Re: “God Created Man in His Own Image” (Mike L.)
Man is a ‘threefold being’, as God is Trinity. Man has three parts: body, soul and spirit.
There is a likeness of God in man, which is NATURAL - that is the HUMAN PERSONALITY. This personality is defined on two levels:
A. the human capacity to know themselves, know the world and to know God. Man has the capacity to understand and to love God ...
B. human capacity to define themselves in terms of moral. Man can decide what will be the focus of: his own person, God, or the outside ‘world’...

MORAL likeness to God refers to HOLINESS. Man was not created neutral. God made man righteous and glory...
The moral likeness lost through sin, but remained partly natural resemblance afterwards.

Re.“After all we are all part of universe”...: We were created ‘parts’ - we were not as a creative part...

God spoke to us especially through Bible and through His Son!
The prophets spoke to us in different ways, but, through the Son, God spoke to us in a unique way that no one has been able.
(John 7:46, "officers said," Never man spake like this man.“)
Many guys believe that God has revealed himself through various prophets as revealed to us through His Son...!
The Bible states unequivocally that revelation through Jesus Christ is UNIQUE. All prophets are set in one side, and Son, apart... Every prophet, of any ‘color’..., who claims to have greater or equal revelation of Jesus Christ is a liar!

Revelation through prophets was FRAGMENTARY, but through Son was TOTALLY.
Revelation through prophets was PROGRESIVE, successive, but through Son was FINAL.
Revelation through prophets was INSUFFICIENT because it was fragmented, but through Son was SUFFICIENT because it was full (there is nothing to add ...).
Revelation through prophets was LIMITED, but through Son, God was revealed to us as He is.

The disciples asked: "Lord, show us the Father and it is enough tu us," to which Jesus answered them: "... He that hath seen Me hath seen the Father ..." (John 14:9)
Revelation through prophets prepared mankind for the final revelation, when God revealed through the Son.
Therefore, the Son is the supreme revelation of God in His dialogue with us.
God gave us, through His written Word (the Bible), and through His incarnate Word (Jesus Christ, the Lord) all necessary information concerning Creation!

"BC" or "AC"
In His communication, God has not stopped at the intercession of the prophets, but then told us in particular, through His Son.
Through prophets, God spoke tu us "long time ago" (in ancient time) ...
With Son ("in these last days"), a New Time began.
Human history is DIVIDED in two: "Before Christ" and "After Christ", and these periods are differentiated by the way of communication. In ancient time God spoke through men (the prophets), then we were directed, through the Son.
People can not change this reality that has changed the ages... They can only change the terms, using instead expressions such as "Before Our Era" and "Our Era"...

A brief definition of God.
The only true God is revealed in Scripture (in the Bible)as Father, Son and Holy Spirit (Matthew 28:19). He is unique (Deuteronomy 6:4), and unitary in his Trinity (Matthew 3:16-17).
God is Spirit (John 4:24), is infinite and perfect in all His attributes (Psalms 139:1-12), is the One who CREATED ALL THINGS (Revelation 4:11) upholding all of them by the Word of His power (Hebrews 1 : 3). In Him we live and move, and have our being (Acts 17:28). He is the source, the maintainer / the carrier and the finisher of all things (Romans 11:36)

There is a special blessing in the Christmas message that is frequently missed by many. The birth of Jesus is not simply an interesting fact of history wholly unrelated to our present life, but rather it has a direct bearing upon it.
When the angel announced the birth of Jesus to the shepherds, the personal importance of His coming was emphasized. The angel said, “Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, which is Christ the Lord" (Luke 2:10-11).

Have you ever thought that it was including you, the Savior was born for? Do you realize that when God sent His Son into the world, He sent Him to become our Savior? Listen to the word of the an¬gel, “I bring you good tidings of great joy... for unto you is born...a Savior.” Yes... it was for us that Jesus came, for we are all sinners in need of One who can save us from the consequences of our own sins.

He did not come to be the inspiration of sacred art, nor to be the theme of Christmas carols, much less to be merely a good man and a great teacher. No, Jesus came to be the Savior, and as such He was born to us.
Bound inseparably together are the Savior’s birth and His death. He came to save, and to save He must die..., die in the sinner’s place, bearing the full penalty of God’s punishment for mankind’s sins. This too was personal - it was for you and me. "Who His own self bore our sins in His own body on the tree.... the just for the unjust, that He might bring us to God” (1 Peter 2:24,3:18).
And such a very personal message of God’s love and grace demands a personal response.

The Savior who was born was God’s gift to us and He wants us to receive that gift. “For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life” (John 3:16).
To receive the gift of God by faith we must believe that Christ actually was born to be our Savior and that He died for our sins. Because He arose victorious over death, He offers us abundant, everlasting life.
Won’t we receive the gift of God this Christ-mas? It can be our BEST CHRISTMAS yet!

One Christmas I read a newspaper article written by a reporter who had been searching for the meaning of "the Christmas Spirit.” When he concluded his quest, he rated this answer as the best: "It's in your heart. It feels warm and glowy. You can’t buy it, and you can't get it from anybody else."
That’s the popular concept of "the Christmas Spirit” - it’s inside us. We just have to “get" it. So, does it hit when we unpack our decorations and start play¬ing Christmas music? Does it require a Christmas tree? One strand of lights? Two? Is it more presents? Or does it come down to out-dazzling our neighbors with a bigger outdoor display?

Going back to the beginning
I decided to re-read the Christmas story in the Bible.
I wanted to study the reaction of those shepherds— working the night shift! - who were the first people to get the news of the birth of Baby Jesus. After seeing Him, we’re told that they returned to their sheep 'glori¬fying and praising God for all they had heard and seen” (Luke 2:8-20).
Now shepherds in those days weren’t the gentle, soft-spoken fellows that greeting cards portray. More likely they were rough-cut and hardy. When the Bible says they were glorifying and praising God, it's describ¬ing something like the last second of a playoff game when the home team wins, and the whooping and hol¬lering cut loose! That was likely the only kind of "glori¬fying" they knew how to do...and they were awestruck!
Christ’s birth, enthusiastically celebrated by hard¬working shepherds, changed everything! That baby was the living proof that God really did love the world so much "that He gave his only Son. that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life” (John 3:16).

The real Christmas spirit
And that baby brings us back to the question, "What is the Christmas spirit?” I believe it’s a deep-seated joy in knowing that the story of the Christ Child is glori¬ously true! Many will celebrate Christmas this year, experience gifts and excitement, but never connect the celebration with the reason for it. They’re like people at a wedding reception who celebrate enthusiastically, but don’t even know the bride and groom!
That's the difference between those who really have the Christmas spirit and those who don’t. For those who have it, you could remove the trees, lights, presents, food, and music, and their joy would still be intact! That’s because the story of God coming to Earth as a baby is true, and they've come to personally know the Christ who was born in a manger!

How important is the baby in the manger?
Do you know the significance of the baby in the manger? The angel announced it to the shepherds. “I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord” (Luke 2:10- 11). The baby born in a Bethlehem manger was God himself. It was the miraculous birth of God the Son taking on humanity in order to substitute himself for us 33 years later. “For there is one God, and there is one mediator between God and men, the man Chrisr Jesus, who gave himself as a ransom for all” (1 Timothy 2:5-6). Jesus came to pay off the penalty for our sins we could never pay.
His sacrificial death on the cross paid the price for all of the sins you or I will ever commit: "For our sake [God] made Him to be sin who knew no sin" (2 Cor¬inthians 5:21). Christ's resurrection three days later (Luke 24) confirmed the ransom price was accepted by His Father. Now “whoever believes in Him is nor condemned" (John 3:18).

Thank you, 'Solo'! "I get your point"...

"Twas the month before Christmas
When all through our land,
Not a Christian was praying
Nor taking a stand.

See the PC Police had taken away
The reason for Christmas - no one could say.
The children were told by their schools not to sing
About Shepherds and Wise Men and Angels and things.

It might hurt people's feelings, the teachers would say
December 25th is just a 'Holiday'.
Yet the shoppers were ready with cash, checks, and credit
Pushing folks down to the floor just to get it!

CDs from Madonna, an X BOX, an I-Pod
Something was changing, something quite odd!
Retailers promoted Ramadan and Kwanzaa
In hopes to sell books by Franken & Fonda.

As Targets were hanging their trees upside down
At Lowe's the word Christmas - was no where to be found.
At K-Mart and Staples and Penny's and Sears
You won't hear the word Christmas; it won't touch your ears.

Inclusive, sensitive, Di-ver-si-ty
Are words that were used to intimidate me.
Now Daschle, Now Darden, Now Sharpton, Wolf Blitzen
On Boxer, on Rather, on Kerry, on Clinton!

At the top of the Senate, there arose such a clatter
To eliminate Jesus, in all public matter.
And we spoke not a word, as they took away our faith
Forbidden to speak of salvation and grace

The true Gift of Christmas was exchanged and discarded
The reason for the season, stopped before it started.
So as you celebrate 'Winter Break' under your 'Dream Tree'
Sipping your Starbucks, listen to me.

Choose your words carefully, choose what you say

Shout MERRY CHRISTMAS,
not Happy Holiday!

Please, all Christians join together and wish everyone you meet
MERRY CHRISTMAS
CHRIST is 'The Reason' for the CHRISTmas Season!"

The Bible was written by men, but they were inspired by the Holy Spirit, and some parts are even directly dictated by divinity...!

Jesus told His contemporaries: “Truly I tell you, this generation will certainly not pass away until all these things have happened. Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will never pass away” , and He was right…: Any prophecy of Scripture that was already fulfilled, it turned like, to the smallest details! God, does not lie!

“All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the servant of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.” (2 Timothy 3:16-17)

The Word of God is clear. See for example Job 12:7-10 (in the Bible)!

(New International Version):
“But ask the animals, and they will teach you, or the birds in the sky, and they will tell you; or speak to the earth, and it will teach you, or let the fish in the sea inform you. Which of all these does not know that the hand of the LORD has done this? In his hand is the life of every creature and the breath of all mankind.”

(Amplified Bible):
“For ask now the animals, and they will teach you [that God does not deal with His creatures according to their character]; ask the birds of the air, and they will tell you; Or speak to the earth [with its other forms of life], and it will teach you; and the fish of the sea will declare [this truth] to you. Who [is so blind as] not to recognize in all these [that good and evil are promiscuously scattered throughout nature and human life] that it is God's hand which does it [and God's way]? In His hand is the life of every living thing and the breath of all mankind.”

Draw your own conclusion!

“Yet you do not know what your LIFE will be like tomorrow. You are JUST A VAPOR that appears for a little while and then vanishes away.” (James 4:14)

“This is ETERNAL LIFE, that they may know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom You have sent.” (John 17:3)

“And this is THE PROMISE that He has promised us - ETERNAL LIFE.” (1 John 2:25)

Burnout reverse:
“For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world, and loses his own soul?” (Mark 8:36)

Cornel

Until today, Roman Empire wasn’t conquered...!
It is detailed presented in Revelation book, especially in chapter 17.

Cornel

Behold a categorical future fact, not only a supposition, about the Aquatic Ape:

“I looked and saw a beast coming up from the sea. This one had ten horns and seven heads, and a crown was on each of its ten horns. On each of its heads were names that were an insult to God.” (Revelation 13:1)
[For details, read please entire chapter 13!]

Cornel

Marian wrote:
“The problem we have anyway is like this; The world is not right. Fix it!..uhmmm HOW?!”

Antichrist will trumpet a ‘magic formula’, and too many will be fooled into believing a lie.

Until then, there is a Savior – Jesus Christ! He is the Way, the Truth, and the Life!"

Cornel

Could we “participate in some real actions to make possible a new world”?!

Coronel,
Our hearts are deceitful above all things, and desperately sick; who can understand them...?
The spirit is willing to do good, but the flesh is very weak!
So we find it to be a law that when we want to do right, evil lies close at hand!

Practically, without God, we can do nothing! We have to accept to be a ‘born again’ person, to be able to change ourselves and the world!

Cornel

Re. prayers:
I did prove many times this verse:
“Stay joined to Me and let My teachings become part of you. Then you can pray for whatever you want, and your prayer will be answered.” (John 15:7)

…, and I received prompt and true answers. You can try it!

“Ask, and you will receive! Search, and you will find! Knock, and the door will be opened for you!” (Matthew 7:7)

Cornel

%(#0000FF)[From Wikipedia:
“The global mortality rate from the 1918/1919 pandemic is not known, but it is estimated that 10% to 20% of those who were infected died. With about a third of the world population infected, this case-fatality ratio means that 3% to 6% of the entire global population died. …. This pandemic has been described as ‘the greatest medical holocaust in history’ and may have killed more people than the Black Death.”]

1918 pandemic was only a precedential, pointing for pandemic that will occur during Tribulation period, when 25% of the entire global population will die.

Black Death (1348/1350) was predicted for ‘the church in purple’, (practicaly, Roman Empire – study the spread map!)

It's evident from the Bible that God is in control inclusiv over epidemic or pandemic catastrophes. There are mani examples..., but you don’t like verses to be mentioned, do you?!

Cornel

EscapeArtist wrote about me:
“... you judge and condemn; this is turning into crazy evangelical spam.”

Rather I’m surveying The Bible, the History, the Science, a.s.o.

Cornel