Hello All,
Designer –
Your dreams are interesting but your views and connections regarding the symbolical meaning in respect of the 3 or 4 day periods are a little off.
May I submit some guidance?
Firstly the time is not important? What is important are the miracles themselves. There is no requirement to seek either scientific connection or explanation.
The whole point of the final exercise is for God to access the sincerity of your love for him. It has to be your choice to love him and accept him, your decision, your Free Will.
He gave mankind this most powerful of gifts (free will) because it was the ‘only’ way he could ensure accuracy in your understanding and love for him. He needs you to love him in the same way a child loves its father, not by force or wrath (you do not beat your child to force them to love you) and not by purchase of heart (you do not give your child everything they ask; for them to love you). But with emotion, trust and faith brought on by love, teaching, understanding and forgiveness.
If God came unto the earth and demonstrated his power by way of miracles tomorrow, solving famine, disease and anguish for all. Casting tyranny and injustice aside for everyone to see that he was God almighty; how many on earth would throw themselves at his feet and proclaim their loyalty and love for him?
But how many would be sincere?
It’s a simple test devised by God to test you, like leaving money under the couch cushion to test your cleaner’s honesty. It only works to convince him if you have Faith. You have to believe in him without any real personal physical proof, it is not his intention to show you a series of party tricks to make you believe (that will be Satan's plan). Only with this faith can he ensure you are a good person and you deserve to go to spend eternity with other good people, a way of weeding out the bad and the conmen.
To help us keep our faith in times of hardship, troubles, humiliation and grief he sent his son Jesus.
The whole purpose of Jesus was to demonstrate to us that everything we can possibly ever go through in our lives emotionally and physically, either directly or indirectly no matter how bad (and this bit is important) it could not be an excuse to lose faith or stop loving him.
He let his son (Jesus) be tortured, humiliated and murdered so that we may draw comfort and understanding if/when these things ever happen to us, our children or our loved ones.
He let this happen so that we can look at Jesus and at Gods sadness at how man had no problem doing all these things unto him and say to ourselves; “He did this to show me it is ok to be humiliated, beaten, tortured, disbelieved and if necessary murdered. Because this life is merely my apprenticeship to a better life, a period in which I am given the chance to study and learn to love and be a good person so that I may live in eternity with other good people. I will bring my children up to be good people so that someday we can all be together again as a family in eternityâ€
Now it is not necessarily his plan that you have to suffer, but we are humans with free will who live amongst others with free will, so it is practically inevitable that we will suffer. Jesus himself also had a choice; he did not have to go through with everything he new would happen to him. He was terrified at the prospect of having to go through all that pain and suffering.
He did so because he trusted and believed in his father that everything would be alright.
Like an assurance from a father to a child when you first let them ride a bike or jump off a diving board or attend their first day at school or simply walk for the first time. All on a much smaller scale of course but the point is the same, your child believes and trusts you as their father that they will be ok, they overcome their fear because their trust and love for you is greater than fear itself.
So we must do also.
It is hard for us however and God knows this, hence he gives us countless chances to come back to him after we have strayed. His love for us is so strong that his door remains open to us just like ours remain open for our children, no matter what they do.
PamelaM217 – Wrote:
“I asked Jesus "why is it that this guy can only see a light when I can see you?"
He replied: "Because you know me." That was the end of the dream.
I think that is how it is with God's presence. Maybe people all experience God and his presence in a different way.â€
• I agree with that statement to a certain degree but I think Jesus' answer to you means more than that.
I believe he means that you really see him, that you do not just believe him but that you really feel he is there in you life. How many of us really see something, I mean really see something?
In fact to really see something clearly you have to feel it from within, you feel an understanding for it. You can only do this with people you love, even though to a stranger they may seem fine, you can see that deep down they are hurting and something is wrong. You reach out to comfort them and they pour out their heart to you, thankful that you took the time to listen and help them.
This is love, this is feeling, this is really seeing.
Designer – Wrote:
“I believe that the 2nd coming of Christ was the duration of the 2000 year’s which was a process of change in our world to date and not a specific individual incarnation here. The world has change so much in time that it must have been the result of him as a non-physical entity in this worldâ€
• The second coming of Christ is a very real event. I am closing in on the exact date but believe It will be in 2012. All my work thus far supports this date even allowing for a 360 day year as per the Jewish calendar.