Nathan

You guy always post about so many contradictions found in the bible, but never cite one. Are there really contradictions, or are you just pulling quotes? If there are any contradictions, please cite them.

I have heard that Mary is seen as the Queen of Heaven and prayed to. I have also heard that she is viewed as an intercessor. Is this true?

Psalms 115:17

The dead cannot praise the Lord, neither can those who go into silence.

Ecclesiastes 9:5

For the living know that they will die, but the dead know nothing, and they have no more reward, for the memory of them is forgotten.

Luke 23:43

Assuredly I say to you, today you will be with me in paradise.

Translation of this verse depends on where the comma is placed. As Greek has no commas, translators had to rely on their interpretations. In John 20:17, Jesus tells Mary Magdalene that He has not yet ascended to the Father. Jesus never went to Heaven when He died, or else He would have been with the Father. So according to the above verse, 23:43 really should read like this:

Assuredly I say to you today, you will be with me in paradise.

Also, while on Earth, Jesus likened death to sleep multiple times. When Lazarus died, he said, "Lazarus sleeps, and I go so that I may wake him (John 11:11)." When Jairus's daughter died, Jesus said, "The girl is not dead, but sleeping (Matt. 9:24)."

1 Thessalonians 4:16

For the Lord Himself shall descend from Heaven with the shout, with the voice of an archangel, and with the trump of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first.

If the dead were already in Heaven with God, there would be no need for a resurrection. The dead are currently asleep. The Seventh-day Adventist doctrine of soul sleep is deeply and firmly rooted in the Bible. Can anyone tell me otherwise?

1 Thes. 4:16-17

For the Lord Himself shall descend from Heaven with the trump of God and the shout of an archangel, and the dead in Christ shall rise first. Then we who are alive and remain shall be caught up in the clouds together to meet Him in the air. And so shall we forever be with the Lord.

"Caught up in the air" literally means we will ascend, not we will be instantly transported.

Matt. 24:40

One shall be taken, and the other left.

"One shall be taken, and the other left" means that one will be saved and one won't be.

Rev. 1:7

Behold, he cometh with clouds; and every eye shall see him, and they also which pierced him: and all kindreds of the earth shall wail because of him. Even so, Amen.

If every eye shall see Him, does that sound like a secret rapture to you?

So you tell me. The rapture. Will it happen or not?

I am not pro-gay rights, and I was wondering. Since when was it ignorant and bigoted to stand up for your beliefs? When you call us closed minded and ignorant, who really sounds ignorant and closed minded? The one who stands up for his beliefs, or the one who attacks anyone who disagrees with his stance on homosexuality?