Brain Dead

This is a quick post.

Lets say I got into an accident. I'm rushed to the hospital. After hours of work and tests they have come to the conclusion that I am "brain dead." There are no responses from my brain.

At this point, would I already be in heaven? The body is still alive but the mind is forever lost. If so, then wouldn't my soul dwell within my brain more-so than my heart?

They always say things like... "allow Jesus to come into your heart" insinuating that is where your soul is and for Jesus to come in and save it.

Shouldn't they say "allow Jesus to come into your brain?"

Technically we should allow him into our "lives" to be more general. But we've all heard "heart." I guess it all depends on how you feel about the very first question above about being brain dead.

Thoughts?

Fear God

Okay. This topic is a weird one to write about. First of all let me start off with a prayer.

"Lord, please understand as I know you will that I love you, worship you and obey your every command. I ask questions in search for knowledge and not in search of any type of rebellion. I wish to draw closer to you in my studies and to find ways to bring others closer to you as well. I love you and completely respect you and ask you to guide others to answer my questions as I yearn for a deeper understanding. - Amen."

How come God can do things but if we do it, it's a sin?

I'm going to start off by saying that it is indeed okay for God to do things but not for us and I'll explain why coming up.

For some reason I've been thinking a lot about the flood (Noah's Ark flood) lately. While thinking about it I couldn't help but wonder why some things God does aren't considered a sin. What I'm getting at is that God laid out His commandments... one being "Thou shalt not kill." If I were to go and kill someone, that would be considered a sin (especially out of anger).

However, God has killed LOTS of people out of anger in the Bible. I'm not talking about God "allowing" someone to die but I mean actually causing death out of anger. But He did, however, warn these people many times before they brought this upon themselves. Lets look at some Bible facts:

The Great Flood - Noah warned the people several times but they refused the warnings of God.

genesis 7:23 And every living substance was destroyed which was upon the face of the ground, both man, and cattle, and the creeping things, and the fowl of the heaven; and they were destroyed from the earth: and Noah only remained [alive], and they that [were] with him in the ark.

Soddom and Gomorrah - God commanded Lot as well as others to warn the people in the cities but they did not listen (niether did Lot's wife when she was killed).

genesis 19:24 Then the Lord rained upon Sodom and upon Gomorrah brimstone and fire from the Lord out of heaven;

The list goes on and on.

He has burned 250 people alive (Numbers 16:35) They did not listen.

Killed 42 children (2 Kings 2:23-24) They mocked a man of God even though warned.

Babies along with adults (Exodus 12:29-30), etc... If you listened to God and did as commanded with the blood, they would have survived. Pharoah brought this upon his city and himself.

I can give you at least 87 Bible referrences where God kills someone (usually in large quantities).

How come these acts would be a sin for us but not for God? Read on to find out.

Let me leave you with this VERY important thought...

Fear God (respectfully)

2 kings 17:25 And [so] it was at the beginning of their dwelling there, [that] they feared not the Lord: therefore the Lord sent lions among them, which slew [some] of them.

In my opinion, God can do these things as He is God. He is the law. He runs the show. For Him and Him alone, killing is not a sin but is considered justice. Our God is a "just" God and knows best. For a man to kill another man is like that man trying to play God, deciding whose life to take and trying to take justice into his own hands. For a man it is a sin, for God it is not. That's what I think.

I brought this up because I just thought it was interesting and I think we all should fear the Lord and respect Him much more than we do.

"Again Lord, I respect you and fear you even more now that I've conducted my studies. I love you and never wish negativity toward your Word. I wish to open the eyes of the people that can't see your power and your place over us."

Noah's Ark (A Quick Fact)

This is a very quick post. More like an "F.Y.I."

How many of each animal (species) did Noah take on the ark?

(No, this is not a trick question).

2 right?

Wrong!

So called "clean" animals were taken in groups of 7 and the "unclean" animals were taken in pairs of 2. There you go.

genesis 7:2 Of every clean beast thou shalt take to thee by sevens, the male and his female: and of beasts that [are] not clean by two, the male and his female.

We always see illustrations showing us all the animals walking onto the ark in pairs of two. Horses, Zebras, Lions, Bears... the whole zoo and more... walking in pairs. You never see seven turkeys in row walking onto the ark or seven monkeys holding hands walking in.

Maybe it's because they never knew what were considered "clean" or "unclean." But why did they choose to show all animals as unclean? Maybe I'm thinking too hard into it.

Wuddaya think?

A Hungry New World

This will be a short topic but I felt the question should be posted. Obviously I've been thinking about Noah's ark lately and keep coming up with more and more questions (and even more to come).

Here we go.

After the flood took place. Aside from who is on the ark, everyone is dead. Every creature is dead. The Earth's surface is completely destroyed. After the long journey at sea... once back on land... what did they eat? How did Noah's family survive. They couldn't eat the animals on the boat because they needed to breed and spread. There would be no animals today. You know they didn't have to wait several months with no food, waiting for the animals to repopulate and crops to grow.

So, what did they eat?

Funny thought... maybe we're "supposed" to have more kinds of animals than we actually have (hint hint... they ate some).

Some may say that he prepared food on his ark upon completion of building it. What kind of food though? There were no freezers, therefore meat would spoil. Bread would mold within a week. Fruits and vegetables would rot within a week or two. Yes, our food may last longer these days but they didn't have the luxury of refridgerators, tupperware or plastic baggies. Even if it lasted a month (which there is no way did I don't think), this certainly wouldn't last most of the following year for the animals and crops to spread.

What did they feed the animals on the ship (the tigers... the bears)? What did any of the animals eat on land? Did the carnivore (meat-eater) animals make some species immediately go extinct (if you catch my drift)?

Part of me wanted to believe that they could have eaten fish while on the ship. But during those 40 days/nights... with history's biggest storm taking place, 23 foot high waves crashing, lightening, hurricane winds, and severe rains... I doubt very seriously Noah was up top with a fishing pole.

Can one survive only on fish if they ate fish while on this island while waiting to repopulate crops and animals? We know they had wine because Noah got drunk (more proof of alcoholic wine in the Bible... reference to a past posting on alcohol).


Any thoughts?

How Smart Would We Be?

When thinking about my past topic (An Imbred World), it makes me wonder about how smart we would've/could've been. Maybe back in the old days people were geniuses. Like Noah for example (from Noah's ark). When him and his family had to repopulate the Earth after God flooded the place, there was obviously some imbreeding going on.

We all know that when incest takes place and imbreeding takes place, the offspring is usually a wee bit "slower" than the normal folk. We've all heard that before... the truth behind it... I don't know. However, if it is true and "imbreeding" does cause a slightly less intelligent offspring... then the so called intelligence level of man kind today may be pretty low compared to back in Noah's day.

It is said that we use aproximately (the extremely smart ones) 10% of our brains. Makes you wonder if loooong ago in Noah's day if they used like... 50%. Maybe Adam and Eve used 100%. Who knows. Maybe man kind has imbred itself down to the embarrassingly impressive 10% brain usage. Maybe we were supposed to be much smarter.

People now days still can't figure out how the Egyptians created those huge pyramids... and with such precision. Maybe they were geniuses. Maybe time takes us down hill (which is why the world seems to be getting worse).

Just a random thought.

What's your opinion?

An Imbred World

Okay, so this is going to be a weird topic today. But stick with me here and leave some comments. Please do not get offended by this topic or think in ANY way that I support sinful actions.

As a Christian, it's believed that we (everyone on earth) came from Adam and Eve. The Bible speaks endlessly (in all respect) about this person who "begot" that person who "begot" this person and so on. But obviously incest was taking place. Once Adam and Eve had children, then what? Obviously brothers and sisters had to get together, then cousins, nephews and nieces, etc... till the relation began to fade out too far down the line.

In today's world, if we hear of incest, we (including myself) believe these people are on the road to Hell (I mean this is just wrong and sick... I'm not defending this type of lifestyle in any way). But my questions are:

How does God look at it?

Why did God only create 2 people in the beginning?

Why not a land full of people?

At what point in time did God draw the line and say that it's "now" a sin? Some may say, once the world was populated enough, then... it would be sin. But let's not forget that all of this happened all over again after the flood. Everyone on Earth died with the exception of Noah's family (in which case... since so many of are here today... incest took place yet again). So the line couldn't have been drawn till way after this point.

In conclusion, I personally believe incest is sick and unacceptable. However, as a Christian that feels this way, I can't help but wonder: Why did God only start with 2 people?

Please leave feedback on these forum posts. I'm very interested to hear other's thoughts.

This topic leads into my next topic called "How Smart Would We Be?"

Is Drinking (Alcohol) A Sin?

This can be a touchy topic for many people, however we cannot deny the truth. Whether or not drinking alcohol is an actual sin, it is undoubtedly a "gateway" to sin. The Bible tells us to remove any temptations (gateways) of sin from our lives.

Matthew 5:29-30 - "29If your right eye causes you to sin, gouge it out and throw it away. It is better for you to lose one part of your body than for your whole body to be thrown into hell. 30And if your right hand causes you to sin, cut it off and throw it away. It is better for you to lose one part of your body than for your whole body to go into hell."

I believe the list "could" go on and on. In other words, what I'm getting at is if drinking has potential to lead you toward sin, then it's probably wise as a Christian to give it up. As Christians, we battle temptations every day in the world. It's a constant fight every day of our lives. In one way or another, every single day we are in the ring fighting to keep our image clean as followers of God. To drink may not necessarily be a sin (or maybe it is... I'm not sure), but what I do know is that when we drink, we are letting down our guard in the middle of this metaphorical fight. Which is not very wise (especially in today's world).

How serious should we take this so called "fight" in life? Well put it this way, winning and losing depends on heaven or hell. So letting down your guard in this fight may not be in your best interest. To be on the safe side, I wouldn't drink. In my opinion, gambling or "playing dangerous" with your soul is probably frowned upon by God. Again, this is just my opinion so please don't get offended.

Yes, I know. The Bible lets us know that wine can be good for us when Psalms tells us a list of things God has created for the health of man:

Psalms 104:14-15 - 14 He makes grass grow for the cattle, and plants for man to cultivate— bringing forth food from the earth: 15 wine that gladdens the heart of man, oil to make his face shine, and bread that sustains his heart.

Also, lets not forget Jesus' first miracle - turning water into wine.

John 2:7-11 - 7Jesus said to the servants, "Fill the jars with water"; so they filled them to the brim. 8Then he told them, "Now draw some out and take it to the master of the banquet."
They did so, 9and the master of the banquet tasted the water that had been turned into wine. He did not realize where it had come from, though the servants who had drawn the water knew. Then he called the bridegroom aside 10and said, "Everyone brings out the choice wine first and then the cheaper wine after the guests have had too much to drink; but you have saved the best till now." 11This, the first of his miraculous signs, Jesus performed in Cana of Galilee. He thus revealed his glory, and his disciples put their faith in him.

Some say this wine was actually juice, not alcohol. Verse 10 above states that when people have had "too much to drink" they brought out the cheaper wine to decieve them and save the good wine... to me, insinuating they were "drunk" when saying they had "too much to drink."

Regardless of how you interpret this topic, you cannot deny that alcohol is a gateway to sin.

Let me leave you with this thought. If you know something could even come close to offending the Lord (even if you don't consider it to be an actual sin), why do it period? In fear of God and my constant urge to please Him, I don't like to "play dangerous" when it comes to upsetting or disappointing Him. I simply choose the path that I "know" will not have a negative image.

(Plus, it simply looks bad for a Christian and puts out the wrong message)

Here's a link to several verses where the Bible has negative views on drinking.

The Evolution of Man

Again, this is a very short blog. Just another something for evolution believers to think about.

Okay. Here's my basic question (argument). There are people who believe that the above diagram is an accurate example of how man came into existance.

My question about this: We still see "A" and "B" (monkies and gorrillas) walking around in the jungles and zoos. We see "F" all the time as us current humans portray this. If we see "B" and we see "F" all the time, then how come we don't see any "C's" D's" or "E's" walking around.

You would think if we really evolved, you would still see the mixed breeds (like figure "C")walking around (especially if we can still see the existance of "A" and "B"). I don't know about you, but to the best of my knowledge, we havn't exactly found a sasquatch (big foot) yet.

Thoughts!

Mistaken About Adam and Eve

This is a short blog. But something interesting I've thought of a while back. Here is a typical photo of what we are shown while growing up of Adam and Eve art covers/photos.

There is a mistake I've always noticed and has always bugged me about these photos. Notice what it is?

THE BELLY BUTTONS!!!!

Adam and Even were created by God, NOT born. Belly buttons are there from umbilical cords from where we were in a womb. If they were created from the earth as God said, there would be no official womb/birth to take place... thus... you got it... NO belly buttons.

Just had to throw that one out there. Yeah, I'll bet their bellies looked pretty weird. Completely smooth/flat. It's actually quite difficult to find a photo of Adam and Eve without a belly button. Strange this was never brought up.

Thoughts?

What Does God Look Like?

Here's an interesting topic. Many of us have an idea... while many of us have no clue. Is He a being? Is He a ball of light? First, let's look at the scripture with a basic idea of how he looks.

First off, I believe in some ways that God looks like a man (or to be more a general... looks simply like a human being). We (humans) were created in God's image, therefore must look fairly similar to him. Different versions may put things different ways... but in this version, it says that man was created in "our image" leading me to believe that angels look similar to humans as well. The verse follows. What do you think this verse means?

Genesis 1:26-27 - 26And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness: and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping animal that creepeth upon the earth. 27So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them.

As far as what God's face looks like (even though we could never look at it from all the power), the following verse leads me to believe that God could possibly look like Jesus did. Maybe God expressed Himself through Jesus. This verse could be meant in a literal sense or maybe symbolic in a more spiritual sense. Read the verse below. What do you think?

John 14:8-10 - 8 Philip said to Him, "Lord, show us the Father, and it is sufficient for us." 9 Jesus said to him, "Have I been with you so long, and yet you have not known Me, Philip? He who has seen Me has seen the Father; so how can you say, 'Show us the Father'?

However, John the revelator actual wrote a description of God after claiming to have seen Him. White hair, fire eyes, bronze feet, sword coming out of His mouth, etc... Just seeing God and feeling the Power, John was dropped to the ground, almost dead. Now "that's" power!

Revelations 1:11-18 - 11Saying, I am Alpha and Omega, the first and the last: and, What thou seest, write in a book, and send it unto the seven churches which are in Asia; unto Ephesus, and unto Smyrna, and unto Pergamos, and unto Thyatira, and unto Sardis, and unto Philadelphia, and unto Laodicea. 12And I turned to see the voice that spake with me. And being turned, I saw seven golden candlesticks; 13And in the midst of the seven candlesticks one like unto the Son of man, clothed with a garment down to the foot, and girt about the paps with a golden girdle.
14His head and his hairs were white like wool, as white as snow; and his eyes were as a flame of fire; 15And his feet like unto fine brass, as if they burned in a furnace; and his voice as the sound of many waters. 16And he had in his right hand seven stars: and out of his mouth went a sharp twoedged sword: and his countenance was as the sun shineth in his strength. 17And when I saw him, I fell at his feet as dead. And he laid his right hand upon me, saying unto me, Fear not; I am the first and the last: 18I am he that liveth, and was dead; and, behold, I am alive for evermore, Amen; and have the keys of hell and of death.

So, in the end, what do you think God looks like? Here are a few options to bank off of. All scripture. Now it's your turn to dig deeper and let me know what you think.

Thoughts?

Let There Be Evilness

Don't be misguided by my title for this blog, you'll understand my title as you read further.

Wondering one day (as usual) about the Bible, I decided to ask my mom (very biblically trained woman) "Why did God create or allow to come into existance... evilness?"

I thought it was a pretty good question. God, the creator of all things and beings... had to, at some point, create evilness or at least allow it to be created by someone else.

My mother gave me what I believe was a great answer. She said:

"Mark. Imagine you had powers. Special awesome powers. With these powers you could do just about anything imaginable. Now think about your wife, Karen. If you could go back in time and wiggle your finger in the air and make her fall in love with you... would you? Literally brain wash her into loving you, instantly."

At first I was like "yeah... she'd be my slave... ha ha.."

Then she said, "Well here's the catch. After a little time goes by, and you actually really do love her, you'll start to wonder if she really actually loves or if its only because you brain washed her. Things would start to feel fake. You would never really feel loved because you know it's not real."

At this point, I began to understand where she was going with this. Then she concluded:

"This is why God has allowed evilness. To give us choice. If God wanted to, he could brain wash all of us into loving Him. But He doesn't. He wants to know who is real and who is fake. So God, standing at one of the spectrum stands with his arms open, and He puts Satan at the other end (the complete opposite of Himself). Then He puts "you" in the middle. This way, the ones who come to Him shows Him sincere love. When you feel "real" love, it's a much more meaningful feeling and relationship."

I have to say... once you sit and think about this... this was a great answer.

Bravo mama!

The Serpent Eats the Dust

In Genesis it states that the serpent would be cursed and have to crawl on his belly.

Genesis 3:14 - "And the LORD God said unto the serpent, Because thou hast done this, thou art cursed above all cattle, and above every beast of the field; upon thy belly shalt thou go, and dust shalt thou eat all the days of thy life:"

In order for the serpent to now be cursed to crawl, that means it must have either been walking or flying.

If it was walking... reptile, walking.... sounds like a dinosaur to me. How did the dinosaur die off? He "ate the dust." Think about it.

If it was flying... it sounds alot like what the Chinese used to believe in.... a Dragon!

Maybe the serpent was a snake similar to the King Cobra and when it moved, the upper body stood tall. (Keep in mind that if this was the case, and God cursed the serpent, he wouldn't still be able to do this if that's what he was doing back then).

According to the Bible, he was cursed to his belly. So how did he get around before? What would we consider that to be today? Something to think about.

Thoughts?

1000 Years = 1 Day

I've often heard that 1,000 years on earth is equal to 1 day in heaven.

2 Peter 3:8 - "But, beloved, be not ignorant of this one thing, that one day is with the Lord as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day."

I have a couple of different ways I take this verse.

1. 
   
   This could literally mean that 1,000 years on earth is 1 day in heaven. Which would mean that when Jesus turns to His Father and says "Hey dad, I'm going to go ahead and go back to earth to retrieve my followers" (note* - he did not actually say that, I'm using this for conversation sake), that the few seconds it takes Him to turn around... a few years have passed on earth. He could be on His way out the door right now but yet still take several more years for us. I'm not saying all this litterally... just a thought.


2. 
   
   Maybe this verse is stating that there is no time frame in heaven. Time does not exist. 1000 years on earth is equal to 1 day in heaven and/or vice versa, ultimately expressing the point of no timeline (which is hard to grasp with the human mind).

What do you think?

Oh yeah, when God created the earth in 6 days... was it heaven days or earth days. Maybe it took 6,000 years. Just something else to boggle in the brain. Lemme know what you think.

Eye of a Needle

Everyone has heard of the scripture from a few different places in the Bible stating how hard it is to get into heaven if you are rich.

King James Version

Mark 10:25 - "It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle, than for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of God."

Mathew 19:24 - "And again I say unto you, It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle, than for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of God."

Luke 18:25 - "For it is easier for a camel to go through a needle's eye, than for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of God."

I believe many people misunderstand this verse. Many people say to themselves, "Well, it's impossible for a camel to fit through an eye of a needle." But if you study and look deeper into history, you realize that this is not what was literally meant (however it is very clever).

Back in the old days, communities would build high stone walls around their villages and towns. In the wall there would be giant gates that remained open during regular hours. However, when night fell and the curphew took place, the main gates were closed, not allowing anyone to enter or exit the main gates without permission. This was supposedly for the safety of the community to keep out trouble makers from lurking in the night.

Some of you may be wondering "What about people who lived in the community that were traveling back home, arriving after hours?"

Well, in this particular case, there were small doors doors in the city walls (sometimes within the big doors themselves), created to allow residents to enter. A guard awaits as a stranger explains his business and/or purpose. Since there were no cars, bikes or other means of transportation... they used camels. Of course the outsider did want to leave his camel roaming free outside the city, therefore needed to bring it in and bind it to a post over night.

Remember, the big gates are closed for good. Only the smaller doors are able to be entered at these times. Here's what you may not know. These doors were called "The Eye of the Needle." These doors were (to my understanding) shorter than a typical door these days but maybe a hair bit wider. This was not impossible for a camel to go through, but very difficult.

In order to get a camel to pass through this eye, the camel had to be stripped down (remember, people used their camels to carry their goods and belongings). The camel, once stripped of it's baggage, was then coaxed into getting down on all four knees and then very patiently, a baby step at a time, walked through the doorway on it's knees. This took a while and was very frustrating. Then the owner would go back out and bring his things into the city walls.

I believe the message here as in the scripture just simply means that it's more difficult (not impossible) for a rich man to enter the gates of heaven because of his mental attachment to his material possessions. Someone who is obsessed with "things" usually is distracted from a life of God. Money can be a root of evil and is used as a weapon of Satan to tempt people (more so the rich). This scripture basically points out that in the end, when you die, you can't carry these material things with you. Therefore, like the camel, the rich man will be stripped of his possessions and will have to leave everything behind before entering the kingdom of heaven with nothing but a pure heart.

Rich or poor, when a man can mentally let go of his possessions for God, then his heart is where it needs to be, thus leading to entering the gates of heaven. This goes for the rich or poor, but it is much "harder" as the scripture says, for a rich man to do this.

Thoughts?