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"REPENT, All ye sinners, the END is NEAR!" In all seriousness, folks. When the rapture comes, SOME of us will be swept up into heaven, while the rest will be stuck here on earth. Those swept up (winners) will have been 'judged' worthy by GOD. The rest(losers) will have been judged unworthy. Common sense now- Which side would you rather be ON? Winners or losers?

You did not tell me how YOU decide what is true and what is a story!!!

I never did understand how people got the rapture out of the Bible. I earnestly would like to have this explained to me. Thanks in advance.

First things first. I think once a runner is a little confused with the concept of parables. This has to be cleared up, if we are going to say that everything in the Old Testament is true. In the New Testament, Jesus often spoke in parables. He used them to teach others by telling them stories about situations and items with which they were familiar. Many call them earthly stories with heavenly meanings. Parables can be likened to "a picture is worth a thousand words". People were more able to grasp the meaning of his messages since they were explained in everyday terms and situations that made sense to them..... Now, most Bible scholars consider the stories in the Old Testament to be NARRATIVES, not parables. Big difference here, for 2 main reasons. 1) An Old Testament narrative, such as Noah's Ark, DOES NOT directly teach a doctrine. Therefore it was not made up to prove some kind of point. 2) A narrative records what happened. Not what should have happened, or what ought to happen. Parables often do this, as they are giving a lesson with a meaning, or to prove a point. Narratives, AND HERE'S THE KEY, do not have an individual moral of the story, like a parable does. Therefore, why are narratives in the Bible? For entertainment? For something to read? NO!! Because they are true accounts of what happened. They are a history lesson. They are to be believed.

Now. As we have had this discussion for a few weeks, we all have noticed that Once a Runner, DCPassarelli and The Ancient Enemy all have expressed disbelief in many of the stories of the Old Testament, such as Noah, Jonah and the Whale, Sodom and Gomorrah. Is there a way that we can prove that some of these things really happened? Well, let's go to the New Testament and see what Jesus had to say about them. 1) Concerning Noah and the Flood: In Matthew 24:37-39 Jesus said "But as the days of Noah were, so shall also the coming of theSon of man be. For as in the days that were before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noah entered into the ark, and knew not until the flood came, and took them all away; so shall also the coming of the Son of man be". Sounds to me like Jesus believed in Noah and the flood, doesn't it? 2) Concerning Jonah: In Matthew 12:40 Jesus said, "For as Jonah was three days and three nights in the whale's belly; so shall the Son of man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth". Sounds like Jesus believed in the story Jonah, doesn't it? 3) Concerning Sodom: Luke 17:28-32 Jesus said, "Likewise also as it was in the days of Lot; they did eat, they drank, they bought, they sold, they planted, they builded; But the same day that Lot went out of Sodom it rained fire and brimstone from heaven,and destroyed them all. Even thus shall it be in the day when the Son of man is revealed. Remember Lot's wife. Sounds tome like Jesus believed in the story of Sodom and Gomorrah, doesn't it?......NOWHERE in anyBible reference I have read were these quotes ever considered to be parables. NOWHERE. Therefore, who are we all going to believe concerning the stories of Sodom, Noah and Jonah? Once a runner? DCP? TAE? or JESUS. Not much of a choice is there? When Jesus believes in the stories of the Old Testament, shouldn't we believe them also???

I didn't know Jesus was a historian. Learn something new everyday.

Lol, will this ever stop? Will one side win over the other? ...probably not, people give their sides of what they believe, but El-Moldo won't convince TAE, DCP, or once a runner that they're wrong..and vice-versa. I've shown where I stand, but I'm not going to push the subject. You guys believe what you want to and I'll believe what I want to, but why try to convince the other person that they're wrong...it's not going to happen.

In Feb. 1891, the whaling ship "Star of the East" was in the vicinity of the Falkland Islands and the lookout sighted a large sperm whale three miles away. Two boats were launched and in a short time one of the harpooners was enabled to spear the fish. The second boat attacked the whale but was upset by a lash of its tail and the men thrown into the sea, one man being drowned, and another, James Bartley, having disappeared could not be found. The whale was killed and in a few hours was lying by the ship's side and the crew were busy with axes and spades removing the blubber. They worked all day and part of the night. Next morning they attached some tackle to the stomach which was hoisted on the deck. The sailors were startled by something in it which gave spasmodic signs of life, and inside was found the missing sailor doubled up and unconscious. He was laid on the deck and treated to a bath of sea water which soon revived him. . . . He remained two weeks a raving lunatic. . . . At the end of the third week he had entirely recovered from the shock and resumed his duties.16

You don't have to be a historian to know history.

thebackwall: Why don't YOU let this play out and see what happens. After all, isn't this the argument I cannot win? Let's see what once a runner, DCP, and TAE have to say about my last few posts. They were adament about the Bible not being 100% true, that alot of the Old testament is just stories. They certainly did not believe the story of Noah and the flood. Do they know more than Jesus? Aren't you anxious to hear what they have too say next? I am! I do see that TAE has given his usual cop-out answer. A flippant response of NO substance. Of course, what do you do when you are cornered?