Thirsty4Truth

Proverbs 31 speaks about a virtuous woman who takes care of her husband and her children to the point where they have no need of anything. She goes out to buy a field and plants a vineyard. She gathers wool and makes fine linen. She not only works hard to provide for her family, but she also has enough to give to the poor. This virtuous woman is worthy of praise from her husband and children, and her husband is made known amongst the elders in the gates of the land. A Virtuous Woman, Not to be Interpreted Literally

The mark of the beast as described in Revelation 13 is widely associated with the literal number of 666. Those who do not receive the mark of the beast will not be able to buy or sell, and those who do receive it will be damned for all eternity. It is said that the number or mark will be literally applied to the right hand or to the forehead. But the term "Mark of the Beast" is clearly speaking in a symbolic language and the mark cannot be seen with the human eye. The Mark of The Beast

We have all heard that Jesus set the perfect example of forgiveness on the day that He was crucified when He prayed: "Father forgive them for they know not what they do". Luke 23:34. But did Jesus really forgive those who hung him on the cross to die, or did He merely pray to the Father to forgive them?

Christianity teaches that we need to forgive others before they have a chance to repent, or even in cases when they refuse to repent. They take many verses and stories of the Bible to back up their claim of this false doctrine. But what many do not realize is that the stories and the verses that Christianity uses are taken out of context and twisted to fit their views. Did Jesus Forgive those Who Crucified Him?

Christianity teaches that we have to forgive everyone before they even acknowledge that they have done wrong. The Bible, however, does not teach that. For we are to forgive as God forgives, and He can only forgive us once we repent.

The story of Joseph and his brothers is the perfect story of this type of forgiveness in action. Joseph was a man of God, but when his brothers sinned against him, he was not so quick to forgive. His actions are a clear demonstration of the fact that he had not forgiven his brothers when they came to buy food in Egypt. Instead, Joseph waited until he knew that his brothers had repented. Joseph and His Brothers, Forgiveness in Action

When you ask Christians what forgiveness means, the majority of them will tell you that it means to let go of the situation, and to overcome the anger associated with it. To back this up, they use Ephesians 4:26:

"Be ye angry and sin not: let not the sun go down upon your wrath:" Ephesians 4:26.

However, this verse makes no mention of forgiveness. And most people do not understand that anger and unforgiveness are two entirely different things. You should always let go of your anger, but you do not have to forgive if you are not asked to do so. What Does Biblical Forgiveness Mean?

"For if ye forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you:

But if ye forgive not men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses." Matthew 6:14-15

The above verses are used to teach that we are to forgive others before they ask for forgiveness, or even acknowledge that they have done something wrong. They say that if we do not forgive, then we cannot have peace with God, because then God will not forgive us when we ask for Him forgiveness. This however, is a false doctrine, which doesn't even make sense when compared to the rest of the Bible. If someone sins against you, and does not ask for forgiveness, then you are under no obligation to forgive them. Are We To Forgive Those Who Do Not Ask For Forgiveness?

There is a new movement going on and it is spreading fast. It is the movement of the raw food diet. People on this diet claim that they never get sick and many claims have been made of being cured from diseases where there supposedly is no cure for.

Almost any disease or sickness can be reversed just by switching to this diet. People on the raw food diet look younger, have more energy, and feel much better than those on a conventional diet. Predictions have been made that this diet could help us to live well over 100 years and never get sick.

The diet consists of raw fruits, vegetables and nuts. Fruits and vegetables are juiced or blended and consumed the same day.

The Great Tribulation is a time when there will be great deception here on earth. Many false prophets will arise and deceive many. It will be a time of suffering which has not occurred since the beginning of the world, nor will there ever be any suffering so great.

All those who live for God and are not ashamed to name His name will be persecuted, even to the point of death. These are the ones who will not take the mark of the beast, and they will not be allowed to buy or sell.

Then on top of that, there will also be many natural disasters such as floods, tornados, tsunamis, fires, and famines.

So basically the whole world will be suffering, whether you believe in God or not. Read More on the Great Tribulation...

When I was little I was told that there were three wise-men who came to see Jesus. In Sunday school we sang the song "We three kings..." and so on and so forth.

Much later in life I was confronted with the question "How many wise men came to see Jesus?" And I thought to myself, 'What a silly question...we all should know that there were three.' But to my surprise I discovered that there is no evidence in the Bible to back that claim up.

I studied, and studied the Bible with high hopes to find at least one verse which makes a reference of some sort that there perhaps were three wise men. Surely the church and Sunday school class couldn't have taught me wrong, could they have? Read More on The Three Wise Men...

The Bible says: "To day if ye will hear his voice, harden not your hearts." Hebrews 4:7. But in the old testament we read of how God Himself hardened the heart of Pharaoh when it came to letting the Israelites leave Egypt. (We read the story of Pharaoh beginning in Exodus 5, and onward.)

Now at a first glance that seems like a complete contradiction between the Old and the New Testament, but, when we take a closer look we can the see just how merciful, loving and patient God really is.

You see, God in His lovingkindness wants to draw ALL men unto Him, (John 12:32) and that is exactly what He was trying to do in the case of Pharaoh. God hardened the Pharaoh's heart only on the matter of letting God's people go; God did not harden his heart to keep him from repenting. Do you see the difference? Read More on God Hardened Pharaoh's Heart...

It has been a couple of years since I left the church, and the reason I left was because I discovered that they were not teaching what the Bible was teaching. I ended up going to several different churches, but I discovered that each church had their own set of man-made rules. I just could not understand why the church would require me to do these certain things when Jesus would never require anyone to follow these kind of silly rules.

Now I'm talking about dress codes, and other rituals which just are not found in the Bible.

Every time I mentioned it to anyone I would always get an answer like: "There's no such thing as a perfect church", "The Bible commands that we go to church", or "You have to focus on the good things within the church", and the one to top it off, "If you can't submit yourself to the church, how can you submit to God?" Read More on No Perfect Church...

When reading through the Old Testament many people conclude that God is an angry tyrant who takes pleasure in war, destruction and punishment.

But is that really who God is, and is that what He is trying to make us to think He is?

In all honesty, I believe that impression of God could not be further from the truth. God is a protector of His people and that is the reason why we see so much war, and destruction in the Old Testament. If God had not destroyed the wicked, they would have taken over and destroyed the righteous. Read More on What is God Like...