Lucifer

[Sam]

Originally Posted by Timmy

But if He did?

You don't believe He would, but you can't be sure. He has given orders like that before. He told Abraham to kill his son. He told Deanna Laney to kill her children. Why wouldn't He tell you to kill your neighbors? Maybe He'd have some higher purpose for it that we'd be unable to explain. Maybe He'd test you to see if you would obey Him and (maybe) stop you just in time, like He did Abraham. (Sorry to say, He didn't stop Deanna Laney.)

God has dealt with different people in different ways in different times. Some of us use the term "dispensation" to describe how God deals with mankind in different ways. To a dispensationalist we would now be living in the dispensation of Grace or the Church Age. The way I (in my limited human understanding) understand God, for Him to tell me to kill an individual would go against His Word. We are told in 1 John to "try the spirits." There are many voices beaming our way and we need to be very careful to distinguish when it is God speaking, or when it some other spirit speaking, or when it is the voice of our carnal/sinful/human nature. Anything we hear, whether it be teaching, sermon, prophecy, testimony, suggestion, "word from the Lord," organizational rule/guideline, or whatever must be weighed against the written Word of God. Voices from the Holy Spirit, the human spirit, and the hellish spirit are all clamoring for our attention and we have to be careful. It is my opinion that the person you mentioned who believed God told her to kill her children was mistaken -that she heard that from a spirit but not from the Holy Spirit.

[Sam]

Originally Posted by Tyk

... It's just not correct to pick and choose what you believe - if you claim to be apostolic.

I think you gave a good answer. I'm not disagreeing with you. But I do have a comment on your last comment. I believe that I am committed to Jesus, that He is my Lord, and that my will is to be subjective to Him in all things. Daily I reaffirm that commitment and seek His help so that His will be done in me. However, I'm human. I can miss it. I think, whether we would admit it or not, we all pretty well selectively pick and choose (cafeteria style) from God's Word and His counsel --maybe we don't even realize we are doing it. Apostolic is a pretty broad umbrella over us.

[mfblume]

The bible says a fire was set to burn in satan that would devour him. IOW, he cannot stop doing what he does...

Eze 28:18 KJV Thou hast defiled thy sanctuaries by the multitude of thine iniquities, by the iniquity of thy traffick; therefore will I bring forth a fire from the midst of thee, it shall devour thee, and I will bring thee to ashes upon the earth in the sight of all them that behold thee.

He is mad with evil.

[Sam]

Originally Posted by gloryseeker

That's an interesting statement..."who had walked with God all his life..." Seems to me his encounter with God was at around 75 years old and he was told to get out of his country and separate himself from his kin, yet he took his nephew with him. He started out in disobedience, birthed Ishmael along with a lot of other "stuck on stupid" events.

The at about 100 he staggard not at the promise...

Abraham was very human. He had his share of missteps and failures. The Bible does not gloss over the failures of God's people. Abraham's hope, like ours, is not based on his own works or righteousness but on having the righteousness of Christ which was imputed to him when he believed (Gen 15:6, Romans 4:1-25).

[Timmy]

Originally Posted by Sam

God has dealt with different people in different ways in different times. Some of us use the term "dispensation" to describe how God deals with mankind in different ways. To a dispensationalist we would now be living in the dispensation of Grace or the Church Age. The way I (in my limited human understanding) understand God, for Him to tell me to kill an individual would go against His Word. We are told in 1 John to "try the spirits." There are many voices beaming our way and we need to be very careful to distinguish when it is God speaking, or when it some other spirit speaking, or when it is the voice of our carnal/sinful/human nature. Anything we hear, whether it be teaching, sermon, prophecy, testimony, suggestion, "word from the Lord," organizational rule/guideline, or whatever must be weighed against the written Word of God. Voices from the Holy Spirit, the human spirit, and the hellish spirit are all clamoring for our attention and we have to be careful. It is my opinion that the person you mentioned who believed God told her to kill her children was mistaken -that she heard that from a spirit but not from the Holy Spirit.

But who can blame her for making that mistake? She's a Pentecostal, so she must have heard those around her say many times "God told me....". How many of those messages were really from the Holy Spirit? Most messages are innocuous. "God told me to talk to so-and-so." "God led me to this church." But are some of these innocent messages just thoughts that pop into our heads, like "Talk to so-and-so" or "This church looks nice"? Why put a "from God" tag on them?

Some messages are not harmless, even if they aren't commands to commit murder. "God told me you are to marry me." "God wants you to quit your job." "God told me your brother will be healed of cancer."

Wouldn't we all be much better off if we stopped taking those random notions as if they were God whispering something to us? Let's use our brains and common sense! Seek advice from a trusted friend, if you like. But the voices in your head can't be trusted!

And as repulsive as killing one's own children would be, it makes sense from this lady's theological perspective. The kids would be ushered straight to Heaven, wouldn't they? She saved them from the possibility that they would grow up and reject Christ and end up in hell.

[Dedicated Mind]

When Jesus said, "I beheld Satan fall as lightening from heaven". Is this something that has already happened or will happen?