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Verses from the pop-up window

I decided to remove the pop-window. So I shift the verses to this post.

"God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble. Therefore we will not fear, though the earth give way and the mountains fall into the heart of the sea, though its waters roar and foam and the mountains quake with their surging." (Psalms 46:1-3)


"A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another."(John 13:34-35)


Jesus replied: " 'Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.'This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: 'Love your neighbor as yourself.'All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments." (Matthew 22:37-40)


But love your enemies, do good to them, and lend to them without expecting to get anything back. Then your reward will be great, and you will be sons of the Most High, because he is kind to the ungrateful and wicked. Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful. (Luke 6:35-36)


"Go to the ant, you sluggard; consider its ways and be wise! It has no commander, no overseer or ruler, yet it stores its provisions in summer and gathers its food at harvest. How long will you lie there, you sluggard? When will you get up from your sleep?" (Proverbs 6:6-9)


Jesus answered, "My teaching is not my own. It comes from him who sent me. If anyone chooses to do God's will, he will find out whether my teaching comes from God or whether I speak on my own." (John 7:16-17)

My other blogs

See the sidebar (under "My latest blog postings" section) for updates of each individual blogs below.

Christian stuffs:

1. The Sword of The Lighthouse
2. The Sword of The Lighthouse 2
3. The Sword of The Lighthouse - special
4. My Thoughts [*New blog*]

Non-christian stuffs:

1. Life Affairs

10 Reasons To Believe

Movie: The kingdom of heaven / 天国英雄

I think I was right when I told one of my friends that more and more films relating to christianity would be out. I told him this after he had watched the movie Constantine. (fyip, the whole movie of Constantine is half true. Please watch with discerning eyes. To read the review of Constantine to find out more, click the word Constantine above.)Well, a bit of history about Constantine for those who do not know:
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Constantine (c.274–337), Roman emperor; known as Constantine the Great. He was the first Roman emperor to be converted to Christianity and in 324 made Christianity a state religion. In 330 he moved his capital from Rome to Byzantium, renaming it Constantinopolis (Constantinople). In the Orthodox Church he is venerated as a saint.
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(Extracted from The NEW OXFORD DictionaryOF ENGLISH)

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[want to find out more? Any christian website should have ba.]
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Why do I know more and more movie relating to christianity (and also religion) would be shown in public cinema? The reason is: Simply by understanding what the bible is trying to tell us lor. Well, I can't tell you much, otherwise it would seem to be more than just speculations le.

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I haven't watched the movie "The kingdom of heaven". What I know is that it is about muslims vs christians in the 10th through 12th centuries and about crusades between muslim and christian. For a review of this movie, click the title of this post. And also read this review from another website. And perhaps this Q&A would answer most of your questions:

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______________________Yes, it's here. Click me!

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Another movie relating to Christianity on the way to public cinema would be Da Vinci Code. Well, I will write about Da Vinci Code in later post. I'm expecting more films relating to Christianity in future.

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Posted by jnwk on Monday, May 16, 2005:

Finally today (May 16) I watch the movie "The Kingdom of Heaven". Good film! Message received. Many thoughts.

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I saw brutal killings because of war man waged for wealth and status. Many people fall by swords. War is indeed terrible. They misused the name of Jesus and God to fight the war. The maker of this film has done a good job in bringing a balance for both religions; he has maintained neutrality in this film. However, there is still some deeper meaning and truth being conveyed. To put it simply: The whole movie plot may not be totally true but the crusade is definitely true and it is always good to look back at history for the mistakes man had made. And we must not repeat the same mistake again. Most importantly, God does not desire war and man has misused the name of God to wage war. The third commandment states: "You shall not misuse the name of the LORD your God, for the LORD will not hold anyone guiltless who misuses his name." (Exodus 20:7; Deuteronomy 5:11)In the movie, a knight tells Balian, “Holiness is in right action. What God desires is here [points to Balian’s head] and here [points to his heart].” You get what this mean?

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I heard from many friends that this movie is boring and sux (ops, I can't think of any words to replace this unpleasant word. If you know, please tell me on the comment window). Few say it is good or okay. It is like two students going to the examination hall. One of them study very hard and know his work well while the other is a slacker who like to make a lot of noise. Before they enter the examination hall, the hardworking student might hope that what he/she had studied would be useful during the examination, while the slacker student might hope the examination is easy so that he/she can pass. When both walk out of the examination hall, who do you think will say the paper is easy and who do you think will say the paper is tough (and the lecturer set the paper too difficult OR the subject is too difficult for him/her to understand), assuming the paper is set slightly above average ?

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One reason for people who don't appreciate this movie might be that they do not understand the scriptures and also the many terms used in the movie (though there's a handful I'm not familiar too, he he :) ) They can't see what this movie is trying to convey. It not only convey the history to all of us, there is still a deeper meaning to it.

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Since this movie is about the war and the crusade, I decided to link the Q&A about war from a website:

--> About war

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I would like to end with a verse:

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"For though we live in the world, we do not wage war as the world does." (2 Corinthians 10:3)

It can be frustrating when non-believers refused to listen.

Well, to many christians, evangelizing and reaching out is the MOST difficult task in christian life. People simply refused to remember their creator who made heaven and earth, and created us in His own image. They either mock at christianity or christians themselves, or they simply give no room to listening and understanding the gospel and the bible. One reason might be that society, their family members, friends or even people whom they respect have great influence over them. In other words, they are simply blinded by the god of this world and have hardened their hearts. The bible tells us that God will either harden the heart of the people who refused to acknowledge His existence, or He will soften the heart of the people who continue to seek God. God promises that when you seek him with all your heart you will find Him.

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To all christians: Maybe this ODB may comfort you. Read this also.

I won't write much for this post for the time being, but I will continue to build up and improve this post later.
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I will put down some verses to let you people see what the bible, or in fact, God is telling everybody.
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The wrath of God is being revealed from heaven against all the godlessness and wickedness of men who suppress the truth by their wickedness, since what may be known about God is plain to them, because God has made it plain to them. For since the creation of the world God's invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature—have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that men are without excuse. (Romans 1:18-20)

[Note this: Men are without excuse for not acknowledging God's existence. ]
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For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, that each one may receive what is due him for the things done while in the body, whether good or bad. (2 Corinthians 5:10)
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Jesus said:

As it was in the days of Noah, so it will be at the coming of the Son of Man. For in the days before the flood, people were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, up to the day Noah entered the ark; and they knew nothing about what would happen until the flood came and took them all away. That is how it will be at the coming of the Son of Man. Two men will be in the field; one will be taken and the other left. Two women will be grinding with a hand mill; one will be taken and the other left. (Matthew 24:37-41)

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"Just as it was in the days of Noah, so also will it be in the days of the Son of Man. People were eating, drinking, marrying and being given in marriage up to the day Noah entered the ark. Then the flood came and destroyed them all.

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"It was the same in the days of Lot. People were eating and drinking, buying and selling, planting and building. But the day Lot left Sodom, fire and sulfur rained down from heaven and destroyed them all.

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"It will be just like this on the day the Son of Man is revealed. On that day no one who is on the roof of his house, with his goods inside, should go down to get them. Likewise, no one in the field should go back for anything. Remember Lot's wife! Whoever tries to keep his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life will preserve it. I tell you, on that night two people will be in one bed; one will be taken and the other left. Two women will be grinding grain together; one will be taken and the other left."

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"Where, Lord?" they asked.

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He replied, "Where there is a dead body, there the vultures will gather."

(Luke 17:26-37)

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Let him who does wrong continue to do wrong; let him who is vile continue to be vile; let him who does right continue to do right; and let him who is holy continue to be holy."
"Behold, I am coming soon! My reward is with me, and I will give to everyone according to what he has done. I am the Alpha and the Omega, the First and the Last, the Beginning and the End. (Revelation 22:11-13)

Do you know?

I will try to explain many things that can be found here on this earth using the bible later......... =.=??

1) Rainbow

(Beautiful rainbow in QingHai China, Lawman)

Whenever people see rainbow, they see hope. They feel good and they see hope when rainbow appear. Deep down, they know that seeing rainbow makes the future hopeful - it is that kind of feeling that is very hard to describe; that hope inside each of us whenever they see a rainbow. They never know that it is a hope that God has "engraved" in each of us after the first worldwide flood. However, rainbow is also used symbolically in many occasion to represent hope. The word rainbow is also used in some idioms, for example:

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at the end of the rainbow: used to refer to something much sought after but impossible to attain. with allusion to the story of a crock of gold supposedly to be found by anyone reaching the end of a rainbow.

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chase rainbows (or a rainbow): pursue an illusory goal

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(Extracted from The NEW OXFORD DictionaryOF ENGLISH)

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People who do not understand the bible may not know the meaning of rainbow appearing after raining. The rainbow is a gracious pledge that God will not destroy the earth a second time with a worldwide flood:
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Then God said to Noah and to his sons with him: "I now establish my covenant with you and with your descendants after you and with every living creature that was with you—the birds, the livestock and all the wild animals, all those that came out of the ark with you—every living creature on earth. I establish my covenant with you: Never again will all life be cut off by the waters of a flood; never again will there be a flood to destroy the earth."

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And God said, "This is the sign of the covenant I am making between me and you and every living creature with you, a covenant for all generations to come: I have set my rainbow in the clouds, and it will be the sign of the covenant between me and the earth. Whenever I bring clouds over the earth and the rainbow appears in the clouds, I will remember my covenant between me and you and all living creatures of every kind. Never again will the waters become a flood to destroy all life. Whenever the rainbow appears in the clouds, I will see it and remember the everlasting covenant between God and all living creatures of every kind on the earth."

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So God said to Noah, "This is the sign of the covenant I have established between me and all life on the earth."
(Genesis 9:8-17)

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Then the next question could be: "Hey why worldwide flood to destroy the earth?!"

The answer can be found in the bible:

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The LORD saw how great man's wickedness on the earth had become, and that every inclination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil all the time. The LORD was grieved that he had made man on the earth, and his heart was filled with pain. So the LORD said, "I will wipe mankind, whom I have created, from the face of the earth—men and animals, and creatures that move along the ground, and birds of the air—for I am grieved that I have made them." But Noah found favor in the eyes of the LORD.

(Genesis 6:5-8)

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To know more about the first and last worldwide flood, read Genesis 6-9.
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2) Coming....... Actually I have many to write but lazy to pen it down... haiz... :(

The Origin of Mother's Day

Anna Jarvis of Philadephia was credited for the official observance of Mother's Day. Her campaign to establish such a holiday began as a remembrance of her mother, who died in 1905 and who had, in the late 19th century, tried to establish "Mother's Friendship Days" as a way to heal the scars of the Civil War.

On May 10, 1908, the third anniversary of her mother's death, a program was held at Andrew Methodist Episcopal Church in Grafton and in Philadelphia, launching the observance of a general memorial day for all mothers.

Subsequently, the church observed Mother's Day on the second Sunday of May each year.

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(Extracted from www.festivefever.com/mother/history.htm)

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Poem

Earthquakes are increasing!

There have been so many so many earthquakes ocurring after the great Tsunami disaster. I have found a website that monitor those earthquakes. When I looked inside, I was startled. Everyday there are earthquakes. One thing I not too sure is that if it is the December 26 Tsunami that increased the frequency of the earthquakes. Are there earthquake everyday before Tsunami? I don't know leh. If you people know, please tell me lor.

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Okay, for those who are concerned about the world, you may want to take a look at this website: http://www.iris.edu/seismon/

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Earthquake statistics in graphs from 1980 to current year

Earthquake Facts and Statistics 2000 to current year

Earthquake Information for the 1990s

Largest and Deadliest Earthquakes by Year 1990 - current year

Fulfilled prophecies and unfulfilled prophecies

I am not proficient in biblical knowledge. I do not understand many of the prophecies written in the bible. The more I read it, the more I get confused and wanted to hit my head onto the wall. It is very difficult to understand some of the verses and then reconcile one verse with another verse found in another book. Therefore, it seems wise to get people who are expert in biblical knowledge to help you to understand. When you read their commentaries and articles, you will begin to agree with how they interpret those prophecies. Of course, look for those commonly agreed and those more conservative interpretations because they are more trustworthy. Once you have unlocked some of the mysteries, you may feel like wanting to find out more. It is amazing how each verses complement each other and link with each other. It is, indeed, a miracle to me as I find it hard to understand how 66 books of the bible with about 40 authors written at different time span would be talking about the same thing. Therefore, they are indeed God's words.

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I have read in many articles that said all prophecies in the old testament, written about Jesus were fulfilled. However, there are plently of unfulfilled prophecies. Clearly, they are written about the future. Some seems to have been fulfilled in the past and some seems to have already been fulfilled in the present. And there are some I feel will going to be fulfilled soon. (Please do not misunderstood my 'soon' as the immediate settings. My 'soon' refers to within my life time.)There are some that will not be fulfilled that immediately.

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Prophecies about Jesus is called Messianic Prophecies. What is Messianic Prophecies? Extracted from one of the websites below: "Messianic prophecy is the collection of over 100 predictions (a conservative estimate) in the Old Testament about the future Messiah of the Jewish people. These predictions were written by multiple authors, in numerous books, over approximately 1,000 years." I have read in one website saying that there are 600++ Messianic Prophecies in total and they were all fulfilled by Jesus. I forget which website I visited but if I find it,I will put it down. If I could find the whole list of Messianic Prophecies in the net, I also put it down. I believe there are books regarding Messianic Prophecies being sold. So if you want to know more, you can go purchase them. Below are some of the websites:

1. Messianic Prophecy site 1
2. Messianic Prophecy site 2
3. Prophecies Fulfilled by the Crucifixion of Jesus Christ

I finally found an intensive Old Testament Prophecies Of Jesus Christ That Were Fulfilled In The New Testament (but I still believe it is not complete): http://www.cynet.com/Jesus/prophecy/ntquoted.htm

Websites pertaining to prophecies:

1. Bible Prophecy
2. Biblical Prophecy
3. Christian Prophecy

This website (Prophetic Signs) shows us some of the prophecies that have been fulfilled and prophecies that are going to be fulfilled, perhaps soon(??). Don't panic anyway, even if their interpretations of the bible are right. If you have received Christ as your Savior, you can disregard all those predictions. You can be at peace, knowing that God is in control of things. If you have never received Christ, we urge you to make your commitment to God by turning from sin, trusting Christ to forgive you, and inviting Jesus to come into your life as your Savior and Lord.

I read that a Jewish temple must be rebuilt in Jerusalem for the end times events to be kicked into action (The bible tells us that a significant event will occur at this temple during the end times. This Jewish Israel was destroyed twice. It was destroyed by Babylonians. And the temple was rebuilt but was destroyed again by the Rome in A.D 70. Many bible scholars believe the destruction of the Jewish temple in A.D 70 was predicted in the bible.) and I also read that there's rumor saying that all tools are ready for the construction except they face one problem. I read that if this temple is being built, this would perhaps be a good sign that the day of the Lord is fast approaching.

I saw their website. If you are concerned, you may wish to explore. => Temple. For more information, you may wish to read this website too. Click me!

Also, tradition says that the Prophet Jeremiah took the Ark of the Convenant and hid it in the catacombs beneath the temple as the Babylonians were getting ready to conquer and destroy Jerusalem. According to this tradition, the Ark remains hidden in the catacombs beneath Jerusalem, waiting for the day that a Jewish temple is rebuilt. (Additional information)

The Bible says, "Therefore keep watch, because you do not know the day or the hour" (Matthew 25:13).

Above all, you must understand that no prophecy of Scripture came about by the prophet's own interpretation. For prophecy never had its origin in the will of man, but men spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit. (2 Peter 1:20-22)

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Blessed is the one who reads the words of this prophecy, and blessed are those who hear it and take to heart what is written in it, because the time is near. (Revelation 1:3)

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Then you may ask: Why study prophecy?

=> Here ...

[Well, I will update on this post in future later later with more information ........]

Why has God become so quiet?

The book "Disappointment with God " will answer this question.

I may write on this post and put up some relevant links in future.

Is God fair?

The book "Disappointment with God " will answer this question.

I may write on this post and put up some relevant links in future.

Fundamental questions

1) God
a) Who is God?

b) Does God exist 1?
__Does God exist 2?

c) What does God look like?
_..What are the attributes of God? What is God like?

d) Trinity:
When I was trying to understand more about the Trinity doctrine, I search the web for answer. I first came across a website which really look like a othodox site claiming that they are talking about the truth. But when I read more of their contents, I read that they said Jesus is not God but is just another man created by God. And they continued to say that the Trinity doctrine is outdated and irrelevant today and is an error. The whole site is decorated just like a normal Christian website but why did they want to argue that Jesus is not God in flesh to pay the price of sin for us?

As I search for more answer in the internet, I saw more websites claiming and defending that Jesus is God in flesh and they are trying to explain the Trinity doctrine. I was really very puzzled by the conflicting views about Jesus. I read again and again both sides of view points. The more I try to reconcile both view points, the more I get even confused. Only one of them can be right. Therefore, I decided to bring out my own bible to study. As I search the bible for answers and proofs, I am convinced that the Trinity doctrine is correct. There are many many evidences and signs in the bibles that point to God in three godhead although the bible does not say so directly. I just list four verses below, okay?

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Then God said, "Let us make man in our image, in our likeness, and let them rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air, over the livestock, over all the earth, [a] and over all the creatures that move along the ground." (genesis 1:26)

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The LORD says to my Lord: "Sit at my right hand until I make your enemies a footstool for your feet." (Psalm 110:1)

I [Jesus] and the Father are one. (John 10:30)

Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in[a] the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, (Matthew 28:19)

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If so, why did that website want to claim that Jesus is only a human being created by God? Furthermore, why did Dan Brown want to attempt to "humanize" Jesus Christ in his infamous book "Da Vinci code"?

The bible provides these answers:
Jesus answered: "Watch out that no one deceives you.For many will come in my name, claiming, 'I am the Christ,[a]' and will deceive many. (Matthew 24: 4-5)

For false Christs and false prophets will appear and perform great signs and miracles to deceive even the elect - if that were possible. See, I have told you ahead of time. (Matthew 24: 24-25)

For false Christs and false prophets will appear and perform signs and miracles to deceive the elect - if that were possible. So be on your guard; I have told you everything ahead of time. (Mark 13: 22-23)

At that time many will turn away from the faith and will betray and hate each other, and many false prophets will appear and deceive many people. Because of the increase of wickedness, the love of most will grow cold, but he who stands firm to the end will be saved. And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come. (Matthew 24:10-14)

But there were also false prophets among the people, just as there will be false teachers among you. They will secretly introduce destructive heresies, even denying the sovereign Lord who bought them - bringing swift destruction on themselves. Many will follow their shameful ways and will bring the way of truth into disrepute. In their greed these teachers will exploit you with stories they have made up. Their condemnation has long been hanging over them, and their destruction has not been sleeping. (2 Peter 2:1-3)

Dear friends, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, because many false prophets have gone out into the world. This is how you can recognize the Spirit of God: Every spirit that acknowledges that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God, but every spirit that does not acknowledge Jesus is not from God. This is the spirit of the antichrist, which you have heard is coming and even now is already in the world. (1 John 4:1-3)

I have a hard time trying to understand the Trinity. But eventually I understand but then I think I still haven't understand completely. The more I try to figure out about how can God be in three person, the more I understand it deeper. There are obviously many things in the world that are a mystery to us, but we who are living in the A.D period have more revelations than people living in the B.C period. Based on those revelations, don't we confess with our mouth that Jesus Christ is Lord?

To know more about Trinity, reading the Q&A below:
i. _Trinity 1
ii. ..Trinity 2
iii. .Trinity 3

=> DO CHRISTIANS BELIEVE IN THREE GODS?

e) -Why God want to create us?

f) -I want to know about God 1
__I want to know about God 2
__I want to know about God 3
__I want to know about God 4

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Additonal:

What is Jesus Christ Doing Now?

2) Bible
Coming.....

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Bible Questions - Bible Answers

Your next question may be: What is sin?

Indeed, sin is a taboo word for many of us. No one feel good admitting one having sin, right? I have heard many people saying about human nature (not excluding me lar). Human nature this, human nature that; using human nature to explain certain things. For example, they try to give an excuse for not doing certain things by saying because of human nature. Human nature, human nature. Yes, it is something that no one would say that it is good to annouce/tell to everybody. We wouldn't want our boss to know that we are lazy, right? We wouldn't feel good to let our girlfriend knows our bad habits or maybe hidden secret(s) during courtship, would we? Thus, it is something that we know is shameful and embarrassing. It is something that, deep down, each one of us knows we have that nature. But why do we have human nature? I strongly believe that it is the sin that we inherited when sin came into this world about 6000 years ago. Because of our sinful nature, there is a predisposition in each of us to tell lies, to be greedy, to be lazy, to scold gross languages, and etc. But why do people want to deny it? Perhaps they want to deny their own conscience. Many bible scholars believe that man has conscience after Adam and Eve disobeyed God and ate the fruits from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. And now we are like God, knowing good and evil (Genesis 3:5).

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Now, to understand what is the definition of sin further, please read the following articles.

1. Definition of sin 1
2. Definition of sin 2
3. Definition of sin 3
4. Find out more

Some questions pertaining to sins:

1. Does God forgive big sins? Will God forgive a murderer?
2. Is there any sin that God will not forgive?
3. If Jesus paid the price for our sin, why do we still suffer the consequences of our sin?
4. I want to find out more.

I will see if I can find out more and update this post in the future.

But what about those who never heard about Christ and the Gospel?

You may ask: So what about those who never have the chance to hear about Christ? Perhaps the verses below may answer some of your tough questions.

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There will be trouble and distress for every human being who does evil: first for the Jew, then for the Gentile; but glory, honor and peace for everyone who does good: first for the Jew, then for the Gentile. For God does not show favoritism.

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All who sin apart from the law will also perish apart from the law, and all who sin under the law will be judged by the law. For it is not those who hear the law who are righteous in God's sight, but it is those who obey the law who will be declared righteous. (Indeed, when Gentiles, who do not have the law, do by nature things required by the law, they are a law for themselves, even though they do not have the law, since they show that the requirements of the law are written on their hearts, their consciences also bearing witness, and their thoughts now accusing, now even defending them.)This will take place on the day when God will judge men's secrets through Jesus Christ, as my gospel declares.

(Romans 2:9-16)

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Below are some articles which may further answer your questions:

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To encourage you to read the 1st article, I decided to include the essence of the discussions:

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How will those who have never heard the gospel of Christ be judged? While the Bible does not tell us everything we would like to know about how God will judge those who have never heard the gospel of Christ, some things are clear. We’ve already seen that people will not be condemned because they have not heard about the life, death, and resurrection of Christ. Those who are condemned will be judged because they have not responded to what God has revealed about Himself through conscience and the eloquent witness of nature (Rom. 1:18-21; 2:12-16).

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Do remember to read the 1st article to understand what the author is trying to tell you.

1. Never-heard 1
2. Never-heard 2
3. Never-heard 3
4. Never-heard 4
5. Never-heard 5
6. Never-heard 6 (Scroll to the middle, the relevant answer is in the middle of the page)
7. Never-heard 7
8. Never-heard 8
9. Never-heard 9
10. Never-heard 10
11. Never-heard 11
12. Never-heard 12

I will try to find out more and update this post in the future. I have tried my best to find all convincing answers and I really hope your doubts are cleared. It is really not easy to accept this and reconcile with our finite mind but it is the truth. Think about it.

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I will end with the following verses:
Rescue those being led away to death; hold back those staggering toward slaughter. If you say, "But we knew nothing about this," does not he who weighs the heart perceive it? Does not he who guards your life know it? Will he not repay each person according to what he has done? (Proverbs 24:11-12)

[ King Solomon warned that once our eyes are opened we can't pretend we don't know what to do. God, who weighs our hearts and keeps our souls, knows that we know, and holds us reponsible to act. That is why born-again christians whose eyes are opened must preach the Gospel, not by force but with gentleness and respect (1 Peter 3:15). ]

The Triumph Of The Resurrection

Because of the resurrection of Jesus, christians who have faith in Him will have a new hope. Because born-again christians who have faith in Him will find hope in life.

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Now let's look at the New Testament writings:

Listen, I tell you a mystery: We will not all sleep, but we will all be changed— in a flash, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, the dead will be raised imperishable, and we will be changed.

For the perishable must clothe itself with the imperishable, and the mortal with immortality. When the perishable has been clothed with the imperishable, and the mortal with immortality, then the saying that is written will come true: "Death has been swallowed up in victory."

"Where, O death, is your victory?

Where, O death, is your sting?"

The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. But thanks be to God! He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.
(1 Corinthians 15:51-57)

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Next let's compare it with the Old Testament writings:

he will swallow up death forever.
The Sovereign LORD will wipe away the tears
from all faces;
he will remove the disgrace of his people
from all the earth.
The LORD has spoken.
(Isaiah 25:8)

"I will ransom them from the power of the grave [a] ;
I will redeem them from death.
Where, O death, are your plagues?
Where, O grave, [b] is your destruction?
.......
(Hosea 13:14)

Footnotes:
a. Hosea 13:14 Hebrew Sheol
b. Hosea 13:14 Hebrew Sheol

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He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away. (Revelation 21:4)

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Because He has risen, we can find hope and peace in Him. I would like to end this post with the chorus of the commonly sung hymn "Because He lives":

Because he lives, I can face tomorrow;
Because he lives, all fear is gone;
Because I know he holds the future,
And life is worth the living just because he lives.

The theme of my blog

The theme of my blog "The Sword of The Lighthouse" sounds like a movie title to me (Actually, I'm thinking of another title: "The Sword in The Lighthouse". Which one sounds nicer? Please comment) . But this title has meaning. Since I would be writing about christian stuffs mostly, so I will need the bible as a guide. The bible is the lighthouse, guiding people in life. Inside the bible contains God's word. The word of God is likened to a sword. Perhaps this verse would explain everything. "For the word of God is living and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart." (Hebrews 4:12)

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With the Sword, we defend our faith.

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In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. (Ephesians 6:16-17)

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Indeed, we should put on the full amor of God everyday so that we can take our stand against the devil schemes. (Ephesians 6:10-20)

Why I blog?

[My original version disappear for don't know what reason and I have to recall what I have written and re-write everything I can remember. The 2nd version is not as good as the 1st version, I think.]

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I suppose most people blog because they want to share their thoughts, life experiences and events with their friends and strangers from all over the world. They write their thoughts freely and decorate their blog(s) so that they look attractive to themselves and also to others. This would make their blog "come to life". I feel uncomfortable when people use the word “diary” for the definition of blog. Diary is supposed to be a personal book or even a personal file in your PC(like you can write your diary in microsoft word but why write in blog huh?) where you keep all you life experiences and events. I suggest using “free online publications” for the definition of blog.
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I’m not a person who writes diary or journal. There are times I tried writing it because I wanted to keep all my thoughts there. But I was too undisciplined and lazy to continue the habit. It is tedious transposing your thoughts into words and then into organized paragraphs. Unless you are proficient in languages, thinking of words to express your thoughts into organized paragraphs is really not easy. Rather, I would like to write my thoughts in my heart where I can write anytime and anywhere. No one would know what I write; no one will peep at what I have written; it won’t be lost easily; it won’t rot (it may only deteriorate when I age) and I can retrieve them and share with people whenever and wherever I want to. [But only God knows!]
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One of my friends who owns a blog keep asking me to publish a blog. I guess it is either because I have been flooding his blog with my writings or he wants to know my thoughts. Then I thought I might as well open an account and flood my own blog. Another friend of mine try writing his bible study thoughts in his blog. I was encouraged by his effort.

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Moreover, the Sunday School I used to go and the Church Service I have been attending are all in Chinese. This makes it even more difficult for me to get friends to hear the Good News ( since reaching out itself is already a difficult task for most Christians) because I presume most friends prefer knowing Christianity in English. Understanding the Scriptures in Chinese may seem a bit difficult for most people I know, I suppose. I tried using my mouth to tell them the Good News but it is in vain because I’m simply bad in talking. As I’m bad in verbal skill, I have to switch to other means of reaching out. Since we are living in the technological revolution period, it seems good to use IT to reach out to people. Thus, I decided to open an account to attempt answering non-believers' (and also hardcore skeptics’) tough questions with my understanding of the scriptures, using various resources I can obtain so that I can get them to know more about Christianity. By so doing, not only can I understand the scripture deeper, I also can do my part for the Great Commission (Read more) Jesus instructed every Christians to obey before He ascended to heaven.
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Therefore, this “The sword of the lighthouse” blog was officially born on 29th April 2005, three days before my effective communication paper, after my second last paper, Maths 4.

Blogdom of Boredom?

Blog? Why Blog? Eveywhere now blog. In school, teachers encourage students to use blogs to improve their language. Blog blog blog. Why blog? I haven't figure out why suddenly blog is so popular nowadays. It seems like there is an invisible force pushing an agenda for the world to embrace. Blog, horoscope, yoga, and ... what's next? Blog we get free. People are encouraged to write freely their thoughts there. Blogdom of boredom? Perhaps ba. And now I'm using it but I will write most of the things here to get people to know more about christianity in the time to come. Horoscope is now packaged everywhere from newspaper to magazine to now, friendster. People are remindered that they can take control of their life with forecast into the future horoscope. Beware of this deception, the least I can tell you. Yoga now is sweeping across the world for its "healthy lifestyle". Now children are also encouraged to practise it, with CDs published to teach them. Now, what's next? Oh ya, now people are encouraged to open up to sex talks and gambling in casino. Before long, most nations would be packaged with casinos and opening up sex talks would be equivalent to a nation being open up to the world and "maturing". Then people would be gambling for more money to spend & entertainment and people will talk about sex stuffs freely with each other because to embrace the world gambling and sex is inevitable. This is what the world is telling everybody and pushing for. Some people might tell me, ' Hey you think too much liao!' . But we are now living in a globalised world and not living in isolation. What is happening in one nation may affect everybody. Perhaps one day, there will really be one world government as speculated, or rather predicted, by many people. If you care to study the bible with your heart, you may find that the bible is telling us that the one world government agenda will be fulfilled towards the end of the age.