askachristian

[askachristian]

Is God Still Great in a World with Child Abuse?

This is not God's ways this is human ways. The earth is the kingdom of Satan and we serve the Devil with all our evil deeds. God's will is done in heaven and we ask in prayer for His will to come to earth.

Timmy's Dad is going to a horrible hell because of the choices he made with the free will he was given but Timmy has hope of his heart being made whole by Jesus who has more power to restore broken hearts than drugs or counselling.

If Timmy's dad has his heart transformed by the power of Gods Spirit through the death and resurection of Jesus, giving him a new life from his old, he won't beat his child anymore.

The only hope for both Timmy and his dad is the God this meme is mocking. Serve God more, mock Him less and there will be less stories like this in the world.

Yes, God is great, humans are evil by nature, and we live in a world run by the Devil until Jesus comes down from the clouds and rules the world from Jerusalem.

Then, Timmy's dad will be gathered by an angel to the Valley of Armageddon where he's put to death by Jesus along with all the other wicked of the world gathered for desteuction at that time.

Yes, God is good, humans are evil by nature, and the world is run by the Devil until Jesus comes down from the clouds and rules the earth from Jerusalem. Then, Timmy's dad will be taken by an angel to the valley of Armageddon to be destroyed by Jesus along with the rest of the wicked on the earth at that time. And the blood from the valley of Armageddon will be up to a horses bridles for 200 miles.

Is God now not good for destroying all the wicked from the earth?

This is what humans do to God when he comes as one of them:

[askachristian]

Two problems here: Satan rules the earth. The will of God is not done here.

This is a fallen world where Satan rules and God's kingdom is an invasive enemy force coming against the powers that rule the earth. Powers that steal health, lifespan, sanity, posessions, and destinies.

Jesus said to pray, "Your will be done on earth as it is on heaven" (1). Why pray for the will of God to be done if the will of God is already being done?

When Jesus was here the Devil showed him all the kingdoms of the world and said, “All these I will give you, if you will fall down and worship me" (2) Jesus does not rule the earth yet.

"Christ must reign until he humbles all his enemies beneath his feet"(3) However, Jesus is taking over the world, and will continue His world dominating campaign until He's conquered it all.

Take a look at what the world will look like once Jesus rules here: "No longer will babies die when only a few days old. No longer will adults die before they have lived a full life. No longer will people be considered old at one hundred! Only the cursed will die that young!" (3)

Under the kingdom of Satan of course we're going to live short miserable lives. So, if we keep agreeing with the Devil and cursing Jesus, we can continue living short miserable lives.

References

1. Matthew 6:10

2. Matthew 4:9

3. 1 Corinthians 15:25

4. Isaiah 65:20

[askachristian]

[askachristian]

[askachristian]

Response to Knock Knock Jesus

When a stranger comes to a door and knocks, they will be sent away if the homeowner doesn’t want them to see the state of their house. But, if the stranger knocks on the door of a generous person, he won’t be sent away no matter what their house looks like

Jesus exposes what’s in the heart by the response to his knock.

Those who love the light come to the light when they see it, however, the dark can be a covering for evil, so those who want to continue practicing evil run away from light so they won’t be exposed. Jesus is the light of the world as He exposes the contents of a persons heart.

God doesn’t want you to find Him by your own strength, will, or wisdom, He wants to be known by the humble. As the prophet Isaiah said, “I live in the high and holy place with those whose spirits are contrite and humble.” (1)

So when you go to hell, it will not be because you didn’t open the door when Jesus knocked, but because evil in your heart was exposed by the answer you gave to His request.

1. Isaiah 57:15

[askachristian]

Why do you believe Jesus existed?

Did Jesus exist? There may not be a human on earth who has had more history created around them than this one mans 3 years of work has produced. He was a homeless peasant that lived to 33 years old 2000 years ago, yet His history is in our books, songs, artwork, and architecture. Undoubtedly, there has not been an individual life put to song, canvas, or page more often than the story of Jesus.

Believing the message of Jesus resurrection was worth dying for, his followers gave up their lives to provide the documents now present in the bible. If Jesus did not exist, why where Jesus disciples giving up their careers and families and being tortured and killed to spread something they knew was a lie?

Authors of New Testament books that died horribly:

“Matthew”: Matthew (one of Jesus 12) death by sword in 60 AD

“Jude”: Jude brother of Jesus (one of Jesus 12) crucified at Edessa

“James”: James brother of Jesus (one of Jesus 12) death by stones and brains bashed with a club

“1 and 2 Peter”: Peter (one of Jesus 12) crucified upside down at his request because he felt unworthy to be crucified as Jesus was

“Mark”: Mark (disciple of Peter) dragged to pieces in front of an idol as an act of worship to their god

“Luke”: Luke (doctor) hanged on an olive tree in Greece

Author of 13 books: Paul (lawyer) beheaded by sword

Others of Jesus 12 who died to spread the story about Jesus resurrection:

Bartholomew beaten and crucified in India

Thomas put to death by spear

James brother of John put to death by stones 44 AD

Philip crucified 54 AD

Eye witness accounts:

“Jude, a servant of Jesus Christ and a brother of James” Jude (died for this lie?)

“James, a servant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ” James (died for this lie?)

“This letter is from Peter, an apostle of Jesus Christ.” Peter (died for this lie?)

“We saw his majestic splendor with our own eyes” Peter (died for this lie?)

“We saw him with our own eyes and touched him with our own hands.” John (only one of the 13 that was not slaughtered)

The burden of proof is on the doubters to explain away the history and influence of not just one man, Jesus, but of 13 men.12 of whom died horrible deaths for what is supposedly a lie. 

How articles for the bible where chosen:

One of the rubrics to decide which letters and accounts should go into the second part of the bible was whether its content was used in worship. If the letter or account about Jesus caused people to sing and praise, then it became a part of the bible. If it caused division or strife, it was not included.

To this day Christians are known as “the happy people” because the book we believe was compiled based on a rubric: “does it cause worship?” Billions of believers throughout history are still writing new songs and praising every day because of these documents that where written and put together.

Still singing about this story 2000 years later...

It moves us so much that reading it is not enough! We must put it to song and sing it together! We’re moved to raise our hands, bow down, or dance when we hear it! The words are full of life! Jesus not only lived but is alive to this day. His life can be seen in my life.

Jesus instructions to Thomas gave this doubting disciple the courage to die by spear: "Put your finger here; see my hands. Reach out your hand and put it into my side. Stop doubting and believe." Where did Thomas get the courage to die in that manner when before touching Jesus for himself, he didn’t believe?

So, now I say these are Jesus words to you as well, “look at me and don’t doubt.”

[askachristian]

Is The Flying Spaghetti Monster God?

The flying spaghetti monster was created by the American prophet Bobby Henderson in 2006, alternatively, the one true God has revealed Himself to us over the course of 3500 years of verifiable written history; subjecting every fabricated god to the revelation of who He is.

The Jewish prophet David wrote 2750 years ago, “The LORD says to my lord: ‘Sit at my right hand until I make your enemies a footstool for your feet’” (1) and 2000 years ago the Roman Israelite Paul further said, “the end will come, when he hands over the kingdom to God the Father after he has destroyed all dominion, authority and power” (2). 

Reading the Hebrew Scriptures dating from 1445BC - 307BC it can be observed that one unique God is carving a name for Himself out of the context of many other gods. The Church of the Flying Spaghetti Monster would be classified as a cult, much like The Church of Jesus Christ of Later-Day-Saints (known as the Mormons). Both of these religions are predicated on a single prophet, and their prophet lacks historical context to confirm the validity of their claims. Unlike Jesus, who arrived within the context of promises about the significance of His role in human history. 

The Context of Jesus Arrival:

1100 years of prophetic history outline who Jesus is, starting before the beginning of the world and finishing with what happens after the end. Laying out the groundwork for Jesus arrival involved: symbolic imagery of the Savior's role, specific prophesies on particulars, selection of the family line that He would be born into, and the specification of a region where He would live and eventually rule the earth from.

Exploring the of scope that can be found in just one symbolic image:

Image: 775BC Jonah spends 3 days in the fish before being released. 

Fulfillment: April 3, 33 AD Jesus spends 3 days in the “belly of the earth” or death, before being raised back to life. 

Scope: 808 years before Jesus enacts the fulfillment of this imagery, Jonah says, “I went down to the land whose bars closed upon me forever; yet you brought up my life from the pit, O LORD my God.

Prophesy: About 100 years before Jonah, 870BC Psalm of David, 

“The grave wrapped its ropes around me; death laid a trap in my path. But in my distress, I cried out to the Lord; yes, I prayed to my God for help.” (3)

Prophesy: 590BC Lament attributed to the prophet Jeremiah

“I called on your name, O Lord, from the depths of the pit; you heard my plea, ‘Do not close your ear to my cry for help!’ You came near when I called on you; you said, ‘Do not fear!’” (4)

Prophesy: Passover Song Jesus would have sung with His disciples

“Death wrapped its ropes around me; the terrors of the grave overtook me. I saw only trouble and sorrow. Then I called on the name of the Lord, ‘Please, Lord, save me!’” (5) This song, attributed to David, was sung after eating the Passover lamb because the Jews connected the meaning of this Psalm to their deliverance from Egypt, the physical deliverance being symbolic of a future spiritual deliverance. 

Jesus prophesied His own death and resurrection using the prophets and images He was about to fulfill, “just as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of the great fish, so the Son of Man will be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth.” (6) 

Jonah Released After 3 Days

Jesus Released After 3 Days

For 800 years God had prophets repeat Jesus story about being taken into the grave and then rescued; right up until Jesus sings His own lament with His disciples on Passover before going out to fulfill it.

This is just a very brief overview of a few of the death and resurrection images and prophesies, not including those that deal with other aspects of Jesus life and mission. The depth and breadth of the imagery and prophesies revealed throughout time lead to one conclusion that will never exhaust new discovery: history is all about Jesus. The same cannot be said about the spaghetti monster.  

A few other images that also have profound scope:

Passover Lamb: Jesus is the Passover lamb, His blood applied to the doorposts saves His people from the angel of death

Release from Captivity in Egypt: After the death of the Passover lamb, the people are set free

Passing through the Red Sea: Symbolizes baptism

Baptism: Going under the water is imagery for death, being raised out of the water is imagery for coming back to life from the dead. This is symbolic of your old life dying and beginning a new life, and symbolic of literal death and resurrection of your body at the end of this age. 

I would spend my entire life unpacking layers of the imagery and prophesy contained in the Hebrew scriptures. One of my professors is doing his PhD in evaluation of the way every letter of the Hebrew alphabet interacts with the other letters, causing every word to form a full story.

These layers of understanding are called the “manifold” wisdom of God, because just as you reach the end of explaining one realm, you can be launched into yet another layer and there is no end to the depth of His wisdom. Those who become scholars of this God move from glory to glory as we are transformed into the likeness of what we behold. 

What’s Coming Next:

The reason “wise men” from the East were able to discern the date and location of Jesus birth was through careful evaluation of the ancient prophecies. Those same prophesies that told us where He would be born, what He would do while alive, how He would die, where He would be buried, and that He would be raised to life again also tell us that this man is going to return and rule on the earth out of Jerusalem after it’s been destroyed.

Jesus told us, "when you see Jerusalem surrounded by armies, then you will know that the time of its destruction has arrived.” (6) Jesus told His disciples He would die and be raised to life again multiple times, God had put hundreds of years of prophesy in place to illustrate this, yet his followers still mourned after He died and where surprised when they saw Him alive. We now have 3,400 years of prophetic context and imagery pointing to Jesus return, conquest, and dominion of earth. 

Jesus is God, history is all about Him; He wants to raise you to eternal life with Him if you’re willing to:

Believe He lived a perfect life, died, and was raised again 

Receive the Spirit of God which is able to save your soul through Jesus

The Spirit of God transforms your heart and mind and is the greatest evidence for the power of God. Allow the Spirit of God to come into your life. 

REFERENCES

1. Psalms 110:1

2. 1 Corinthians 15:24

3. Psalm 18:5

4. Lamentations 3:65

5. Psalm 116:3

6. Luke 21:20                                                                             

[askachristian]

How is Jesus death a sacrifice if he rose from the dead?

How is giving up your free time to study a sacrifice if you get good grades? How is investing your money a sacrifice if you make dividends on the investment?

How is Jesus dying to defeat death a sacrifice if He defeats death?

A sacrifice is giving something of lesser value for something of greater value. A starving African may sacrifice eating an ear of corn because they're saving the seeds for rainy season. It's a short term trade off with a long term reward in mind.

Jesus passed through death as the sacrifice in order to gain the reward of resurection from the dead. One might ask, "he died so that he could earn the reward of being raised?" No, he died so he could create the pathway to being raised. Jesus is the firstborn of the dead, He created the pathway that He brings other people through so that they can also be raised from the dead.

He didn't need the reward of resurrection for Himself, He collected the reward of passing out of death for the people who are willing to accept it.

The cost was passing through death, the reward was defeating death.

Jesus Sacrifice: One death in exchange for many

Cost: One person has to die.

Reward: Many people don't have to die

"it is better for you that one man die for the people than that the whole nation perish" (1)

Jesus Sacrifice: temporary suffering in exchange for eternal glory

Cost: leave heaven to live in ancient Rome, resist temptation for 33 years, betrayal by His friends, execution by His people, then spend three days in Hell

Reward: king of the universe

"In human form He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. Therefore God exalted Him to the highest place, and gave Him the name above all names" (2)

Our sacrifice: temporary life for eternal glory

Cost: a life that was going to end in death and destruction

Reward: ruling with Jesus, being raised to life at the end of this age

We're invited into this same reward Jesus was given. We give up a life that's going to end for eternal glory.

"He died for everyone so that those who receive his new life will no longer live for themselves. Instead, they will live for Christ" (3)

What are you sacrificing your eternal glory for? What do you take today that is going to cost you your soul and resurecrion later? Is it worth it?

Did this answer make sense? Do you have any more questions? Send me a meme to respond to or let me know what's on your mind.

(1) John 11:50

(2) Philippians 2:7

(3) 2 Corinthians 5:15

[askachristian]

Why Does Jesus Pray To Himself?

Sure I'll tell you more, I'm glad you asked. Prayer is our invitation into the conversation that was going on a long time before we where here. The Father, Son, and Spirit have been talking to each other right from the beginning. Possibly there are even more person's of God than what have been revealed so far.

The progressive revelation of God can be found here in God's words to Moses 3500 years ago, "I appeared to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob as El-Shaddai--'God Almighty'--but I did not reveal my name, Yahweh, to them." (1)

And further revelation is found in the Son just 2000 years ago, "God has now revealed to us His mysterious plan regarding Christ" (2)

The first name God's known by in Genesis is Elohim, we're given His name by the first sentence in the third word of the bible. Elohim can be approximately translated: "masculin plural God". This is just saying the word "God" the "el", with descriptive words around it, "ohim". "Im" is The part that makes it plural.

The singular form of Elohim is probably Eloah, prompting an interesting thought. When Jesus called out to the Father on the cross,

"Eloi, Eloi, lema sabachthani?" which means 'My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?'" (3)

He didn't speak His usual Greek but called out in Hebrew a word that had never been used before and is translated into English: "Eloi". The Hebrews didn't understand the word and thought He was calling out to Elijah. To this day this word choice causes a great deal of discussion. Possibly Jesus was using the name "Eloi" to speak to a single person of the trinity in the singular form of Elohim.

If this is the reason that Jesus called the Father this foreign word, it would have super interesting implications. Not only would He be saying, "why have you forsaken me?" But the word Eloi itself removes the Son from the position of fellowship with the Father that's found in the name Elohim.

Here are some examples of the conversation Jesus continued to have with the Father while on earth: "God said, "Let us make mankind in our image." (4) And then later, "Come, let us go down and confuse their language" (5)

These are two places where God "prayed" to Himself. Or really to describe it better, discussed matters among the person's.

So yes Jesus is God and it's not surprising when He's talking to the Father in prayer, it's us being invited into this conversation that is surprising.

1. Exodus 6:3

2. Ephesians 1:9

3. Mark 15:34

4. Genesis 1:26

5. Genesis 11:7