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NASB | Matthew 24:28 "Wherever the corpse is, there the vultures will gather. |
AMPLIFIED 2015 | Matthew 24:28 "Wherever the corpse is, there the vultures will flock together. [Job 39:30] |
Subject: Who is Jesus? |
Bible Note: Dear Ed, you wrote: "Thus we see the illogic of Bahi’a they say Jesus was a true prophet to be believed, yet they say he was wrong that other true prophets have come." I don't believe I understand what you have said with that statement. Baha'is believe in all of Almighty God's true prophets. You also wrote: "His explanation completely closed the door to the idea of another prophet’s appearance before his spectacular and magnificent second coming." If we look closely at the Words of the Lord Christ recorded at Matthew chapter 17, verses 11 and 12 we discern a remarkable prophecy that 'Elijah' would come again in the future, and we also see that the Lord identified John the Immerser also as 'Elijah' who had already come. I'm sure you recall that He also identified John the immerser as a prophet. It is clear, therefore, that the 'Elijah' personage Whom He was at that moment prophesying to appear in the future would also be at least a prophet such as John the immerser. John was not the same individual who was the original Elijah. Nor would we expect the "Elijah' of the future to be either the same John the immerser, nor the same original Elijah. John came in the spirit and power of Elijah and fulfilled the role of the promised Elijah at the first appearance of the Lord Christ. The next appearance of 'Elijah' would correspondingly happen before His future appearance. God's thoughts are not men's thoughts. He views happenings with relation to His Holy Purpose differently than humans, and we need to strive to discern His explanations which He has prepared for us. Those explanations suit us. Likewise, concerning your questions related to His Holiness our Lord the Bab, we need to keep in mind that Almighty God's Holy Messengers complete their Missions in perfect conformity with His Plan and Will, and each Mission will have some similarities with an earlier one, yet will not be identical. The Gospel of His Holiness the Christ includes not only that which He did during His appearance in the first century, but also includes His prophecy and Promise to Establish His Kingdom on Earth so that God's will will take place "as in Heaven, also upion Earth". It is always a test for mankind that God's Holy Messengers never fulfill Holy Prophecy in the manner or according to the sequence and chronology which men and women on earth expect. All in the first century were expecting the Messiah to immediately push out the Romans and immediately set up His Kingdom on Earth. He suffered and died 'instead'. And now that the Institutions for the establishment of the Kingdom of God on Earth have actually been revealed to mankind,and the embryo of that Kingdom Administration has been delineated and is currently 'incubating', a billion Christians are instead expecting the Lord to arrive like literal lightening and 'rapture' them away to Heaven forever. The Mission of His Holiness the Bab is not identical to the Mission of His Holiness the Christ. God cannot receive a Revelation. He is "the All-Knowing, the Wise". The Lord Christ, long after His ascension, received a Revelation, "which God gave Him". (Rev. 1:1) Upon His reappearance on Earth, in the Person of His Holiness the Bab, He received another Revelation. His Holiness the Bab simultaneously fulfilled the prophetic return of Elijah, because He was the Herald of the One Who would bring to application the reality of all Holy Prophecy related to the Kingdom of God, as spoken by His Holiness the Christ. The Greek word 'astrape' of Matthew 24:27 is mistranslated "lightning" in all English translations of the Greek Scriptures of which I am aware and I possess more than two dozen different translations. That word is Stong's Greek word 796 and Strong supplies the alternate meaning "bright shining" from the root "glare". The Messianic Israelites, an intensely studious group of Christians discovered that fact and have cross referenced that word of Mat.24:27 to Revelation chapter 22:16 wher the Lord Ifdentifies Himself as that "Bright Shining" of Mat.24:27 by declaring: "I am the Bright Morning Star". The sun is the bright morning star, and the Lord certainly is not the literal sun. However the spiritual brightness of His appearance is like the sun. And that 'Sun' emerged in the East, and 'shone' to the West. Lightning doesn't do that . It is local, between two clouds or from the ground to a cloud etc. Eagles and vultures literally have telescopic vision. Thus they see a mouse on the ground although soaring high in the sky. John 6:50-63 very clearly identifies the corpse of Mat.24:28. Verse 63 says: "It is the spirit that is life-giving; the flesh is of no use at all." Verse 28 is spiritual. The "eagles" not only receive their spiritual food from the Corpse at the Appearance of that Corpse, but they also possess the keen spiritual vision to detect the Corpse. "Look! I am coming as a thief." (Rev.16:15) Cordially, Ross |