Do you believe in predestination? Is all that is written set in stone?
554191
The case of free will vs. predestination has everything to do with whose eyes you look through. Yes, because God dwell in eternity and sees the end from the beginning, He already knows the outcome of your decision. He looks at the earth's timeline, then chooses those who choose Him. However, to have true children and not robots, God gave us a free will to choose. We can choose to love God, we can choose to hate Him, or we can choose to exchange the concept of God for only what we can see within our puny science. If free will truly did not exist, God would provide a world with only one choice and provide tons of evidence to MAKE you believe. But He does not do that. He provides just enough evidence to allow you to think beyond the physical and into the eternal. But you must decide for yourself. But do not be surprised if God knows your decision the moment you make it. \n\nYes, God sees our life as a done deal. Yet, we ourselves do have free will to choose. It would be like I could go back in time, meet with George Lucas while attending USC film class. I would know everything about what he would write and the companies he would start. Does he have freewill to write Star Wars? Yes. Would my knowledge change the fact that Darth Vader will be Luke Skywalker's dad? No. It's a done deal because I am not bound by time. \n\nSo what is the big deal about free will? Well, those of us with children understand that there is a big difference between programming our computers to wake you up in the morning with "good-morning father-I-love-you" and having your little son or daughter jump on your bed at the crack of dawn yelling "Good morning daddy! I love you!" The Almighty God has a myriad of angels proclaiming "Holy, holy, holy"--but they have seen Him, so it is easy. Think what it means to God, having NOT seen Him, yet lifting your arms and proclaim, "Good morning Lord! I love you!"  \n\nBlessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ: According as he hath chosen us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before him in love: Having predestinated us unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to himself, according to the good pleasure of his will, to the praise of the glory of his grace, wherein he hath made us accepted in the beloved. In whom we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of his grace. Ephesians 1
1113016
Without a shadow of doubt!....I believe everything the Bible says because everything it says....Comes To Pass!
154689
There is no scripture that claims that the rapture will take place as many people believe.  It is a very common belief based on non-Biblical traditions.
1172024
No! Obviosly life comes BEFORE death.  I hope you are not the cowardly fool type with a small slave mentality mind that wants to worship and be comforted with fairytales. We should grow up and face reality. The real world. Forget about pie in the sky. Christ insanity is destructive and in fact suicidal.\n\nTry the White Mans Bible\nhttp://www.wcotr.com/holybooks/wmb.html\nhttp://www.wcotr.com/holybooks/ner.html\nhttp://www.wcotr.com/holybooks/sl.html
623792
The Post Tribulation Rapture (catching away) is very much what the Bible teaches us. Jesus said AFTER those days of tribulation he would come (See Matthew ch.24).\n\nThe Apostle Paul makes it 100% clear in his letter to the Thessalonians in that the man of Perdition must first be revealed before Jesus comes.., [2 Thessalonians 2:1-12]\n\nAnd in the Book of Revelation is more coverage.\nREVELATION 13:7, tells us that the Antichrist is given power to make war against the saints.\n\nREVELATION chapter 20 verses 4-6 also makes a surprising statement. Read about the resurrection of the dead in verse 5.\n\nThe Book of Daniel also mentions this man of perdition having power to kill the saints.  The Pre-Tribulation Rapture is a work of "wishful thinking" with an assumption that God would pay more favor to the Gentiles over the Jews.\n\nThe Apostle Paul said of good things and bad things have an order - FIRST to the Jews - THEN - to the Gentiles, and not the other way around.\n\nTo say Jesus will come before the Antichrist is calling not just the Apostle Paul a liar (read 2nd Thessalonians.), but calling Christ a liar too (read Matthew ch.24).\n\nSome preacher dude started the pretrib thought and it was the Devil.  Please note that the Bible Says the Antichrist comes first.  MUSLIMS believe their Mahdi will arrive with Jesus in tow to convince Christians that this Mahdi (who is actually the Antichrist) is the true anointed one.\n\nIn light of the Mahdi's coming ahead of Christ - Many PreTrib believers will fall for  this ruse.., as this Mahdi and his false Jesus (false prophet) will explain (twist) the scriptures and quote the Quran to make sense and magically fill in the blanks.\n\nI am firm in my belief that the Pretribulation idea works to the advantage of Islam.  Can you imagine the horrible mistake of falling for the Antichrist's ruse - accepting him as messiah - Then when Jesus comes, to fight against Jesus ignorantly thinking Jesus is the Antichrist!?\n\nThe sad thing is - once anyone accepts the Mahdi, bowing to him and accepting his mark of homage.., its too late. The Bible says there is no forgiveness for blasphemy of the Holy Spirit. Calling Jesus the Antichrist IS Blasphemy of the Holy Spirit -seeing Jesus maintained that His spirit will be sent to us from the father -  The Spirit of Christ is the Holy Ghost.\n\nBut we all have decisions to make. Only the sincere who remain faithful will make it.
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No, Yes and Yes.\n\nThe Bible itself tell us it is a mystery, and we know for a fact that not all of it is literal, but much of it is stories used to teach us lessons. \n\nI believe, and you wont find many like me, in a God seperate from the Bible. I believe there are things we don't know, and may never know. I believe the Bible gives us only a small acconut of history, and there is much that is left out. To me, God exists seprate from the Bible. I would still believe as I do, if there was none.
272307
There is no future for revelation\nPaul (Saul)  saw to that so he wrote everything inpast tense so as to discourage anyone who might have ideas that receiving revelations is still a possibility.
321793
If you read somewhere (I don't recall it right now) in the Bible, it says that The Lord knew all of Us before being born!..So We for sure existed before coming to this earth!...\n\nIf you ask me as a personal question I believe we are souls, Angels, and that we are being tested in this Earth to see if we deserve to be with The Lord (Jesus) for the rest of eternity!...\n\nI think Jesus is doing a cleansing in the "universe-heaven" after Satan was expelled from heaven (remember he was God's favorite angel and was in charge of the music, but he tried to be better than God)!..It's a plan, it's a process!...I think when God put all of humans in this earth, He somehow erased our minds so we can't recall anything but once We "die" has humans!...\n\nI think We are souls, but We're also Light!...
218776
Is it predestination? NO!!!\nIs their someone for everyone. YES, but it may take considerable work to find her/him.
430639
With most religions, fate doesn't have anything to do with it. They include the idea that a person will make choices, and they encourage the "live right" moral choices. But there are some religions, though I can't recall right now, that believe in predestination, that there's no free will, that what you choose is irrelevant and everything that's going to happen from now until the end of time is already laid out in a grand plan...sounds pretty stupid to me.
119841
That's a hard question to answer.  Christians are generally split when it comes to the teaching of the Rapture.  Some Christians interpret a verse in Thesselonians to mean that there will be a rapture, while others (myself included) believe that Christ will return one more time, and one more time only...and when that happens, that's it.  There will be no second chances.\n\nHowever, even those who believe that the Rapture will occur believe that it has not occurred yet.  So, therefore, a logical answer to your question is, we're somewhere BEFORE the beginning of Book One.
840134
Yes I am what I am by predestination, But that did not take away my free will, God gave us all a free will, But since God Knows the beginnning to the end, & by his foreknowledge as to what decsions we will make, Then based upon him knowing all things, then God can predestinate anyone based upon his knowledge as to what path we will take.
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How long do you think it will be before a person or group successfully reassembles the bible to include recently discovered religious texts that they feel better suit modern times?\n\nNever.  For all practical purposes, the Bible as now been “set in stone.”\n\nWhat do you think about this?\n\nI believe that those who tend to be the loudest on this topic have either done the least amount of study or have very extensive time invested in their current belief.  Most claim as articles of fact pieces of information which are not true.  Less than one in one billion (if any) could give me that actual names of the men who met to determine which books and works were included in either Testament.  Yet they propose that these men were inspired by G-d to make these choices for all time.  They are seem to ignore that most works which were not included were systematically searched for and burned as heretical.  The mere fact that any remain after 2000 years is a miracle.\n\nWhat will the cultural/spiritual ramifications of this be?\n\nA continuation of our current position.  As beautiful as the KJV is to read, it is flawed.  This fact has been shown over and over again by scholars who do know the languages involved.  Yet look at the number of supporters that it has.  The sad part of this is that many who claim to understand the meaning of the KJV of the Bible (which is a very serious and metaphysical work) do not understand and cannot follow a simple Shakespearean play (which is light entertainment) that was written at about the same time.  What does this yell you about the ignorance of humans?  And ignorance is bliss.\n\nIf God is really solely responsible for the bible's contents why does he have hundreds of millions of Christians using different versions?  And how would a new version be any worse?\n\nThose humans who claim to be privileged to the plans or purposes of Divinity are deluded.  No human has that capability.  Only Divinity is perfect.  Humanity is arrogant, not understanding that the message is important, not the delivery of the message.  Those that must quote scripture for every answer (especially those claiming that it is the Word of G-d) are probably idolaters.  They have worshipped the written word instead of Divinity.  Each believing that they are right and all others wrong.  They are the cause of the fragmentation of the Church and people like them are usually too stubborn to see their own sins.\n\nA new version of the Bible is not needed.  These recently discovered and translated works should be made available to the widest reading audience for study and debate.  At least by those who are capable of understanding that Humanity did not have the message right then and still is lacking in understanding.  This is human nature.  Divinity is the only proper judge; and Divine Judgment, unlike human opinion and understanding, IS perfect.
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Yes, I agree that it sounds like The Bible verse Psalms 33:9, I believe this to be true because of my unshakable faith in Him. \nThis article is amazing. Especially the last part, "We, and all we can see, are at most a tiny dot in an unimaginably large sea of space and time." \n\nLove it.
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GOOD ? !\ni believe that everything is already determined for us and that the things that we consider our choices have already been predetermined and that we are just living it out, thinking that we are making our minds up for our selves when in fact we are just following the steps on the map that will lead us to the final destination
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This has no doubt been one issues that has caused the most confusion within the Church for a long time.\n\nThe problem with the quotes about pre-destination is a lack of exegetical study (critical analysis of the original languages.) Some translations are great but none are perfect.  Only in the original Greek, Hebrew, and Aramaic can we be certain.  \n\nWhat is indicated to us is not that God Fore-Ordained who would and would not choose to follow Jesus.  Rather He Fore-Knew.  In Ephesians 1 we are told that before the foundations of the world He stored up for us every blessing that we would need.  Indicating that He looked through time and saw what would be needed not that he laid out our every step or decision.  \n\nHe desires that all would come to Jesus but He does not force anyone.  This doctrine of Pre-Destination flies in the face of that--of the very concept of Free Will.  \n\nIt is simply a matter of He has set a place at the table for all the people He knows are going to accept the invitation to the wedding feast--Marriage Supper of the Lamb.  For those who He knows are going to decline the invitation He does not set a place.
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I can't answer your question...However, I do feel sorry over the fact that you've had so many 'sarcastic' responses.\n\nI believe in time, the 'mystery' behind the Book of Revelations and the various symbolism,etc. will be revealed. God has not, however - given me insight into what this verse "EXACTLY" means...but like others, I have my suspicians.\n\nGood luck in finding a complete explanation on here.