Are you going to heaven or hell?

Dr. Smart, I'm glad you brought up prophecy. Space does not permit me to respond to that as I'd like, but consider this: "In his comprehensive catalogue of prophecies, 'The Encyclopedia of Biblical Prophecies', J. Barton Payne lists 191 prophecies concerning the anticipated Jewish Messiah and Savior. Each was literally fulfilled in the life, death, resurrection, and ascension of Jesus of Nazareth." -Pastor Ray Comfort

And also: "It is important to note the unique aspect of biblical prophecies. Unlike many psychic predictions, many of these were very specific, giving, for example, the very name of the tribe, city, and time of Christ’s coming. Unlike forecasts found in tabloids at the supermarket checkout counter, none of these predictions failed. Since the 191 prophecies of the Messiah were written hundreds of years before Christ was born, the prophets could not have been reading the trends of the times or making intelligent guesses. Many predictions were beyond human ability to fake a fulfillment. "

And finally: "It is statistically impossible that all these events would have converged randomly in the life of one man. Mathematicians have calculated the probability of just sixteen predictions being fulfilled in one person at 1 in 1045. For forty-eight predictions to meet in one person, the probability is 1 in 10157. It is almost impossible to even conceive of a number that large." So don't be unbelieving, but believing.

I do agree that the Messiah is come to restore all things, stop war, and establish His kingdom. And rest assured, Jesus Christ is in fact coming back to do just that. But keep in mind that by His death on the cross, he conquered sin and death already. So we can partake in that by repenting and putting our faith and trust in Him and His blood to pay for our sins. Problem is, you are thinking in human terms, that a conqueror must come in the same exact way a person on earth would do, with flash, pizazz, and a big boom! And Jesus will do that, but he first came as a Lamb of God, gentle and humble. Second time around won't be as a lamb, but to destroy those who didn't believe in him. Is it worth it?

As for the authors lying, and the books not being the word of God, the only people that say that are the ones looking for reasons not to believe. Why in the world would you do that? Jesus came the way He did, and has "apparent" contradictions in His word, etc., to shame the wise and proud and exalt the lowly and humble who have the faith of a child. And I'm glad He did.

Jesus' teachings did not go against the Torah. In fact, quite the opposite, He magnified the Laws! He said lust is adultery in heart, and hatred is murder. And yes, the Torah can be proven historically. I don't disagree with it. It's the word of God. And who told you the OT and NT contradict each other? I challenge you to provide even a single point in which that is the case. The word became flesh, and does not contradict itself.

It's interesting to note that the prophets foretold you would deny Christ: "He is despised and rejected of men". Isaiah 53:3. I challenge you to read all of Isaiah 53. It will leave NO doubt that Jesus has come. Are you up to it?

Let the Law draw you do Christ. Remember that you probably have lied, stolen, blasphemed, and lusted. And you have to face God on Judgment Day. And guess who your judge is? Jesus Christ. If He judges you by His standard (His Law), you'd be guilty and end up in hell forever. But that's not God's will. Repent, and trust in the death, resurrection, and blood of Christ to save you and you will be born again and be innocent on Judgment Day, and pass from death to life. Don't waste another day, please think about this while you are still alive, for death could snatch you at any time.

I also extend you the same offer as I do anyone, please feel free to write me at my email spfinley77@yahoo.com. If not, I will check back here, but the invitation is open. Thank you and may God bless you!

The mesaih had to be the son of a descendant of David, God is not a descendant of David. the mesaih was to be human, was Jesus a human? I did not expect a big show, just peace and prosperity.

Why would God tighten the requirments to get into heaven?

You shall have no Gods before me. Jesus is the son of God...and the only way to God is through Jesus...so you now have something before God.

You never answered why some Gospel's were left out.

And what about the part in the Torah God said he would send charlatains to test us. Maybe Jesus is a test, he did not end war and humans don't rise from the fricken dead! So count out him coming back, and note the part about him conquering death as false.

Also, what kind of sacrifice is dying if you come back from the dead?

"This is the prophet Jesus from Nazareth in Galilee." [Matthew 21:10-11] Prophet. Prophecy was impossible at that point. So he can't be a prophet.

I know there is a Messiah coming." (This term means Anointed.) "When he comes, he will tell us everything." Jesus replied, "I who speak to you am he." [John 4:25-26] Wait...I thought he was the savior. This just makes him a prophet. Again, impossible.

And look at this and somehow say the Bible is clear and true:

"And the Lord said unto Moses, `Take all the heads of the people, and hang them up before the Lord against the sun, that the fierce anger of the Lord may be turned away from Israel."

"And the Lord said unto Moses, `Take all the chiefs of the people and expose them before the Lord in the daylight that the fierce anger of the Lord may be turned away from the children of Israel.' " Numbers 25:4

So...which one is God's word? According to you, both.

There is yet another example of dramatic translational distortion in the King James version. This time it has contributed to the doctrine of the divinity of Jesus. It has to do with the crucial word worship. Here is the King James version of Matthew 2:1-2 and 2:7-8: Now when Jesus was born in Beth-lehem of Judaea in the days of Herod the King, behold, there came wise men from the East to Jerusalem, saying, Where is he that is born king of the Jews? for we have seen his star in the east, and are come to worship him. [Matthew 2:1-2] Then Herod, when he had privily called the wise men, enquired of them diligently what time the star appeared. And he sent them to Beth-lehem, and said, Go and search diligently for the young child; and when ye have found him, bring me word again, that I may come and worship him also. [Matthew 2:7-8]

Let us now compare these same verses as translated in the NEW AMERICAN BIBLE, which is a recent translation drawing from the oldest documents available to the translators, rather than being a revision of earlier translations as the King James version is: After Jesus' birth in Bethlehem of Judea during the reign of King Herod, astrologers from the east arrived one day in Jerusalem inquiring, "Where is the newborn king of the Jews? We observed his star at its rising and have come to pay him homage." [Matthew 2:1-2] Herod called the astrologers aside and found out from them the exact time of the star's appearance. Then he sent them to Bethlehem, after having instructed them: "Go and get detailed information about the child. When you have found him, report your findings to me so that I may go and offer him homage too." [Matthew 2:7-8]

Here we go again. Homage is due to a king, worship is due to divinity. Homage is way below worship.

Response to Dr. Smart Part 1

Dr. Smart,

Thank you for writing back. I'll do my best to respond to your posts here.

You said that the Messiah is to be a decedent of David. He was. You said that God isn't a decedent of David. But again, He was. Read Matthew Chapter 1. All the names have been documented and written down, what better proof can you have?

God didn't tighten the requirements to get into heaven. Jesus magnified the Law that was already there, showing God's holy standard, since people weren't getting it. He had to magnify it to show that nobody, even the law abiding Pharisees, could obey the Law well enough to get into heaven. In doing so, He dashed everyone's hopes of being saved by works, and leaving faith in Him as the only option. Isaiah 42:21, "The LORD is well pleased for his righteousness' sake; he will magnify the law, and make if honourable."

As for putting Jesus before God being a violation of the First Commandment, this is not the case. Jesus is the Son of God, yes, and is also God in the flesh. He was both fully human and fully divine. So by putting Him first, you are putting God first. He is equal with the Father and the Holy Spirit, all of which is God, all of which is first. You'll see when you meet Jesus on Judgment Day, just don't be there doubting Him!

As for gospels being left out, only a person who is a non-believer can say that, and here's why. If you say gospels were left out, you are saying that God is so inept that He can't even control His own word and how it is put together. Make no mistake, God is all powerful and if He wanted other scriptures to be included in His revelation to man, He most certainly was capable of doing it. What we have is what he intended us to end up with, because He's been in control the whole time.

And about the Torah talking about being tested by charlatans, I don't recall which scripture that is, but I don't doubt it. Jesus Himself said there would be false Christs. Didn't David Koresh say he was Christ? And Joseph Smith was a false prophet, and there are no doubt countless others, many making the direct claim of being Christ. With regards to ending war, Jesus most certainly will. It's called Judgment Day. So there's no problem there. But people do rise from the dead. Jesus did, and others have too. Death couldn't hold Jesus down because He didn't sin, and thus can't truly die, and besides, He is God and can raise Himself from the dead. (And to prove the Three are One, the Father and Holy Spirit raised Him too - See Galations 1:1, Romans 8:11, and John 2:19 and 10:17.) Jesus is risen from the dead, don't doubt it, but shout for joy! Through His death, you can live eternally since He died for you! Now you don't have to! But you must repent and trust Him.

"Also, what kind of sacrifice is dying if you come back from the dead?" That is about the most awful thing I've ever heard. Even if someone has risen from the dead, how in the world can you take their death lightly? That's like taking a gift and throwing it in the face of the giver. Anyway, this is the kind of sacrifice it was: God, being holy and righteous, must punish all sin. With all the people in the world and all the sin, that's an awful lot of wrath. He took it out, all of it, on Jesus. He may have risen in glory after death, but taking all of God's wrath upon Himself is nothing to sneeze at. Also, Jesus, being God, was perfect, holy, and righteous. Yet he not only took all of God's wrath, but he took all of our sin and put it upon himself as if He committed all sins of all time. In other words, He became a curse. Now for God to become a curse is no small thing. So how could you say what kind of sacrifice is that?

Finally, doesn't it scare you to bits to know that it was prophesied that people would reject Jesus, and that's exactly what you are doing? You are the fulfillment of a prophecy! I would sincerely check into that if I were you. All He asks is that you repent and trust Him. What have you got to lose?

Response to Dr. Smart, part 2

""This is the prophet Jesus from Nazareth in Galilee." [Matthew 21:10-11] Prophet. Prophecy was impossible at that point. So he can't be a prophet." Who told you prophecy was impossible at that point? If anybody has the right to prophecy, it's the very Son of God, Jesus Christ. He can do anything He wants.

And yes, Messiah does mean anointed. This fits Him because priests, prophets, and kings were all anointed. Jesus was all three of those, and thus anointed. This in no way disqualifies him from being the Savior. If anything, it very much qualifies him for it!

And on your quoting of Numbers 25:4, I don't quite follow. It looks like you quoted from two different bibles, or am I misunderstanding? You'd have to clarify what you're asking about. You asked which is God's word. Both quotes say the same thing, so I don't see a problem. But if you clarify I will try to respond better next time.

As for the difference in the texts between homage and worship, I can explain. First I would advise something on the issue of faith. God was so clever in that He made His word full of apparent problems for those who are proud to pick at. It is the proud that He opposes, and these so called problems expose the prideful. So if I may, I'd say that nitpicking God's word rather than having faith can cause you to lose the faith He so wants you to have. Now, there's nothing wrong with being a scholar, but I'm just saying don't let it trip you up. Jesus said if you don't become as a child, you won't see the kingdom of God. Children easily have faith, they don't overanalyze things. That having been said, I'll explain about these words.

Both versions derive their word, be it homage or worship, from the Greek word pronounced pros-koo-neh'-o. That Greek word can be used as either homage or worship, as defined in Strongs: To fawn or crouch to, i.e. (lit. or fig.) prostrate oneself in homage (do reverence to, adore):-worship. How the translators of either version choose which way to interpret the meaning of that Greek word into either homage or worship, is likely known only by them. But it's the same Greek word, and I dare say that worship is the more accurate translation of what the author intended as inspired by God. This is what happens when you have a Greek word that carries two or more meanings, and you have men interpreting which meaning is meant from that word. There is no problem here as homage is certainly due Christ, as is worship. And in case there is any doubt, always check scripture with other scripture. That said, there are other scriptures where He is clearly worshipped: Matthew 2:11, 28:9, Mark 5:6, John 9:38, and so on.

If you desire further proof, check this link where I posted proof for another guy on his poll message site: http://www.mrpoll.com/messages.m?thread_id=3123727262. It should be the last message on page 7, Response part 2 under my name.