The Bible: The Elephant in the Living Room

Submitted by Michael S (United States), Feb 28, 2018 at 06:34

Hi, Tovey

"All humankind with only one exception were born to a slave relationship with the prince of the power of the air; and the only way to escape is through the salvation bought and paid for by Jesus Christ."

I agree. My wife and I have been having difficulty lately with the church, being rejected close friends we have known for up to 20 years. The issue that made them turn against us, after knowing us for so long, is that I, like the Jews, do not accept Jesus as a "man-god." I accept him as the fully human SON of God, perfectly expressing His image in that though human, he did not sin; and also accepting that AFTER A FASHION he can be "in the Father", the Father "in him" and you and I "in" both of them (though that doesn't make anyone God except God Himself). That wasn't good enough for my very close co-religionists, so I was called the most horrible names and dumped.

That (carnal expression) certainly isn't the Jesus I preach, nor the God I preach. What's more, we aren't saved by our esoteric understanding of the scriptures; we are saved because, though we were disobedient to the commandments, Jesus was not; yet he suffered the punishment that WE deserved; and God acknowledged that He accepted that self-sacrifice, by raising Jesus from the dead. Some believe that message, having been given faith by God; and others do not accept it; but our relationship with God is based on faith, not on esoteric wisdom.

It was in the midst of these troubles, that I read about Jesus' being accused before Pilate. My co-religionists turned on me, just as Jesus' co-religionists turned on him; but I have not suffered unto death. What's more, I have tried to explain myself; but Jesus dumbly accepted torture and death, like a lamb being slaughtered. And he had committed no offense whatever, whereas I have done plenty to merit punishment. I was very awed, considering the contrast.

Concerning the other things you said,

1. I do not expect Abbas to repent of anything; and if he were to, another would take his place. If it weren't for terrorists like Abbas, the Jews of Israel would completely forget God and live in hedonistic pleasure. God is lord of all; even the Devil is HIS devil, leading men to repentance and righteousness.

2. The Russians and Turks, and Ezekiel 38-39. We'll have to wait until all the flying fur has settled, before we can see whether you or I have been right about the identity of Gog. As things stand, it looks like the Russians, Iranians, Syrians, Hizbullah and the Turks are all headed toward a major war that will eventually be directed against Israel.

3. Besides the military action, there is tremendous political action going on in all the above countries (purges, demonstrations, economic woes, etc.) as welll as in Jordan, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Sudan, Libya and elsewhere. The whole region is a powder keg, from Xinjiang to Mauritania. Even the provocations by the North Koreans, and threats posed by Venezuela, are tied in with the Iranian menace in particular, and the Middle East conflict in general. Just one example of this development, is the fact that Japan, China, India, the Arabs, the Turks, the French and the Americans all have military bases in the Horn of Africa, at the chokepoint of ME sea traffic. This has never happened before, in all of history.

The Bible is central to all that is going on. One could call the current conflict the "Abrahamic War"; because all the sects of all the Abrahamic religions are fighting in it, often motivated by religion; and those are not so motivated, have a hidden agenda against Torah, against Jerusalem, against Har Habait and against God's chosen people. Anyone trying to understand what is going on, without considering the Bible, is ignoring the elephant in the living room.

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