Results 341 - 360 of 645
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Results from: Notes Author: JCrichton Ordered by Date |
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Results | Verse | Author | ID# | |||
341 | No women Prophets or Apostles called | 1 Tim 3:1 | JCrichton | 129221 | ||
Hi, mibcla! I firmly believe that we are all called to serve the Lord in His Church... but each according to the Holy Spirit's design... the Priesthood established by God, both in the Old and New Testament, is one particular service that has been reserved for man. Every Covenant and every Promise has been made to the men chosen by God to keep His Covenant and Promise... When choosing the Twelve Jesus was very specific about who He chose... every single one of them a simple man... not one an aristocrat, not one a politician, not one a scholar, and not one a female! True there are those false teachers that are purporting all sorts of defilement of Christ and His Doctrine... but these already have been judged (2 Peter 2:1-22; Jude 1:4-19); they twist Scripture and mold the Holy Spirit's Word to conform them to their wicked machinations--but they will never be able to decieve the chosen ones, those who believe in the Gospel of Christ Jesus! We know that God will call on whom He wishes to serve in whatever office He commands... Scripture talks about women prophesying: Acts 2:16-18 No, this is what was spoken by the prophet Joel: " 'In the last days, God says, I will pour out my Spirit on all people. Your sons and daughters will prophesy, your young men will see visions, your old men will dream dreams. Even on my servants, both men and women, I will pour out my Spirit in those days, and they will prophesy. So it is no mystery that women will/are called to be prophets (one particular prophetess that I remember is Debbora: Judges 4:4), but the office of the Priesthood remains reserved for men. I believe, as no doubt you do also, that all of these assaults (both from within and from without) on the Church are due to Christendom's derelictions of duties (being complacent to the world's adulteration of Scripture, being accomodating to "lifestyles," being eager to be all inclusive at the expense of Christ's Commandments, being quick to earn a profit--or is it sell out--by making God's Word into a cash cow, being ashamed of Christ when facing nonbelievers or anti-Christians, being quick to bond and respect all deities by professing that we all love God regardless of what god is being worshipped...); we allow any human doctrine to be dictated in the Church (including the preaching and supporting of homosexuality in the Church as part of Christ's body) and we look the other way when concerned Christians challenge these corrupt teachings! We spend days, perhaps years, formulating arguments in order to cause further schisms in the Church... creating animosity built on stupid arguments about simplistic values that cannot save us, while completely ignoring the constant assaults that Christ's Church is suffering on the hands of nonbelievers, anti-Christians, and false Christians that have disguised themselves as angels of light! We listen to the creature, as in the Garden of Eden, rather than to the Creator! Our function as Christians is not to control society (society will always pervert God's creation)... our function is to serve Christ according to His Word! Edifying Christ's Church instead of tearing it down should be our paramount concern! Please start a prayer group with your friends and relatives, for the edification of Christ's Church! God Bless! Angel |
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342 | Many different trees in one forest? | Is 41:19 | JCrichton | 129082 | ||
"I suspect that even in those "desert" experiences, the soul that seeks Water will indeed by nourished there." Hi, Mommapbs! Exactly! We have but to trust in His Providence! As He says in Ezekiel 18:32: "...I do not want anyone to die." God Bless! Angel |
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343 | Will wayward christians be forgiven? | Heb 6:4 | JCrichton | 129023 | ||
"So isn't it likely that He wanted them to acknowledge their guilt and confess their sin? Interesting that they didn't do it. But isn't that the pattern of so many?" Hi, Doc! You are correct! In Isaiah 1:18-19 we find a Loving Father who seeks not to Judge or reprimand but to offer us His Love, His Grace, and His generous nurturing Providence... but as we read on, verse 20, we also find that we are expected to remain loyal to His request (confess our sins and repent from our unrighteous lifestyles, turn back to our Loving Father, and submit to His Authority!)... Eve, Adam and Cain, as many of us today, quickly produced a rational to excuse their behavior and to circumvent both the guilt and the responsibility of depending on God for forgiveness and cleansing! We have become masters at avoidance while following the example of Pharisees and Sadducees who promoted their self-righteousness while augmenting any fault/error that they perceived (projected) on others... ...we disregard Jesus' command not to judge others and to look into our own faults before attempting to correct/educate others... we even become oblivious to the prayer Jesus taught His disciples which include both a direct command to forgive others and a direct command to ask God for forgiveness... Basically it is Pride, the ancient motivator, that creeps into us and slowly erodes away our dependency on God... Pride, when nurtured, boosts our egos and convinces many that God has automatically forgiven us all our trespasses and that we do not have to answer to Him for our "choices"--thusly, avoiding the pain of guilt, the shame of repentence, and the humiliation of recognizing that we are not autonomous but that we are eternally dependent on Christ! God Bless! Angel |
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344 | First Century Second Coming? | John 5:19 | JCrichton | 128256 | ||
""Paul (and who am I to second guess Paul?) was warning his first century audience, THEY should fully expect Jesus to return to THEM. Was he misleading them? Jesus was to return like a “thief in the night”, but his followers would not to be caught unaware. They would see it coming, they would NOT be surprised!" Hi, Fatherof4! I see that it is futile for me to attempt to wrench you from what you so firmly believe... you insinuate that I bend Scripture to serve my interpretation, and yet you interpret Scripture with your own sense of finality... Have I understood you correctly... do you mean to say that we no longer need to be at our best in fear of Christ finding us behaving as the unrighteous servant? Do you mean to state that we are living in the New Jerusalem or do you mean to state that Christ's Second Coming came and left and there was no one to document His arrival? We must learn to read Scripture with a humble heart and mind... allowing the Holy Spirit to guide us to God's Truth! Maran atha! God Bless! Angel" Hi, Xerxes! On my final post to Father of 4 I closed, as far as I am concerned, this thread: He will never convince me of his choice of Second Coming... and I can never convince him to read Scripture and accept Scripture rather than man's interpretation of Scripture. You tagged this post, which I though would be my final one on this matter, and offered a duality of responses which in effect issues forth the ole "I'm OK, you're OK" complacency... The Jehovah Witnesses hold that Christ is a mere human with somewhat "gifted and talented" superhuman abilities... they cite, erroneously, their interpretations of Scripture on which they base their idiologies... the fact is that I cannot meet them half way! Christ is either God or He is not! It is the same for this topic: Christ either came and went or is yet to come; sadly even the Apostles believed, for a while, that Jesus' Coming would be within their lifetime... Did not happened! This became a hot topic within the Church... to the point that Peter, Paul and others had to issue writings indicating that the Lord's Coming had not taken effect and that His delay was due to two factors: a) God's Way is not ours (1000 years but 1 day), and b) He is Coming, yet He is patient--wanting that all (as many as will believe in Him) be saved! You cannot see this, for this I cannot apologize! But you did note my forcefulness in offering both Scripture and personal understanding of the Second Coming and you were offended by some of my statements, for that I apologize! I do want to remind you of part of your statements: “The questions were to provoke to edification.” I do not judge you, your words judge you--you presented an argument for both sides to consider as fact... this in essence simply serves to neutralize the argument: which neutralizes the doctrine of the Second Coming! I cannot agree with you on both counts! If it were simply a matter of scholars' inference we would certainly be in a heep of trouble--as those scholars in Jude and Peter who are but emptiness, wind, clouds being led by whatever surfaces into their circle of "intellect." This is a matter of Faith--we either accept Scripture or we do not. For this reason I referenced Jesus' words in Revelation! There is no double-mindedness in the Apostles! They were misled by their human intellect to think that Jesus stated that He would certainly come again within their lifetime, yet when taught by the Holy Spirit that to God "imminent" does not mean a specific amount of "human" time but rather the very next act within the Divine Plan, they accepted this Truth and made it known to the discples that the Lord's Coming is imminent but within God's Plan! Again, I apologize for any hurt that my words may have caused you--not being a scholar, I tend to allow my arguments to reflect my conviction without seeking to negociate Scripture by accepting the arguments that may seem to offer logic... My resolution comes from the various assaults on Christ's Divinity where many issue forth impelling arguments based on their interpretation of some Scripture passages while ignoring all of the Scripture that command that we Worship and Glorify Christ, the Eternal Emmanuel, the God of the Amen, the One who holds everything in His hands! Maran atha! God Bless! Angel |
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345 | First Century Second Coming? | John 5:19 | JCrichton | 128213 | ||
Part 2 of 2 This is how Jesus' Second Coming will be--no one will be telling his neighbor, "I've seen something wonderful that no one else has!" In one instant we will all be convicted of His Coming--those of us who are alive, as the Apostles noted, and those who are dead: 1 Corinthians 15:50-56 I declare to you, brothers, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God, nor does the perishable inherit the imperishable. Listen, I tell you a mystery: We will not all sleep, but we will all be changed--in a flash, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, the dead will be raised imperishable, and we will be changed. For the perishable must clothe itself with the imperishable, and the mortal with immortality. When the perishable has been clothed with the imperishable, and the mortal with immortality, then the saying that is written will come true: "Death has been swallowed up in victory." "Where, O death, is your victory? Where, O death, is your sting?" The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. But thanks be to God! He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. 2 Peter 3 The Day of the Lord Dear friends, this is now my second letter to you. I have written both of them as reminders to stimulate you to wholesome thinking. I want you to recall the words spoken in the past by the holy prophets and the command given by our Lord and Savior through your apostles. First of all, you must understand that in the last days scoffers will come, scoffing and following their own evil desires. They will say, "Where is this ‘coming’ he promised? Ever since our fathers died, everything goes on as it has since the beginning of creation." But they deliberately forget that long ago by God’s word the heavens existed and the earth was formed out of water and by water. By these waters also the world of that time was deluged and destroyed. By the same word the present heavens and earth are reserved for fire, being kept for the day of judgment and destruction of ungodly men. But do not forget this one thing, dear friends: With the Lord a day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years are like a day. The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. He is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance. But the day of the Lord will come like a thief. The heavens will disappear with a roar; the elements will be destroyed by fire, and the earth and everything in it will be laid bare. Since everything will be destroyed in this way, what kind of people ought you to be? You ought to live holy and godly lives as you look forward to the day of God and speed its coming. That day will bring about the destruction of the heavens by fire, and the elements will melt in the heat. But in keeping with his promise we are looking forward to a new heaven and a new earth, the home of righteousness. So then, dear friends, since you are looking forward to this, make every effort to be found spotless, blameless and at peace with him. Bear in mind that our Lord's patience means salvation, just as our dear brother Paul also wrote you with the wisdom that God gave him. He writes the same way in all his letters, speaking in them of these matters. His letters contain some things that are hard to understand, which ignorant and unstable people distort, as they do the other Scriptures, to their own destruction. Therefore, dear friends, since you already know this, be on your guard so that you may not be carried away by the error of lawless men and fall from your secure position. But grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To him be glory both now and forever! Amen. The Apostles and disciples did think that Jesus’ “Coming” was within their lifetime… but, through revelation of the Holy Spirit, they recognized that to the Lord 1000 years is but a day! The Lord will certainly Come, and we (all who are alive at this precise time as I am preparing this reply) are witnesses that He has not yet come! Maran atha! God Bless! Angel |
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346 | First Century Second Coming? | John 5:19 | JCrichton | 128212 | ||
Hi, Xerxes! Part 1 of 2 You make a good argument for both sides... sadly, Jesus is interested in one side (be cold or hot)... on my posts on response to this thread I have stated that He has not return yet... I have use Scriptural fact... if anyone cares to read the Bible and allow the Holy Spirit to guide them, they will discover that there is no silent/selective Second Coming: Look, he is coming with the clouds, and every eye will see him, even those who pierced him; and all the peoples of the earth will mourn because of him. So shall it be! Amen. (Revelation 1:7) This revelation was made by Jesus Christ to the Apostle John (Tradition holds that the author of Apocalypse--Revelation--is the Apostle John) has set no limitations upon the Lord's Second Coming... "EVERY EYE WILL SEE HIM," AND "ALL THE PEOPLES OF THE EARTH WILL MOURN!" If you or anyone else chooses to interpret this passage as "a select few" or "only those who have deciphered some special codes" or "only the believers" or "only the people of Israel" or any other "exclusive group," you are more than welcome to do so--but do not claim it to be Biblical. As the Lamb of God Jesus came to rescue humanity from sin, but not all humanity--only those who by believing in Him would become children of God! (John 1:12-13; 3:16-21; 3:36) As the promised Messiah, Jesus came to the children of Israel, but, as foretold by the prophecies, they rejected Him and crucified Him. (Isaiah 52:13 through 53:12; Luke 2:34; John 1:11; Romans 9:32-33; 1 Peter 2:6-10) Clearly, at His Second Coming, Jesus will not come to a select few; He will not be a sacrificial lamb... He will be the Judge--He who will Judge the living and the dead! He will not come to those who are descendants of Abraham according to the flesh only, but to all of the descendants of Abraham! And His Glory will be displayed for all to witness so that no man can claim innocence or ignorance! (Revelation 19:11-16) "Is it possible that He came, but no one saw it in the strictest sense as we expect because, like lightning flashes," Can you tell, when lightning flashes, which is the initial point, the middle point or the end point of the lightning? When lightning flashes our senses are consumed with awe and fear... further, light travels at quite an accelerated speed filling the skies from one end to another instantaneously! |
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347 | First Century Second Coming? | John 5:19 | JCrichton | 127960 | ||
Hi, Fatherof4! You seem to forget that the major form of transportation for the disciples was "foot-work." There was no mass media, no rapid transit system, no next day delivery, no printshop, no copiers... sometimes the Apostles and disciples would stay in an area several months or even years... It is interesting to note that you refuse to listen to the Apostles when they tell us that the Lord does not delay in vain, but that He is patient wanting all (as many as will believe in Him) to be saved... you refuse to accept that to the Lord 1000 years is like a day... Again, I do not see any reason to continue this thread: I cannot accept your views that Jesus' Second Coming is past history... and you refuse to accept Biblical fact that tells us that He is yet to come! May the Holy Spirit enlighten us into understanding the Truth: Maran atha! God Bless! Angel |
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348 | Was the Trinity split | NT general Archive 1 | JCrichton | 127958 | ||
Hi, tgc! Glad to be of service! You are welcome to use any and all of my post to further your study on our Lord! God Bless! Angel |
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349 | First Century Second Coming? | John 5:19 | JCrichton | 127913 | ||
"Paul (and who am I to second guess Paul?) was warning his first century audience, THEY should fully expect Jesus to return to THEM. Was he misleading them? Jesus was to return like a “thief in the night”, but his followers would not to be caught unaware. They would see it coming, they would NOT be surprised!" Hi, Fatherof4! I see that it is futile for me to attempt to wrench you from what you so firmly believe... you insinuate that I bend Scripture to serve my interpretation, and yet you interpret Scripture with your own sense of finality... Have I understood you correctly... do you mean to say that we no longer need to be at our best in fear of Christ finding us behaving as the unrighteous servant? Do you mean to state that we are living in the New Jerusalem or do you mean to state that Christ's Second Coming came and left and there was no one to document His arrival? We must learn to read Scripture with a humble heart and mind... allowing the Holy Spirit to guide us to God's Truth! Maran atha! God Bless! Angel |
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350 | First Century Second Coming? | John 5:19 | JCrichton | 127912 | ||
Hi, Fatherof4! Since I am not a linguist nor a theologian I cannot offer any arguments dealing with transliterations or roots of words. What is clear is that the end of times and Jesus' Second Coming has not happened... Please refrain from worldly dissection of Scripture and listen to the Holy Spirit: 2 Thessalonians 2:1-5, (read also 2:6-17) The Man of Lawlessness Concerning the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and our being gathered to him, we ask you, brothers, not to become easily unsettled or alarmed by some prophecy, report or letter supposed to have come from us, saying that the day of the Lord has already come. Don’t let anyone deceive you in any way, for that day will not come until the rebellion occurs and the man of lawlessness is revealed, the man doomed to destruction. He will oppose and will exalt himself over everything that is called God or is worshiped, so that he sets himself up in God's temple, proclaiming himself to be God. Don’t you remember that when I was with you I used to tell you these things? Jude 1:14-15 (your welcomed to read the whole Epistle) Enoch, the seventh from Adam, prophesied about these men: "See, the Lord is coming with thousands upon thousands of his holy ones to judge everyone, and to convict all the ungodly of all the ungodly acts they have done in the ungodly way, and of all the harsh words ungodly sinners have spoken against him." Revelation 1:6-8 To him who loves us and has freed us from our sins by his blood, and has made us to be a kingdom and priests to serve his God and Father--to him be glory and power for ever and ever! Amen. Look, he is coming with the clouds, and every eye will see him, even those who pierced him; and all the peoples of the earth will mourn because of him. So shall it be! Amen. "I am the Alpha and the Omega," says the Lord God, "who is, and who was, and who is to come, the Almighty." Again, there’s nothing I can state that the Holy Spirit has not set in Scripture! God Bless! Angel |
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351 | First Century Second Coming? | John 5:19 | JCrichton | 127911 | ||
Hi, Fatherof4! Truly there's hardly anything else that I can add to my previous post... I suggest to you to read further... the then known world did not cover America (North, South, Central), Canada, China, Japan, Australia, Russia... why are these nations missing from the various missions described in the book of Acts? Christ Death and Resurrection was not as fulfillment for those who were in front of Him physically but for all of humanity: 1 Corinthians 13:8-12 Love never fails. But where there are prophecies, they will cease; where there are tongues, they will be stilled; where there is knowledge, it will pass away. For we know in part and we prophesy in part, but when perfection comes, the imperfect disappears. When I was a child, I talked like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I put childish ways behind me. Now we see but a poor reflection as in a mirror; then we shall see face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known. John 17:20 "My prayer is not for them alone. I pray also for those who will believe in me through their message, Had the Good News been brought to the whole world during the lifetime of the Apostles then surely we would not be learning about God through Scripture and through any form of ministry: Hebrews 8:9-11 It will not be like the covenant I made with their forefathers when I took them by the hand to lead them out of Egypt, because they did not remain faithful to my covenant, and I turned away from them, declares the Lord. This is the covenant I will make with the house of Israel after that time, declares the Lord. I will put my laws in their minds and write them on their hearts. I will be their God, and they will be my people. No longer will a man teach his neighbor, or a man his brother, saying, 'Know the Lord,' because they will all know me, from the least of them to the greatest. Read the Epistles... you will find that the Apostles were truly expectant of the Second Coming within their lifetime... as they matured, in the guidance of the Holy Spirit, they understood that it was not to be so: 2 Peter 3 The Day of the Lord Dear friends, this is now my second letter to you. I have written both of them as reminders to stimulate you to wholesome thinking. I want you to recall the words spoken in the past by the holy prophets and the command given by our Lord and Savior through your apostles. First of all, you must understand that in the last days scoffers will come, scoffing and following their own evil desires. They will say, "Where is this ‘coming’ he promised? Ever since our fathers died, everything goes on as it has since the beginning of creation." But they deliberately forget that long ago by God's word the heavens existed and the earth was formed out of water and by water. By these waters also the world of that time was deluged and destroyed. By the same word the present heavens and earth are reserved for fire, being kept for the day of judgment and destruction of ungodly men. But do not forget this one thing, dear friends: With the Lord a day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years are like a day. The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. He is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance. But the day of the Lord will come like a thief. The heavens will disappear with a roar; the elements will be destroyed by fire, and the earth and everything in it will be laid bare. Since everything will be destroyed in this way, what kind of people ought you to be? You ought to live holy and godly lives as you look forward to the day of God and speed its coming. That day will bring about the destruction of the heavens by fire, and the elements will melt in the heat. But in keeping with his promise we are looking forward to a new heaven and a new earth, the home of righteousness. So then, dear friends, since you are looking forward to this, make every effort to be found spotless, blameless and at peace with him. Bear in mind that our Lord's patience means salvation, just as our dear brother Paul also wrote you with the wisdom that God gave him. He writes the same way in all his letters, speaking in them of these matters. His letters contain some things that are hard to understand, which ignorant and unstable people distort, as they do the other Scriptures, to their own destruction. Therefore, dear friends, since you already know this, be on your guard so that you may not be carried away by the error of lawless men and fall from your secure position. But grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To him be glory both now and forever! Amen. Friend, if Scripture does not convince you, I certainly cannot. God Bless! Angel |
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352 | Because he betrayed Jesus? | NT general Archive 1 | JCrichton | 127816 | ||
"his "infamous" ways" Hi, new Christian! I have felt this approach to Peter in various forums and in live exchange... I can only imagine that it is because of the emphasis placed on him by the Catholic Church... ...unlike the rest of the disciples, Peter was quick to follow Jesus at every opportunity... he did not consider himself better than the rest, he simply took on to the Lord! Was he perfect? No! But he was singled out by God from amongst the Eleven! (Matthew 16:17, 18, 19; Matthew 26:34; John 21:15, 16, 17). Did he speak out of turn? No! Did he speak without weighing the full consequence of his words? Yes! Did he betray Jesus? No! There was only one betrayer: Judas. It is notable to read what transpired with the Eleven between the time of Jesus' arrest and His death on the cross: a) One of them draw a sword and attempted to repel those who came to imprison Jesus--it was Peter. b) Once Jesus admonished Peter all of the disciples had no recourse but to flee (fearing the same treatment from those who came to take Jesus away). c) They all fled Jesus' side only hours, perhaps minutes after they had stated that they would stay with Him till the end... they all failed! d) Only two of Jesus' disciples followed Him through the ordeal--well till one of them was discovered: Peter and another disciple stayed within sight of Jesus. Sadly, Peter was recognized as one of His disciples and, out of pure fear, he denied knowing the Master. It would seem that only the other disciple was firm in his conviction to stay at Jesus' side... but when the event is scrutinized, we find that this particular disciple was a familiar face in this establishment--clearly they would not suspect as a disciple or a sympathizer someone who was known to them! Had Peter had the favor that this disciple had, he would surely had stayed with Jesus till the end! When assessing Peter's character and conviction we forget that the other disciples followed his lead--it was the younger disciple that made it to the empty tomb... but he stayed at the entrance, and only after Peter went in did he too do the same... There's a passage of Scripture where Paul admonishes Peter for living a duality (separating himself from the Gentiles when receiving representatives from Jerusalem), but Paul did not say that Peter continued this behavior after his admonishion... Still, this is not an indication that Peter was infamous... after all, was it not Peter who protected the right of the Gentiles (Acts 10:44 through 11:18 and 15:1-12)? They say that hindsight is always 20/20... but if we are prejudicial in our hearts our retrospection will be contaminated by our prejudice! Let us place ourselves in the experience of the Eleven before we conclude that some were cowards or less righteous than others or even than ourselves! God Bless! Angel |
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353 | First Century Second Coming? | John 5:19 | JCrichton | 127723 | ||
Part 3 of 3 Jesus must have seen the restlessness creeping into the disciples as their patience began to be depleted since they could not deduce a clear answer from what He had revealed because He turns the attention back to His Second Coming. And, though still not offering a specific time frame, He speaks on how humanity will be willfully disobedient to His warnings and, as He has foretold already, He will come as a thief in the night to those who will not be found ready. During this particular revelation, Jesus clarifies that there will be a definite gathering of His followers, who will be selected from amongst the rest of humanity : "No one knows about that day or hour, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father. As it was in the days of Noah, so it will be at the coming of the Son of Man. For in the days before the flood, people were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, up to the day Noah entered the ark; and they knew nothing about what would happen until the flood came and took them all away. That is how it will be at the coming of the Son of Man. Two men will be in the field; one will be taken and the other left. Two women will be grinding with a hand mill; one will be taken and the other left. "Therefore keep watch, because you do not know on what day your Lord will come. But understand this: If the owner of the house had known at what time of night the thief was coming, he would have kept watch and would not have let his house be broken into. So you also must be ready, because the Son of Man will come at an hour when you do not expect him. (Matthew 24:36-44) serve to remind us that: a) Jesus makes it clear, verses 45 through 51, that we will not have the specifics on the appointed time of His Second Coming, and He admonishes us to be ready, to obey His command to love and serve one another till His Second Coming: "Who then is the faithful and wise servant, whom the master has put in charge of the servants in his household to give them their food at the proper time? It will be good for that servant whose master finds him doing so when he returns. I tell you the truth, he will put him in charge of all his possessions. But suppose that servant is wicked and says to himself, ‘My master is staying away a long time,’ and he then begins to beat his fellow servants and to eat and drink with drunkards. The master of that servant will come on a day when he does not expect him and at an hour he is not aware of. He will cut him to pieces and assign him a place with the hypocrites, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. It is God’s prerogative to reveal His Plan as He sees fit… God enjoys our dependence on Him and His revelations are made in such manner as to keep us in Him (“abide in me and I will abide in you!“); we may speculate and ponder and theorize but only the Word of the Lord comes to fruition! God Bless! Angel |
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354 | First Century Second Coming? | John 5:19 | JCrichton | 127722 | ||
Part 2 of 3 Yet this is only part of the revelation… verse 22 speaks of God’s direct intervention on an event that is on-going and it is specified that this intervention is due for the sake of the elect: it is not the Jews who are elected in Christ, but the Gentiles! Then, Jesus has further warnings about the signs/events to come: At that time if anyone says to you, ‘Look, here is the Christ!‘ or, ‘There he is!‘ do not believe it. For false Christs and false prophets will appear and perform great signs and miracles to deceive even the elect--if that were possible. See, I have told you ahead of time. "So if anyone tells you, ‘There he is, out in the desert,‘ do not go out; or, ‘Here he is, in the inner rooms,‘ do not believe it. For as lightning that comes from the east is visible even in the west, so will be the coming of the Son of Man. Wherever there is a carcass, there the vultures will gather. (Matthew 24:23-28) We have been suffering these Christs/false prophets from the time of the Apostles… but clearly, Christ’s Second Coming has not happened! His Second Coming will not be shrouded with the conformities of the Old Covenant: He will Come in the full splendor of His Glory… no one will escape His Coming (Revelation 1:7). Jesus will no longer come to fulfill His obligation as the Lamb of God who hat to be offered in the outskirts of the Great City, He will come as the Lion of Israel, the Mighty King: with full Majesty and Power! Yet, Jesus offers still more signs: "Immediately after the distress of those days " ‘the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light; the stars will fall from the sky, and the heavenly bodies will be shaken.’ (Matthew 24:29) We know that powerful signs were revealed at Jesus’ death on the Cross, including the sun darkening, and the moon, consumed in the darkness, could very well not have been noticed by any, heavenly bodies were so shaken that many people of God rose from their graves and, at Jesus’ resurrection, went into the Holy City. But that was not the full revelation: "At that time the sign of the Son of Man will appear in the sky, and all the nations of the earth will mourn. They will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of the sky, with power and great glory. And he will send his angels with a loud trumpet call, and they will gather his elect from the four winds, from one end of the heavens to the other. (Matthew 24:30-31) Jesus’ death was a significant event in the life of Israel, but it could not have been of great importance to the rest of the world since most the world around them were polygamists and Jesus’ doctrine was rejected even by most of Israel… yet notice how Christ becomes the center of the world in verse 30: “all the nations of the earth will mourn!” Clearly this event has not happened! In verse 33 Jesus explains that when all these signs are seen His Second Coming is near! Though He returns to the signs that will be witnessed by the disciples in verse 34: "Now learn this lesson from the fig tree: As soon as its twigs get tender and its leaves come out, you know that summer is near. Even so, when you see all these things, you know that it is near, right at the door. I tell you the truth, this generation will certainly not pass away until all these things have happened. Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will never pass away. (Matthew 24:32-34) |
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355 | First Century Second Coming? | John 5:19 | JCrichton | 127721 | ||
Hi,Fatherof4! Part 1 of 3 It is set up that way by Christ Himself! Let's review Matthew 24: Jesus left the temple and was walking away when his disciples came up to him to call his attention to its buildings. "Do you see all these things?" he asked. "I tell you the truth, not one stone here will be left on another; every one will be thrown down." (Matthew 24:1-2) Historically, this happened on or about 70 AD--though it was not in the direct time frame, it did happened within the lifetime of some of those who heard Jesus’ Word. The disciples just got wind of an exceptional event--one that will crush the Old Testament religious establishment (destruction of the Temple). Their curiosity peeks and they want to know more!: As Jesus was sitting on the Mount of Olives, the disciples came to him privately. "Tell us," they said, "when will this happen, and what will be the sign of your coming and of the end of the age?" (Matthew 24:3) We would think that Jesus would offer a clear cut answer which would include a specific date or at least a general “during the “x” decade, of the “y” century, during the reign of “z.” But, Jesus is not a diviner and He did not come to reveal all truth!: Jesus answered: "Watch out that no one deceives you. For many will come in my name, claiming, ‘I am the Christ,‘ and will deceive many. You will hear of wars and rumors of wars, but see to it that you are not alarmed. Such things must happen, but the end is still to come. Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be famines and earthquakes in various places. All these are the beginning of birth pains. "Then you will be handed over to be persecuted and put to death, and you will be hated by all nations because of me. At that time many will turn away from the faith and will betray and hate each other, and many false prophets will appear and deceive many people. Because of the increase of wickedness, the love of most will grow cold, but he who stands firm to the end will be saved. And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come. (Matthew 24:4-14) These verses, 4 through 14, offer a synopsis of wondrous signs and events, but there’s no chronological date! The most crucial bit of information is found in verse 14: the Gospel will be preached to all nations, then the end! There are places where the Gospel has been imprisoned; where it has been distorted; where it has been outlaw altogether… this proves that His Second Coming has not happened yet! As though it has not been confusing enough for the disciples to ascertain a clear response (remember, they asked a compound question: a) “when will this happen,” b) “what will be the sign of your coming,” and c) “the end of the age?”), Jesus throws at them an ancient prophecy (Daniel 9:27; 11:31-32; 12:11-13): "So when you see standing in the holy place ‘the abomination that causes desolation,’ spoken of through the prophet Daniel--let the reader understand-- then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains. Let no one on the roof of his house go down to take anything out of the house. Let no one in the field go back to get his cloak. How dreadful it will be in those days for pregnant women and nursing mothers! Pray that your flight will not take place in winter or on the Sabbath. For then there will be great distress, unequaled from the beginning of the world until now--and never to be equaled again. If those days had not been cut short, no one would survive, but for the sake of the elect those days will be shortened. (Matthew 24:15-22) The most complicated part of the above prophecy? “the abomination that causes desolation.” There has been one single event in the life of Israel (the Jewish people) that has caused just such desolation: the destruction of the Temple--I mean, not even the atrocities committed by the Nazi’s genocidal machine during WWII had such an effect on Israel, as a people, as the destruction of the Temple in 70 AD. |
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356 | How do you substantiate your answere? | Gen 1:31 | JCrichton | 127387 | ||
Part 3 of 3 Isaiah 14:12-14 New King James Version (NKJV) Isaiah 14 The Fall of Lucifer 12 "How you are fallen from heaven, O Lucifer,(1) son of the morning! How you are cut down to the ground, You who weakened the nations! 13For you have said in your heart: "I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God; I will also sit on the mount of the congregation On the farthest sides of the north; 14I will ascend above the heights of the clouds, I will be like the Most High.” Footnotes 14:12 Literally Day Star Isaiah 14:12-14 21st Century King James Version (KJ21) Isaiah 14 12 "How art thou fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning! How art thou cut down to the ground, who didst weaken the nations! 13 For thou hast said in thine heart, ‘I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God; I will sit also upon the mount of the congregation, in the sides of the north. 14 I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will be like the Most High.” Isaiah 14:12-14 Darby Translation (DARBY) Isaiah 14 12 How art thou fallen from heaven, Lucifer, son of the morning! Thou art cut down to the ground, that didst prostrate the nations! 13 And thou that didst say in thy heart, I will ascend into the heavens, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God, and I will sit upon the mount of assembly, in the recesses of the north; 14 I will ascend above the heights of the clouds, I will be like the Most High: Please reference the Whole Bible and reason out who Lucifer is. But please do not be simplistic and ignore Scripture by saying that Lucifer is simply a man who wanted to be as God--unless you and your sources can prove that there’s some way that a man can overthrow God from His Throne in Heaven… and that that man was able to seduce a third of the angels to assist him on his assault on the Throne! “I agree with you. Now I will add that I am vexed to think that you believe my unacceptance of the traditional view that Isaiah chapter 14 refers to Satan somehow makes me disobedient to God. Thank you for pointing to the splinter in my eye! Now consider the mote in yours.” My statement is to the fact that you claim that God created evil… Satan being the foundation of sin/evil is, per your statement, just another one of God’s creations. This fact is what I am admonishing against! For you or anyone else to claim such fallacy as truth is to give the world license to commit itself to evil--after all God saw that creation was good and He rested! What you claim suggests that, by proxy, God condones wickedness (since, per your words, he created evil); please, do not reason with human wisdom and understanding… allow the Holy Spirit to guide you to the Truth! Do you see the error in your doctrine? How can a Being of Light create evil and be content at witnessing its creation? Please rethink your ideologies… There’s no darkness in the Light! “ISAIAH 45:7 "I form the light, and create darkness: I make peace, and create evil: I the LORD do all these things."” “And the LORD repented of the evil which he thought to do unto his people."” My friend, this is speaking on God’s Omnipotence… it does not mean that He places evil in the world or that He schemes like a lowly human to satisfy His thirst for vengeance and to exploit His creation once evil corrupts it! Please, ask the Holy Spirit for enlightenment! I will continue to pray that the Holy Spirit shine on all of God’s children so that the father of lies does not confound our hearts and minds with a counterfeit doctrine! God Bless! Angel |
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357 | How do you substantiate your answere? | Gen 1:31 | JCrichton | 127386 | ||
Part 2 of 3 It is evident from the preponderance of supporting Scripture that Jesus is God and, as God, Omniscient; but there are still those who do not want to accept the Truth and refuse to obey Scripture. They even have the tenacity to cite a few passages that, on the surface, seem to support their fallacy, while, simultaneously, they reject all Scripture that disproves their arguments! You asked me for substantiated Scripture, I offered it (Genesis 1:1-31)! Yet, you refuse to accept the Scripture’s passage that clearly states that God Created everything and “He saw it was good!” You go off on a tangent and characterize darkness as evil and, though not Scripturally stated, you affirm that that is its true nature… who’s kidding who? “However, I find your reply to be riddled with opinions concerning the traditional origin of Satan which is a contestable subject and nowhere scripturally verifyable. Please read more on the subject before you definitively attribute such authority to Isaiah Chapter 14.” You refuse to accept Scripture because it does not spell out (ad verbum) Lucifer is Satan: Isaiah 14:12-14 New American Standard Bible (NASB) 12 "How you have (1) fallen from heaven, O (2) star of the morning, son of the dawn! You have been cut down to the earth, You who have weakened the nations! 13 "But you said in your heart, 'I will (3) ascend to heaven; I will (4) raise my throne above the stars of God, And I will sit on the mount of assembly In the recesses of the north. 14 “I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; (5) I will make myself like the Most High.” Show cross-references Is 34:4; Luke 10:18; Rev 8:10; 9:1 2 Pet 1:19; Rev 2:28; 22:16 Ezek 28:2 Dan 5:22, 23; 8:10; 2 Thess 2:4 Is 47:8; 2 Thess 2:4 Isaiah 14:12-14 Amplified Bible (AMP) Isaiah 14 12How have you fallen from heaven, O (1) light-bringer and daystar, son of the morning! How you have been cut down to the ground, you who weakened and laid low the nations (O blasphemous, satanic king of Babylon!) 13And you said in your heart, I will ascend to heaven; I will exalt my throne above the stars of God; I will sit upon the mount of assembly in the uttermost north. 14I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will make myself like the Most High. Footnotes The Hebrew for this expression--"light-bringer" or "shining one"--is translated "Lucifer" in The Latin Vulgate, and is thus translated in the King James Version. But because of the association of that name with Satan, it is not now used in this and other translations. Some students feel that the application of the name Lucifer to Satan, in spite of the long and confident teaching to that effect, is erroneous. The application of the name to Satan has existed since the third century A.D., and is based on the supposition that Luke 10:18 is an explanation of Isa. 14:12, which many authorities believe is not true. "Lucifer," the light-bringer, is the Latin equivalent of the Greek word "Phosphoros," which is used as a title of Christ in II Pet. 1:19 and corresponds to the name "radiant and brilliant Morning Star" in Rev. 22:16, a name Jesus called Himself. This passage here in Isa. 14:13 clearly applies to the king of Babylon. Isaiah 14:12-14 King James Version (KJV) Isaiah 14 12 How art thou fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning! how art thou cut down to the ground, which didst weaken the nations! 13 For thou hast said in thine heart, I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God: I will sit also upon the mount of the congregation, in the sides of the north: 14 I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will be like the most High. |
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358 | How do you substantiate your answere? | Gen 1:31 | JCrichton | 127385 | ||
“I DO NOT BELIEVE GOD IS EVIL.” Hi, Stultis! Part 1 of 3 Thank you for your clarification! I want to apologize for my energetic post… as you clearly noted, I had been put off… I did start to believe that you were setting up a preamble to an old doctrine (good and evil)… Again, I cannot convict of the Truth--not a single human being will ever be able to do this! Whoever claims to have such power is an agent of the anti-Christ (as such an anti-Christ him/herself). It is only the Holy Spirit, the Third Person of God, that can convict us of the Truth! The Bible is the Word of God. But we cannot even being to fathom the simplest of Scripture without the Holy Spirits revelation! When we seek to know God using our own limited means (human reason and wisdom) we short way short of the mark! This is not to say that we must become theologians in order to understand Scripture… I am simply stating fact. The Word of God is God’s revelation to us--if we remove God from the equation we end up with mud: we allow Satan to pull us into that black hole known as pride and ego! We spin our mind’s wheels seeking to convince the world of our perceived wisdom that can render God’s Mysteries disclosed to our keen abilities; Adam and Eve taste some of that wisdom! But if instead we humbly ask the Holy Spirit for assistance, since He is all-knowing and all-loving, He can guide us to the fullness of the Truth! You have several arguments… you request that all response be substantiated by Scripture… I have attempted to do just that… the problem is that you seem to subscribe to a teaching that allows you to divorce Scripture passages from the rest of the Bible and that allows you to dictate limitations on what Scripture speaks on… From that reasoning some have devised that Jesus is not God… a couple of particular Scripture passages, if interpreted only through their methodology--which to me is quite similar to yours--would actively render Christ a little more than a man: ‘But as for that day or hour, nobody knows it, neither the angels in heaven, nor the Son; no one but the Father. (Mark 13:32) Jesus said, ‘Foxes have holes and the birds of the air have nests, but the Son of man has nowhere to lay his head.’ (Matthew 8:20) If stripped of all other Scripture content, these two passages (Mark 13:32 and Matthew 8:20) do suggest that Jesus Christ is not God: He calls Himself the Son of man and He testifies that there is something that not even the Son knows about… Since God is Spirit and not a man and since God is Omniscient there seems to be credence to anyone who holds the belief that Christ Jesus is not God… The problem is that Scripture is not devoid of other Scripture; rather, Scripture supports Scripture! When the above passages are scrutinized against other passages the conclusion is that those seemingly straightforward face value interpretation were flawed! In John 16:28 Jesus states that He came from the Father--God is Spirit, as so is Jesus who came from Him. Further, it is revealed, through the angel Gabriel, that Mary will conceive Jesus, the Emmanuel, by the Power of the Holy Spirit and not by mere human copulation! So, clearly, Jesus’ declaration of being the Son of man has a deeper meaning than simply: Jesus is human! In John 16:29-30 we find Jesus’ disciples witnessing that He is all-knowing and their profession of faith that they believe that He comes from God!--these revelations, as well as Peter’s in Matthew 16:16-17, came by the Grace of the Holy Spirit! Further confirmation of Jesus’ Omniscience is found in John 17:10: All I have is yours and all you have is mine, and in them I am glorified. It is not that the Word became incarnate and devoid of Divinity… the truth is that Jesus never stopped being God; He simply did not retain His Authority in His total submission to the Father in order to fulfill His function as the Lamb of God (Philippians 2:5-8; John 17:5;): I still have many things to say to you but they would be too much for you to bear now. However, when the Spirit of truth comes he will lead you to the complete truth, since he will not be speaking of his own accord, but will say only what he has been told; and he will reveal to you the things to come. He will glorify me, since all he reveals to you will be taken from what is mine. Everything the Father has is mine; that is why I said: all he reveals to you will be taken from what is mine. (John 16:12-15) |
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359 | Skeletons of evolution? False? | Genesis | JCrichton | 126966 | ||
Hi, Ancient! Thanks for your post! Is was very informative... I particularly enjoyed reading item #5--I've heard some murmur about it but had not found corroboration... as I was reading it Genesis 1:7 jumped at me: And God said, "Let there be an expanse between the waters to separate water from water." So God made the expanse and separated the water under the expanse from the water above it. And it was so. God called the expanse "sky." And there was evening, and there was morning-the second day. (Genesis 1:6-8) Isn't it marvelous, how God reveals the workings of the universe in terms that are easily grasped by all--even when it takes science thousands of years to come to formulate a comprehensive understanding of such workings? Every day I learn more and more about God's Majestic Prowess and His ability to humble Himself for us! What a Great Teacher: Immeasurably Patient and Loving! God Bless! Angel |
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360 | Christ Sometimes Taught in Greek | Mark 12:30 | JCrichton | 126838 | ||
Hi, dab! The problem I see with this interpretation is that Israel as a nation did not convert to Christianity... their suffering and devastation came because they did not beleive and accepted Christ as God. This is an old promise from the Old Testament--Yahweh patiently awaited Israel's return to Him under the threat of subjugation by other nations and expatriation throughout the world. While Revelation 12 is indeed speaking of those who believe Christ (Christians): the dragon could not defeat the Lord, so he took his battle to his brothers--those who keep the testimony of Jesus (those who are faithful to His revelations). God Bless! Angel |
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