I'm going to talk about my experiences with GOD. (Before you shut me off, I want you to understand -- this means my own evidence of the Existence of GOD, not face to face meetings. I'm not Moses, I've not been granted such a status as to be a prophet, Moses or Not, I am merely a messenger.
Today, (Monday the Second, Tuesday the third) I was in a bit of a debate with a self-proclaimed ATHEIST who is known as "Packard_Sonic" on Twitter. He started out, pretty much, with a similar statement to this "He's not coming back. It's been 2000 years. Get over it."
As a Christian, I felt obliged to speak up, and state my case on this topic.
Well, you can imagine this guy isn't really an "Atheist," but a very die-hard skeptic. He demands Proof... well I demand proof of life on other planets. I've never seen any, but it doesn't mean it doesn't exist. I demand proof of AIR, in particular oxygen (And I think he would, too). I don't "SEE" any proof...but without oxygen, we'd be dead!
While P_S is claiming "Fables," I point out chariots (Which date from the time of Moses) which were found at the bottom of the Red (Actually REED) Sea. (RED, only because it reflects the mountains of Edom, and Edom means RED.)
While he thinks the Chariots could have been from a Capsized boat, I ask "Where's the wreckage?"
While P_S is great at twisting words, trying to rile me, I am going to point out my OWN EXPERIENCES... and while they probably won't convince him, It's my chance to witness.
So, Pack -- Read up, and I don't think you're going to be able to claim anything but Supernatural in some of these things. And THAT means "THE HAND OF GOD."
In 1972, on August 14th, some friends of mine and I were discussing the disappearance of the 5 avenger Torpedo Bombers (Slightly after WWII) and ONE Martin Mariner plane. All of a sudden, Roland (His real name) speaks something I wouldn't have expected. "I SEE A CROSS!"
We were sitting under a tree, he was looking at the ground...we stared at the ground. Nobody but Roland saw anything. There were no branches that could have made a cross shape. We dismissed it, (although we were young and very impressionable) and went swimming.
About 9 that night, the police came to our home. It seems that my Grandfather had passed away very close to the time that Roland had seen that cross on the beach. I didn't see the cross...but the idea made a mark.
Who's to remember all this, right? Well, a few years later, I started remembering dreams.
One was about a Crash that killed an entire sports team. I didn't recognize the team, but thought it may be professional. Only a few weeks later the entire Evansville Basketball team was killed in a crash. You might call it "Co-inky-dink." But this stuff continued.
Around this time,I dreamed of being in a "Church" -- which had odd rules. They'd tie you down, hold a light over your head...It made very little sense. Some people escaped the "church" just before it caught fire. Not long after, the Jonestown Massacre (or mass suicide, as you prefer) occurred, killin hundreds, plus a congressman.
Have you ever dreamed of a Calendar? I did. Twice, in fact. One date was circle on a 1979 Calendar. It was November 4th. What did it mean? I had no idea. Shortly after that, I had another Calendar dream -- Sunday, May 18th, circled in RED on a 1980 Calendar.
November 4th rolls around -- and there is a storming and seizing of the American Embassy in Tehran, Iran. And then, May 18th, 1980-- Mount St. Helens Explodes...What, more coincidence? Early in 1981, Another dream -- a Shuttle accident, killing all on board. Odd, since the Shuttle hadn't even really begun missions. It was only ENTERPRISE. Until, that is, January 28, 1986, when the Challenger blew up, killing all 7 aboard.
Sometime there after, I was shoveling walks and driveways to make extra money. I was shoveling a driveway, and it began to snow, HARD. It wasn't expected to let up for a couple of days. I noticed a hearing aid missing. I check the driveway I was working on, but NOTHING. I prayed! "Let me find it. Stop the snow until I do!" I knew the forecast: Heavy snow for 2 days. I prayed again, same words. Suddenly, the snow stopped. I kept looking for the Aid, but couldn't find it. I finally went home. The snow was still stopped. I started looking around the house, and finally spotted my aid on the floor, behind a waste basket. I picked it up, put it on...and only a few minutes later it started snowing again.
Shortly after the death of my father in 1995, I began having an "Inner voice" talking to me...or so it seemed. It was telling me to prepare for Mom's death. Ok, her health wasn't "Great." But every time we went to church, a voice would say "Yet (Number) times this scene shall be repeated, and then, no more." When we reached "0", that was it. The scene was never repeated. She was too weak to go to church any more. And only a few weeks later, when I failed to stop where she was that evening, she passed away. What was more frightening was that just a year and a half earlier, I told my dad to Get out of the hospital. The next day, he did...as a corpse.
In 1998, I was driving to work about to pass Elk River, MN. I saw what appeared to be a man in black, crossing the road. I slowed down because he paused in the middle of the road. But then, he vanished. Just a few days later, my brother-in-law died.
In 2001, in November, I saw the same vision, and did the same -- I received a call that day that my mother-in-law had suffered a heart attack, and was in the hospital. The next day, I saw the vision again. And the following Saturday, she passed away.
In 2007, I was unemployed. It was summer, storms are nothing new. I was watching the sky darken, and a cloud started rotating...Tornado on the way. My prayer was that it pass us. What happened? As a watched, a cloud formed under the cloud that was rotating. A funnel was coming down, but the cloud below it formed the shaped of a hand. Oh, how I wish I had been able to take a photo of that! The hand-shaped cloud kept the funnel from getting any lower....and the danger passed.
Later in the year, I was getting discouraged in my job hunt. I needed a sign, some sort of encouragement. I asked GOD for a bird of prey to land on a dead tractor we had...as some sort of sign that things would be OK then, that I'd have a job soon.
A day later,k I was going out to feed the horses, and saw a bald eagle on the tractor. It flew off, but only minutes later, I received a call from a potential job... and I GOT THAT JOB. I could not explain it, except that GOD had answered my call.
So, to Packard_Sonic -- Now you know WHY I BELIEVE that God exists, and that Christ will return. You can seek a sign -- but you must have a believing heart. Otherwise, it's like Christ himself said: "An evil and adulterous generation seeks for a sign. Blessed is he who has not seen and yet believes."
Just remember: You and I cannot COMMAND God to do anything. We must pray in accordance to the wishes of His Son: "Thy Kingdom Come. Thy Will be done on Earth as it is in Heaven."
