Saturday, 13 January 2018

PREDESTINATION BELIEFS.

Predestination is the doctrine that views a pre-order of all creation's events.
In the Christian doctrine, in the New Testament, Romans chapters 8-11 presents a statement on predestination.
Paul says, "There is no condemnation 'now' for 'those' who 'live in union' with 'Christ (Spirit) Jesus (human body).' For the Law of the Spirit which brings us (eternal) life in union with Christ Jesus, has set me free from the Law of Sin and death." (Romans 8: 1-2)
Paul continue explaining, "We know that the Law is 'Spiritual', but I am a mortal, sold as a slave to (the Law of) Sin." (Romans 7: 14) "Shall we say, then, that the Law itself is sinful? Of course not! But it was the Law that made me know what Sin is. ... Sin found its chance to stir up all kinds of selfish desires in my human nature. Apart from Law, sin is a dead thing. .. Sin found its chance, and by means of the commandment which was meant to bring Life, it deceived me and killed me... by using what is good. Sin brought death in order that its true nature might be revealed. And so, by means of the commandment Sin is shown to be even more terribly sinful. (Romans 7: 7-13)  "Since what I do is what I do not want to do, this shows that I agree that the Law (of Sin) is right. So I am not really the one who does this thing; rather it is the Sin that lives in me. I know that good does not live in my 'human nature' for even though the desire to do good is in me I am not able to do it by myself. "(Romans 7: 16-18)
Paul continue,"Certainly you will understand what I (Paul) am about to say, my friends, because all of you know about the Law (Spirit and Sin). The Law (of Sin) rules over people only as long as they live (in the mortal world). A married woman, for example, is bound by the Law to her husband as long as he lives; but if he dies, then she is free from the Law that bound her to him. So then, if she lives with another man while her husband is alive, she will be called an adulteress; but if her husband dies, she is legally a free woman and does not commit adultery if she marries another man. This is how it is with the Law of the Spirit. As far as the Law of Sin is concerned, you also have died because you are part of the body of Christ (Law of the Spirit); and now you belong to Him who was raised from Death in order that we might be useful in the service of God." (Romans 7: 1-4) "What the Law could not do, because human nature was weak, God did. He condemned Sin in human nature by sending His own Son, who came with a nature like our sinful nature, to do away with Sin. God did this so that the 'righteous demands of the Law of the Spirit might be fully satisfied in us who live according to the Spirit, and not according to the human nature. Those who live as their human nature tells them to, have their minds controlled by what human nature wants. Those who live as the Spirit tells them to, have their minds controlled by what the Spirit wants." (Romans 8: 3-5) "All of Creation waits with eager longing for God to reveal His children. For Creation was condemned to lose its purpose... But it is not just Creation alone that groans; we who have the Spirit as the first of God's gifts also groan within ourselves as we wait for God to make us His children and set our whole being free. ... The Spirit also comes to help us, weak as we are. For we do not know how we ought to pray; the Spirit Himself pleads with God for us in groans that words cannot express. And God who sees into our hearts, knows what the thought of the Spirit is; because the Spirit pleads with God on behalf of His people and in accordance with His Will. We know that in all things God works for good with those who love Him, those whom He has called according to His purpose. Those whom God had already predestined (chosen) He also set apart to become like His Son ... Who, then, can separate us from the Love of Christ? Can trouble do it, or hardship or persecution or hunger or poverty or danger or death? ,,, No, in all these things we complete victory through Him who loved us! For I am certain that nothing can separate us from His Love: neither death nor life, neither angels nor other heavenly rulers or powers, neither the present nor the future, neither the world above nor the world below -there is nothing in all Creation that will ever be able to separate us from the Love of God which is ours through Christ Jesus our Lord. (Romans 8: 19-39)
Biblical scholars have interpreted this passage in several ways. Many say this only has to do with service and is not about salvation. Others say that the predestination mentioned in this passage should be interpreted corporately rather than individuals. In corporate election, God does not choose which individuals He will save, but rather God chooses the church as a whole. Or put it differently, God chooses what type of individuals He will save, giving examples of their characters throughout the whole Scripture.
Paul also mention the topic of predestination in his Letter to the Ephesians, "In our union with Christ God has blessed us by giving us every spiritual blessing in the heavenly world. Even before the world was made, God had already pre-destined us to be His through our union with Christ, so that we would be holy and without fault before Him. Because of His Love God had already decided that through Jesus Christ He would make us His children -this was His pleasure and purpose. Let us praise God for His glorious grace, for the free gift He gave us in his dear Son! .. In all His Wisdom and Insight God did what He had purposed, and made known to us the secret plan He had already decided to complete by means of Christ. This plan, which God will complete when the time is right, is to bring all Creation together, everything in heaven and on earth, with Christ as head."  (Ephesians 1: 3-10)
God's predestination is then to make sure that all the souls that were condemned against their will and relied in their Hope of Salvation now have the chance thanks to Christ Jesus to fight for it.
Many cultures around the world have different doctrines about the belief of predestination.
The Serbians, for example, believe firmly in predestination. They say that "there is no death without the appointed day." The belief in the immortality of the soul, of which even inanimate objects, (such as forests, lakes, mountains, etc.) possess it. They respects the souls of the animals, since their belief is that the soul of any animal is no less than the one in a man. For example, a bear is no less than a man since nobody knows if it has the soul of a man who has been punished and turned into an animal, because the bear can walk upright as man does. The jackal is another example, the animal is considered half-human, because its howls at night sound like the wails of a child. Also, it is a sin to kill a fox or a bee.
When a person dies, the soul delays its departure to the higher or lower spheres until the expiration of a certain period, during which it floats in the air, and can enter into the body of some animals or insects. Every soul has its own star, which appears in the firmament at the moment of its birth and it is extinguished when it dies. It is believed that the earth rests on water (mind), and the water reposes on a fire (energy) and the fire again is upon another fire (spiritual energy with its own law).
The soul of a dragon, is not considered a monster, for they know that the outward appearance is merely used as a misleading mask. In its true character, it is a handsome youth, possessing superhuman strength and courage, and it is usually represented as in love with some complementary female energies.
The funeral customs of burning their dead have been retained longest by Lithuanians. Their last recorded burial was in 1382 CE when a brother of a Grand Duke, was burnt together with his horses and arms, falcons and hounds. During the siege of Constantinople in 626 CE, the Souther Slavs burnt the bodies of their dead. The Russians did the same in 971 CE during the battles near Silistria.The Slavs of North Russia used to keep the ashes in a small vessel, which they would place on a pillar by the side of a public road; that custom persisted with the Southern ones as late as 1100 CE.
The Southern-Slavonic legends about predestination, received many elements from the Greeks and Romans. When the Slavs occupied Roman provinces, Christian region was limited to parts of the Byzantine provinces. In Dalmatia after the fall of Salona, the archbishopric was transferred to Spalato (Splyet), but in the papal bulls of 9th CE it continued always to be styled 'Salonitana ecclesia' and it claimed juridiction over the entire lands as far as the Danube.
Symbolically speaking about predestination, there are stones still in existence and even columns in large numbers  close together. For example, there are over 6000 in Vlassenitza, and some 22000 in the whole of Herzegovina; some can be seen in Dalmatia. They are decorated with figures, which appear to be imitations of the work of Roman sculptors: arcades on columns, plant designs, trees, swords and shields, figures of warriors carrying their bows, horsemen, deer, bears, wild-boars, and falcons. There are also oblong representations of male and female figures dancing together and playing games. Some tombs, situated far from villages, are described by man's personal name, relating to the demarcations of territories. In Konavla, near Ragusa, in 1420 CE, for example, there was a certain point where important cross-roads met, and it was known as 'Obugonov Grob.' The custom survived time, even in our day, there is still a tombstone called 'Obugagn Greb.' It is the grave of the Governor Obuganitch of the family of Lyoubibratitch, famous in the 14th century.

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