20 Mar 16
2 edits
Originally posted by checkbaiterIts not gambling if you know the outcome. Was he correct more than 50% of the time? With football, you have a 50% chance of being right without even knowing anything. If you look up the bookies rates online you can probably do better than 90%.
Not much of a gambler and as I said, he wasn't always correct.
Anyone who can beat the odds but is 'not much of a gambler' is a fool. ( or lying)
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20 Mar 16
Originally posted by AThousandYoungThis is a part of a commentary I use....
You should believe in magic because it's in the Bible.
The Three Wise Men were Magi.
Simon Magus was a Magus.
Magi-The Greek word magoi, correctly translated as “Magi,” (Matt. 2:1, NIV) is a plural proper noun referring to people of a specific religious group that existed in the Ancient Near East, most specifically the area of ancient Media and Persia. By the time of Christ, that area was the country of Parthia, which is north and east of Israel. Much has been written in encyclopedias and Bible dictionaries about their origin, history, and beliefs, so that need not be repeated here, however, it is important to know that at least some Magi were looking for a Messiah who would conquer darkness and restore justice in the world.
The NASB and NIV are two modern versions that say “Magi,” while other modern versions retain the designation “Wise Men” (KJV, ESV, NRSV), came from the East to see Jesus after he was born. Magi, especially their leaders and priests, were considered to be wise and even to have occult powers, so the translation “Wise Men” might at first seem to be a fitting translation, but it is far too broad a term to communicate the meaning of the word “magoi.” After all, there were many wise men in the ancient world, just as there are today, whereas the Magi were a specific group. A good comparison might be if Catholic Cardinals from Rome came to visit Jesus but we only knew them as, “Good Men from the West.” The designation might be true, but it would not give us important and accurate information about them. The title “Wise Men” does not tell us who the Magi were, but their proper title does. Similarly, calling them “kings,” as in the song verse, “We three kings from orient are…,” only confuses the record. They were not kings.
Perhaps the most important reason to refer to these men by the name “Magi” is so we can see their relation to the religious group that was at one time led and instructed by Daniel. In the late 500’s BC (Jerusalem was conquered by Nebuchadnezzar in 586 BC, and Daniel was promoted shortly after that) Daniel was made ruler over the Magi, although this is not as clear as it could be because the Book of Daniel says “Magicians,” and Daniel is referred to as “chief of the Magicians” (Dan. 4:9; 5:11; cp. 2:48; NIV). Although there is no proof for it outside the Bible, it seems certain that Daniel instructed the leaders of the Magi about the Jewish origin of the true Messiah.
As the centuries passed after the birth of Christ, the true knowledge about the Magi was replaced by superstition and tradition, and this has persisted in spite of the fact that it contradicts what is clearly written in Scripture. For example, the Magi did not follow a star to Bethlehem. No super-bright, westward traveling celestial phenomena appeared in the sky and went from Parthia to Bethlehem. The “star” they saw was not an unusual celestial object, but a unique occurrence of planetary conjunctions and appearances that, viewed by themselves and considered individually, would not have grabbed anyone’s attention—which explains why only the Magi, diligent astronomers and observers of the heavens, showed up in Judea asking where the new king had been born. We have to keep in mind that in a culture in which a substantial part of the population lived in tents or spent a lot of time out of doors, any unusual event in the heavens got a lot of attention. The fact that there was no such attention at the time of Christ is good evidence that to an untrained observer, the heavenly events were normal.
These Magi were astronomers, and it seems quite certain that the “star” they saw was a series of celestial events, including stars, planets, and conjunctions, especially involving the “king planet” Jupiter (cp. The Star that Astonished the World by Earnest Martin, and Jesus Christ Our Promised Seed by Victor Wierwille). Before telescopes were invented, planets, stars, novas, and comets were all called “stars,” and before the invention of modern devices for measuring their movement, ancient astronomers tracked the timing and position of the stars by when they were first visible over the horizon. We know the Magi used this technique because it was a usual procedure, and also by what they said when they reached Jerusalem: “For we saw his star when it rose and have come to worship him” (Matt. 2:2 ESV). The ESV does a superb job of translating the phrase “when it rose.” The Magi were watching the stars and noting their relation to points on the horizon, to each other, and to the constellations in which they appeared. Eventually they saw patterns that convinced them the Messiah had been born (see, “in its rising” below).
The entire commentary can be found here...
http://www.revisedenglishversion.com/commentary/Matthew/2
I do not believe in "magic". I believe it is all demonic spirits, using their supernatural ability to deceive humans.
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20 Mar 16
Originally posted by twhiteheadThe person I once knew many years ago had no power. All his supposed power or "magic" (even though he was unaware) was simply communicating with demons who could calculate a winning team by all available knowledge. Weather, injury list and much more than normal humans could know. A "bookie" would be no match for the calculating prowess of a demon. It would have much more intricate details to predict a calculated outcome. I would guess his predictions were about 90%, but in any event, he had no interest in football nor gambling.
Its not gambling if you know the outcome. Was he correct more than 50% of the time? With football, you have a 50% chance of being right without even knowing anything. If you look up the bookies rates online you can probably do better than 90%.
Anyone who can beat the odds but is 'not much of a gambler' is a fool. ( or lying)
This is someone I did not know very well, nor was he a close friend. In fact, this was around the time I became a christian(mid 70's) and after that he seemed to avoid me.
20 Mar 16
Originally posted by AThousandYoungI'm not sure if the Bible is referring to the same but "Magi" are simply Zoroastrian priests. Zoroastrianism was around in the first millennium BC so it is plausible Biblical writers would have mentioned them. There are still about 2.6 million Zoroastrians around (according to Wikipedia). Among their peculiar habits is the custom to leave their dead out in the open in special pits instead of burying or burning them.
You should believe in magic because it's in the Bible.
The Three Wise Men were Magi.
Simon Magus was a Magus.
21 Mar 16
Originally posted by KazetNagorraThe same applies to anyone selling stock market tips. If they are making more selling tips than they could actually using those tips, the tips are not worth a whole lot.
It's interesting how no clairvoyant ever seems to take advantage of their skills to win lotteries, horse track races, beat the stock market, etc. etc.
21 Mar 16
1 edit
Originally posted by KazetNagorraIts also interesting that a guy checkbaiter hardly knew and who had no interest in football or gambling was telling checkbaiter predictions about the outcome of football matches and did so enough times that checkbaiter can estimate his accuracy at making such predictions. (more than ten different match predictions)
It's interesting how no clairvoyant ever seems to take advantage of their skills to win lotteries, horse track races, beat the stock market, etc. etc.