> What about the scripture that says he who believeth and is baptized shall be > saved?
Your comments or question
>Is Jesus GOD or the son of GOD?
>To Whom should we direct our prayers for forgiveness?
Reincarnation
> I just got done reading your article on the internet and found it very reassuring. Currently I am reading the book ----, and I was wondering what your opinion of it is. When I first heard of this
book I was interested in reading what kind of angelic visit this man experienced (also he lives in the same area as I). When I read the back of the book and discovered that he was supposed to have been the Apostle Paul in a past life and walked with Jesus, I got a little worried. I wasn't sure if I should read it or not, but then decided to be open-minded. If it got too weird I would pretend that it was a fiction story. > I am almost done with ---, and am still quite troubled by it. I was wondering if you have >read this book, and what your thoughts are on it. > I hope to hear from you. > Thank you for your time
of God, was resurrected and that He is coming again as He promised.. We can do nothing to save ourselves, either in this life or in future reincarnations, if they existed, which they DO NOT. We are forgiven specifically through our acceptance of this undeserved gift from God, the sacrificial blood sacrifice of Jesus Christ, God's son. This is the greatest deal of all time - our sins for His forgiveness.
>Can you tell me the names of all of the archangels?
In regard to archangels, the Holy Bible identifies only three by name, those are Michael, Gabriel and Lucifer (son of the Morning who also fell from Heaven because of the sin of pride and now is known as Satan or the devil). There are mentions of other angels in the Bible, but their names are not given. Not listed in the Bible as archangels but described as such in other literature are Raphael, Ariel and Morgani. In Daniel chapter 8 an angel who visited Daniel to tell him what the future holds, the original Hebrew gave the angel's name as Palmoni. This name is interpreted as "the great numberer." Nevertheless, it is not certain whether this was an archangel or an angel within a lesser order of angels. I reviewed a Bible commentary concerning angels and the author stated that it is useless to speculate on the names of other angels since their names are not important for our salvation in any case. As you know, the Bible states that in the new resurrection we are to judge the angels, I Corinthians 6:3. The redeemed will be higher than the angels, about whom the Bible says that angels cannot sing the song of the redeemed (see Revelation 14:3) and would like to be able to understand redemption, I Peter 1:12. Hebrews 2:7 states that humans now are a little lower than the angels, but the Greek original implies that man was created and was intended for a higher position in God's hierarchy. The books of the Bible where angels are mentioned most frequently are the book of Acts (written by Luke the physician) and the book of The Revelation (the last book in the Bible written by St. John.). In my discourse on Angels, accessible at http:\\www.virtualchurch.org, I have included much about what the Bible has to say regarding angels although, in the interest of time and space, many scrptures were not included. If you would like to refer to further scripture references regarding angels I recommend "Cruden's Concordance of the Bible" or "Strong's Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible" Both provide thorough references on all of the subjects mentioned in the Bible.
>Can you help me with a comparison of the New Age movement with the times of Jeremiah and >Romans chapters 1 and 2?
>Is it ever appropriate for a woman to teach a men's Sunday school class?
In response to your brief message, this is a controversial subject. At one place the Bible states that women should keep silent in the church. Some scholars state that this means that women should not ask their husbands questions while sitting in the church meeting. The Apostle who wrote that statement also recorded elsewhere his approval of many women who were serving as prophets, ministers and teachers. It is improbable that he meant that women were never to speak in a church meeting. Paul stated in another place in the New Testament, Galatians 3:26-29, "For you are all the children of God by faith in Christ Jesus. For as many of you as have been baptized into Christ have put on Christ. There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither bond nor free, there is neither MALE NOR FEMALE: for you are all one in Christ Jesus. and if you be Christ's, then are you Abraham's seed, and heirs according to the promise." Another example was the Jewish judge Deborah in the Old Testament who was asked to lead the Israeli soldiers in battle because there was no suitable man to do the job. Deborah agreed to lead them in battle but reminded them that history would record the battle as having been lead and won by a woman. And so it was. Aquilla and Priscilla, husband and wife were equal partners in teaching the word. The daughters of Philip the evangelist prophesied and were accepted by Paul the same as the male prophets, (Acts 21:9) I assume that if you're talking about a men's Bible study class it would be preferable that a man do the teaching, provided that there is available a man who is spiritually mature, who can take directions from the Lord and who has sound Biblical understanding. If there are both adult men and women in the class, no one should question the wisdom of electing a woman as teacher if she has a more complete understanding of spiritual matters. As with ALL spiritual matters direction from the Holy Spirit should be sought. Kathryn Kuhlman was one of the most outstanding teachers of her time. She often said that a man had been called to perform her task, but he had refused to act in faith to the call. Therefore the Lord chose her for the task of teaching and praying for others. If I were a man I'd certainly prefer to be taught by Kathryn Kuhlman than by most of the other men of her generation with only a few exceptions. There can be no doubt that she operated within the will of God and taught according to Biblical precepts.
>Will people be allowed to get married in Heaven? My young daughter is concerned that she >may never have the opportunity to get married and have children before the church is gathered to >Heaven.
>What is meant by the phrase Holy Spirit Baptism?
>Is it possible that we already may be in the tribulation period discussed in the book of The Revelation?
Christian will be assigned space for worship, possibly all three on the Temple Mount. Then the exposure of the antichrist as such will be at mid tribulation when he sets up his statue in the Holy place of the rebuilt Jewish temple and commands all people to worship him. Until that time he is viewed as a man of great wisdom who is bringing peace and prosperity to the areas of the world which are under his control. By that time the Mark of the Beast (666) will have been instituted for all buying and selling. Taking that mark causes that individual to be permanently consigned for hell. There will be no further hope of salvation for individuals who accept that mark in their hand or forehead. We can see that the Mark could be in place shortly, as shown by recent technological developments, such as the "Mark" by Mondel and Lucent Industries. While we are not pinpointing those agencies as being the source of the "mark of the beast" we can see that the same type of technology will be employed for its introduction, perhaps by another entity or group of organizations. It also is interesting that the new identification cards that now are being issued to active and retired military personnel are referred to as "the Mark". Who can doubt that we are in the last days of the church age? Many prophecy buffs believe there will be two raptures, the first (bride) before the tribulation begins and the second in the midst of the tribulation for those whose garments had become dirty (foolish virgins) and which had to be washed in the blood of the Lamb during the tribulation. At this time they would get their spiritual focus on the Lord Jesus Christ. Some are expecting both raptures to be on Jewish feast days. The first, or the bride of Christ from the Lord's body on Pentecost (Shavout) and the second on Rosh Hashanah (trumpets) around 7 or so years later. Others believe that the first rapture of the Bride will occur on Ascension day, 10 days before Pentecost, or even at Rosh Hashanah, as definitely will be the time of the second rapture of saints. Still others insist that there is only one rapture which is scheduled to occur during the tribulation around the time that the antichrist reveals himself by erecting his statue which "talks" in the Holy Place of the Jewish temple in Jerusalem. For certain time will tell. For sure God knows. At any rate it IS SOON, as we view time. While many hair-splitters proclaim that there is no use of the word "imminent" in respect to the rapture, the concept of "soon" (which is related to imminent) is a valid word to use for the rapture of the saints since it was described as being "soon" and "quickly" in the book of The Revelation or Apocalypse. The next-to-last verse in the Holy Bible states, " He who testifies these things says, 'Surely I come quickly' Amen. Even so, come, Lord Jesus".
> In a composition for a college class I am analyzing and predicting the effects (that) the >electronic age will have on the way the bible will be interpreted. One of the specific things I wish >to look at is the effect of the "Virtual" church. How do you see your web page, and others >like it, having an impact on society in the near future? Is it intended as a supplement to regular >church attendance, an alternative, or even an eventual replacement?
> Please explain to me in plain english what you are accomplishing via this medium? > How does this develop a real sense of community amongst believers if there is no real personal >contact?
>What is the organizational structure of the Virtual Church?
>What is the purpose of the Virtual Church?
Thank you for your kind comments about the virtual church. We spend a lot of time on the web site, trying to improve its quality and appeal. In answer to your questions, our sole purpose is, as St. Paul stated, "by every means I preach the gospel that some might be saved." We are most interested that people receive forgiveness for their sins and enter into eternal life through the sacrifice for them (us) that Jesus Christ made on the cross of calvary. We desire to point people to Jesus, not to ourselves. The Bible exhorts us not to forsake the gathering of ourselves together, so we cannot be a total substitute for the actual, physical church. Nevertheless we must not forget that the church is not an organization(s) nor buildings, but the people themselves, who have given their hearts to the Lord. The Bible tells us that our bodies are the temple of the Holy Spirit who comes to live with us as we believe on the Lord Jesus Christ. In congregating with others in a church we receive encouragement and a feeling of togetherness. This strengthens us in our walk with Christ through the world. Therefore, we do encourage people to find a local church group with whom they can have fellowship and where they can be of service to others around them. As Christians we are not called to be served, but to serve others in the interest of their salvation, well-being and spiritual, emotional and physical needs. Remember that Jesus said, "When you give a cup of cold water to others in my name you have given it to me." In that respect, at our web site we are passing out cups of water in the name of Jesus. We hope that it serves a useful purpose for others and for the Kingdom of God. God bless you greatly in your studies. May you find the Source of living water (St. John 4:1-42) a wellspring within you, helping you in all of your ways.
> I am especially interested in the following information: > * Virtual Church's history from conception to now. Future vision? > * Is this a denominational church? > * What is the definition for a church in cyber space? > * Is this an actual "church" or a web page for a group called > "church?" > * If Virtual Church is "church," how is the "community" defined? > What about worship? What about sacraments? > I commend your religious imagination (undoubtedly inspired by the Spirit) to spread the Gospel. >Thank you for taking the time to consider my request
Answer (From Karen the webmaster)
The initial purpose of the Virtual Church web site was to post (non-denominational) sermons from a radio ministry. The concept of a virtual church evolved as an interesting "package" for the documents. I expanded the presentation from just sermons to include music (both lyrics and sound files), bible stories, bible trivia puzzles and artwork, as well as appropriate links to other web sites. The concept of rooms is used to organize the files and documents. When I first started the project, in January of 1995, there were no other sites like this (according to my searches). Since then, there have been many emulating the concept. The definition of "virtual," according to Webster's dictionary, is "being in essence or effect, not in fact." This virtual church in cyber space is without walls--it encompasses, through links and via its visitors--the whole connected (Internet) world. Its community is the online world. Although the "church" does not exist as a physical building in real life, it includes resources corresponding to most components found in a physical church, including greetings at the entrance, music, prayer, bible study, children's activities, sermons, communion, even an altar call. The web site does not represent any particular group, other than Christians. I am the web master, responsible for the artwork, layout, programming and coordination of the documents; but the sermons and Bible stories are written by a minister. My vision is to expand the concept to include works by other ministers and lay persons (multi-denominational), so that we can provide something of interest, a "hook" if you will, to reach many people with the gospel, which is our ultimate and primary goal.
> I understand that you are non-denominational, but what exactly is the Virtual church? What are its >basic doctrines? Are you affiliated or have beliefs that are similar to other denominations? I think >this would be a good thing to include somewhere on your home page. I consider myself to be >Calvinistic and I want to be discerning about the web pages I use and recommend for use > to others. I thank you for your prompt reply and for what you have so far provided through your home page.
> Briefly, if your Statement of Faith and/or Beliefs is available by e-mail, > please forward same to the writer. Thank you.
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