Results 161 - 180 of 499
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Results from: Answered Bible Questions, Answers, Unanswered Bible Questions, Notes Author: Scribe Ordered by Date |
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Results | Verse | Author | ID# | |||
161 | Please explain Isaiah 40:5-6 | Is 40:5 | Scribe | 85099 | ||
Isaiah 40:4-8 Every valley shall be exalted, and every mountain and hill shall be made low: and the crooked shall be made straight, and the rough places plain: And the glory of the LORD shall be revealed, and all flesh shall see it together: for the mouth of the LORD hath spoken it. The voice said, Cry. And he said, What shall I cry? All flesh is grass, and all the goodliness thereof is as the flower of the field: The grass withereth, the flower fadeth: because the spirit of the LORD bloweth upon it: surely the people is grass. The grass withereth, the flower fadeth: but the word of our God shall stand for ever. This passage is a doctrinal foundational passage. There are many doctrines established in the passage. We are most familiar with the Gospels applying verse 4 to the ministry of John the Baptist. There is more to verse 4 than that but in order for me to squeeze an answer into the character limitation of the post I will simply mention that vs 4 tells us that that verse 5 is at least about the coming of Jesus Christ, when John states in John 1 that they beheld his Glory, he was referring to this very promise here in Is being fulfilled in Jesus. Now not only did they behold his glory in the spiritual sense of His message and deeds, but they actually beheld a manifestation of the Glory of God that will again appear when Jesus comes again the 2nd time in His Glory, they saw it when they were with Him on the mount. Jesus told them some of them would not see death until they saw the Son of God come with Power and Glory, and 6 days later some of them (peter, james and John) were with Him on the mount and He was transfigured before them and shone like the sun. Later Peter mentions this in his epistles and says he witnessed the Power and Coming of the Son of God when he was with Him in the mount, (that is how we know that is what Jesus meant when he said some of you will see the power and coming of the Son of God) Peter goes on to say that we all will partake of that very same Glory when Christ comes again. Therefore Peter understood that these OT prophecies were about the Glory that will follow when Jesus comes again a second time and we who have Christ in us will be transfigured and shine as well. All over the earth the believers that are waiting His appearing will shine like like the stars as they are changed in a twinkling, and they will rise and meet the Lord in the Air. This is what I believe about the rapture. It will not be a disappearing in a twinkling, that is not what the scripture says.. but a changing, and a rising, we only disappear after we have risen from view. All flesh will see the Glory of the Lord manifested in us. They will also see the Glory of the Lord when Christ Comes at the end of the tribulation. |
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162 | Christians? | James 1:22 | Scribe | 85090 | ||
James 1:22 But be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves. Matthew 7:26 And every one that heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them not, shall be likened unto a foolish man, which built his house upon the sand: Matthew 7:22 Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works? I think that we often hear people call something salvation that isnt. What is "accepting Jesus as your saviour?" I do not think you will find the terminology or anything close to it in the New Testament. It almost sounds like we reluctantly say.. ok God I will give you a chance.. I will accept you. Oh no, my brethren, this is far from the salvation that the Bible teaches. It is us that need acceptance. The cry of the heart of a saved man is not.."I will accept you now... I think I am ready for something better... " But rather. OH Dear Lord, Please Accept me, though I am not worthy or the least of your mercies!" This is the prayer that God will hear and this is the person that will rise up justified, and begin to bring forth fruit worthy of repentance. The enlightened soul can barely look up toward heaven in shame at the condition of his soul. Luke 18:13 And the publican, standing afar off, would not lift up so much as his eyes unto heaven, but smote upon his breast, saying, God be merciful to me a sinner. Luke 18:14 I tell you, this man went down to his house justified. No it is He that accepts us and we are glad, we are so glad we do not want to be found in sin again but seek to please Him and do His word. This is the saved man. What if you see a man that “accepted” Jesus by signing a prayer card at the church alter. But he makes no attempt to please the Lord, or shows no gratitude in daily life for salvation. What is he saved from? If ceases not from daily sins of the old life, then how can we call it saved. The very word has it’s original New Testament usage in this verse. Matthew 1:21 And she shall bring forth a son, and thou shalt call his name JESUS: for he shall save his people from their sins. If they are not showing any change they are not saved from their sins. Then they are still in darkness and not yet translated into the kingdom of light. |
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163 | What is the purpose of the anointing? | Bible general Archive 1 | Scribe | 85066 | ||
(Part 2 of 2) We are not anointed in one message about the resurrection and not anointed in another message about the genealogies. We are anointed by the Holy Spirit as a result of our salvation and call. The gifts and callings of God are without repentance. We will be anointed to preach the gospel when we go to sleep tonight, and anointed when we wake up. The anointing abides with us. You might feel joy when you contemplate the glories of the world to come, but it is not because you are now anointed, and before you weren't. Truly brethren we are either anointed or we aren't. Called or not. Saved or not. Now we are filled with the Holy Spirit and called and anointed. And we will remain so. The truth that we are anointed is the same as saying we go "in the name of Jesus Christ" We preach in his name because we are anointed. We baptize in His Name because it is He that gives us the authority to baptize because we are anointed by the Holy Spirit to do so. I may not feel very well today as I type this, I may not feel any desire to leap about and shout as some men do, nevertheless I am anointed, the anointing abides in me, and is not subject to my bodily infirmities. There are times that we may be filled with the Holy Spirit in the sense that our inner man is strengthened and emboldened and our faith made strong and we receive power to witness and do ministry that is empowered by the Holy Spirit and not by our own ambitions, and these times are extra ordinary, more than the normal infillings of the Spirit of God to do service. As we see in Acts when Peter must make a confession before his accusers, it says that Peter... being filled with the Holy Ghost... spake, not as though he did not have the Holy Spirit before, but there are times when the Lord gives us an outpouring of His Spirit when we need it to do His will. I do not call this the anointing though such an association is common in today's church, and technically it may include the fact that we are anointed. I call it "being filled with the Holy Spirit." The danger of calling feelings "the anointing" is that you will see all sorts of fleshly demonstrations being called the anointing. I fear God when I hear such things and cringe to hear it. I would be careful not to use the term anointing as it relates to being filled with the Holy Spirit for service unless you are preaching Jesus Christ. We know that the Holy Spirit testifies of Jesus Christ, that it brings to remembrance the word of God, but we do not want to accuse the Holy Spirit of doing some of the things we see demonstrated in services today. I heard a preacher speaking about a particular non-canonical story about simon the man who was compelled to carry the cross, the story is not considered authentic by most and never was taken very serious, more likely a spurious story that once circulated as many such stories sprang up in the ages preceding Christ. The preacher in teaching this extra biblical record, said he felt the anointing coming upon him. This is the kind of error that associating the "anointing" with feelings produces. What if the story is not even true, as most agree, then he is stating that God is confirming the extra biblical doubtful record and accusing God of confirming a lie. It is dangerous for us to presumptuously say that this is the Holy Spirit. That is what is meant when someone says.. I am being anointed to teach this. If it is the Holy Spirit, He will testify of Jesus and confirm the Word of God not the traditional stories or other such doubtful records. I have gone on long enough. I hope this has been helpful and confirmed in you what many already suspected concerning the modern use of the world anointing. May God Bless You as You Study His Word. |
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164 | What is the purpose of the anointing? | Bible general Archive 1 | Scribe | 85064 | ||
Maybe we should start with what it is not. (Part 1 of 2) The anointing is NOT... when you get a chill down your spine. The anointing is NOT... the volume of your voice when you preach, neither is it the gyrating and shaking of your body in a convulsive manner as if electric jolts have been administered to you with an unseen stun gun. The anointing is NOT... a mystical invisible cloud that floats around in the congregation, a forth person of the godhead, whose job it is to make people hoop and holler with laughter when it brushes by them. The anointing is NOT about a feeling, that sometimes you have when you are preaching something exceptionally enlightening from the scriptures and other times has left you on your own if you are having to suffer through a teaching on New Testament culture at the time of Christ on the various pottery produced to assist your audience in archaeological digs in and about the city of Bethlehem. If we look at the New Testament meaning of this word, (assuming that the use of the word in the New Testament will give insight into the shadow meaning of any oils and anointing in the priestly service) we find these scriptures to be somewhat cornerstones of doctrinal truths concerning the idea of Holy Spirit anointing. Luke 4:18 The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he hath anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor; he hath sent me to heal the brokenhearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised, Acts 10:38 How God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Ghost and with power: who went about doing good, and healing all that were oppressed of the devil; for God was with him. Hebrews 1:9 Thou hast loved righteousness, and hated iniquity; therefore God, even thy God, hath anointed thee with the oil of gladness above thy fellows. 2 Corinthians 1:21-22 Now he which stablisheth us with you in Christ, and hath anointed us, is God; Who hath also sealed us, and given the earnest of the Spirit in our hearts. 1 John 2:27 But the anointing which ye have received of him abideth in you, and ye need not that any man teach you: but as the same anointing teacheth you of all things, and is truth, and is no lie, and even as it hath taught you, ye shall abide in him. These all tell us that the Anointing that we speak of when we speak of a preacher being Anointed is that of a call and an equipping by God through the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit does not leave the preacher, (or saint for we are all called to be anointed) the anointed abides with us John says. It does not come and go. (part 2 continued on next post) |
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165 | Searching for the truth | Gen 9:11 | Scribe | 85047 | ||
As stated in the previous post concerning the rainbow. The promise is that God will not destroy every living thing with one judgement. That is not what happens when the earth is destroyed. The people of earth suffer great judgements of billions under the judgements in revelation. But they do not all get wiped out by anyone particular one or even all of them combined. The earth does not just vaporize one day while people are running about being wicked. The judgments of Revelation are poured out, but many remain alive. They enter into the final judgement after the 1000 year reign with Christ on the earth. After the final destinies of all men are settled and the wicked are removed leaving only those with eternal life does the earth get dissolved. | ||||||
166 | Backsliding ? | James 5:19 | Scribe | 85043 | ||
James 5:19-20 Brethren, if any of you do err from the truth, and one convert him; Let him know, that he which converteth the sinner from the error of his way shall save a soul from death, and shall hide a multitude of sins. |
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167 | In the book of Matthew, who are the goat | Matt 24:1 | Scribe | 85038 | ||
I believe that the message is that we are to show love by our actions toward our brother. Jesus says "in as much as you have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren" is probably not meant to mean the race of the Jewish people, but more likely first and foremost the Christian that obeys the Lords commands, as He says in another place, "For whosoever shall do the will of my Father which is in heaven, the same is my brother, and sister, and mother." And we have the oft admonition of Paul to show compassion, and support unto the household of faith, and again his continuous concern for the poor among the saints throughout the book of Acts. Do not mistake me, I do not believe a person who is hungry should be ignored by a passing saint whether or not that hungry man is part of the church or not. However, if it be a sin to ignore the "unidentifiable" man under the bridge downtown, how much more will we be counted guilty who ignore the needy among our own local fellowship of believers. We are first given the responsibility and accountability before God over our handing of the needs we know about among our brethren and that which is within our poor to relieve. I agree that this passage in Matthew 25:32 does apply to serving all the needy but particularly those of the church. If so.. where will the man end up who claims "belief" in Christ and who has the power to relieve the suffering in his own circle of influence and lifts not a finger to help because doing so might hinder plans for purchasing a bigger house, 5 times larger than his family needs? Will the Lord say.. enter in.. you loose a few rewards.. but it is not that big of a deal.. after all you did believe the things in the Bible really happened. Or will he say.. depart from me... Go over there with the goats. You knew of needs among your own church and it was in your power to help that sister or brother. You said to yourself.. That is the pastors job, if they need help let them go to him. " I am not trying to change the doctrine of Grace, and salvation by faith. However, did you know that Luther had issues accepting James as canonical? This tells me that even then men have a tendency to think actions of love might somehow be related to attempts to making oneself appear righteous by practicing the Law. The two are nothing alike. The law is a list of precepts that one can keep without even understanding their meaning or shadow. Then such a legalist can go about having no love for others and deceive himself into thinking he is righteous because he kept the list of precepts, line upon line. The spiritual man who is following Faith and not the works of the law is full of Love and will be seeking to help others. Does this active love that helps others save the man? No, Faith is what saves Him, but as James said, the kind of Faith that God accepts is not a faith we make up and call it faith, but the kind of Faith HE GIVES US, and that Faith works by Love, there is no such thing as saving faith that does not love others and actively prove it. If we find that we are doing nothing to relieve the suffering of saints in our realm of influence then we have every reason to examine the validity of our faith. We can have the real God kind of Faith, the only kind He accepts, but we must not allow deception to enter in and "ease" our conscience into accepting less than the real kind of Faith that seeks to help others. Otherwise, even those that think they are part of the sheep will find they are nothing but goats in that day. I am afraid that in this age we have a mixed gospel. That sometimes the true Gospel is preached and at other times minister proclaim a false hope of salvation that costs men nothing. The gift of eternal life is freely given to all that believe, and yet this never removes the fact that unless you are willing to take up your cross and follow him (which means you are willing to die for Him) you cannot be His disciple. Therefore Believing is not just mental assent, it is a total commitment unto death. But we have the promise that they that give their lives for His sake will find it. This is to be applied in a spiritual way, on a daily basis indeed, but it is also to be applied to the very act of self sacrifice in a physical way, giving up your own comforts to show love to another. This is message of the true Gospel and the only one that brings salvation. May God Bless You As You Study His Word. |
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168 | does the Holy spirit lead us to certain | Heb 4:12 | Scribe | 84993 | ||
I will start a new post on this verse Rev 12:11 because what I am going to post I would like others to find by searching on the verse. Please take a look at it when you get a chance. | ||||||
169 | Predestination question? | 1 Tim 2:4 | Scribe | 84970 | ||
I am tempted to add more scriptures to each one you mention, some which round out the scripture truth yours bring up, and some that go beyond to present a complete picture such as the concept of Blotting out names written in the Book, which presents a whole different idea than what you are attempting to present. I am not saying that this forumn is not the place to post them, I cannot think of a better "forumn" than this one to explore both sides of the issue, since each side has to carefully read the other's and this would contribute to a much more productive form of exchange in an effort to sincerely arrive at a conclusion based on a correct interpretation of the whole counsel of God. However, partly because I think the subject has already been given more attention than it is due in academic circles, and partly because I think the vast majority of saints have already made up their minds on this subject before they ever enter into such debates, I will refrain from any further posts on predestination at this time. Maybe later when I am writing my Bible Study Series on this subject I will post some Scriptures and arguments for why I believe the way I do. Meanwhile.. May God Bless you in your study of His Word |
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170 | does the Holy spirit lead us to certain | Heb 4:12 | Scribe | 84956 | ||
I can testify that God also lead me to the best scripture for me personally at the time. When I was born again, I did not have a bible, nor was I able to get one for some weeks. However I found a few tornout pages of the book of James on the ground that someone had discarded. So for the first few weeks of my conversion I lived on the life giving verses in the book of James. The Lord knew that the first thing I needed was a proper understanding of both faith and how to control my tongue by faith. To this day I see that the Lord laid a sure foundation in my life in a personal way. The Lord knows every personality, and every flesh pattern and individual has sown to, and the Holy Spirit will lead and direct us into that area of scripture we most need to study at a given time. It is better to pray and step out on faith obeying God's leading in your study of the Word than it is to simply follow study plans suggested by others. Now those study plans are good, I am writing one myself, and every christian ought to work through a complete structured theological foundational series at least once, but nothing can replace a Spirit lead study on topics, theology and themes in the Bible. You will sense a strong desire and hunger to study a book such as Ecclesiastes and you will not really understand why, and as you step out in faith it will open up to you and you will see things that God is wanting to show you that you may had ignored for years if left to study plans suggested by men, which rarely include Ecclesiastes. God Bless you as you Study His Word. |
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171 | what is the world made of? | Eph 2:19 | Scribe | 84937 | ||
Job 28:5-6 As for the earth, out of it cometh bread: and under it is turned up as it were fire. The stones of it are the place of sapphires: and it hath dust of gold. Job is an awesome book. Job is considered by many to be the oldest of the OT. I am not so sure about that, but it is at least one of the oldest. Job seems to be full of these interesting hints of scientific knowledge, that proove that the bible has had hints of science insight thousands of years before men found out through careful observation the same things. Long before men figured it out Job tells us that there is fire in the center of the earth. |
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172 | Searching for the truth | Gen 9:1 | Scribe | 84935 | ||
Actually there are two parts to this answer. I will not go into it at length but you have the promise that not every living thing will be destroyed by a flood, as if to specify water. Sometimes it is made much of that water will not be used but fire instead. I do not quite think that is what Peter meant when he said. 2 Peter 3:7 But the heavens and the earth, which are now, by the same word are kept in store, reserved unto fire against the day of judgment and perdition of ungodly men. The world will melt with a fervent heat and even the atomic elements will be dissolved so the the New Earth promised will indeed be a new earth and not the old one with archaelolgical evidences of the past buried underneath. There is actually something to the rainbow that promises not just that God will not destroy every living thing by water, but that God will not again destroy everything with One particular judgement in one short period of days as in this event here. In the book of Revelation we have what John describes as the visionary presentation of "The Day of the Lord" This is that day spoken of by all the prophets concerning a day of judgement. The same Day that Jesus spoke of that unless "those days" were shortened there would no flesh be saved. There will be outpourings of various, plagues, famines, heat from the sun, stars falling, waters being poisoned and other horrible cataclysmic judgements that the world will acknowledge is from God and not just from God but from the Lamb ...Revelation 6:16-17 And said to the mountains and rocks, Fall on us, and hide us from the face of him that sitteth on the throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb: For the great day of his wrath is come; and who shall be able to stand?... This period of time that are said to be 7 years and some say maybe more but few say only a 24 day are called the Day of the Lord, it is not a 24 hour day but a short time nevertheless and called the Day of the Lord or the Day of His Wrath. That day that christians are told they are not appointed to. Whatever you believe about How God will keep you from that hour, you have that promise that he will and that it is not your destiny to partake of it. Neverthesless the world will drink from this cup and to the very dregs. The carnage will be horrendous and unimaginable. The "Left Behind" series will seem like a comic book in comparison to the horror of those days. Billions will be slaughtered and it will seem that all men will be destroyed, but in Revelation John sees the throne of judgement set and over this throne the Rainbow appears declaring that as overwhelming as this destruction shall be it will not cut off all flesh from the face of the earth. As you read the book of Revelation you find that the final judging of the nations is completed and the resurrection of both the dead and living have taken place, the wicked have been cast into everlasting lake of fire, when God makes a new heaven and new earth. The fire that destroys the old earth seems to do so after the day of the Lord when men have already been dealt with concerning allegiance to or against the Christ. So the promise stands, not by water or fire will every living thing be destroyed until after they are already judged through the events in Revelation. |
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173 | In the book of Matthew, who are the goat | Matt 24:1 | Scribe | 84930 | ||
Thank you inmyheart. I did not know I was missed. :) | ||||||
174 | In the book of Matthew, who are the goat | Matt 24:1 | Scribe | 84929 | ||
Thank you Jude2425 for you thoughts. Interesting interpretation. I have found others that seem to see the fair treatment of oppressed Jews in this passage as well. So you are suggesting that if the gentile saved person visited a sick Jew, he would then be rewarded. What if he only visited sick gentiles? |
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175 | Predestination question? | 1 Tim 2:4 | Scribe | 84928 | ||
Thanks for your posts John. I am not going to add any more to it at this time. It seems to me that we are saying the same thing when it comes to the actual text itself. It is the additional interpretations that seem to go off in different paths. Yes the text is clear. We agree that all those that receive the gift are justified and at least that ALL those that recieve it are granted Life. The difference in opinion will be about whether a man has the ability to have faith, I am sure that he can except when he sins againt knowledge and then is given over to a reprobate mind. I am sure that scripture is clear that all men are born with the ability to seek after God, but that all men go their own way. All men can reach out toward God in faith in the light that they have and God will grant more light. Of course a mans choices will determine whethe he is given more light. What kind of intellectual mind bending is taught in seminary to make a person ignore all the scriptures that state such a thing is beyond me, but I know they pull it off everyday. I steer clear of all such confusion. I live this truth everyday. As long as I humble myself before the Lord in repentance and obedience the more understanding and illumination I recieve. If I draw back and refuse to give up something the Lord has put "his finger" on, I experience almost immediate halt in my spiritual growth, and illumination. May we keep our eye single, devoted to Jesus Christ and Him alone at any cost, that our whole body might be full of light. In that day when the secrets of our hearts are judged by Jesus Christ that we may be holy and without blame before Him in Love. |
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176 | In the book of Matthew, who are the goat | Not Specified | Scribe | 84684 | ||
In the book of Matthew, who are the goats and the sheep? Are they nations or individuals? | ||||||
177 | In the book of Matthew, who are the goat | Matt 24:1 | Scribe | 84685 | ||
In the book of Matthew, who are the goats and the sheep? Are they nations or individuals? | ||||||
178 | falling away from the faith? | 2 Thess 2:3 | Scribe | 84676 | ||
2 Thessalonians 2:3 Let no man deceive you by any means: for that day shall not come, except there come a falling away first, and that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition; In context of this passage I believe it fits best to apply it to them that call themselves Christians. However an argument can be made for it applying to Jews. The argument for Jews can be made because of the reference to the Prophecy from Daniel about the Man of Sin. This may be enough to connect this passage to the Jews as those that fall away. However since Paul is writing to Christians in a Greek city, it would seem that the falling way here applies to christians since it is not further qualified or delimited with any further words. But the idea that he is speaking about OT prophesy is significant enough to at least be possible that he is speaking of an OT prophesy about a great falling away. I mean if he is mentioning in the same breath the OT prophesy of the man of sin is such as way that it appears he knows that his readers already know what he is talking about, then logic would suggest that there is a specific OT prophesy about a great falling away that they were familiar with and it needed no further explanation. And as we read we see that that is the case.. 2 Thessalonians 2:5 Remember ye not, that, when I was yet with you, I told you these things?.. so they were already familiar with this teaching. Was it a teaching that began with Paul? I do not think so, it would be anyones guess what it meant if it were not for a beacon provide to help us navigate our way through this dark cloud of prophetic utterance. That beacon is the mention of the prophecy from Daniel used here by Paul about the man of sin. If this was part of the teaching that Paul had told them about already then we can go and search out the scriptures surrounding the man of sin and the son of perdition and if there is any mention of a great falling way associated with it, then we can fell confident that we have arrived at our destination. First we want to look at other NT verses that speak of a falling away associated with the anti-christ (same as man of sin or son of perdition) Revelation 13:14 And deceiveth them that dwell on the earth by the means of those miracles which he had power to do in the sight of the beast; saying to them that dwell on the earth, that they should make an image to the beast, which had the wound by a sword, and did live. And the following passage seems to give insight on what kind of falling away it will be. 1 John 2:18-23 Little children, it is the last time: and as ye have heard that antichrist shall come, even now are there many antichrists; whereby we know that it is the last time. They went out from us, but they were not of us; for if they had been of us, they would no doubt have continued with us: but they went out, that they might be made manifest that they were not all of us. But ye have an unction from the Holy One, and ye know all things. I have not written unto you because ye know not the truth, but because ye know it, and that no lie is of the truth. Who is a liar but he that denieth that Jesus is the Christ? He is antichrist, that denieth the Father and the Son. Whosoever denieth the Son, the same hath not the Father: (but) he that acknowledgeth the Son hath the Father also. Now let us look at the OT prophesy of the man of sin. Daniel 11:31-35 And arms shall stand on his part, and they shall pollute the sanctuary of strength, and shall take away the daily sacrifice, and they shall place the abomination that maketh desolate. And such as do wickedly against the covenant shall he corrupt by flatteries: but the people that do know their God shall be strong, and do exploits. And they that understand among the people shall instruct many: yet they shall fall by the sword, and by flame, by captivity, and by spoil, many days. Now when they shall fall, they shall be holpen with a little help: but many shall cleave to them with flatteries. And some of them of understanding shall fall, to try them, and to purge, and to make them white, even to the time of the end: because it is yet for a time appointed. In summary, according to this passage, the Revelation of the man of sin, and the falling away are connected. This man of sin has a part in producing the great falling away. The passages in Daniel should be meditated upon and then compared with the NT passages I posted. I think you will see a pattern here that the falling away has to do with an antichrist doctrine that will force Christians to either deny Christ and give allegiance to the antichrist or die. This idea has been sensationalized in books and movies to the point of unbelievably but it is going to happen. |
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179 | BREAK DOWN THE SCRIPTURE LESSON TEXT | Mark 10:37 | Scribe | 84674 | ||
PART 2 of 2 And the two might have been guilty of being more earthly minded than they ought to be and were thinking in those terms.. “being great” and they were probably in error as they learn from Jesus on more than one occasion that they are to be servants rather than to seek to be leaders. But that is not the only truth here. And maybe not even the most significant. It becomes significant later when the disciples are angry with these two, then that lesson of servant hood has to be stressed. But that is not the lesson stressed here to James and John at first. What is said is mind boggling if we are able to understand it in the light of all the other scriptures. Let me take this approach then that these two are saying.. Lord.. You said that what ever two agree on they will have.. whatever we desire..So we desire something from you. Jesus asks them what they want (knowing it already) They express their desire to sit with Him in His Kingdom on each side of Him. Now they are thinking of an earthly kingdom but they are not altogether in error as so many seem to accuse them of. They have a huge collection of Old Testament prophecies concerning the Kingdom of God smashing the kingdoms of this World and they are right in expecting it to come. And it will come. But not in the exact way that they may have thought. However it will happen, there will be a millennial reign and more than that there will be a new heaven and a new earth, the meek will inherit the earth. What is Jesus answer to them. It is not.. “You do not know what you ask, that is never going to happen.” No Jesus is saying You do not know the cost of what you ask. Mark 10:38 But Jesus said unto them, Ye know not what ye ask: can ye drink of the cup that I drink of? and be baptized with the baptism that I am baptized with? They thought it was another riddle.. Yes Lord we can! Mark 10:39 And they said unto him, We can. And Jesus said unto them, Ye shall indeed drink of the cup that I drink of; and with the baptism that I am baptized withal shall ye be baptized: What cup? Remember when Jesus was praying in the garden and say “Father , let this cup pass from me?” It is a cup of suffering for the kingdoms sake. They would be going through much tribulation before long. And James and John suffered greatly for the Gospels sake. Mark 10:40 But to sit on my right hand and on my left hand is not mine to give; but it shall be given to them for whom it is prepared. Now what Jesus is sayings is You will sit on my right hand and on my left hand, but it is not mine to give.. it will be giving to them for whom it is prepared. In revelation we see this explained again.. and by none other than the same John that is here asking for it now. Revelation 3:21 To him that overcometh will I grant to sit with me in my throne, even as I also overcame, and am set down with my Father in his throne. HALLELUJAH. The promise is not only to John and James but to all that overcome. So remember brethren.. no matter what you are going through in this life, no matter what degree of suffering you might face, suffer through it choosing to please God and do not draw back into selfish living, because in that day your reward will be great and it will be all worth it. Woe to them who draw back and do not overcome. Only the overcomers inherit this promise of sitting with Him in His throne. |
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180 | BREAK DOWN THE SCRIPTURE LESSON TEXT | Mark 10:37 | Scribe | 84673 | ||
PART 1 of 2 This is a good question and one that deserves a more complete answer than is often given by even popular bible commentaries. As in most verses the meaning is best brought out by comprehending the context and in this instance comparing with other verses as well. I will first post the most important part of the relevant passage. Mark 10:35-40 And James and John, the sons of Zebedee, come unto him, saying, Master, we would that thou shouldest do for us whatsoever we shall desire. And he said unto them, What would ye that I should do for you? They said unto him, Grant unto us that we may sit, one on thy right hand, and the other on thy left hand, in thy glory. But Jesus said unto them, Ye know not what ye ask: can ye drink of the cup that I drink of? and be baptized with the baptism that I am baptized with? And they said unto him, We can. And Jesus said unto them, Ye shall indeed drink of the cup that I drink of; and with the baptism that I am baptized withal shall ye be baptized: But to sit on my right hand and on my left hand is not mine to give; but it shall be given to them for whom it is prepared. Now remember in Mt 20:20 There mother is said to have been behind this as well. Though I do not think she was the only motivating factor. Notice the words of the two... Master, we would that thou shouldest do for us whatsoever we shall desire. Now at first glance and with no familiarity with the rest of the Gospels it might seem that the two were being extremely forward, or possibly proud and presumptuous. But they are not accused of being so by Jesus. I do not think it is correct to accuse them of such an attitude in this instance. I think they were acting on something Jesus had previously taught them. Now we have stated that In Mt 20:20 the account is given showing that their mother was also there. We do not consider this a contradiction in Mark but simply one of those instances where one Gospel gives details that another gospel does not. So also there are details in Matt 18 that reveal that James and John had already heard at least one significant Christian doctrine that they no doubt had been discussing and trying to get a handle on…. Matthew 18:19-20 Again I say unto you, That if two of you shall agree on earth as touching any thing that they shall ask, it shall be done for them of my Father which is in heaven. For where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them. Consider the possibility that these two had discussed this and rehashed it and tried to figure out the “riddle” of Christ’s words in this teaching. I see them in Mark 10 as stepping forward to try and act on what Jesus has taught. It is as if they are seeing that Jesus might have been teaching them that faith has resolve, and they are trying to act on a bolder active faith, to be bold enough to ask for what they want from God. So they boldly approach Jesus in what I believe is Faith. Their mother might have been behind it also wanting them to be “great” in the new kingdom to come. Who’s mother wouldn’t? (part 2 continued on next post) |
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