Christians;Do you see a connection Here ?

2 Thess. 2:3: “Let no one seduce you in any manner, because [the day of Jehovah] will not come unless the apostasy comes first and the man of lawlessness gets revealed, the son of destruction.”When the apostles of Jesus Christ were alive, they worked hard to build up the Christian congregation as a bulwark against such apostasy, which they knew would occur, and their efforts were not in vain, for true Christianity did survive. A case in point is the congregation at Corinth, where some were trying to divide the congregation, but Paul quickly “nipped in the bud” the disunifying menace. (1 Cor. 1:17-19) In the year 56 C.E., twenty-three years after Jesus Christ had died and been resurrected, the apostle Paul had a meeting with the overseers from the congregation of Ephesus and gave them this warning: “I know that all of you among whom I went preaching the kingdom will see my face no more. . . . Pay attention to yourselves and to all the flock, among which the holy spirit has appointed you overseers, to shepherd the congregation of God, which he purchased with the blood of his own Son. I know that after my going away oppressive wolves will enter in among you and will not treat the flock with tenderness, and from among you yourselves men will rise and speak twisted things to draw away the disciples after themselves. Therefore keep awake.”—Acts 20:16, 17, 25-31.

Paul died about ten years later, or about 65 C.E. In Paul’s letters to Timothy, the last being written just before his death, he repeatedly warned Timothy of the apostasy and gave him strong admonition to exert himself vigorously in building up the Christian congregation as a bulwark against apostasy.—1 Tim. 4:1-3; 3:15; 6:3-5, 20; 2 Tim. 2:1, 2; 3:1-7; 4:1-5.

Christians seem to find these concepts very difficult because of the 'teaching' that has gone on so long.

Perhaps we should just simplify it to 'the place of the dead', which is what it comes to. The trouble is that there is no mileage in it for scaring people into submission or even scope for artists to draw hot pictures. The truth here is rather more mundane.

I think I have had the blinders removed recently.

I went to a Baptist private school when I was young and my teacher told us we would go to hell if we listened to rock-n-roll music. That was the first time I had ever heard about hell. I was so scared that I prayed every night that Jesus would come into my heart and save me.

My family moved and we ended up going to a Disciples of Christ church. I can not remember one time that the minister mentioned hell. I can not remember a time when he spoke of going to heaven. What I do remember is being taught that in the end, God's Kingdom will rule on earth and all that accept Jesus as the Messiah will have eternal life in his kingdom.

I fell away from my church for personal reasons and through my own personal life experiences, I have come to live in my faith again.

I have been watching a lot of shows on the History Channel about religion and have discovered a lot about Christianity and the Bible and how man has had a hand in "changing" things. For instance, one Biblical scholar said that "hell" was first introduced in the Roman Catholic church during the time of the black plague to force people to go to church.

I've heard of a well known Evangilistic Minister who had a message form God about hell and declared to his congregation of 4,000+ that hell does not exist. He was kicked out, of course, but whet on to start his own church in Tulsa, OK.

My faith in God and in Jesus is real and true and nothing will ever change that. My faith in man, however, has been jaded. I attended a Pentacostol church with my mother-in-law for awhile and was compleltely turned off because the pastor kept talking about hell all of the time.

I have decided to study the Bible. I have a NIV Bible which clearly states in the foot notes several times that the original word in ancient text "sheol, or hades (greek god???) or grave is translated to hell.

It makes me angry to realize that the Roman Catholic Church (supposedly) changed the interpretation of the Bible to meet their needs. It makes me want to cry. It also makes me wonder...what else is wrong? what else have they changed? Are we really living our lives the way Christ intended for us to? Will we ever know?

I'm just going to keep praying and studying until God answers my questions.

I'm sorry this is so long, but I've been holding it in for a long time!

there is not any protestant connection. yet there's a solid Catholic connection. back in Spain, i think, clergymen might ring the church to remind the congregation to wish for the souls of the lifeless. In England beggars might circulate door to door for soul cake in replace for prayers for the lifeless. and then there is the danse macabre. frequently at a Catholic church a dance would be finished the place the dancers are made to look like the lifeless to remind the congregation as quickly as back to wish for their souls. even nevertheless there are certainly pagan Celtic impacts, the Catholic church remodeled the trip making All Hallow's Eve closer to the popular

Christians don't understand that when you die you go to the Sheol and that it will be one awakening by Yahweh of the Hebrews. Christians think you die go to heaven and become a angel. If they read the Old Testament they would know that none of that is true.

The condition of the dead is as if they are sleeping.

All of your "questions" are just rants.

Someone needs to yank your keyboard from you

Not worth an answer.

Thanks for the two points.

whats the question?

this is a rant, not a question. Stop preaching.