"And I will pour upon the house of David, and upon the inhabitants of Jerusalem, the spirit of grace and of supplications: and they shall look upon me whom they have pierced, and they shall mourn for him, as one mourneth for his only son, and shall be in bitterness for him, as one that is in bitterness for his firstborn."
This prophecy is intended for 'in that day', and it concerns exclusively for the remnant in Israel. For this reason we have this curious phrase 'every family apart.' repeated in vv.11-14. Jesus alluded to it when he explained the disciples who asked, 'and what shall be the sign of thy coming, and of the end of the world?'(Matt.24:3). The sign of his coming is in the 'now' of the will of God. Similarly resurrection of every soul has its own order. "Then shall two be in the field; the one shall be taken, and the other left./Two women shall be grinding at the mill; the one shall be taken, and the other left." This being the case salvation is not left for family as a whole, but unto the one who is eternally vigilant and who has kept himself pure and unspotted from the world. So the only key is: "Watch therefore: for ye know not what hour your Lord doth come."(Matt.24:42)
'The land shall mourn' Prophet Zechariah refers specifically about the ransacking of Jerusalem in 70 AD and overarches to the end times,' at that day' and we have this verse, "Behold, he cometh with clouds; and every eye shall see him, and they also which pierced him: and all kindreds of the earth shall wail because of him."(Re.1:7). Spirit of grace poured on them enabled to see the significance the 'carcase'. "For wheresoever the carcase is, there will the eagles be gathered together." Regarding the remnant of the nation of Israel, it shall be at the end of the great tribulation. (Matt.24:28-31)
Notice 'every family apart' in v.11? compare with Matt.24:40 "Then shall two be in the field; the one shall be taken, and the other left".
The burden of the word of theLordfor Israel, saith theLord, which stretcheth forth the heavens, and layeth the foundation of the earth, and formeth the spirit of man within him./Behold, I will make Jerusalem a cup of trembling unto all the people round about, when they shall be in the siege both against Judah and against Jerusalem.
3And in that day will I make Jerusalem a burdensome stone for all people: all that burden themselves with it shall be cut in pieces, though all the people of the earth be gathered together against it."(vv.1-3)
Here we have the prophecy concerning the Roman army under Trajan laying siege, 'both against Judah and against Jerusalem.'
V.3 Jerusalem is shown as a burden for 'all people'. It is not about a geographical label we know but the heavenly city of God. It is the culmination of the Latter temple on the making. It is founded on the holy hill the stone cut not with hands. It shall become a mountain in place of the old earth where the world governments one after the other collapsed because they were building up their own glory which they called many names,, individualism, collectivization and what not. They were all heathens, unmitigated disasters who spared not their own kind. "Why do the heathen rage, and the people imagine a vain thing?/The kings of the earth set themselves, and the rulers take counsel together, against theLord, and against his anointed, saying,/Let us break their bands asunder, and cast away their cords from us.
4He that sitteth in the heavens shall laugh: theLordshall have them in derision./Then shall he speak unto them in his wrath, and vex them in his sore displeasure./Yet have I set my king upon my holy hill of Zion."(Ps.2:1-6) The prophet says, "All that burden themselves with it shall be cut in pieces, though all the people of the earth be gathered together against it."(vv.1-3)
"And the dream is certain, and the interpretation thereof sure."(Dan.2:45)
In 1Pet 2:24 we have Holy Spirit summing up Christ redemptive work of our complete deliverance from sin.;
" by who's stripes we are healed"
Directly relating to Isa 53, the whole chapter reveals Christ redemptive work from the bondage & slavery of sin.
"wounded for our transgressions, bruise for our iniquities, chastisement of our peace was upon Him, by whom stripes we are healed.
The healing spoken of here in context with both scriptures refer to the spiritual sinful nature we all inherited from Adam disobedience. It was a spiritual matter that manifested itself in his spirit & soul & fulfill in his flesh. Rom 6:16
Hebrews 10:1,2 the expression of the words " the good things to come" "once purged would have no remembrance of sin"
Indicating a sinless state, being made partakers of His divine nature, being thoroughly cleansed by washing of the Water of the WORD, partaking of Christ Blood & Flesh, His Grace / Light appearance 2Cor 4:6,7 exercising this glory & knowledge of God that comes to us in the Face of God Son, the free gift of Word of Righteousness Rom 5:17 / Word of Faith Rom 10:8 via, the Revelation of Christ to each individual soul.
Hebrew 10:26-29
I ask you, have the Spirit of Grace / Light convicted you of a sin or sins, & you having heard His Voice who speaks from heaven, your still being overcome by satan? By continuing in sin, has His Voice which you once heard strongly, has it weaken or are you to the point where He's not heard anymore within conscience, the still small Voice not there troubling you by you having not esteeming Him Isa 53:3 in His 2nd appearances which is Spirit within your heart bringing you the words of eternal salvation, Hebrew 9:28?
Christ came to destroy the works of the devil & the devil work is the temptations to sin, the temptation is the spirit of satan manifesting himself /revealing his will within our hearts, The Grace of God is also the Cross, the Power of God unto salvation appearance within
, that we must pickup, teaching us to deny these ungodly & worldly lust, & pleasures of this world, which spring up within us & also instructs us in works of righteousness unto holiness this is Christ Spirit / Grace / Light appearance in us to combat the spirits of darkness that appears. Ephesians 6:12 it not without only, Jesus says it's within our hearts Matt 15:192Cor 10:5,6
Friends
Awake to Righteousness & in time through the exercising of Him, the Grace of God, you'll sin not & be conformed to His Image
For He only become Hebrews 5:9
Are have you been deceived by those Paul warned us about in
2 Timothy 4:3,4Jude 1:4 Believing against Scriptural Truth, that turn the Grace of God into wantonness, that you can live a life of sin & iniquity & have a faith that never overcome satan, & still be born again, Spirit baptized, & a light that set upon a hill, if this be true of you, your in the Apostasy, the deceitfulness of sin/satan has ensnare you. 2 Thess 2:10-12 is fulfilling upon you, your faith is a lie, John 3:18-20Rom 1:25
Friends,
The working out of our salvation, the sanctification of the Spirit unto obedience, washing of regeneration & renewing of the Holy Ghost is on this side of the grave. What spiritual state we're in when we die, is the state we will be judge in! & if the 1Pet 4:18 be not decieived, 1John 3:7,8,11
I've spoken this to many people, their response is 'that God is loving, gracious & merciful" very true, that why He sent His only begotten Son to provide a Way, through His Grace & Mercy to overcome the devil & become more than conquerors, through Him that loves us,. This is the whole revelation of the better Covenant, build on better promises, Grace & Mercy takes us out of sin, it's the Rom 8:2 it doesn't leave us in our sins, to pacifying us, saying Oh it's ok we know you can't be perfect, the lie.
Friends
For the sake of God's great love wherewith He has demonstrated in sending His Son, consider your state 2Cor 13:5
Joseph was sold by his brethren out of envy and sheer perversity of spirit. (Ge.37:28) The Spirit sets their wickedness to God and his father who is the heir of promise as twenty pieces of silver. (2X10). In the case of the Son the command number 3 applies. Thus his 'brethren' moved by the same spirit covenants with Judas Iscariot to betray Jesus, the Good Shepherd. What was his worth we have in the vision of Daniel.
"And there was given him dominion, and glory, and a kingdom, that all people, nations, and languages, should serve him: his dominion is an everlasting dominion, which shall not pass away, and his kingdom that which shall not be destroyed".(Dan.7:14).
God says 'My ways are not your ways"(Is.55:8-9) The foolish shepherds sitting in the seat of Moses were a law unto themselves.
"And I said unto them, If ye think good, give me my price; and if not, forbear. So they weighed for my price thirty pieces of silver./And theLordsaid unto me, Cast it unto the potter: a goodly price that I was prised at of them. And I took the thirty pieces of silver, and cast them to the potter in the house of theLord." (Ze.12-14)
From this transaction the high priests and elders entered with Judas was between foolish shepherds who has had no pity for the poor of the flock and the son of perdition. Is it not true even in our times?
"And it was broken in that day: and so the poor of the flock that waited upon me knew that it was the word of theLord."
The word of the Lord as we see in the Gospel of St Matthew gave the poor huddled masses great expectations. Whence did come that 'foreknowledge' yet when there were no visible proof? Let us see how a great wave rolled over them. Matt.4:12-16. "Now when Jesus had heard that John was cast into prison, he departed into Galilee;And leaving Nazareth, he came and dwelt in Capernaum",God sent the word before the worlds began which Isaiah spoke about parts which were concerning the beginning of the ministry of Jesus Christ. So when Jesus set about leading his own course of life "The people which sat in darkness saw great light; and to them which sat in the region and shadow of death light is sprung up." Jesus well knew the Spirit led him forth and the people also knew there was a great a-stirring in the air. "From that time Jesus began to preach, and to say, Repent: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand".(Matt.4:17)
Prophet Zechariah speaks of the ministry of the Branch which was founded in heaven. The breaking off the staff of shepherd called Beauty was a symbolic action as commanded by the Lord God. But it was validated in heaven!. The wages of the Good shepherd was also fixed in terms of his value in the eyes of the idol shepherds of whom we considered in the post,'The Instruments'. Correspondingly what was his worth in heaven?
"And there was given him dominion, and glory, and a kingdom, that all people, nations, and languages, should serve him: his dominion is an everlasting dominion, which shall not pass away, and his kingdom that which shall not be destroyed".(Dan.7:14). God says 'My ways are not your ways"(Is.55:8-9)
In fact there are seven including the Son representing the Spirit of Christ. We see it repeating in the inaugural vision of Zechariah, where the Number 4 commands four cardinal directions. He is there among the myrtle trees on a red horse,"And behind him were there red horses, speckled, and white. (1:8)
Now for the passage from the Book of Ezekiel, "And, behold, six men came from the way of the higher gate, which lieth toward the north, and every man a slaughter weapon in his hand; and one man among them was clothed with linen, with a writer's inkhorn by his side: and they went in, and stood beside the brasen altar.
3And the glory of the God of Israel was gone up from the cherub, whereupon he was, to the threshold of the house. And he called to the man clothed with linen, which had the writer's inkhorn by his side;
4And theLordsaid unto him, Go through the midst of the city, through the midst of Jerusalem, and set a mark upon the foreheads of the men that sigh and that cry for all the abominations that be done in the midst thereof."
The v.9 makes a chilling reading to what extent the modern churches have not learnt from the apostasy of Israel but adding their own. Their reasonable faith lulls them to say, 'The Lord does not see it.'
"Then said he unto me, The iniquity of the house of Israel and Judah is exceeding great, and the land is full of blood, and the city full of perverseness: for they say, TheLordhath forsaken the earth, and theLordseeth not.
10And as for me also, mine eye shall not spare, neither will I have pity, but I will recompense their way upon their head./And, behold, the man clothed with linen, which had the inkhorn by his side, reported the matter, saying, I have done as thou hast commanded me."
So when the Roman army marched to ransack Jerusalem in 70 AD the city was ripe for judgment.
"Then I cut asunder mine other staff, even Bands, that I might break the brotherhood between Judah and Israel./And theLordsaid unto me, Take unto thee yet the instruments of a foolish shepherd."
Here the Holy Spirit speaks of the instruments of a foolish shepherd. He is figuratively seated in the seat of Moses but what he does is hypocritical.
The broken staves Beauty and Bands refer to Israel. As token of them we have the four pieces of Bands and Beauty by which there shall be no more a meaningful brotherhood between Judah and Israel. They are scattered to far ends of the earth.The first staff signified Beauty. By breaking the covenant of the lordship and flock God took away the Beauty of holiness from their temple worship. "No man who has any defect may come near: no man who is blind or lame, disfigured or deformed."(Le.21:18). The shepherd that would lead them shall be as marred as any Levite who had a blemish in the former times was unfit to serve in the temple., For this what Prophet Zechariah writes here is highly significant. "The sword shall be upon his arm, and upon his right eye: his arm shall be clean dried up, and his right eye shall be utterly darkened."(v.17) .In his 'woe to you' discourse Jesus characterize these idol shepherds,"Woe unto you, ye blind guides, which say, Whosoever shall swear by the temple, it is nothing; but whosoever shall swear by the gold of the temple, he is a debtor!"(Matt.23:16)
Who are these foolish shepherds? "They are dogs with mighty appetites; they never have enough. They are shepherds who lack understanding; they all turn to their own way, they seek their own gain."(Is.56:1-NIV) Ez.13:10; Je.22:17 Their judgment was foretold in the Book of Ezekiel. We need consider this chapter 9 in order to understand the depth of their folly.
Ez.9:2-11 The Spirit mentions six angels one of whom is angel of the Lord with the writer's inkhorn.
"And it was broken in that day: and so the poor of the flock that waited upon me knew that it was the word of theLord."(v.11)
Here as mentioned in the previous post, we have the narrative taken up from the standpoint of the Son. The fire kindled by the Lord God affects three nations, represented by trees. cedars of Lebanon, firs ('Howl, fir tree') signify parts of Gilead which under Hazael went to Syria. This in turn repossessed by Jehoash (2 Ki.13:25); thirdly the oaks of Bashan represent the whole country beyond Jordan. In short the entire alliance of Israel has come to mean nothing. The palace of Solomon and the temple were set up because of this band. The bond between Hiram the king of Tyre and King Solomon figuratively served the prophet the band. "And I took my staff, even Beauty, and cut it asunder, that I might break my covenant which I had made with all the people./And it was broken in that day." God's rejection is served by a symbolic act. The stave Beauty refers to their glory. The covenant refers to the one the children of Israel made at the foot of Sinai."Moses spake, and God answered him by a voice./And theLordcame down upon mount Sinai, on the top of the mount: and theLordcalled Moses up to the top of the mount; and Moses went up." The tables of stone with the Ten Commandments were the visible proof of it(Ex.19:18-19)
"Three shepherds also I cut off in one month; and my soul lothed them, and their soul also abhorred me."v.9) " Isaiah asked King Ahaz, "And he said, Hear ye now, O house of David;Is ita small thing for you to weary men, but will ye weary my God also?" We have then the prophet giving the evil king this sign, "Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign: The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and will call him Immanuel."(Is.7:13-14). First God would break the bands so it was a sign that the nation of Israel was hateful to Him.
vv11-12 is not about a simple way forward but this verse 'they shall walk up and down in his name' equally refers to the return from far ends of the earth and it is predicted for the latter times. As God delivered them once out of Egypt under the hand of Moses Israel if they meet the condition of God shall also return."And I will strengthen them in theLord; and they shall walk up and down in his name, saith theLord." This is from the standpoint of the Son. "In his love and mercy he redeemed them; he lifted them up and carried them all the days of old."(Is.63:9b)
We see this spillover in the coming chapter as well. As typical of the narrative mode of the Holy Spirit the scepter (pride) of Egypt is clubbed together with the pride of Assyria, wiping out a great period of time in between. Egypt,Assyria, Babylon are oppressors raised by God, "out of him the battle bow, out of him every oppressor together."(10:4). In the will of God such time marking events as we date our history does not exist.
"I will bring them again also out of the land of Egypt, and gather them out of Assyria; and I will bring them into the land of Gilead and Lebanon; and place shall not be found for them."
Here onwards the Holy Spirit is giving us a recap on the deliverance of Israel out of Egypt from the standpoint of the Son, so in place of Moses we shall consider Jesus whom St Paul calls as the spiritual rock that followed them, and we treat it as a real presence. Prophet Isaiah called it the angel of his presence. "In all their distress he too was distressed, and the angel of his presence saved them. In his love and mercy he redeemed them; he lifted them up and carried them all the days of old."(Is.63:9-NIV). In short Moses is set in context of the Son.
In evidence we have v.11. "And Moses stretched out his hand over the sea;"(Ex.14:21) there was the angel at his work."And the angel of God, which went before the camp of Israel, removed and went behind them; and the pillar of the cloud went from before their face, and stood behind them:"(Ex.14:19-20). The sea parted, "and the waters were a wall unto them on their right hand, and on their left."(14:22). With this background information we shall consider the remaining verses:
11And he shall pass through the sea with affliction, and shall smite the waves in the sea, and all the deeps of the river shall dry up: and the pride of Assyria shall be brought down, and the sceptre of Egypt shall depart away./And I will strengthen them in theLord; and they shall walk up and down in his name, saith theLord.
God had in order to chastise the many sins of the foolish shepherd chose oppressors who He would later judge according to his will. As Haggai would refer to God, "The silver is mine, and the gold is mine, saith theLordof hosts" the Holy Spirit puts this verse in the mouth of Zechariah, "Out of him came forth the corner, out of him the nail, out of him the battle bow, out of him every oppressor together." (Hag2:8). Out of him came forth the corner, which is a Messianic prophecy of the advent of Jesus Christ, the cornerstone.
"Jesus saith unto them, Did ye never read in the scriptures, The stone which the builders rejected, the same is become the head of the corner: this is the Lord's doing, and it is marvellous in our eyes?"(Matt.21:42; Ps.118:22)
And I will sow them among the people: and they shall remember me in far countries; and they shall live with their children, and turn again.
Here we have the reverse of Israel being led forth by the mighty hand of God, who in the former times led them from the fiery furnace that was Egypt. In the latter times it shall be with great mercies from the far corners. 'They shall remember me in far countries', Zechariah assures the people. However in both cases the condition is. "Therefore say thou unto them, Thus saith the LORD of hosts; Turn ye unto me, saith the LORD of hosts, and I will turn unto you, saith the LORD of hosts."(Ze.1:3)
"Ask ye of theLordrain in the time of the latter rain; so theLordshall make bright clouds, and give them showers of rain," (10:1) The early rain was a proof of God who led them by pillar of cloud by day and pillar of fire by night. 'Ask ye' of the latter rain stands by the same token as the sign for restoration. Here also God has not diluted his will. 'And this shall come to pass, if you will diligently obey the voice of the Lord your God.'
"And they that are far off shall come and build in the temple of theLord, and ye shall know that theLordof hosts hath sent me unto you. And this shall come to pass, if ye will diligently obey the voice of theLordyour God."(6:14)
vv.3-4
"Mine anger was kindled against the shepherds, and I punished the goats: for theLordof hosts hath visited his flock the house of Judah, and hath made them as his goodly horse in the battle./Out of him came forth the corner, out of him the nail, out of him the battle bow, out of him every oppressor together.
Here the prophet is referring to the shepherds, both kingdoms of the north and of Judah. He intends Assyria and Babylon when he calls them goats. In the book of Daniel the goat signified Greece. (Dan.8:8).
"And I will cut off the chariot from Ephraim, and the horse from Jerusalem, and the battle bow shall be cut off: and he shall speak peace unto the heathen: and his dominion shall be from sea even to sea, and from the river even to the ends of the earth."
And theLordtheir God shall save them in that day as the flock of his people: for they shall be as the stones of a crown, lifted up as an ensign upon his land.(v.16)
This speaks of the day of his wrath, and having set the perpetual desolations caused by each destroyer from Attila the Hun to this day. It may require a full blast of nuclear cleansing as St Peter has forewarned,"the elements will be destroyed by fire, and the earth and everything done in it will be laid bare."(2 Pe.3:10). The Day of the Lord is for preparing the throne of Righteousness.
In the second half of this chapter we have a commentary from the Book of Psalms, "Thou satest in the throne judging right./Thou hast rebuked the heathen, thou hast destroyed the wicked, thou hast put out their name for ever and ever." We have two advents of which the v.9 was about the Servant-King and the next v.10 is about the Messiah-King and he is revealed as the King who has come into his throne, which is the White Throne Judgment.
In trying to understand the divine Will for each of us, we are to follow the God document not in terms of being part of the nation of Israel or part of church evolved out of the historical entity that is called the Mother church but being found in the Son when he rightfully claim his throne.
Matt.21:44 Whoever comes to this rock either has to be with him fellow-laborer with no identity than Christ in me for the glory of God. All the other are part of miry clay upon which it shall fall one day and crush it to powder. "And became like the chaff of the summer threshing-floors; and the wind carried them away, that no place was found for them."(Dan.2:35)
Thus when God sends his prophets only to be rejected by the nation of Israel one can appreciate why God cast out Judah and Jerusalem before His sight. There was a temple building undertaken on the earth which shall not remain either for long.
God sent his Son as Servant-King and of which the prophet writes,"Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion; shout, O daughter of Jerusalem: behold, thy King cometh unto thee: he is just, and having salvation; lowly, and riding upon an ass, and upon a colt the foal of an ass."(v.9)
n vv.1-7 The cities mentioned trace Alexander's march through the Promised Land in 332-331B.C.
What we are concerned is not the march of events that gives men command over the places they ride over but who possess the land really? Dominion of it has been given to the Son. The decree enshrined in the everlasting covenant covers this sure promise of God."I will declare the decree: theLordhath said unto me, Thou art my Son; this day have I begotten thee./Ask of me, and I shall give thee the heathen for thine inheritance, and the uttermost parts of the earth for thy possession." (Ps.2:7-8). In the night vision of Daniel also we came across what was determined before the worlds began. "And there was given him dominion, and glory, and a kingdom, that all people, nations, and languages, should serve him: his dominion is an everlasting dominion, which shall not pass away, and his kingdom that which shall not be destroyed."(Dan.7:14)
In the Psalm cited here above is a Messianic prophesy "The kings of the earth set themselves, and the rulers take counsel together, against theLord, and against his anointed, saying,/Let us break their bands asunder, and cast away their cords from us./He that sitteth in the heavens shall laugh: theLordshall have them in derision." It is cringeworthy for a man to imagine he could defy the divine decree. Alexander was truly remarkable in conquering nations much mightier than that of Macedonia. But he died like all men and nothing of his glory remains, run over by march of history that has left its muddied bootprints leaving his glory seem more like a scarecrow. But David says, "Yet have I set my king upon my holy hill of Zion." (2:6). This is also a Messianic prophesy which has to do with temple of the latter days. The entire burden of Zechariah is more about the Salvation Plan set into active mode which occurs in heaven.
Zion on which the house of the God of Jacob is founded refers to the latter temple in heaven. The law,- and the word of the Lord, consequently is what drives the temple program and is going on in heaven. So when Jesus said, "Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up./Then said the Jews, Forty and six years was this temple in building, and wilt thou rear it up in three days?/But he spake of the temple of his body." ( John 2:19-21).
Thus there is no temple in the conventional sense and Jerusalem is synonymous with other cities judged by God. (Re.11:8).. For this reason the vision of the solid Golden Candlestick in Ze.4 is very crucial. Every believer who abides in Christ must show fruits. He is being fed from the fullness of the seven spirits and he has also two witnesses: his spirit and soul attesting what is his calling. He is priest as well as king unto God in the Son.
Lastly the symbol of mountain spoken by Isaiah is in the context of the Son who isthe rock cut not with hands in the vision interpreted by Daniel. The saints redeemed from the earth are part of the rock and when the apostate church is smashed along with world government nothing of it shall remain. Only the saints shall be left behind to inherit the kingdom of light. It is of the latter days, 'in those days' the earth is under new management: the kingdom of dear Son. What these two passages refer is the Millennium Reign of the latter days.
I noticed your comment to GiGi and think a lot of these arguments are circular where people are closer in belief than they initially realize. Sometimes each may think the other is not emphasizing a certain point to their liking and then emphasizes it while minimizing the thing the other was emphasizing. Naturally the other seeing the response may then feel his/her point was minimized so that person may want to highlights the original point again.
Sin, yes, we all sin. That's Biblical. This includes Christians.
Paul was a Christian and described his constant wrestling with sin and obedience. He wasn't given an automatic free pass where everything was suddenly easy, it took effort to follow and obey Jesus. I personally think effort in following Jesus is minimized and have had many discussions with people who falsely assume any effort whatsoever automatically means you're trying to earn salvation. Ironically, effort towards secular things is not seen as bad.
I know people who call themselves saved Christians at church who are actively living in sin and ok with that- for instance affairs, premarital sex, etc. They are ok with that because pastors and other Christians tell them its ok, that to correct would be legalism and that's bad. Some believe they are merely following a pre-determined script laid out by the Holy Spirit and that their sin, if they even call it that, only strengthens their faith. This ignores Romans 6. That is wrong and dangerous in my opinion. The message is distorted to where some are almost saying that when you're following Jesus, obeying Him is "bad". They seem blind to the contradiction, but sin is blinding and satan is crafty.
There's a difference in obedience, effort, and genuineness that may be hard to quantify. God ultimately knows our heart.
Just as you suggested, we ARE working with the Holy Spirit to resist sinning. Is this where you are in your walk with the LORD at this time? If so, we are both in the same way with regards to overcoming sin. I do know that when we die we will never sin again. In the mean time, we do fight against our sinful nature, making steady our course to live godly lives.
You asked, How can we live godly lives and still keep on sinning?
Are you intimating that only those who are living in a continuously sinless life are living godly lives?
Paul does tell us to live godly lives and to walk by the Spirit and to fight against the sinful nature (the flesh). But if we have reached sinless perfection, then our sinful nature is no longer in us. This is not the case. We die and with that death, only then will our sinful nature die.
If we could live in this life in sinless perfection, then we have no need to be resurrected from the dead, because we would live forever having already put on incorruptibility, immortality, etc. There would be no need for us to die if we have reached sinless perfection. But this is never so for any believer in this life.
Our responsibility is to walk in the Spirit as much as we are able to each day. We are to desire to not sin and to seek to obey God. We are to continue to resist temptation each day. It will stick with what I have written that we are to live a godly life. And when we do sin, we are to confess that we have sinned and know that we are forgiven and made clean once again. We start over again afresh and we glory in knowing that it is the righteousness of Christ that is imputed to us when we are converted, not our own that earns us anything before God.
Those of us that say we still are sinful though converted are not ones who believe nor suggest that we should give up fighting against sin, or that our sinfulness is insignificant. We take sin seriously like you do. We encourage everyone to work at resisting sin.
We need God in our lives in a right relationship through the Son, Jesus. We need the Spirit's regenerative work and indwelling. We need our Heavenly Father's justification of us on the merit's of His Son's sacrifice. We need all three Persons of the Godhead to make us what this One God desires for us, to be conformed to the perfect humanity of Christ, to be like Him in this life and in eternity. In this life we are in the process of becoming as God intends for us; in eternity, we will BE as God intends for us forever. We will be complete in Christ, without corruption, sin, or mortality. It will be so wonderful to be with Jesus in the place He has prepared for us and to be like Him in every way God has willed for us to become. So looking forward to that time. But in this time, I determine each day to live a life that honors Him; to listen for the direction of the Holy Spirit in my thoughts, words, and actions. May these be a pleasing aroma to God.
You have made some good observations here. Now to me it seems like some of that may be explained by the wheat and the tares, key note [bracketed] for emphases below. The wheat of God at once becomes the scene of Satan's activity. Where children of the kingdom are gathered, there "among the wheat"
Satan "sows" "children of the wicked one," who profess to be children of the kingdom, and in outward ways are so like the true children that only the angels may, in the end, be trusted to separate them. [[[[[[So great is Satan's power of deception that the tares often really suppose themselves to be children of the kingdom.]]]]]] Many other parables and exhortations have this mingled condition in view.
Children of the wicked one are always religious unbelievers, mere pagan / nonbelievers are never so-called.
Paul urges all those claiming to be spiritually saved to "examine yourselves to see whether you are in the faith; test yourselves" 2 Corinthians 13:5 (KJV) 5 Examine yourselves, whether ye be in the faith; prove your own selves. Know ye not your own selves, how that Jesus Christ is in you, except ye be reprobates?
What about the Western Christian women who do not submit to their Christian husbands and we know probably most of them don't?
What about the total disregard for Head Coverings I just posted on that.
Post-baptismal sin is covered under the blood for sins which we REPENT from not living IN as a way or walk of life and never really turn away from. What is true "repentance" it is like a burning house you never go back to it!
I liken this to two ships anchored at port. One ship is grounded in the Word and will not move from the harbor by the ebb and flow of the ocean. The second ship anchor is eroded due to continued sin as it continues to drift away from the harbor EVENTUALLY it finds itself lost in the middle of the ocean with no clue how to get back--- apostasy
21 Then said Martha unto Jesus, Lord,if thou hadst been here, my brother had not died.
22 But I know,that even now,whatsoever thou wilt ask of God, God will give it thee.
23 Jesus saith unto her,Thy brother shall rise again.
24 Martha saith unto him,I know that he shall rise again in the resurrection at the last Day.
25 Jesus said unto her,I am the resurrection,and the life: he that believeth in me,though he were dead,yet shall he live:
26 And whosoever liveth and believeth in me shall never die.Believest thou this?
The LAST DAY is the seventh Day,or seventh and last millennium. 2Peter 3:8-But,beloved,be not ignorant of this one thing that one Day is with the Lord as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one Day
By the way, JESUS came in the fourth Day or around 4.000 years after Adam. Jn 5:17-My Father worketh hitherto,and I work
In fact,according to the Biblical Chronology,we are living in the beginning of the first century of the the seventh and last millennium,or seventh and last Day
Mary,sister of Lazarus,thought her brother would resurrect only in this current millennium
By the way,according to the Daniel 12:1-3,
1At that time(at this current time)shall Michael stand up,the great prince which standeth for the children of thy people:and there shall be a time of trouble,such as never was since there was a nation even to that same time:and at that time thy people shall be delivered,every one that shall be found written in the book
2And many of them that sleep in the DUST of the earth shall awake,some to everlasting life,and some to shame and everlasting contempt
3And they that be wise shall shine as the brightness of the firmament;and they that turn many to righteousness as the stars for ever and ever
1 Thes.4:16-the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout,with the voice of the archangel,and with the trump of God and the dead in Christ shall rise first
Hello! Do you want to know ""What is the difference between our soul and spirit?""
SOUL
Vayikra (Leviticus) 17:11& 14- Torah -
11 The SOUL of the flesh is in the BLOOD, and I have therefore given it to you [to be placed] upon the altar, to atone for your souls. For it is the blood that atones for the soul.
14For [regarding] the soul of all flesh its blood is in its soul, and I said to the children of Israel: You shall not eat the blood of any flesh, for the soul of any flesh is its blood all who eat it shall be cut off.
SPIRIT
Isaiah 11:2-KJV
2 And the spirit of the Lord shall rest upon him, the spirit of wisdom and understanding, the spirit of counsel and might, the spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the Lord;
John 6:63 - JESUS said:
... the WORDS that I speak unto you, THEY ARE SPIRIT, and they are life. (The Word is GOD, self-executing, is the Power. Great mystery. The Word is from everlasting to everlasting. By the way, around 2.000 years ago, the Word was made flesh- John 1:14).
Romans 8:9-
9 But ye are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit, if so be that the Spirit of God dwell in you. Now if any man have not the Spirit of Christ, HE IS NONE OF HIS.
10 And if Christ be in you, the body is dead because of sin; but the Spirit is life because of righteousness.
11 But if the Spirit of Him that raised up JESUS from the dead dwell in you, He that raised up Christ from the dead shall also quicken your mortal bodies by His Spirit that dwelleth in you.
It's it. Now, the interpretation is with you.
GOD BLESSES YOU
Matthew 10:28
Fear not them which kill the body, but are not able to kill the soul: but rather fear him which is able to destroy both soul and body in hell.
Hello, the word spirit means breath. "Pneuma".. in the Greek. You are a living soul, Genesis 2:7 And the Lord God formed man from the dust of the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life: and man "became" a living soul. The body plus the breath of life from God equals a soul. Spirit can have a variety of nuances depending on how it's used. Dan 6:3..an excellent "spirit" was in him... means he was easy to get along with, enjoyable. From reading Daniel it is obvious he spoke with wisdom and directed "dignity" toward his fellow man. So, people are souls..
We need God in our lives in a right relationship through the Son, Jesus. We need the Spirit's regenerative work and indwelling. We need our Heavenly Father's justification of us on the merit's of His Son's sacrifice. We need all three Persons of the Godhead to make us what this One God desires for us, to be conformed to the perfect humanity of Christ, to be like Him in this life and in eternity. In this life we are in the process of becoming as God intends for us; in eternity, we will BE as God intends for us forever. We will be complete in Christ, without corruption, sin, or mortality. It will be so wonderful to be with Jesus in the place He has prepared for us and to be like Him in every way God has willed for us to become. So looking forward to that time. But in this time, I determine each day to live a life that honors Him; to listen for the direction of the Holy Spirit in my thoughts, words, and actions. May these be a pleasing aroma to God.
"The Spirit of Grace"
"And I will pour upon the house of David, and upon the inhabitants of Jerusalem, the spirit of grace and of supplications: and they shall look upon me whom they have pierced, and they shall mourn for him, as one mourneth for his only son, and shall be in bitterness for him, as one that is in bitterness for his firstborn."
This prophecy is intended for 'in that day', and it concerns exclusively for the remnant in Israel. For this reason we have this curious phrase 'every family apart.' repeated in vv.11-14. Jesus alluded to it when he explained the disciples who asked, 'and what shall be the sign of thy coming, and of the end of the world?'(Matt.24:3). The sign of his coming is in the 'now' of the will of God. Similarly resurrection of every soul has its own order. "Then shall two be in the field; the one shall be taken, and the other left./Two women shall be grinding at the mill; the one shall be taken, and the other left." This being the case salvation is not left for family as a whole, but unto the one who is eternally vigilant and who has kept himself pure and unspotted from the world. So the only key is: "Watch therefore: for ye know not what hour your Lord doth come."(Matt.24:42)
'The land shall mourn' Prophet Zechariah refers specifically about the ransacking of Jerusalem in 70 AD and overarches to the end times,' at that day' and we have this verse, "Behold, he cometh with clouds; and every eye shall see him, and they also which pierced him: and all kindreds of the earth shall wail because of him."(Re.1:7). Spirit of grace poured on them enabled to see the significance the 'carcase'. "For wheresoever the carcase is, there will the eagles be gathered together." Regarding the remnant of the nation of Israel, it shall be at the end of the great tribulation. (Matt.24:28-31)
Notice 'every family apart' in v.11? compare with Matt.24:40 "Then shall two be in the field; the one shall be taken, and the other left".
Jerusalem
The burden of the word of theLordfor Israel, saith theLord, which stretcheth forth the heavens, and layeth the foundation of the earth, and formeth the spirit of man within him./Behold, I will make Jerusalem a cup of trembling unto all the people round about, when they shall be in the siege both against Judah and against Jerusalem.
3And in that day will I make Jerusalem a burdensome stone for all people: all that burden themselves with it shall be cut in pieces, though all the people of the earth be gathered together against it."(vv.1-3)
Here we have the prophecy concerning the Roman army under Trajan laying siege, 'both against Judah and against Jerusalem.'
V.3 Jerusalem is shown as a burden for 'all people'. It is not about a geographical label we know but the heavenly city of God. It is the culmination of the Latter temple on the making. It is founded on the holy hill the stone cut not with hands. It shall become a mountain in place of the old earth where the world governments one after the other collapsed because they were building up their own glory which they called many names,, individualism, collectivization and what not. They were all heathens, unmitigated disasters who spared not their own kind. "Why do the heathen rage, and the people imagine a vain thing?/The kings of the earth set themselves, and the rulers take counsel together, against theLord, and against his anointed, saying,/Let us break their bands asunder, and cast away their cords from us.
4He that sitteth in the heavens shall laugh: theLordshall have them in derision./Then shall he speak unto them in his wrath, and vex them in his sore displeasure./Yet have I set my king upon my holy hill of Zion."(Ps.2:1-6) The prophet says, "All that burden themselves with it shall be cut in pieces, though all the people of the earth be gathered together against it."(vv.1-3)
"And the dream is certain, and the interpretation thereof sure."(Dan.2:45)
Folks;
In 1Pet 2:24 we have Holy Spirit summing up Christ redemptive work of our complete deliverance from sin.;
" by who's stripes we are healed"
Directly relating to Isa 53, the whole chapter reveals Christ redemptive work from the bondage & slavery of sin.
"wounded for our transgressions, bruise for our iniquities, chastisement of our peace was upon Him, by whom stripes we are healed.
The healing spoken of here in context with both scriptures refer to the spiritual sinful nature we all inherited from Adam disobedience. It was a spiritual matter that manifested itself in his spirit & soul & fulfill in his flesh. Rom 6:16
Hebrews 10:1,2 the expression of the words " the good things to come" "once purged would have no remembrance of sin"
Indicating a sinless state, being made partakers of His divine nature, being thoroughly cleansed by washing of the Water of the WORD, partaking of Christ Blood & Flesh, His Grace / Light appearance 2Cor 4:6,7 exercising this glory & knowledge of God that comes to us in the Face of God Son, the free gift of Word of Righteousness Rom 5:17 / Word of Faith Rom 10:8 via, the Revelation of Christ to each individual soul.
Hebrew 10:26-29
I ask you, have the Spirit of Grace / Light convicted you of a sin or sins, & you having heard His Voice who speaks from heaven, your still being overcome by satan? By continuing in sin, has His Voice which you once heard strongly, has it weaken or are you to the point where He's not heard anymore within conscience, the still small Voice not there troubling you by you having not esteeming Him Isa 53:3 in His 2nd appearances which is Spirit within your heart bringing you the words of eternal salvation, Hebrew 9:28?
Christ came to destroy the works of the devil & the devil work is the temptations to sin, the temptation is the spirit of satan manifesting himself /revealing his will within our hearts, The Grace of God is also the Cross, the Power of God unto salvation appearance within
, that we must pickup, teaching us to deny these ungodly & worldly lust, & pleasures of this world, which spring up within us & also instructs us in works of righteousness unto holiness this is Christ Spirit / Grace / Light appearance in us to combat the spirits of darkness that appears. Ephesians 6:12 it not without only, Jesus says it's within our hearts Matt 15:19 2Cor 10:5,6
Friends
Awake to Righteousness & in time through the exercising of Him, the Grace of God, you'll sin not & be conformed to His Image
For He only become Hebrews 5:9
Are have you been deceived by those Paul warned us about in
2 Timothy 4:3,4 Jude 1:4 Believing against Scriptural Truth, that turn the Grace of God into wantonness, that you can live a life of sin & iniquity & have a faith that never overcome satan, & still be born again, Spirit baptized, & a light that set upon a hill, if this be true of you, your in the Apostasy, the deceitfulness of sin/satan has ensnare you. 2 Thess 2:10-12 is fulfilling upon you, your faith is a lie, John 3:18-20 Rom 1:25
Friends,
The working out of our salvation, the sanctification of the Spirit unto obedience, washing of regeneration & renewing of the Holy Ghost is on this side of the grave. What spiritual state we're in when we die, is the state we will be judge in! & if the 1Pet 4:18 be not decieived, 1John 3:7,8,11
I've spoken this to many people, their response is 'that God is loving, gracious & merciful" very true, that why He sent His only begotten Son to provide a Way, through His Grace & Mercy to overcome the devil & become more than conquerors, through Him that loves us,. This is the whole revelation of the better Covenant, build on better promises, Grace & Mercy takes us out of sin, it's the Rom 8:2 it doesn't leave us in our sins, to pacifying us, saying Oh it's ok we know you can't be perfect, the lie.
Friends
For the sake of God's great love wherewith He has demonstrated in sending His Son, consider your state 2Cor 13:5
"Thirty Pieces of Silver"
Joseph was sold by his brethren out of envy and sheer perversity of spirit. (Ge.37:28) The Spirit sets their wickedness to God and his father who is the heir of promise as twenty pieces of silver. (2X10). In the case of the Son the command number 3 applies. Thus his 'brethren' moved by the same spirit covenants with Judas Iscariot to betray Jesus, the Good Shepherd. What was his worth we have in the vision of Daniel.
"And there was given him dominion, and glory, and a kingdom, that all people, nations, and languages, should serve him: his dominion is an everlasting dominion, which shall not pass away, and his kingdom that which shall not be destroyed".(Dan.7:14).
God says 'My ways are not your ways"(Is.55:8-9) The foolish shepherds sitting in the seat of Moses were a law unto themselves.
"And I said unto them, If ye think good, give me my price; and if not, forbear. So they weighed for my price thirty pieces of silver./And theLordsaid unto me, Cast it unto the potter: a goodly price that I was prised at of them. And I took the thirty pieces of silver, and cast them to the potter in the house of theLord." (Ze.12-14)
From this transaction the high priests and elders entered with Judas was between foolish shepherds who has had no pity for the poor of the flock and the son of perdition. Is it not true even in our times?
"Give me my price"
"And it was broken in that day: and so the poor of the flock that waited upon me knew that it was the word of theLord."
The word of the Lord as we see in the Gospel of St Matthew gave the poor huddled masses great expectations. Whence did come that 'foreknowledge' yet when there were no visible proof? Let us see how a great wave rolled over them. Matt.4:12-16. "Now when Jesus had heard that John was cast into prison, he departed into Galilee;And leaving Nazareth, he came and dwelt in Capernaum",God sent the word before the worlds began which Isaiah spoke about parts which were concerning the beginning of the ministry of Jesus Christ. So when Jesus set about leading his own course of life "The people which sat in darkness saw great light; and to them which sat in the region and shadow of death light is sprung up." Jesus well knew the Spirit led him forth and the people also knew there was a great a-stirring in the air. "From that time Jesus began to preach, and to say, Repent: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand".(Matt.4:17)
Prophet Zechariah speaks of the ministry of the Branch which was founded in heaven. The breaking off the staff of shepherd called Beauty was a symbolic action as commanded by the Lord God. But it was validated in heaven!. The wages of the Good shepherd was also fixed in terms of his value in the eyes of the idol shepherds of whom we considered in the post,'The Instruments'. Correspondingly what was his worth in heaven?
"And there was given him dominion, and glory, and a kingdom, that all people, nations, and languages, should serve him: his dominion is an everlasting dominion, which shall not pass away, and his kingdom that which shall not be destroyed".(Dan.7:14). God says 'My ways are not your ways"(Is.55:8-9)
We see the signs of His judgment. vv.4-6
The Instruments"
In fact there are seven including the Son representing the Spirit of Christ. We see it repeating in the inaugural vision of Zechariah, where the Number 4 commands four cardinal directions. He is there among the myrtle trees on a red horse,"And behind him were there red horses, speckled, and white. (1:8)
Now for the passage from the Book of Ezekiel, "And, behold, six men came from the way of the higher gate, which lieth toward the north, and every man a slaughter weapon in his hand; and one man among them was clothed with linen, with a writer's inkhorn by his side: and they went in, and stood beside the brasen altar.
3And the glory of the God of Israel was gone up from the cherub, whereupon he was, to the threshold of the house. And he called to the man clothed with linen, which had the writer's inkhorn by his side;
4And theLordsaid unto him, Go through the midst of the city, through the midst of Jerusalem, and set a mark upon the foreheads of the men that sigh and that cry for all the abominations that be done in the midst thereof."
The v.9 makes a chilling reading to what extent the modern churches have not learnt from the apostasy of Israel but adding their own. Their reasonable faith lulls them to say, 'The Lord does not see it.'
"Then said he unto me, The iniquity of the house of Israel and Judah is exceeding great, and the land is full of blood, and the city full of perverseness: for they say, TheLordhath forsaken the earth, and theLordseeth not.
10And as for me also, mine eye shall not spare, neither will I have pity, but I will recompense their way upon their head./And, behold, the man clothed with linen, which had the inkhorn by his side, reported the matter, saying, I have done as thou hast commanded me."
So when the Roman army marched to ransack Jerusalem in 70 AD the city was ripe for judgment.
"The Instruments"
"Then I cut asunder mine other staff, even Bands, that I might break the brotherhood between Judah and Israel./And theLordsaid unto me, Take unto thee yet the instruments of a foolish shepherd."
Here the Holy Spirit speaks of the instruments of a foolish shepherd. He is figuratively seated in the seat of Moses but what he does is hypocritical.
The broken staves Beauty and Bands refer to Israel. As token of them we have the four pieces of Bands and Beauty by which there shall be no more a meaningful brotherhood between Judah and Israel. They are scattered to far ends of the earth.The first staff signified Beauty. By breaking the covenant of the lordship and flock God took away the Beauty of holiness from their temple worship. "No man who has any defect may come near: no man who is blind or lame, disfigured or deformed."(Le.21:18). The shepherd that would lead them shall be as marred as any Levite who had a blemish in the former times was unfit to serve in the temple., For this what Prophet Zechariah writes here is highly significant. "The sword shall be upon his arm, and upon his right eye: his arm shall be clean dried up, and his right eye shall be utterly darkened."(v.17) .In his 'woe to you' discourse Jesus characterize these idol shepherds,"Woe unto you, ye blind guides, which say, Whosoever shall swear by the temple, it is nothing; but whosoever shall swear by the gold of the temple, he is a debtor!"(Matt.23:16)
Who are these foolish shepherds? "They are dogs with mighty appetites; they never have enough. They are shepherds who lack understanding; they all turn to their own way, they seek their own gain."(Is.56:1-NIV) Ez.13:10; Je.22:17 Their judgment was foretold in the Book of Ezekiel. We need consider this chapter 9 in order to understand the depth of their folly.
Ez.9:2-11 The Spirit mentions six angels one of whom is angel of the Lord with the writer's inkhorn.
"Poor of the Flock"
"And it was broken in that day: and so the poor of the flock that waited upon me knew that it was the word of theLord."(v.11)
Here as mentioned in the previous post, we have the narrative taken up from the standpoint of the Son. The fire kindled by the Lord God affects three nations, represented by trees. cedars of Lebanon, firs ('Howl, fir tree') signify parts of Gilead which under Hazael went to Syria. This in turn repossessed by Jehoash (2 Ki.13:25); thirdly the oaks of Bashan represent the whole country beyond Jordan. In short the entire alliance of Israel has come to mean nothing. The palace of Solomon and the temple were set up because of this band. The bond between Hiram the king of Tyre and King Solomon figuratively served the prophet the band. "And I took my staff, even Beauty, and cut it asunder, that I might break my covenant which I had made with all the people./And it was broken in that day." God's rejection is served by a symbolic act. The stave Beauty refers to their glory. The covenant refers to the one the children of Israel made at the foot of Sinai."Moses spake, and God answered him by a voice./And theLordcame down upon mount Sinai, on the top of the mount: and theLordcalled Moses up to the top of the mount; and Moses went up." The tables of stone with the Ten Commandments were the visible proof of it(Ex.19:18-19)
"Three shepherds also I cut off in one month; and my soul lothed them, and their soul also abhorred me."v.9) " Isaiah asked King Ahaz, "And he said, Hear ye now, O house of David;Is ita small thing for you to weary men, but will ye weary my God also?" We have then the prophet giving the evil king this sign, "Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign: The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and will call him Immanuel."(Is.7:13-14). First God would break the bands so it was a sign that the nation of Israel was hateful to Him.
"Moses and Jesus"
vv11-12 is not about a simple way forward but this verse 'they shall walk up and down in his name' equally refers to the return from far ends of the earth and it is predicted for the latter times. As God delivered them once out of Egypt under the hand of Moses Israel if they meet the condition of God shall also return."And I will strengthen them in theLord; and they shall walk up and down in his name, saith theLord." This is from the standpoint of the Son. "In his love and mercy he redeemed them; he lifted them up and carried them all the days of old."(Is.63:9b)
We see this spillover in the coming chapter as well. As typical of the narrative mode of the Holy Spirit the scepter (pride) of Egypt is clubbed together with the pride of Assyria, wiping out a great period of time in between. Egypt,Assyria, Babylon are oppressors raised by God, "out of him the battle bow, out of him every oppressor together."(10:4). In the will of God such time marking events as we date our history does not exist.
"Moses and Jesus"
"I will bring them again also out of the land of Egypt, and gather them out of Assyria; and I will bring them into the land of Gilead and Lebanon; and place shall not be found for them."
Here onwards the Holy Spirit is giving us a recap on the deliverance of Israel out of Egypt from the standpoint of the Son, so in place of Moses we shall consider Jesus whom St Paul calls as the spiritual rock that followed them, and we treat it as a real presence. Prophet Isaiah called it the angel of his presence. "In all their distress he too was distressed, and the angel of his presence saved them. In his love and mercy he redeemed them; he lifted them up and carried them all the days of old."(Is.63:9-NIV). In short Moses is set in context of the Son.
In evidence we have v.11. "And Moses stretched out his hand over the sea;"(Ex.14:21) there was the angel at his work."And the angel of God, which went before the camp of Israel, removed and went behind them; and the pillar of the cloud went from before their face, and stood behind them:"(Ex.14:19-20). The sea parted, "and the waters were a wall unto them on their right hand, and on their left."(14:22). With this background information we shall consider the remaining verses:
11And he shall pass through the sea with affliction, and shall smite the waves in the sea, and all the deeps of the river shall dry up: and the pride of Assyria shall be brought down, and the sceptre of Egypt shall depart away./And I will strengthen them in theLord; and they shall walk up and down in his name, saith theLord.
"The Latter Rain"
God had in order to chastise the many sins of the foolish shepherd chose oppressors who He would later judge according to his will. As Haggai would refer to God, "The silver is mine, and the gold is mine, saith theLordof hosts" the Holy Spirit puts this verse in the mouth of Zechariah, "Out of him came forth the corner, out of him the nail, out of him the battle bow, out of him every oppressor together." (Hag2:8). Out of him came forth the corner, which is a Messianic prophecy of the advent of Jesus Christ, the cornerstone.
"Jesus saith unto them, Did ye never read in the scriptures, The stone which the builders rejected, the same is become the head of the corner: this is the Lord's doing, and it is marvellous in our eyes?"(Matt.21:42; Ps.118:22)
"The Latter Rain"
And I will sow them among the people: and they shall remember me in far countries; and they shall live with their children, and turn again.
Here we have the reverse of Israel being led forth by the mighty hand of God, who in the former times led them from the fiery furnace that was Egypt. In the latter times it shall be with great mercies from the far corners. 'They shall remember me in far countries', Zechariah assures the people. However in both cases the condition is. "Therefore say thou unto them, Thus saith the LORD of hosts; Turn ye unto me, saith the LORD of hosts, and I will turn unto you, saith the LORD of hosts."(Ze.1:3)
"Ask ye of theLordrain in the time of the latter rain; so theLordshall make bright clouds, and give them showers of rain," (10:1) The early rain was a proof of God who led them by pillar of cloud by day and pillar of fire by night. 'Ask ye' of the latter rain stands by the same token as the sign for restoration. Here also God has not diluted his will. 'And this shall come to pass, if you will diligently obey the voice of the Lord your God.'
"And they that are far off shall come and build in the temple of theLord, and ye shall know that theLordof hosts hath sent me unto you. And this shall come to pass, if ye will diligently obey the voice of theLordyour God."(6:14)
vv.3-4
"Mine anger was kindled against the shepherds, and I punished the goats: for theLordof hosts hath visited his flock the house of Judah, and hath made them as his goodly horse in the battle./Out of him came forth the corner, out of him the nail, out of him the battle bow, out of him every oppressor together.
Here the prophet is referring to the shepherds, both kingdoms of the north and of Judah. He intends Assyria and Babylon when he calls them goats. In the book of Daniel the goat signified Greece. (Dan.8:8).
"In That Day"
"And I will cut off the chariot from Ephraim, and the horse from Jerusalem, and the battle bow shall be cut off: and he shall speak peace unto the heathen: and his dominion shall be from sea even to sea, and from the river even to the ends of the earth."
And theLordtheir God shall save them in that day as the flock of his people: for they shall be as the stones of a crown, lifted up as an ensign upon his land.(v.16)
This speaks of the day of his wrath, and having set the perpetual desolations caused by each destroyer from Attila the Hun to this day. It may require a full blast of nuclear cleansing as St Peter has forewarned,"the elements will be destroyed by fire, and the earth and everything done in it will be laid bare."(2 Pe.3:10). The Day of the Lord is for preparing the throne of Righteousness.
In the second half of this chapter we have a commentary from the Book of Psalms, "Thou satest in the throne judging right./Thou hast rebuked the heathen, thou hast destroyed the wicked, thou hast put out their name for ever and ever." We have two advents of which the v.9 was about the Servant-King and the next v.10 is about the Messiah-King and he is revealed as the King who has come into his throne, which is the White Throne Judgment.
In trying to understand the divine Will for each of us, we are to follow the God document not in terms of being part of the nation of Israel or part of church evolved out of the historical entity that is called the Mother church but being found in the Son when he rightfully claim his throne.
Matt.21:44 Whoever comes to this rock either has to be with him fellow-laborer with no identity than Christ in me for the glory of God. All the other are part of miry clay upon which it shall fall one day and crush it to powder. "And became like the chaff of the summer threshing-floors; and the wind carried them away, that no place was found for them."(Dan.2:35)
Ps.9:6-8
"Behold Thy King!"
Thus when God sends his prophets only to be rejected by the nation of Israel one can appreciate why God cast out Judah and Jerusalem before His sight. There was a temple building undertaken on the earth which shall not remain either for long.
God sent his Son as Servant-King and of which the prophet writes,"Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion; shout, O daughter of Jerusalem: behold, thy King cometh unto thee: he is just, and having salvation; lowly, and riding upon an ass, and upon a colt the foal of an ass."(v.9)
"Behold Thy King!"
n vv.1-7 The cities mentioned trace Alexander's march through the Promised Land in 332-331B.C.
What we are concerned is not the march of events that gives men command over the places they ride over but who possess the land really? Dominion of it has been given to the Son. The decree enshrined in the everlasting covenant covers this sure promise of God."I will declare the decree: theLordhath said unto me, Thou art my Son; this day have I begotten thee./Ask of me, and I shall give thee the heathen for thine inheritance, and the uttermost parts of the earth for thy possession." (Ps.2:7-8). In the night vision of Daniel also we came across what was determined before the worlds began. "And there was given him dominion, and glory, and a kingdom, that all people, nations, and languages, should serve him: his dominion is an everlasting dominion, which shall not pass away, and his kingdom that which shall not be destroyed."(Dan.7:14)
In the Psalm cited here above is a Messianic prophesy "The kings of the earth set themselves, and the rulers take counsel together, against theLord, and against his anointed, saying,/Let us break their bands asunder, and cast away their cords from us./He that sitteth in the heavens shall laugh: theLordshall have them in derision." It is cringeworthy for a man to imagine he could defy the divine decree. Alexander was truly remarkable in conquering nations much mightier than that of Macedonia. But he died like all men and nothing of his glory remains, run over by march of history that has left its muddied bootprints leaving his glory seem more like a scarecrow. But David says, "Yet have I set my king upon my holy hill of Zion." (2:6). This is also a Messianic prophesy which has to do with temple of the latter days. The entire burden of Zechariah is more about the Salvation Plan set into active mode which occurs in heaven.
"In Those Days"
Zion on which the house of the God of Jacob is founded refers to the latter temple in heaven. The law,- and the word of the Lord, consequently is what drives the temple program and is going on in heaven. So when Jesus said, "Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up./Then said the Jews, Forty and six years was this temple in building, and wilt thou rear it up in three days?/But he spake of the temple of his body." ( John 2:19-21).
Thus there is no temple in the conventional sense and Jerusalem is synonymous with other cities judged by God. (Re.11:8).. For this reason the vision of the solid Golden Candlestick in Ze.4 is very crucial. Every believer who abides in Christ must show fruits. He is being fed from the fullness of the seven spirits and he has also two witnesses: his spirit and soul attesting what is his calling. He is priest as well as king unto God in the Son.
Lastly the symbol of mountain spoken by Isaiah is in the context of the Son who isthe rock cut not with hands in the vision interpreted by Daniel. The saints redeemed from the earth are part of the rock and when the apostate church is smashed along with world government nothing of it shall remain. Only the saints shall be left behind to inherit the kingdom of light. It is of the latter days, 'in those days' the earth is under new management: the kingdom of dear Son. What these two passages refer is the Millennium Reign of the latter days.
I noticed your comment to GiGi and think a lot of these arguments are circular where people are closer in belief than they initially realize. Sometimes each may think the other is not emphasizing a certain point to their liking and then emphasizes it while minimizing the thing the other was emphasizing. Naturally the other seeing the response may then feel his/her point was minimized so that person may want to highlights the original point again.
Sin, yes, we all sin. That's Biblical. This includes Christians.
Paul was a Christian and described his constant wrestling with sin and obedience. He wasn't given an automatic free pass where everything was suddenly easy, it took effort to follow and obey Jesus. I personally think effort in following Jesus is minimized and have had many discussions with people who falsely assume any effort whatsoever automatically means you're trying to earn salvation. Ironically, effort towards secular things is not seen as bad.
I know people who call themselves saved Christians at church who are actively living in sin and ok with that- for instance affairs, premarital sex, etc. They are ok with that because pastors and other Christians tell them its ok, that to correct would be legalism and that's bad. Some believe they are merely following a pre-determined script laid out by the Holy Spirit and that their sin, if they even call it that, only strengthens their faith. This ignores Romans 6. That is wrong and dangerous in my opinion. The message is distorted to where some are almost saying that when you're following Jesus, obeying Him is "bad". They seem blind to the contradiction, but sin is blinding and satan is crafty.
There's a difference in obedience, effort, and genuineness that may be hard to quantify. God ultimately knows our heart.
Just as you suggested, we ARE working with the Holy Spirit to resist sinning. Is this where you are in your walk with the LORD at this time? If so, we are both in the same way with regards to overcoming sin. I do know that when we die we will never sin again. In the mean time, we do fight against our sinful nature, making steady our course to live godly lives.
You asked, How can we live godly lives and still keep on sinning?
Are you intimating that only those who are living in a continuously sinless life are living godly lives?
Paul does tell us to live godly lives and to walk by the Spirit and to fight against the sinful nature (the flesh). But if we have reached sinless perfection, then our sinful nature is no longer in us. This is not the case. We die and with that death, only then will our sinful nature die.
If we could live in this life in sinless perfection, then we have no need to be resurrected from the dead, because we would live forever having already put on incorruptibility, immortality, etc. There would be no need for us to die if we have reached sinless perfection. But this is never so for any believer in this life.
Our responsibility is to walk in the Spirit as much as we are able to each day. We are to desire to not sin and to seek to obey God. We are to continue to resist temptation each day. It will stick with what I have written that we are to live a godly life. And when we do sin, we are to confess that we have sinned and know that we are forgiven and made clean once again. We start over again afresh and we glory in knowing that it is the righteousness of Christ that is imputed to us when we are converted, not our own that earns us anything before God.
Those of us that say we still are sinful though converted are not ones who believe nor suggest that we should give up fighting against sin, or that our sinfulness is insignificant. We take sin seriously like you do. We encourage everyone to work at resisting sin.
We need God in our lives in a right relationship through the Son, Jesus. We need the Spirit's regenerative work and indwelling. We need our Heavenly Father's justification of us on the merit's of His Son's sacrifice. We need all three Persons of the Godhead to make us what this One God desires for us, to be conformed to the perfect humanity of Christ, to be like Him in this life and in eternity. In this life we are in the process of becoming as God intends for us; in eternity, we will BE as God intends for us forever. We will be complete in Christ, without corruption, sin, or mortality. It will be so wonderful to be with Jesus in the place He has prepared for us and to be like Him in every way God has willed for us to become. So looking forward to that time. But in this time, I determine each day to live a life that honors Him; to listen for the direction of the Holy Spirit in my thoughts, words, and actions. May these be a pleasing aroma to God.
Satan "sows" "children of the wicked one," who profess to be children of the kingdom, and in outward ways are so like the true children that only the angels may, in the end, be trusted to separate them. [[[[[[So great is Satan's power of deception that the tares often really suppose themselves to be children of the kingdom.]]]]]] Many other parables and exhortations have this mingled condition in view.
Children of the wicked one are always religious unbelievers, mere pagan / nonbelievers are never so-called.
Paul urges all those claiming to be spiritually saved to "examine yourselves to see whether you are in the faith; test yourselves" 2 Corinthians 13:5 (KJV) 5 Examine yourselves, whether ye be in the faith; prove your own selves. Know ye not your own selves, how that Jesus Christ is in you, except ye be reprobates?
What about the Western Christian women who do not submit to their Christian husbands and we know probably most of them don't?
What about the total disregard for Head Coverings I just posted on that.
Link
Post-baptismal sin is covered under the blood for sins which we REPENT from not living IN as a way or walk of life and never really turn away from. What is true "repentance" it is like a burning house you never go back to it!
I liken this to two ships anchored at port. One ship is grounded in the Word and will not move from the harbor by the ebb and flow of the ocean. The second ship anchor is eroded due to continued sin as it continues to drift away from the harbor EVENTUALLY it finds itself lost in the middle of the ocean with no clue how to get back--- apostasy
1 Peter 4:17 (KJV)
Greetings in Christ JESUS
Regardings the last Day, John 11:21-26
21 Then said Martha unto Jesus, Lord,if thou hadst been here, my brother had not died.
22 But I know,that even now,whatsoever thou wilt ask of God, God will give it thee.
23 Jesus saith unto her,Thy brother shall rise again.
24 Martha saith unto him,I know that he shall rise again in the resurrection at the last Day.
25 Jesus said unto her,I am the resurrection,and the life: he that believeth in me,though he were dead,yet shall he live:
26 And whosoever liveth and believeth in me shall never die.Believest thou this?
The LAST DAY is the seventh Day,or seventh and last millennium. 2Peter 3:8-But,beloved,be not ignorant of this one thing that one Day is with the Lord as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one Day
By the way, JESUS came in the fourth Day or around 4.000 years after Adam. Jn 5:17-My Father worketh hitherto,and I work
In fact,according to the Biblical Chronology,we are living in the beginning of the first century of the the seventh and last millennium,or seventh and last Day
Mary,sister of Lazarus,thought her brother would resurrect only in this current millennium
By the way,according to the Daniel 12:1-3,
1At that time(at this current time)shall Michael stand up,the great prince which standeth for the children of thy people:and there shall be a time of trouble,such as never was since there was a nation even to that same time:and at that time thy people shall be delivered,every one that shall be found written in the book
2And many of them that sleep in the DUST of the earth shall awake,some to everlasting life,and some to shame and everlasting contempt
3And they that be wise shall shine as the brightness of the firmament;and they that turn many to righteousness as the stars for ever and ever
1 Thes.4:16-the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout,with the voice of the archangel,and with the trump of God and the dead in Christ shall rise first
Ephesians 5:25
The word of God cuts both ways, a two edged sword.
How many husbands love their wives as CHRIST loves the church ..... probably NONE.
The word says you are the WIFE of Christ, so these scripture of a wife submitting to her HUSBAND apply as much to you as to any earthly wife.
Those of us who live in glass houses shouldn't cast stones.
God Bless YOU!
SOUL
Vayikra (Leviticus) 17:11& 14- Torah -
11 The SOUL of the flesh is in the BLOOD, and I have therefore given it to you [to be placed] upon the altar, to atone for your souls. For it is the blood that atones for the soul.
14For [regarding] the soul of all flesh its blood is in its soul, and I said to the children of Israel: You shall not eat the blood of any flesh, for the soul of any flesh is its blood all who eat it shall be cut off.
SPIRIT
Isaiah 11:2-KJV
2 And the spirit of the Lord shall rest upon him, the spirit of wisdom and understanding, the spirit of counsel and might, the spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the Lord;
John 6:63 - JESUS said:
... the WORDS that I speak unto you, THEY ARE SPIRIT, and they are life. (The Word is GOD, self-executing, is the Power. Great mystery. The Word is from everlasting to everlasting. By the way, around 2.000 years ago, the Word was made flesh- John 1:14).
Romans 8:9-
9 But ye are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit, if so be that the Spirit of God dwell in you. Now if any man have not the Spirit of Christ, HE IS NONE OF HIS.
10 And if Christ be in you, the body is dead because of sin; but the Spirit is life because of righteousness.
11 But if the Spirit of Him that raised up JESUS from the dead dwell in you, He that raised up Christ from the dead shall also quicken your mortal bodies by His Spirit that dwelleth in you.
It's it. Now, the interpretation is with you.
GOD BLESSES YOU
Matthew 10:28
Fear not them which kill the body, but are not able to kill the soul: but rather fear him which is able to destroy both soul and body in hell.
We need God in our lives in a right relationship through the Son, Jesus. We need the Spirit's regenerative work and indwelling. We need our Heavenly Father's justification of us on the merit's of His Son's sacrifice. We need all three Persons of the Godhead to make us what this One God desires for us, to be conformed to the perfect humanity of Christ, to be like Him in this life and in eternity. In this life we are in the process of becoming as God intends for us; in eternity, we will BE as God intends for us forever. We will be complete in Christ, without corruption, sin, or mortality. It will be so wonderful to be with Jesus in the place He has prepared for us and to be like Him in every way God has willed for us to become. So looking forward to that time. But in this time, I determine each day to live a life that honors Him; to listen for the direction of the Holy Spirit in my thoughts, words, and actions. May these be a pleasing aroma to God.