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It was a Catholic funeral and included a good amount of Scripture, nice music, and it was artfully
done. But bottom line was - as the Priest said several times, "Lord, we pray you will accept
Ray into heaven." Nothing said about God's requirement that one personally embrace The
Lord Jesus Christ as one's personal Savior to be allowed into heaven. Nothing said as
to whether Ray had done so or not. All very nebulous, all very if-fy. It
should start in very early childhood, of course, preferably with Dad, or Mom directly leading the young one to the Lord Jesus
with the necessary knowledge of saving faith and praying with the child in their embracement of Jesus Christ. Instead the priest noted Ray's infant baptizm as important. But if this were sufficient,
they why the earnest prayers that God would accept Ray into eternal life? A very confused situation
- obviously the Priest was NOT that convinced infant baptism will do it. If a child is physically,
alive, he or she will, be hungry for food and will grow physically, mentally, etc. If he or she
is alive in Christ there will be hunger for the things of God, will be an interest in the things of God, and there will
be growth. It is clear, whether a child is alive, or dead. I do not
recall anything in Ray's life, although I knew him, that I saw such signs of life. It is possible
that the signs were too subtle and I missed them, but, very unlikely. The Bible warms us to diligent
to make as sure as possible that we are genuinely saved persons. 2 Peter 1:10: Wherefore
the rather, brethren, give diligence to make your calling and election sure: for if ye do these things, ye shall never fall: Philippians 2:12: Wherefore,
my beloved, as ye have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your own salvation
with fear and trembling. The sure hope and confidence for Jesus Christ-indwelt
persons, I do mean Christians, his Bride, who he will come for in the Rapture, the Bridegroom, Jesus Christ, returning to
earth's atmosphere, to take her to heaven for the marriage super, and consummation. |
Colossians 1: 26 Even
the mystery which hath been hid from ages and from generations, but now is made manifest to his saints: 27 To whom God would make known what is the riches
of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles; which is Christ in you, the hope of glory: 28 Whom we preach, warning every man, and teaching
every man in all wisdom; that we may present every man perfect in Christ Jesus: 1
Thessaloneans 4: 16 For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel,
and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first: 17 Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with
them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord. 18 Wherefore comfort one another with
these words. 
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Daniel 2: 1 And in the second
year of the reign of Nebuchadnezzar Nebuchadnezzar dreamed dreams, wherewith his spirit was troubled, and his sleep brake
from him.2 Then the king commanded
to call the magicians, and the astrologers, and the sorcerers, and the Chaldeans, for to shew the king his dreams. So they
came and stood before the king. 3 And
the king said unto them, I have dreamed a dream, and my spirit was troubled to know the dream. 4 Then spake the Chaldeans to the king in Syriack,
O king, live for ever: tell thy servants the dream, and we will shew the interpretation. 5 The king answered and said to the Chaldeans, The thing is gone
from me: if ye will not make known unto me the dream, with the interpretation thereof, ye shall be cut in pieces, and your
houses shall be made a dunghill. 6 But
if ye shew the dream, and the interpretation thereof, ye shall receive of me gifts and rewards and great honour: therefore
shew me the dream, and the interpretation thereof. 7 They answered again and said, Let the king tell his servants the dream, and we will shew the
interpretation of it. 8 The
king answered and said, I know of certainty that ye would gain the time, because ye see the thing is gone from me. 9 But if ye will not make known unto me the dream,
there is but one decree for you: for ye have prepared lying and corrupt words to speak before me, till the time be changed:
therefore tell me the dream, and I shall know that ye can shew me the interpretation thereof. 10 The Chaldeans answered before the king, and said,
There is not a man upon the earth that can shew the king's matter: therefore there is no king, lord, nor ruler, that asked
such things at any magician, or astrologer, or Chaldean. 11 And it is a rare thing that the king requireth, and there is none other that can shew it before
the king, except the gods, ,whose dwelling is not with flesh. 12 For this cause the king was angry and very furious, and commanded to destroy
all the wise men of Babylon. 13 And
the decree went forth that the wise men should be slain; and they sought Daniel and his fellows to be slain. 14 Then Daniel answered with counsel and wisdom
to Arioch the captain of the king's guard, which was gone forth to slay the wise men of Babylon: 15 He answered and said to Arioch the king's captain,
Why is the decree so hasty from the king? Then Arioch made the thing known to Daniel. 16 Then Daniel went in, and desired of the king that he would
give him time, and that he would shew the king the interpretation.
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17 Then Daniel went to his house, and
made the thing known to Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah, his companions:18 That they would desire mercies of the God of heaven concerning this secret;
that Daniel and his fellows should not perish with the rest of the wise men of Babylon. 19 Then was the secret revealed unto Daniel in a night vision.
Then Daniel blessed the God of heaven. 20 Daniel
answered and said, Blessed be the name of God for ever and ever: for wisdom and might are his: 21 And he changeth the times and the seasons: he
removeth kings, and setteth up kings: he giveth wisdom unto the wise, and knowledge to them that know understanding: 22 He revealeth the deep and secret things: he knoweth
what is in the darkness, and the light dwelleth with him. 23 I thank thee, and praise thee, O thou God of my fathers, who hast given me wisdom and might,
and hast made known unto me now what we desired of thee: for thou hast now made known unto us the king's matter. 24 Therefore Daniel went in unto Arioch, whom the
king had ordained to destroy the wise men of Babylon: he went and said thus unto him; Destroy not the wise men of Babylon:
bring me in before the king, and I will shew unto the king the interpretation. 25 Then Arioch brought in Daniel before the king in haste, and
said thus unto him, I have found a man of the captives of Judah, that will make known unto the king the interpretation. 26 The king answered and said to Daniel, whose name
was Belteshazzar, Art thou able to make known unto me the dream which I have seen, and the interpretation thereof? 27 Daniel answered in the presence of the king,
and said, The secret which the king hath demanded cannot the wise men, the astrologers, the magicians, the soothsayers, shew
unto the king; 28 But
there is a God in heaven that revealeth secrets, and maketh known to the king Nebuchadnezzar what shall be in the latter days.
Thy dream, and the visions of thy head upon thy bed, are these; 29 As for thee, O king, thy thoughts came into thy mind upon thy bed, what should
come to pass hereafter: and he that revealeth secrets maketh known to thee what shall come to pass. 30 But as for me, this secret is not revealed to
me for any wisdom that I have more than any living, but for their sakes that shall make known the interpretation to the king,
and that thou mightest know the thoughts of thy heart. 31 Thou, O king, sawest, and behold a great image. This great image, whose brightness was excellent,
stood before thee; and the form thereof was terrible. 32 This image's head was of fine gold, his breast and his arms of silver, his belly and his thighs
of brass, 33 His
legs of iron, his feet part of iron and part of clay. 34 Thou sawest till that a stone was cut out without hands, which smote the image upon his feet
that were of iron and clay, and brake them to pieces. 35 Then was the iron, the clay, the brass, the silver, and the gold, broken to pieces together,
and became like the chaff of the summer threshingfloors; and the wind carried them away, that no place was found for them:
and the stone that smote the image became a great mountain, and filled the whole earth. 36 This is the dream; and we will tell the interpretation thereof
before the king. 37 Thou,
O king, art a king of kings: for the God of heaven hath given thee a kingdom, power, and strength, and glory. 38 And wheresoever the children of men dwell, the
beasts of the field and the fowls of the heaven hath he given into thine hand, and hath made thee ruler over them all. Thou
art this head of gold.
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39 And after thee shall arise another
kingdom inferior to thee, and another third kingdom of brass, which shall bear rule over all the earth.40 And the fourth kingdom shall be strong as iron:
forasmuch as iron breaketh in pieces and subdueth all things: and as iron that breaketh all these, shall it break in pieces
and bruise. 41 And
whereas thou sawest the feet and toes, part of potters' clay, and part of iron, the kingdom shall be divided; but there shall
be in it of the strength of the iron, forasmuch as thou sawest the iron mixed with miry clay. 42 And as the toes of the feet were part of iron,
and part of clay, so the kingdom shall be partly strong, and partly broken. 43 And whereas thou sawest iron mixed with miry clay, they shall mingle themselves
with the seed of men: but they shall not cleave one to another, even as iron is not mixed with clay. 44 And in the days of these kings shall the God
of heaven set up a kingdom, which shall never be destroyed: and the kingdom shall not be left to other people, but it shall
break in pieces and consume all these kingdoms, and it shall stand for ever. 45 Forasmuch as thou sawest that the stone was cut out of the mountain without hands,
and that it brake in pieces the iron, the brass, the clay, the silver, and the gold; the great God hath made known to the
king what shall come to pass hereafter: and the dream is certain, and the interpretation thereof sure. 46 Then the king Nebuchadnezzar fell upon his face,
and worshipped Daniel, and commanded that they should offer an oblation and sweet odours unto him. 47 The king answered unto Daniel, and said, Of a
truth it is, that your God is a God of gods, and a Lord of kings, and a revealer of secrets, seeing thou couldest reveal this
secret. 48 Then the
king made Daniel a great man, and gave him many great gifts, and made him ruler over the whole province of Babylon, and chief
of the governors over all the wise men of Babylon. 49 Then Daniel requested of the king, and he set Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, over the affairs
of the province of Babylon: but Daniel sat in the gate of the king.
| Rev 3:20: Jesus - Behold, I stand at the and knock |
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| If any man hear my voice and open the door, I will come in to him and sup with him, and he with me. |
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