining spirits sided with God. Since they chose the better way, when it comes time for them to live on earth, they have the privilege of being born in races and locations that are relative to their condition and choice made in the spirit realm.

In the Mormon plan of salvation there needed to be a savior: Jesus. But Jesus was a spirit in heaven. For him to be born on earth, Brigham Young the second prophet of the Mormon church said that instead of letting any other man do it, God the Father did it with Mary. He said that the birth of our savior was as natural as the birth of our parents. Essentially, what this means is that Brigham Young taught that god the father came down and had relations with Mary, his spirit daughter, to produce the body of Jesus. Though many Mormons will not entertain such incestuous thoughts about God and Mary, this is what Brigham Young taught and as far as we know, this has not been denied by the Mormon church. If you do not believe this, read your own publications. 

Nevertheless, Jesus was born, got married, and had children. He died on the cross and paid for sins -- but not on the cross only. According to Mormonism, the atonement of Christ was not only on the cross. It began in the Garden of Gethsemane before he went to the cross.

In Mormonism, men and women have the potential of becoming gods. President Lorenzo Snow said, "As god once was, man is. As God is, man may become." In order to reach this exalted state of godhood, a person must first become a good Mormon, pay a full ten percent tithe to the Mormon church, follow various laws and ordinances of the church, and be found worthy. At this point, they receive a temple recommend, whereupon the Mormon is allowed to enter their sacred temples in order to go through a set of secret rituals: baptism for the dead, celestial marriage, and various oaths of secrecy and commitment. Additionally, four secret handshakes are taught so the believing Mormon, upon entering the third level of Mormon heaven, can shake hands with god in a certain pattern. This celestial ritual is for the purpose of permitting entrance into the highest level of heaven. For those who achieve this highest of heavens, exaltation to godhood awaits them. Then he or she will be permitted to have his or her own planet and be the god of his own world and the Mormon system will be expanded to other planets.

Now that is a short explination of what Mormons believe. 
I hope that now you understand why I said that MORMONISM IS NOT CHRISTIANITY. All of this can be easily verified. It is not secret in any way. So, my friend, don't be upset at what I said, I only told what it is that you actually believe and it is simply not Biblical Christianity.

Well, when I go into great detail I am accused of being too indepth and so I tried to make it simple and easy. Now because of that, I am "ignorant" of the Mormon Religion.

First of all, I do not care if that is te faith you choose.
IF you are a Mormon, be proud of it!!! Be what you say you are.

BUT DO NOT TRY AND BE SOMETHING THAT YOU ARE NOT!
I said once and now repeat it again:

MORMONISM IS NOT CHRISTIAN. IT IS MORMONISM!!!

I AM NOT LOOKING FOR A FIGHT NOR AN ARGUMENT, I AM SIMPLY STATEING THE FACTS.

If you do not know these things, then YOU should be the one learning them my friend. Here are YOUR Religion's FACTS:

Mormonism teaches that God used to be a man on another world and that he became a god by following the laws and ordinances of his god on his home world. He brought his wife to this world, a woman he had married on the other world. She is, essentially a goddess.

In his present god-state, he rules our world. He has a body of flesh and bones. Since god and his wife are both exalted persons, they each possess physical bodies. In their exalted states as deities, they produce spirit children that grow and mature in the spiritual realm. The first spirit born was Jesus. Afterwards Lucifer was born along with the rest of us. So, Mormonism teaches that we all pre-existed in the spirit realm having been produced from the union of god and his goddess wife. That makes Jesus and Lucifer brothers. Therefore, we all existed in spirit form before coming down and entering the bodies of human babies that are being born on earth. During this ‘compression' into the infant state, the memories of their pre-existence is 'veiled.'

God the father, who is called Elohim, was concerned for the future salvation of the people on earth. In the heavenly realm, the Father had a plan for the salvation of the world. Jesus endorsed the Father's plan. Lucifer did not. Lucifer became jealous and rebelled. In his rebellion he convinced a large portion of the spirits existing in heaven to side with him and oppose god. God being more powerful then they, cursed these rebellious spirits to become demons. They can never be born in human bodies. 

The remaining spirits sided with God. Since they chose the better way, when it comes time for them to live on earth, they have the privilege of being born in races and locations that are relative to their condition and choice made in the spirit realm.

In the Mormon plan of salvation there needed to be a savior: Jesus. But Jesus was a spirit in heaven. For him to be born on earth, Brigham Young the second prophet of the Mormon church said that instead of letting any other man do it, God the Father did it with Mary. He said that the birth of our savior was as natural as the birth of our parents. Essentially, what this means is that Brigham Young taught that god the father came down and had relations with Mary, his spirit daughter, to produce the body of Jesus. Though many Mormons will not entertain such incestuous thoughts about God and Mary, this is what Brigham Young taught and as far as we know, this has not been denied by the Mormon church. If you do not believe this, read your own publications. 

Nevertheless, Jesus was born, got married, and had children. He died on the cross and paid for sins -- but not on the cross only. According to Mormonism, the atonement of Christ was not only on the cross. It began in the Garden of Gethsemane before he went to the cross.

In Mormonism, men and women have the potential of becoming gods. President Lorenzo Snow said, "As god once was, man is. As God is, man may become." In order to reach this exalted state of godhood, a person must first become a good Mormon, pay a full ten percent tithe to the Mormon church, follow various laws and ordinances of the church, and be found worthy. At this point, they receive a temple recommend, whereupon the Mormon is allowed to enter their sacred temples in order to go through a set of secret rituals: baptism for the dead, celestial marriage, and various oaths of secrecy and commitment. Additionally, four secret handshakes are taught so the believing Mormon, upon entering the third level of Mormon heaven, can shake hands with god in a certain pattern. This celestial ritual is for the purpose of permitting entrance into the highest level of heaven. For those who achieve this highest of heavens, exaltation to godhood awaits them. Then he or she will be permitted to have his or her own planet and be the god of his own world and the Mormon system will be expanded to other planets.

Now that is a short explination of what Mormons believe. 
I hope that now you understand why I said that MORMONISM IS NOT CHRISTIANITY. All of this can be easily verified. It is not secret in any way. So, my friend, don't be upset at what I said, I only told what it is that you actually believe and it is simply not Biblical Christianity.


Except what you atribute to Brigham Young, much of what you say is possibly true (highly speculative) and in complete agreement with what the bible teaches so far as it is understood and translated correctly.  Topics such as the true nature of life after death aka the three degrees of glory and the unbiblical creed known as the trinity.  

Your jaundiced description reminds me of the alien visitor that reports back to his home planet that the Earth is ruled by small four legged creatures that send their slave humans off to labor each day, that they may feed them and keep them in the lap of luxury complete with their own small house in the backyard, where the subserviant humans are forbiden to enter.  

More clarification to follow, but didn't want to obsure a central question that you failed to answer.   

You failed to answer the question,

Why was Matthias called as an Apostle if the Apostles were meant to cease?

Where are your Apostles, ect.?

MC

Can Jesus be killed?

Mormonism teaches that God used to be a man on another world and that he became a god by following the laws and ordinances of his god on his home world. He brought his wife to this world, a woman he had married on the other world. She is, essentially a goddess.

Was the thief on the cross the first Christian to die?

more over, who was the first follower of Christ or Christian?
was it John the Baptist?

Dear MC,

Please elaborate on what "laying on of hands" means. Why where there temple ceremonies where one person grabbed anothers privates(balls)? Where in the bible is this?

Sorry that this thread has been taken over by LDS/christian debate. Mormons seem to be good at that.

In my humble opinion, the current LDS church (not counting the FLDS branches, which I respect as being closer to following true Christianity) is closer to masonry than Christianity.

DC

Op, please explain the virgin birth and what is the purpose of the vagina? Overidolatry is more like it.

One of their beliefs is salvation after death. All you have to do is send in the information to Salt Lake City Temple, (along with a donation I think) and someone will "stand in" for the person who has died and be baptized for them.
That way, you can live like the devil and still go to heaven.

Mormonism teaches that God used to be a man on another world and that he became a god by following the laws and ordinances of his god on his home world. He brought his wife to this world, a woman he had married on the other world. She is, essentially a goddess.



An article follows that discusses deification as taught by early Christains "into the fith century".

To assume that there is a heavenly mother is pure speculation based on the pattern establised by God's earthly children. Please provide links to any official LDS doctine that support your statements about any heavenly mother, etc.


Latter-day Saints believe that we come to the earth to take a physical body, to be schooled and trained and gain experiences here that we could not have in the premortal life, and then to seek to grow in faith and spiritual graces until we can qualify to go where God and Christ are. But they believe that eternal life consists in more than being with God; it entails being like God.

A study of the Christian church reveals that the doctrine of the deification of man was taught at least into the fifth century by such notables as Irenaeus, Clement of Alexandria, Justin Martyr, Athanasius, and Augustine. Latter-day Saints would probably not agree with most of what was taught about deification by the early Christian church leaders, because they believe that many of the plain and precious truths concerning God and man had been lost by then. But I mention this to illustrate that the idea was not foreign to the people of the early church; the names mentioned were not pagan or Gnostic spokesmen but Christian.

... Those holy beings are and forever will be the Gods men and women worship. Men and women, like Christ, are made in the image and likeness of God, that it is not robbery to be equal with God (Philippians 2:6), and that like any father, our Heavenly Father wants his children to become and be all that he is. Spiritual growth to this lofty plain is not something that comes merely through hard work, though men and women are expected to do their best to keep their covenantal obligations. Deification is accomplished finally through the grace and goodness of Jesus Christ, who seeks that all of us might become joint heirs, co-inheritors with him, to all the Father has. (Romans 8:14-18.) - [link to www.lightplanet.com]

This subject WAS added to my Log of Direct Links:
[link to www.godlikeproductions.com]

MC

How did God make the universe?

How did God make the universe?

HE, Jesus spoke the Word and out of nothing came everything.