I admit I was wrong on the size of Noah's ark. You are right that the approximate number of boxcars would be about 569. Hey, I am not afraid to admit when I am wrong. I honestly believe what I teach. At least I use ALL the Bible, and do not delibertly avoid scriptures that seem to disagree with what I think. I don't know everything. That is why I don't mind it if someone corrects me, or shows me something in the Bible that differs with what I believe. I am always ready to change my mind, IF God's word tells me different. In the meantime, I will continue to hold to what I believe, yet also stay open-minded. Did you know that if we are the elect (or disciples), we are supposed to know the mystery of the kingdom of God/heaven? To know that mystery, we would have to know the major part of God's over-all plan. Which we would be to be able to answer the following questions that people ask: Who are we? What are we, and what are we here for? Why are we here? When did we come into existence? Where did we come from, and where are we going? How can our spirit return to God, if it did not exist yet? When you refer to the beginning, you should know that it means the beginning of time as we know it. At that "time" God placed everything into a corruptible realm. It is like a question that I get fairly often. They ask where did God come from? I tell them the problem lies with the fact that we are trying to place God into our corruptible realm, something God created. God dwells in an ever present realm. We cannot correctly place His existence into our realm, which sees corruption daily, where everything grows old, decays, disolves, or dies. I tell them to draw a perfect circle so they cannot see a starting or stopping point. Then consider that to be eternity. Next make a short line across one side of the circle, and call that the beginning of this thing we call time. Then at a different part of the circle draw another short line across it, and call it the end of what we call time. Then erase the short lines so they are not visible, and it goes back to eternity. Noah was told to take 2 of every unclean flesh, the male and his female, and by 7's of every clean flesh, the male and his female, aboard the ark (Gen 7:2). Since the number 7 is an odd number for the clean flesh, it must mean 7 pair of clean flesh, meaning 14 of every clean flesh. As we will see below, if Noah took 2 of every species of dinosaurs aboard the ark along with all the other animals, that would be a number between 600 and 1400 of the "known" dinosaurs. And a high number of them were huge, even if you think Noah took the smallest ones of the species aboard the ark, of which I disagree. I do believe that the ark was big enough for all the creatures excluding the dinosaurs. But I don't see how they would all fit when we include all the species of different dinosaurs, along with the animals, birds, insects, other reptiles, etc. on earth even today, even if we imagined the ark to be twice as large as it was. We would also have to include many of the living creatures which have become extinct. Also, we should ask, how many more dinosaurs have not yet been discovered? How many types of dinosaurs are known? Approximately 700 species have been named. However, a recent scientific review suggests that only about half of these are based on fairly complete specimens that can be shown to be unique and separate species. These species are placed in about 300 valid dinosaur genera (Stegosaurus, Diplodocus, etc.), although about 540 have been named. Recent estimates suggest that about 700 to 900 more dinosaur genera may remain to be discovered. Most dinosaur genera presently contain only one species (for example, Deinonychus) but some have more (for example, Iguanodon). Even if all of the roughly 700 published species are valid, their number is still less than one-tenth the number of currently known living bird species, less than one-fifth the number of currently known mammal species, and less than one-third the number of currently known spider species. The Diplodocus was a "lizard-hipped" dinosaur. It was a sauropod, a group which were especially abundant in the so called Late Jurassic period. It was the longest of the land animals but not the heaviest. Much of its length was taken up with its strong whip-like tail. It had a brain the size of a fist, and a concentration of nerves in the base of its spine. This helped it to cope with it's enormous size, and control its hind legs and tail. The largest Diplodocus is usually noted as weighing 15 tons and being 27 metres long (87+ ft). Fossil evidence of a huge animal called Seismosaurus was found in New Mexico and many palaeontologists believe it is really an old Diplodocus. It weighed 30 tons and was 45 metres long (146 ft). So far four distinct species have been identified from fossils in the Morrison Formation of Colorado and Wyoming, in the USA. These include five near complete Diplodocus skeletons. In each case the skull has been missing. Skulls from partial skeletons have been used to complete the reconstructions. Diplodocus Reference: The Fact Files, Family Tree and Glossary have been written in consultation with leading palaeontologist Michael Benton, Professor of Vertebrate Palaeontology at the University of Bristol, and represent the latest scientific knowledge about these creatures. Now concerning Jer 4:22-27. Why do you avoid an explanation for verses 23, 25, and 27. Do they go against what you believe? Notice the verses are correctly written in past tense. Why did the heavens have no light? We know the sun, moon, and stars were created on the 4th day. Why was there found NO MAN (`adam = human)? There are 5 other major Hebrew words that mean man, but `adam is the only one with the meaning of human. Is it because there were no flesh and blood people here at that time? In verse 27, God said yet he would not make a full end. We know that with NO HUMAN found, that it does not refer to the destruction of Noah's flood, yet the previous verses are past tense. Doesn't this show that at that time He did not yet make a full end? You say that the suggested meaning (born "from above") of John 3:3 and 3:7 are odd. Yet if we keep the correct meaning of the Greek word "anothen" as "from above", and keep it in context with verse 13, it fits very well. No man has ascended up to heaven but he that came down from heaven, even the son of man. I believe Jesus is letting Nicodemus know that the fallen angels of Gen 6, and Jude are not going to return to the heavenly realm,(not be granted immortality) because they refused to be born from above, i.e. be born of woman. Compare Eccl 12:7 and ask; how could our spirit return to God, if we had not already been with Him? Also see Eccl 3:21. Look at 1Cor 15:44, to see that there is a natural body and a spiritual body. See Zech 12:1, Rom 8:16, 1Cor 2:11, to see that we have our own spirit within us. What do you think about Moses, who died, and appeared with Jesus and Elijah on the mount of transfiguration? Wasn't Moses made visible with Christ and Elijah in the heavenly realm when Jesus transfigured? If Moses was in the heavenly realm, then he had to come from that realm. For no man has ascended up to heaven (that realm) but he that came down from heaven (that realm). The word "kingdom" means rule or realm. So when we say kingdom of heaven, it means the realm of heaven. The heavenly realm is an invisible world to our flesh, unless God decides to make part of it visible to someone, like He did to the 3 disciples who witnessed the transfiguration of Jesus. You say that humans do not come from angels, nor do they become angels. I agree that humans do not come FROM angels. They are angels clothed with flesh. And yes, they are both creations of God. God created the angels a long time ago. They were present with God when the earth was made (Job 38 1-13). A third of the angels followed after Satan (Rev 12:4). Jesus said "Neither can they die any more, for they are "equal unto the angels". The words "equal unto the angels" should have been translated "angelic". Where do you think Enoch went, when God took him? Also where did Elijah go when God took Him? You see, if they went to heaven, then they had to come from heaven (John 3:13). Jesus was made a little lower than the angels. We might ask how was He made lower? By being clothed with flesh. Flesh is a lower state of existence than angelic existence. After Jesus died on the cross, and rose the 3rd day, He went back to that heavenly spiritual realm. As far as all humans being created; just because God took some clay, and made the form of a man and placed that angelic being into that clay so that the chunk of clay became alive, does not mean that He did not first create that angelic person a long time before that. Another place to explain, is John 10:34, which is a quote from Psa 82:6. Jesus speaking to the pharisees (real live humans) who were about to stone Him; "I said ye are gods". Remember we are supposed to keep the doctrine of Christ, and not teach against it. Psa 82:6 says "I have said ye are gods, and all of you are children of the most high, but ye shall die like men, and fall like one of the princes". Guess what, the word men is `adam = human. I wonder which of God's princes fell? The devil, Lucifer, the prince and power of the air (Eph 2:2). Compare Heb 2:7-9, which is from Psa 8:5. Then look up the Hebrew word that was translated to angels in Psa 8:5. It is `elohiym, the same Hebrew word that was translated "gods" in Psa 82:6. So Psa 8:5 could read "a little less than the gods". Which doesn't matter, because the sons of God are the angels. Besides, the Hebrew word `elohiym, without the article, means gods plural, most of the time meaning God and the angels. Another place is Luke 20:37; "Now that the dead are raised, even Moses showed at the bush, when he calleth the Lord the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob. For he is not a God of the dead, but of the living: for all live unto Him." Compare Mark 12:27. Remember 2John; if we so much as wish someone God's speed who is teaching against Christ's doctrine, we become partaker of that person's evil deeds. So it is very important that we do not teach against Christ's doctrine.
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