God has a plan. An observation and a question.

Old Salt said:
Start your King James with Matthew 1, verse 1, you'd be better off!
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True
for many

It's probably best to read Nebuchadnezzar's dream in Daniel 2, when first getting into studying the prophecies in Daniel
It's pretty straight forward
 

Old Salt said:
Good luck with your reading, PP! I had a splitting headache when it came to passages like the one you quote, and mainly stuck to the New Testament. The Old Testament is mostly Jewish history and prophecy for Jewish people, even though we shouldn't shun it entirely since it does contain prophecies regarding the Messiah! And some of the Psalms are breathtakingly beautiful! However since it was compiled from four different oral sources it contradicts itself quite frequently! Start your King James with Matthew 1, verse 1, you'd be better off! :)
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The main reason I want to start with Daniel and the Revelation is due to the fact that others are reading the same thing so there’s a better chance of support if there are questions etc. Another reason is that I’ve read Mathew many times and those first verses drove me nuts. Blah blah begat blah blah and it goes on forever. Thanks all the same. I appreciate the help and the reasoning.
 

PeppermintPatty said:
Can you elaborate a bit about what made you change your mind? Not that I’m trying to change it back or influence your decision. I’m just curious what made you change your mind. If it’s something you don’t wish to share, I shall respect that.
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I used to think of God as a best friend and someone I could rely upon when in a jam in life. It brought me comfort, but the fallout from covid continued and hurt me personally beyond my ability to bear and I no longer felt the presence of God or comfort from Him and as all the bad things got bigger and bigger, I just lost faith and realized I may have been wrong about God all along? That's all really.
 
When I wrote my interpretation of "God" or whatever you choose to call him, in another thread, as both a personal and an impersonal God ( as a state of pure existence underlying all that exists) which I KNOW. It is LIFE, and this interpretation of Him is still only a fraction, as a tiny few of his attributes are that he is omnipotent, omniscient and omnipresent;
I was labeled a Satanist, a sanctimonious, arrogant, know-it-all, and those are the NICE things! The same happened when I spoke about my impression of the Holy Bible. I'm not going to try to impose my understandings on you, in this thread.

I wrote a book about God. a book about Spirituality ,a book about Prayer a book about Death. and a book about the power of quality thought. (sacred messages from Holy Angels)
There are so many paths to God realization. I am finding my path as devotion. Love, deepening the qualities of the heart to experience greater and greater degrees of happiness and bliss. The individual will know the best way for him or her to grow the soul and his time.
A traditional religionist finds his solace in the reading of the scriptures. Another might find a path through a physiological approach or through perception. Physics may open ways through technology someday. Many ways exist to grow and evolve the soul into more, higher,
more wonderful, more joyful levels of existence.

And Death? Life and death are parts of the same great adventure of the soul. Not to be feared.

To those of you who question or rejected God, it is all fine. You have lifetimes to create your destiny and grow to God because you have only begun to exist .When you reach the divine levels, there is unutterable joy, You will reach the highest, most pure, most rare areas of thought and feelings, unimagined in this lowly world. Unfathomable love awaits you in the unending Heavens.
There are other books of wisdoms as the 5000 year old Bhagavad Gita. If you are searching for God, you will find the right path for you, in a natural way.
 
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Gaer said:
When I wrote my interpretation of "God" ... I was labeled a Satanist, a sanctimonious, arrogant, know-it-all, and those are the NICE things! The same happened when I spoke about my impression of the Holy Bible. I'm not going to try to impose my understandings on you, in this thread.
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I am sorry to hear that. I don't believe what you do, but I still find you and your ideas very interesting, worth listening to. You are an intelligent, well spoken lady with some very unique ideas. Please don't hold back.

So far this has been a respectful back and forth between people who have very different beliefs, I think it will stay that way.
 
chic said:
I used to think of God as a best friend and someone I could rely upon when in a jam in life. It brought me comfort, but the fallout from covid continued and hurt me personally beyond my ability to bear and I no longer felt the presence of God or comfort from Him and as all the bad things got bigger and bigger, I just lost faith and realized I may have been wrong about God all along? That's all really.
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That’s understandable. When you trust that the source of your faith has let you down in times of need , it’s challenging. I think what you just described seems to be the most popular reason why people stopped believing.
Thanks for sharing that.
 
chic said:
I used to think of God as a best friend and someone I could rely upon when in a jam in life. It brought me comfort, but the fallout from covid continued and hurt me personally beyond my ability to bear and I no longer felt the presence of God or comfort from Him and as all the bad things got bigger and bigger, I just lost faith and realized I may have been wrong about God all along? That's all really.
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It happens to most of us

I'm certainly no exception

I quit God for several years

Praying for you, sweet lady
 
PeppermintPatty said:
The main reason I want to start with Daniel and the Revelation is due to the fact that others are reading the same thing so there’s a better chance of support if there are questions etc. Another reason is that I’ve read Mathew many times and those first verses drove me nuts. Blah blah begat blah blah and it goes on forever. Thanks all the same. I appreciate the help and the reasoning.
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Sorry about that, PP. I hadn't followed the thread and had no idea that you were intending to study Daniel seriously! Good luck and have fun and find enlightenment as well! And blah begat blah is found all too often in the O.T. as well! Some things we have to put up with to get to the meat of the matter. :LOL:
 
Old Salt said:
Sorry about that, PP. I hadn't followed the thread and had no idea that you were intending to study Daniel seriously! Good luck and have fun and find enlightenment as well! And blah begat blah is found all too often in the O.T. as well! Some things we have to put up with to get to the meat of the matter. :LOL:
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No biggie Old Salt. I appreciate you offering help. These chapters here are the ones I never ever got to so I have no clue what they are about. My main reason for wanting to read the Bible is to give myself a reminder everyday that what’s happening in my own heart is far more important than what’s happening in the external world. No matter how horrible things get, it’s my inner soul that truly matters.
 
Lawrence00 said:
Would it be a sin to steal the Bible from the hotel? Asking for a friend.
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The Gideons have been placing free Bibles in hotel and motel rooms since 1908, 2.5 Billion, in the hopes that people would want to read them and take them home for free. Gideons rely solely on donations. But that practice may stop soon I read because the franchise investigates and removes any Bibles that are highlighted or marked in.
 
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The Bible is a collection of writings from approximately forty separate authors, written on three separate continents, comprised in three separate languages, and was compiled over the span of an estimated 1,500–1,600 years.
It was written almost 100 years after Jesus’ death. Each of the four gospels depicts Jesus in a different way.

The Bible is a wonderful book… it brings comfort to many who read it. For that alone I commend it.
However if you are looking for “hard- evidence” the
Bible is not the place to find it.

Study alongside the Bible the historical context in which it was written. Read what science has discovered. Read what archaeologists have identified.
If you are able travel to some of the places mentioned in the Bible and ponder the viability of what occurred there do so..

Blind belief is called “faith” but it is not “proof.” I cannot explain to anyone why I believe a Creator exists. For me, that Creator has a plan, yes, not for individuals, but for the entire Universe.
But who is God? No one knows and will ever know. The assumption that Jesus is God is not a universal one.
 
chic said:
God has a plan. I hear this a lot especially from desperate people or those who are suffering. Some tell me this when I am struggling and it doesn't comfort me a bit. I wish it did. I usually go silent when someone who is hurting badly says this, more to themselves than to me, and just let them talk.
We all have challenging times in our lives at some point and feel stretched to the limit. Maybe we need real help or a definite plan that we are privy to not just patronizing words that are easily dismissed. I've seen a lot of loved ones die, many well before their time, a couple by suicide and I wonder, what was God's plan for them because it didn't work out too well. :cry:
A plan implies sharing. In war, Generals make plans and share them with subordinates. How else can a battle be won? Similar strategies are employed in sports where teams have a game plan with specific plays to achieve certain results and victory.
What good is a plan when it is kept hidden from those it directly concerns?

How do you feel about the title "God has a plan"? And do you think His plan should be shared with us so we could cope better with life's slings and arrows? :unsure:
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I usually play it out the best I can, wait, see what comes next , and watch what happens due to my actions. Prayer for direction is first though for direction and it usually works. May take longer than I want, but it works. Results aren't always what I expect or want and sometimes they are.
 
 
Jamala said:
The Bible is a collection of writings from approximately forty separate authors, written on three separate continents, comprised in three separate languages, and was compiled over the span of an estimated 1,500–1,600 years.
It was written almost 100 years after Jesus’ death. Each of the four gospels depicts Jesus in a different way
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According to PBS:

"While there is disagreement about where Mark wrote, there is a consensus about when he wrote: he probably composed his work in or about the year 70 CE, after the failure of the First Jewish Revolt and the destruction of the Jerusalem Temple at the hands of the Romans. That destruction shapes how Mark tells his story."

I.O.W. Eye witnesses to Jesus' life, death and resurrection had to be still around when the first Gospel was written! And since Christians were already being persecuted it's a powerful argument for the truth contained in Mark's Gospel!
 
Old Salt said:
According to PBS:

"While there is disagreement about where Mark wrote, there is a consensus about when he wrote: he probably composed his work in or about the year 70 CE, after the failure of the First Jewish Revolt and the destruction of the Jerusalem Temple at the hands of the Romans. That destruction shapes how Mark tells his story."

I.O.W. Eye witnesses to Jesus' life, death and resurrection had to be still around when the first Gospel was written! And since Christians were already being persecuted it's a powerful argument for the truth contained in Mark's Gospel!
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Don't have PBS in my neck of the woods :giggle:
 
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Alligatorob said:
I am sorry to hear that. I don't believe what you do, but I still find you and your ideas very interesting, worth listening to. You are an intelligent, well spoken lady with some very unique ideas. Please don't hold back.

So far this has been a respectful back and forth between people who have very different beliefs, I think it will stay that way.
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Thank you for the nice words. You are such a dear, sweet man!
I don't mean to "stir the pot" but you said, "I don't believe what you do." What do you mean?
What "do I do" that you don't agree? You don't agree that I should express my thoughts?
Just asking respectfully.
 
chic said:
God has a plan. I hear this a lot especially from desperate people or those who are suffering. Some tell me this when I am struggling and it doesn't comfort me a bit. I wish it did. I usually go silent when someone who is hurting badly says this, more to themselves than to me, and just let them talk.
We all have challenging times in our lives at some point and feel stretched to the limit. Maybe we need real help or a definite plan that we are privy to not just patronizing words that are easily dismissed. I've seen a lot of loved ones die, many well before their time, a couple by suicide and I wonder, what was God's plan for them because it didn't work out too well. :cry:
A plan implies sharing. In war, Generals make plans and share them with subordinates. How else can a battle be won? Similar strategies are employed in sports where teams have a game plan with specific plays to achieve certain results and victory.
What good is a plan when it is kept hidden from those it directly concerns?

How do you feel about the title "God has a plan"? And do you think His plan should be shared with us so we could cope better with life's slings and arrows? :unsure:
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Yes I do believe God has a plan for each of us, if we trust in Him.

We are mortal, our bodies must ail and die, good and bad times will happen to everyone. Those who have faith will pray for help in tough times and praise God for good times - in fact worship Him no matter which. Why? Because He is God.
Those who complain often ask why God let's things happen, but I wonder if they ever thank God for the good things? It would be absurd to think life ought to be a basket of roses and to carp about it being God's fault if things are not to our liking.

God does hear sincere prayer, but He answers in ways we may not understand or like. It is His will, not ours.
 
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