"It is like a grain of mustard seed, which, when it is sown in the earth, is less than all the seeds that be in the earth."(v.31). Mark is referring to the same as intended in the Gospel of Matthew.However emphases differ. 'The little one' in Matthew is compared to a grain. It is less than all the seeds in the earth. However it is not the same when Matthew says it was "which a man took, and sowed in his field.". He refers to their position as it is set in heaven. "Take heed that ye despise not one of these little ones; for I say unto you, That in heaven their angels do always behold the face of my Father which is in heaven."(Matt.18:10). Matthew is serving the parable in terms of Jesus Christ on Alpha and Omega mode. The field is the world.(Matt.13:38)
Mark sets the parable in terms of heaven and the earth so the grain of mustard despite of its physical 'littleness" is empowered by the Spirit of God.
"t groweth up, and becometh greater than all herbs, and shooteth out great branches; so that the fowls of the air may lodge under the shadow of it."(v.32) Compare the tree in the king's dream, "the fowls of the heaven dwelt in the boughs thereof" (Dan.4:12). The shadow as the Spirit has indicated in several places signify the authority of God. For instance people brought their sick," Insomuch that they brought forth the sick into the streets, and laid them on beds and couches, that at the least the shadow of Peter passing by might overshadow some of them."(Ac.5:15) Mark is consistent in setting the Power of God casting its shadow so that the fowls of the air may under the shadow of it. "And he said, So is the kingdom of God, as if a man should cast seed into the ground;/And should sleep, and rise night and day, and the seed should spring and grow up, he knoweth not how." (4:26-27)
Luke is closer to the parable in which it is cast into his garden.( Luke 13:19)
For significance of the fowls of the heaven, Re.19:17-18)
After creating man God blessed them:" And God blessed them, and God said unto them, Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth" (Ge.1:28)", "Be fruitful" was a divine command.
(See under A-Abstract)
In the Parable of the Barren Fig Tree "Then said he unto the dresser of his vineyard, Behold, these three years I come seeking fruit on this fig tree, and find none: cut it down; why cumbereth it the ground?"( Luke 13:7). The Spirit refers to the Son with the number Three. The parable therefore is about believers, which are unproductive. The fig tree unable to produce fruits of the Spirit represents them.
In the Parable of the Sower birds eat up some seeds falling on the wayside, and some are unfruitful owing to the condition of the ground. The evil one is the destroyer that can prevent the word of God from becoming fruitful. The same destroyer is the enemy who scatters tares in a field while men slept. Deceitful riches can choke the heart, which is compared to a field. Jesus Christ was manifested to destroy the works of the devil.( 1 John 3:8)
Satan is the destroyer, whose deceit upset the order that God had created for Adam. He is also a thief who dares not come by the door. For this reason he beguiled Eve through a serpent. "The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy."( John 10:10,1)
"And I will give unto thee the keys of the kingdom of heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt bind on earth shall be bound in heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven."
Firstly we shall examine the manner Jesus used it. "And ought not this woman, being a daughter of Abraham, whom Satan hath bound, lo, these eighteen years, be loosed from this bond on the sabbath day?"( Luke 13:18). Jesus used the passkey and it is called the finger of God. In the case of Moses it was the rod with which he stumped the magicians of Egypt who said,"Then the magicians said unto Pharaoh, This is the finger of God."(Ex.8:19). Jesus explained,"But if I cast out devils by the Spirit of God, then the kingdom of God is come unto you." (12:28) Finger of God in the case of the Son is faith that establishes his paternity,- DNA is faith, and when Moses did as was commanded of God, his rod was a substitute as good as any. The key is merely a label for faith. Jesus set an example for his disciples. Whatever he loosed whether on the Sabbath day or any other on earth was loosed in heaven. Jesus also promised,"Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that believeth on me, the works that I do shall he do also; and greater works than these shall he do; because I go unto my Father."( John 14:12). The context is about the outpouring of the Holy Spirit. The indwelling Spirit shall entrust everyone, an associate to the Son who from the right hand of the Most High, and their faith is the keys of the kingdom. Literal interpretation of the passage gave false shepherds to wrest control over His flock, "Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that entereth not by the door into the sheepfold, but climbeth up some other way, the same is a thief and a robber."(John10:1) Paul and Barnabas also could bind over Elymas, "And now, behold, the hand of the Lord is upon thee, and thou shalt be blind, not seeing the sun for a season. "(Ac.13:11)
As I was reading the words of God, this morning, Luke 13:24-28
Does this not speak to all who believe that there is no overcoming of sin in this present life
" they believe they ate & drink in His presence, & believed that " He taught in our streets".
Yet, the Lord plainly states; Luke 13:27
This reminds me of Matt 7:21,22
This reveals the utter deceitfulness of sin, that Satan has no lack of power to deceive 2Thess 2:9,10
He even has such power to call fire down from heaven. Rev 13:11-16 this is describing false Christianity, listen to what the Scriptures reveal, Rev 13:11 had an image like a lamb, but spoke like a dragon. Teaching that one can be a Christian & know God & continue in sin for life, despite the testimony of Christ, John 8:24, 1John 3:6
Then we have Hebrews 10:26-29; the whole context of these Scriptures here is " sinning is past tense, over, done away with."
They pray, but they regard; Psalms 66:18; in light of the above Scriptures, who do you thing is answering their prayers?
Again, all power in all deceitfulness of unrighteousness, ,,,sin ! 2Timothy 3:5Rev 18:4
Luke 11:33-36 the whole body be full of Light, "Christ" having no dark part, no darkness at all" Revealing "Consummation of Sanctification of the Spirit, obedience unto righteousness unto holiness, partaker's of the Divine Nature.
It also reveals, If one continue in sin for life, then it obvious that there's darkness within & Matt 6:23
Folks, I speak as one concern, I found that in life motions one can be caught up in doing this or that, the swiftness in which life is pasting by, & the world continually drawing us to it concerns, one doesn't stop & truly consider what Holy Spirit plainly states in the Scriptures or why they have not experience it,
Churches are teaching contrary to Scriptures, all are singing a lullaby; cause everybody else is doing it, some more some less, status quo, so it must be true? NOT ! 1Thessalonians 4:7
Just a question not to offend, just to inspire thought and study. Do you think when God placed Adam in the Garden of Eden and told Adam he could eat from every tree and fruit of the garden but one tree? God declared the end from the beginning do you think He did not know what Adam was going to do?
I am sorry, but on some subjects, I struggle to convey my understanding. To continue in sin and repentance is not what I was saying and not the way I am living. Daily repentance and obedience are not living in doubt the power of God's forgiveness. It is a daily lifestyle repentance is a way to progress in our sanctification a pattern of life to endure until the end we forsake sin daily not just one time.
It is through the repentance of all the sins we have done and the glory we give to God through the faith and obedience of Jesus Christ that we can be forgiven. Repentance is the foundation of our lives it is the beginning and the end of our life.
We can get slack, but we must every day test ourselves that we are walking in the Spirit and are striving to endure until the end and that starts with being obedient and repentant as we have been commanded to do, 1 John 1:9Luke 13:3Matt. 4:17Acts 17:30. We will be absent from the presence of sin when we are glorified at our resurrection.
"The earth is the Lord's, and the fulness thereof; the world, and they that dwell therein./ For he hath founded it upon the seas, and established it upon the floods./ Who shall ascend into the hill of the Lord? or who shall stand in his holy place?"(Ps.24:1-3)
Before we take up the topic on hand we shall refresh the matter of the earth and the fulness thereof. The Lord God had intended his Son as his heir. So the fulness of Jesus Christ must be applied as to the entity and its appurtenance. It is a legal term. God established it upon the flood so when the Spirit begins the creation account he informs us, "And the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters."(Ge.1:2) Thus God optimize the value of his property so we can well understand the concern of the owner in the Parable of the fig tree, "So he said to the man who took care of the vineyard, 'For three years now I've been coming to look for fruit on this fig tree and haven't found any. Cut it down! Why should it use up the soil?'"( Luke 13:7-NIV) And Isaiah has dilated upon his anguish, "And now, O inhabitants of Jerusalem, and men of Judah, judge, I pray you, betwixt me and my vineyard./ What could have been done more to my vineyard, that I have not done in it? wherefore, when I looked that it should bring forth grapes, brought it forth wild grapes?" (Is.5:3-4)
God sent his prophets from time to time to the earth but the wicked husbandmen treated them vilely and killed many of them. The two witnesses signifying the worlds of the Spirit and of the earth, are presented by the Spirit. They represent from Abel to Zechariah as martyrs and many more. It is in the vein Jerusalem is represented in v.8. This is to be spiritually understood. The Earth abides forever since it belongs to the Son in whom God desired all his fullness to dwell. He is the visible image of the invisible God.
Hi Jema. Just a couple of points to note from your understanding of those passages you quoted. You believe that Simon the Leper ( Matthew 26:6) might be the same person, now named Lazarus (in John 11:1-6). As I understand it, the account of the sickness, death & resurrection of Lazarus (brother of Mary & Martha) took place some time before the account of Simon the Leper. Jesus was on His second journey (after first leaving Jerusalem (in Winter): John 10:22, then onto Jordan: John 10:40) when news came to Him of Lazarus' sickness ( John 11:3). But Jesus continued to stay at Jordan ( John 11:6) & then went to Bethany to deceased Lazarus.
Now the account of Simon the Leper, also in Bethany, occurred very near to the Passover Feast ( Matthew 26:2). And we know this to be so, because after the woman's anointing of Jesus in Simon the Leper's home, Jesus' disciples were annoyed at the waste of this ointment, & Judas Iscariot then left them to put into effect his wicked act. And of course, Jesus then celebrates the Passover with His disciples at the appointed time. So the Lazarus (in John 11) & Simon the Leper (in Matthew 26) can't be the same person and of course it would have saddened Lazarus (& others) tremendously that he who died because of some sickness & was raised by Jesus, yet wasn't healed of his leprosy.
As well, the account of the rich man & (the other) Lazarus ( Luke 16:19-31) is understood to have happened after the Lazarus (of John 11) was raised to life, not before. A synopsis of the Gospels shows that after Jesus began His journey towards Bethany, He also ministered along the way ( Luke 13:22 to Luke 17:1-10). After this, Jesus arrives in Bethany to see the lifeless body of his friend.
23Now when he was in Jerusalem at the passover, in the feast day, many believed in his name, when they saw the miracles which he did.
24But Jesus did not commit himself unto them, because he knew all men,
25And needed not that any should testify of man: for he knew what was in man.
Just as the Son of God warned us that many would claim mighty miracles in His Name ( Matt. 7:22); not knowing Christ as a member of the Godhead kept unregenerate individuals who saw Christ Himself performing them when they ascribed it to someone who was merely a great teacher; or Prophet of God. What the Prophets couldn't do was forgive sins; which is always man's greatest need as we see from John 5:14 where a man for decades was healed from being a paralytic. In this case sin had something to do with his condition but eternal death would probably be the only thing WORSE that Christ was referring to.
Preaching about sin to enemies of God can and will cause strife and persecution. But the whole Gospel must make it clear that our spiritual condition is dead; and judgment inevitable until we are saved; and that only comes through Christ's atonement removing out sins. The Pharisees themselves were looking for signs; even at the cross He was mocked and challenged to save Himself as though He was under the control of those who crucified Him. The concept of setting someone free was overshadowed by the Pharisees tenacious grasp on the law and their many additions of "working on the Sabbath Day" ( Luke 13:16). The crowds wanted free bread and fish; or to be caught up in the acction of the moment; with only a few truly being disciples; worshipping Him; and giving up all for following Him. Matthew 2:7 shows how Herod pretended to want to worship the Christ child; such is the same sort of concept of those who tried to trap Him with questions later on ( Luke 11:53-54). Others only wanted Him to rule as King; which will happen in the Millennium ( John 6:15).
When we see TEN chapters of Luke encompassing the last few days of Christ's life taking up more than a third of the text in the entire book; and similar patterns in all the Gospels; the magnitude of the narrative is exponentially ratched up in terms of the stress on the Messiah; the amount of challenges; as well as the increase in variety of things preached; rebukes to the Pharisees; etc.
I think it is good to ponder on this reality carefully. Christ had already had numerous (some say 10) attempts at being killed at this point; whether attempting to throw Him off a cliff; or stoning as the most popular methodology. He knew through Divine wisdom that He was destined to die at Calvary; thus any earlier attempts to kill Him would be in vain. Nonetheless; He certainly didn't seek to take a break before facing the inevitable-until Gethsemane when He sweat drops of blood and undoutably had angelic strengthening in what was a battle of life and death according to scripture. God would later use others to help carry the cross when His strength failed.
Turning to the ministry with His Disciples; He would at this time emphasize the prophecy of future events (as seen in Matthew 24 for instance). Up until the end; it seemed the Disciples didn't get it as to His need to die (as evidenced by the account of Peter striking the ear of the High Priest when the soldiers came). He also had to deal with the rapid decay from the triumphal entry with the donkey and the "Hosanna's" from the crowd to the rapid shift to "crucify Him" just a week later. He had the betrayal of Judas Iscariot (prophesied in Psalm 41:9); the abandonment of all the Disciples in Gethsemene; and all the sufferings to come in the cruel series of trials leading up to the agony of the Crucifixion; whose physical torments would pale to taking on the sins of men and the wrath of God for us.
He was the suffering servant to the end mindful of others.
I would be sadly remiss if I didn't emphasize how we should fear the Lord who can send both body and soul to hell ( Matt. 10:28).
This; in my opinion should elicit a response in the souls of all true believers; as we should be ever greatful for what He did for us on the cross; taking the punishment of God the Father on Himself for our benefit.
What we can do now; however is be ambassadors for the truth; and allow God to make us vessels of reconciliation ( 2 Cor. 5:19).
We cannot save anyone; but are held responsible for the death of others if we don't sound the alarm (see Ezekiel 33). Notice there that they may or may not heed the warning.
One cannot separate the love of God for fear of the Lord; and one cannot appreciate the joys of heaven without realizing the horrors of hell they have been delivered from.
We also have to understand predestination in that regard; if we disagree on certain aspects it is clear that in the end a certain number are saved and sadly it is only "few" according to Christ Himself. ( Luke 13:23 among other verses).
Another thing which needs consideration is the reports of children being in hell. Matthew 18:10; as well as Matthew 21:16 tied to Psalm 8:2; and the testimony of David in 2 Samuel 12:23 should dispel this; there are other verses as well which I may elaborate on in a future posting. Those scenes where people seem baffled or confused as to what is happening to them isn't scriptural; and we also must ponder Hebrews 9:27; and understand that judgment comes first immediately after death (although before the Great White Throne one at the end of the Millennium). The punishment is justly given in different levels depending on the crime. I need to be careful here; but will say that punishment will be no more or less than deserved; more "tolerable" for some as in Matthew 11:22.
In conclusion; God's Word should make us tremble; the subject matter should never be looked at as entertaining.
Assurance of salvation: Focus on meaning of 1 Timothy 2:4 in light of current subject matter
The matter of Predestination becomes a thorny one on this verse. On the surface it would seem a Universalist mindset saying that all men eventually will be saved is a logical conclusion but clearly the Bible indicates otherwise. When we examine the same book in chapter 4 verse 10 we see that Christ is the Savior "especially of those who believe" which makes no sense unless we understand that He knows all who will eventually come to Him therefore in that sense while we were yet sinners; Christ died for us as we see in Romans 5:8. There are certain joys and comforts in this life as well for everyone; saved or lost to some extent; the subject being called "common grace" is a cause of no small stir among some; I would prefer to say delayed sentence.
This verse clearly is different when we understand the will of the Father toward Christ and all those predestined to come to the Lord as we see in the Book of John. There are verses in Isaiah where it states that He came to take away the sins of many ( Isaiah 53:12; also see Hebrews 9:28). It is clear also that "few will be saved" ( Luke 13:24).
The focus on much of this should be on God's method of salvation; all man centered attempts to somehow fulfill statements in the Sermon on the Mount may appeal to a humanist or even an atheist in principle; but in reality unregenerate man has no capacity to fulfill the law; let alone the deeper implications; both of omission and commission of righteousness and avoiding sins of those types as well.
His church is a part of His Body in a mystical sense but also in a very real one as well ( 1 Cor. 12:27). He purchased it or redeemed it with His blood; and this in a legally binding covenant as it were. God always keeps His end of a bargain; man on the other hand finds many schemes. Again; the key is if the Lord confesses we are His own ( Matt. 10:32).
No the Bible does not teach anywhere that belief in christ is all that is required for salvation.
It repeatedly from beginning to end continues to teach faith together with obedience to God's ten commandments are a prerequisite to salvation. Everyone in the Bible is judged according to their works. Not according to their faith. Romans 3:31
"Do we then make void the law through faith? God forbid: yea, we establish the law." 1 John 2:4
"He that saith, I know him, and keepeth not his commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him."
King James
Luke 18:18
"And a certain ruler asked him, saying, Good Master, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?" Luke 18:19
"And Jesus said unto him, Why callest thou me good? none is good, save one, that is, God."
Luke 18:20
"Thou knowest the commandments, Do not commit adultery, Do not kill, Do not steal, Do not bear false witness, Honour thy father and thy mother."
King James
Matthew
5
Matthew 5:17
"Think not that I am come to destroy the law, or the prophets: I am not come to destroy, but to fulfil."
King James
John
15
John 15:10
"If ye keep my commandments, ye shall abide in my love; even as I have kept my Father's commandments, and abide in his love." John 14:15
"If ye love me, keep my commandments."
King James
Luke
13
Luke 13:24
"Strive to enter in at the strait gate: for many, I say unto you, will seek to enter in, and shall not be able."
King James
Romans 2:6
"Who will render to every man according to his deeds:"
King JamesRevelation 22:12
"And, behold, I come quickly; and my reward is with me, to give every man according as his work shall be."
King James
There is a ton of more verses that could be attached that continue to back up truth.
The main thing is you must read the Bible for yourself because ultimately you are responsible for your own salvation. Trusting what I say or what this person says is not the way to work out your own salvation.
Luke 13:22-30, The priority of the straight gate. (Part 2)
Luke 13:27 - But he shall say, I tell you, I know you not whence ye are; depart from me, all ye workers of iniquity (Literally unrighteousness).
These are those who have rejected Christ. They will not be allowed in.
Luke 13:28 - Speaking of those who are unsaved: "There shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth, when ye shall see Abraham, and Isaac, and Jacob, and all the prophets, in the kingdom of God, and you yourselves thrust out."
Luke 13:29 - Speaking of those who are saved: And they shall come from the east, and from the west, and from the north, and from the south, and shall sit down in the kingdom of God.
Luke 13:30 - This verse is the key to this section. It says, "And, behold, there are last which shall be first, and there are first which shall be last."
The application is that people are going to come from the east, west, north, and south. Other nations, the Gentiles, are going to come in and the end result is that a Hebrew or Jewish person that has rejected Christ, they are going to think "We are Hebrews, we are Jews, we are God's chosen people, and we should be there."
And He (Jesus) is saying no, the first will be last and the last be first. You will see many Gentiles enter in to the banqueting feast, but you yourself cast out!
Luke 13:22 - And he (Jesus) went through the cities and villages, teaching, and journeying toward Jerusalem.
Luke 13:23 - Then said one unto him, Lord, are there few that be saved? And he (Jesus) said unto them,
Now why is this person is asking this question? It is like this person is telling Jesus, "We get the idea from you, from listening to your teachings that there are not very many people that are going to be saved because you just eliminated 99% of the people. Are there few that be saved?
Luke 13:24 - Jesus says, " Strive to enter in at the strait gate: for many, I say unto you, will seek to enter in, and shall not be able."
The word "strive" is the word AGONIDZO where we get the word agonize from. Agonize to enter in at the strait gate: for many, I say unto you, will seek to enter in, and shall not be able.
That is when this life is over. Jesus said in Matthew that the way of destruction, the gate is Broad, the road is broad. But the narrow gate and the straight road, and He says that there are very few that find it. So do you think that Jesus made it easy?
Only those people that had a heart for Him are the only ones that are going to go through that narrow gate and walk that straight road and give up the only life that they have by surrendering their life to Christ.
Luke 13:25 - When once the master of the house is risen up, and hath shut to the door, and ye begin to stand without, and to knock at the door, saying, Lord, Lord, open unto us; and he shall answer and say unto you, I know you not whence ye are:
Luke 13:26 - Then shall ye begin to say, We have eaten and drunk in thy presence, and thou hast taught in our streets.
"Hey, didn't we eat dinner with you at the Pharisees house? And we drank in your presence, and you taught in our streets. You were at that street evangelism sermon that we heard."
Dear Alex, Your doctrine of universal salvation regardless of belief or unbelief in Jesus and His work as well as your doctrine of God being born and replicated in us is what is in error.
Refer to John 3:18-19 and Luke 13:3 (Jesus said to repent or perish)
The Sciptures says that the Holy Spirit, Christ, and the Father all come to dwell within the believer, but all are not remade into baby gods in us, nor replicated in our human persons.
Read Ephesians 2:22 and Ephesians 3:17
John 14:17 and John 14:23
God does not change, as in the Spirit being born in us as child that grows. Only Jesus was Incarnated, not the Holy Spirit.
Read Psalm 102:27 and Hebrews 1:12 and Malachi 3:6
Alex, I know that we have addressed these doctrines before, but I still believe that YOU are the one in direct opposition to the revealed Word of God.
Interestingly, after studying scripture I've noticed, GOD gave mankind dominion, on Earth. Genesis 1:26,27,28, GOD didn't take that dominion away, people have misused their powers. They/we will all give account: Revelation 1:5-8, Romans 14:12, Daniel 4:3,34, Matthew 25:31-46, Matthew 18,
Jesus was here to show us how to bring His Kingdom the Kingdom of GOD on Earth, with Love, John 3:16-21, John 13:34, Romans 12:10, 1John 4:7,12, 1Peter 3:8, John 15:17, James 2:13-17, Luke 13:34,
one day all dominion will go to Christ: 1Corinthians 15:20-28, Romans 16:20,
Galatians 4:1-8, Colossians 3:21,
Matthew 20:25-28, Ephesians 1, (whole chapters) 1Peter 4, Jude 1,
Jesus gave all that believe in him, authority under heaven: from GOD ALMIGHTY: Matthew 28:18-20, Matthew 6, Luke 11, Mark 3:15, Acts 4:30,31, Luke 9:2,
We all have power in the natural if even just to comfort someone else, & as we grow in faith, supernatural power in prayer, through GOD & Christ Jesus our Savior.
Hello once again Richard, In response to the person who was struck dead for touching the ark, we do not know his judgment.
I think as you do on this, but we could be wrong. I think that God executed capital punishment on some of the Israelites not so much because what they did was exceedingly evil, but to make the point that they must view Him as truly holy and be mindful of interacting with Him with reverence.
It reminds of what Jesus said about the people on which the tower of Siloam fell or the Galileans whose blood Pilate mingled with their sacrifices were worse sinners than others ( Luke 13:1-5) as He admonished those hearing Him to repent or they would likewise perish. Jesus spoke against the judgmental and self-righteous spirit of the Scribes and Pharisees who thought they were qualified to tell the degree of sinfulness of others due to their infirmities, malformations in their bodies and other imperfections.
They looked at the outside, but Jesus was concerned about the inward aspects of a person, calling them whitewashed sepulchers full of death even though these men thought that they were pure and holy because of their outward works.
Matthew 18:18, notice Matthew 18:15-22, in context Matthew 18, look closely when reading loosed again Matthew 18:27,
Looking up Matthew 18:18, in word breakdown in Strongs Exhaustive Concordance reference at bottom of page, "bind" translated 'deo' can mean pledge, marriage, or be in bonds, = Luke 13:16, context Luke 13, "loosed" translated 'luo' = break, destroy, dissolve, divorce
both scriptures same words, in Greek.
In the Old Testament, Daniel 3:5, "loose" translated 'shre' = to free, separate, unravel ( Thayer's Greek Lexicon a reference also in site, I use for comparison)
Matthew 16, if you read the following chapter: Matthew 18, this should help you understand deeper,
note, Matthew 18:18-20,
the word bind & bound is- "deo" Greek, as per Strongs Exhaustive Concordance = to bind, be bound,
Loosed - "Luo" Greek, also in Strongs Exhaustive Concordance, = to loosen, break, destroy, dissolve,
Luke 13:16, this is a great example. It appears as believers, we have been given authority to make rulings, set free, etc. James 1:5, Mark 13:34, Matthew 28:18,19, John 16:23-28
Birds are animals so is a dog they can never think like a human nor comprehend anything, A good example is when you leave your in the house and go to work and later on you find your dog has chewed all you new cushions and made a big mess.
This Dog you might speak to it and he will wiggle his tail but i tell you tomorrow or few months down the line it will do it again
The point is God has made us and breath into our nostrils and given man the breath of life then man became living being .
Jesus died on the cross for man to be reconciled with God This is clearly shown on
John 3:16
For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life."
another point to understand is that we are more valuable to God than animals and as God takes care of the animals and birds of the skys he values man more than them.
Matthew 6:26-34
26 Look at the birds of the air, for they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they?
By the grace of God Please don't worry about the animals worry about your souls before God, remember unless you repent you will likewise perish
Luke 13:3
I tell you, Nay: but, except ye repent, ye shall all likewise perish.
Jesus speaking in context : Mark 10:13-31, notice he started with the little children that were being pushed aside._.. Notice too he says many not all. Luke 18:17, Mark 10:15,
Giannis says Israel, that seems very contradictory to the WORD: Romans 11, whole chapter. Notice, Luke 13:22-35, note Luke 13:27, iniquity, Matthew 7, Matthew 25:31-46, Isaiah 48:12, Matthew 24:48-51,
Matthew 20:1-16, again arrogance & expecting more reward than another? Again if you go back a little in context Jesus is telling them don't forbid the children to come to Him. Matthew 19:14, continued the same event follows. Matthew 19:14-30, so Matthew 20, is repeating the teaching of 1st, & last; meekness, in another perspective same teaching. Matthew 10:22,24,25,42, Matthew 10:5-42, Mark 9:35, Mark 10:44, Matthew 20:27, Matthew 18:3,4,5,
As we enter into verse 8; we have the first of several statements as to the fate of the wicked.
It is hard to even bear thinking about these things without pleading to God for strength. We notice the cowardly state as being the first sin mentioned. We can't do it without the Lord as Peter attempted to do with bravado without the Spirit. Without Him we can do nothing. As we see a parallel verse in Isaiah 66:24 we see the state of man either in hades during the Millennium or during the eternal state. We see how God's mercy and forgiveness are only for when they are in this life; and we also see how they will be an abhorrence to all that see them. There is no way to overstate here how important hearing God's voice is at the present above all of life's distractions and temptations and comforts. I can't see how anyone no matter how mature they are in the Lord isn't broken when considering these things; and ever grateful that God saved them from this unspeakable horror.
The rest of the chapter basically describes heaven coming down to earth and it's dimensions and foundation stones. Again; as stated previously when we consider the affect of a city almost the size of the moon landing on the earth surely the edges would be pressed out and likely the mantle would expose itself to the surface which would allow lava (i.e. the lake of fire) to be outside the gates. We see this also in other verses where Christ warns that heaven will be seen but "you yourselves thrust out" ( Luke 13:28).
There will be some existence of kings on the earth; whether it symbolizes those of the church or those perhaps who lived through the Millennium period bringing glory and honor into it. The doors are not shut day and night (implying that even if the light of the sun and moon aren't NEEDED they still may exist). Again; the last verse is a terrifying reminder that unsaved people will not enter or be able to. They are locked forever in sin.
The Epistle/Letter to the Romans teaches the reader to obey the "powers that be" in the world.
The Apostles did not believe Jesus taught them to obey the "powers that be"; as evidenced by the fact that they disobeyed them:
Did not we straitly command you that ye should not teach in this name? and, behold, ye have filled Jerusalem with your doctrine, and intend to bring this man's blood upon us. Then Peter and the other apostles answered and said, We ought to obey God rather than men. Acts 5:28-29
It appears you are trying to marry the two gospels together; one must choose one or the other:
"...if he that cometh preacheth another Jesus, whom we have not preached, or if ye receive another spirit, which ye have not received, or another gospel, which ye have not accepted, ye might well bear with him." 2 Corinthians 11:4
Jesus has prophesied that he will tell all the workers of iniquity (sinners) to depart from him:
"I know you not whence ye are; depart from me, all ye workers of iniquity." Luke 13:27
I say unto you, that likewise joy shall be in heaven over one sinner that repenteth, more than over ninety and nine just persons, which need no repentance. Luke 15:7
Jesus claims there are two distinct groups of human beings:
"I pray for them: I pray not for the world, but for them which thou hast given me; for they are thine." John 17:9
The world aka the "powers that be" aka workers of iniquity aka sinners only comprise one group.
The other group are the sheep who pray with Jesus: "thy will be done on earth" and "lead us not into temptation".
Psalm(s) 14 and 53 also speak of two distinct groups of human beings:
The "workers of iniquity" who eat up God's People as they eat up bread;
and "God's People" who are being eaten up like bread.
We don't sin with our mind and our flesh.
We have been commanded to love the LORD our God with all our heart, all our mind, all our strength, and all our soul.
He is able to keep us from sinning. He teaches us to ask him for his will.
I enjoyed your comments on this Holy Sabbath Day, and thanks for sharing!
I also observe many people in the world choosing to ignore Jesus Christ and His Gospel of the Kingdom. It is very sad to see the rejection, but it coincides with much of the scripture which tells us so many times that "few people will enter into God's Kingdom".
Matthew 22:14
"For many are called, but few are chosen."
Luke 13:23-24
"Then said one unto him, Lord, are there few that be saved? And he said unto them," "Strive to enter in at the strait gate: for many, I say unto you, will seek to enter in, and shall not be able."
Matthew 7:14
"Because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it."
The emphasis coming directly from the mouth of Jesus saying "few there be that find it". If these bible verses don't move a Christian to "take notice" of themselves, nothing well.
Are we truly picking up our crosses and following Christ? Are we living our lives as part of this world? Jesus tells us that we can't do both!
Matthew 16:25
"For whosoever will save his life shall lose it: and whosoever will lose his life for my sake shall find it."
People need to take the bible to heart and NOT be lulled into thinking/believing they are (forever saved) while at the same time living their worldly lives.
Matthew 16:26
"For what is a man profited, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul? or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul?"
There are many false teachers, and preachers out there telling others that you can still live a worldly life and still have a "free ticket to heaven".
Any wonder why Jesus tells us over and over that FEW will be saved!
"It is like a grain of mustard seed, which, when it is sown in the earth, is less than all the seeds that be in the earth."(v.31). Mark is referring to the same as intended in the Gospel of Matthew.However emphases differ. 'The little one' in Matthew is compared to a grain. It is less than all the seeds in the earth. However it is not the same when Matthew says it was "which a man took, and sowed in his field.". He refers to their position as it is set in heaven. "Take heed that ye despise not one of these little ones; for I say unto you, That in heaven their angels do always behold the face of my Father which is in heaven."(Matt.18:10). Matthew is serving the parable in terms of Jesus Christ on Alpha and Omega mode. The field is the world.(Matt.13:38)
Mark sets the parable in terms of heaven and the earth so the grain of mustard despite of its physical 'littleness" is empowered by the Spirit of God.
"t groweth up, and becometh greater than all herbs, and shooteth out great branches; so that the fowls of the air may lodge under the shadow of it."(v.32) Compare the tree in the king's dream, "the fowls of the heaven dwelt in the boughs thereof" (Dan.4:12). The shadow as the Spirit has indicated in several places signify the authority of God. For instance people brought their sick," Insomuch that they brought forth the sick into the streets, and laid them on beds and couches, that at the least the shadow of Peter passing by might overshadow some of them."(Ac.5:15) Mark is consistent in setting the Power of God casting its shadow so that the fowls of the air may under the shadow of it. "And he said, So is the kingdom of God, as if a man should cast seed into the ground;/And should sleep, and rise night and day, and the seed should spring and grow up, he knoweth not how." (4:26-27)
Luke is closer to the parable in which it is cast into his garden.( Luke 13:19)
For significance of the fowls of the heaven, Re.19:17-18)
After creating man God blessed them:" And God blessed them, and God said unto them, Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth" (Ge.1:28)", "Be fruitful" was a divine command.
(See under A-Abstract)
In the Parable of the Barren Fig Tree "Then said he unto the dresser of his vineyard, Behold, these three years I come seeking fruit on this fig tree, and find none: cut it down; why cumbereth it the ground?"( Luke 13:7). The Spirit refers to the Son with the number Three. The parable therefore is about believers, which are unproductive. The fig tree unable to produce fruits of the Spirit represents them.
In the Parable of the Sower birds eat up some seeds falling on the wayside, and some are unfruitful owing to the condition of the ground. The evil one is the destroyer that can prevent the word of God from becoming fruitful. The same destroyer is the enemy who scatters tares in a field while men slept. Deceitful riches can choke the heart, which is compared to a field. Jesus Christ was manifested to destroy the works of the devil.( 1 John 3:8)
Satan is the destroyer, whose deceit upset the order that God had created for Adam. He is also a thief who dares not come by the door. For this reason he beguiled Eve through a serpent. "The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy."( John 10:10,1)
"And I will give unto thee the keys of the kingdom of heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt bind on earth shall be bound in heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven."
Firstly we shall examine the manner Jesus used it. "And ought not this woman, being a daughter of Abraham, whom Satan hath bound, lo, these eighteen years, be loosed from this bond on the sabbath day?"( Luke 13:18). Jesus used the passkey and it is called the finger of God. In the case of Moses it was the rod with which he stumped the magicians of Egypt who said,"Then the magicians said unto Pharaoh, This is the finger of God."(Ex.8:19). Jesus explained,"But if I cast out devils by the Spirit of God, then the kingdom of God is come unto you." (12:28) Finger of God in the case of the Son is faith that establishes his paternity,- DNA is faith, and when Moses did as was commanded of God, his rod was a substitute as good as any. The key is merely a label for faith. Jesus set an example for his disciples. Whatever he loosed whether on the Sabbath day or any other on earth was loosed in heaven. Jesus also promised,"Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that believeth on me, the works that I do shall he do also; and greater works than these shall he do; because I go unto my Father."( John 14:12). The context is about the outpouring of the Holy Spirit. The indwelling Spirit shall entrust everyone, an associate to the Son who from the right hand of the Most High, and their faith is the keys of the kingdom. Literal interpretation of the passage gave false shepherds to wrest control over His flock, "Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that entereth not by the door into the sheepfold, but climbeth up some other way, the same is a thief and a robber."(John10:1) Paul and Barnabas also could bind over Elymas, "And now, behold, the hand of the Lord is upon thee, and thou shalt be blind, not seeing the sun for a season. "(Ac.13:11)
As I was reading the words of God, this morning, Luke 13:24-28
Does this not speak to all who believe that there is no overcoming of sin in this present life
" they believe they ate & drink in His presence, & believed that " He taught in our streets".
Yet, the Lord plainly states; Luke 13:27
This reminds me of Matt 7:21,22
This reveals the utter deceitfulness of sin, that Satan has no lack of power to deceive 2Thess 2:9,10
He even has such power to call fire down from heaven. Rev 13:11-16 this is describing false Christianity, listen to what the Scriptures reveal, Rev 13:11 had an image like a lamb, but spoke like a dragon. Teaching that one can be a Christian & know God & continue in sin for life, despite the testimony of Christ, John 8:24, 1John 3:6
Then we have Hebrews 10:26-29; the whole context of these Scriptures here is " sinning is past tense, over, done away with."
They pray, but they regard; Psalms 66:18; in light of the above Scriptures, who do you thing is answering their prayers?
Again, all power in all deceitfulness of unrighteousness, ,,,sin ! 2Timothy 3:5 Rev 18:4
Luke 11:33-36 the whole body be full of Light, "Christ" having no dark part, no darkness at all" Revealing "Consummation of Sanctification of the Spirit, obedience unto righteousness unto holiness, partaker's of the Divine Nature.
It also reveals, If one continue in sin for life, then it obvious that there's darkness within & Matt 6:23
Folks, I speak as one concern, I found that in life motions one can be caught up in doing this or that, the swiftness in which life is pasting by, & the world continually drawing us to it concerns, one doesn't stop & truly consider what Holy Spirit plainly states in the Scriptures or why they have not experience it,
Churches are teaching contrary to Scriptures, all are singing a lullaby; cause everybody else is doing it, some more some less, status quo, so it must be true? NOT ! 1Thessalonians 4:7
1Cor 15:34
in Love & Truth.
Just a question not to offend, just to inspire thought and study. Do you think when God placed Adam in the Garden of Eden and told Adam he could eat from every tree and fruit of the garden but one tree? God declared the end from the beginning do you think He did not know what Adam was going to do?
I am sorry, but on some subjects, I struggle to convey my understanding. To continue in sin and repentance is not what I was saying and not the way I am living. Daily repentance and obedience are not living in doubt the power of God's forgiveness. It is a daily lifestyle repentance is a way to progress in our sanctification a pattern of life to endure until the end we forsake sin daily not just one time.
It is through the repentance of all the sins we have done and the glory we give to God through the faith and obedience of Jesus Christ that we can be forgiven. Repentance is the foundation of our lives it is the beginning and the end of our life.
We can get slack, but we must every day test ourselves that we are walking in the Spirit and are striving to endure until the end and that starts with being obedient and repentant as we have been commanded to do, 1 John 1:9 Luke 13:3 Matt. 4:17 Acts 17:30. We will be absent from the presence of sin when we are glorified at our resurrection.
God bless,
RLW
The Earth and the Fulness
"The earth is the Lord's, and the fulness thereof; the world, and they that dwell therein./ For he hath founded it upon the seas, and established it upon the floods./ Who shall ascend into the hill of the Lord? or who shall stand in his holy place?"(Ps.24:1-3)
Before we take up the topic on hand we shall refresh the matter of the earth and the fulness thereof. The Lord God had intended his Son as his heir. So the fulness of Jesus Christ must be applied as to the entity and its appurtenance. It is a legal term. God established it upon the flood so when the Spirit begins the creation account he informs us, "And the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters."(Ge.1:2) Thus God optimize the value of his property so we can well understand the concern of the owner in the Parable of the fig tree, "So he said to the man who took care of the vineyard, 'For three years now I've been coming to look for fruit on this fig tree and haven't found any. Cut it down! Why should it use up the soil?'"( Luke 13:7-NIV) And Isaiah has dilated upon his anguish, "And now, O inhabitants of Jerusalem, and men of Judah, judge, I pray you, betwixt me and my vineyard./ What could have been done more to my vineyard, that I have not done in it? wherefore, when I looked that it should bring forth grapes, brought it forth wild grapes?" (Is.5:3-4)
God sent his prophets from time to time to the earth but the wicked husbandmen treated them vilely and killed many of them. The two witnesses signifying the worlds of the Spirit and of the earth, are presented by the Spirit. They represent from Abel to Zechariah as martyrs and many more. It is in the vein Jerusalem is represented in v.8. This is to be spiritually understood. The Earth abides forever since it belongs to the Son in whom God desired all his fullness to dwell. He is the visible image of the invisible God.
Now the account of Simon the Leper, also in Bethany, occurred very near to the Passover Feast ( Matthew 26:2). And we know this to be so, because after the woman's anointing of Jesus in Simon the Leper's home, Jesus' disciples were annoyed at the waste of this ointment, & Judas Iscariot then left them to put into effect his wicked act. And of course, Jesus then celebrates the Passover with His disciples at the appointed time. So the Lazarus (in John 11) & Simon the Leper (in Matthew 26) can't be the same person and of course it would have saddened Lazarus (& others) tremendously that he who died because of some sickness & was raised by Jesus, yet wasn't healed of his leprosy.
As well, the account of the rich man & (the other) Lazarus ( Luke 16:19-31) is understood to have happened after the Lazarus (of John 11) was raised to life, not before. A synopsis of the Gospels shows that after Jesus began His journey towards Bethany, He also ministered along the way ( Luke 13:22 to Luke 17:1-10). After this, Jesus arrives in Bethany to see the lifeless body of his friend.
23Now when he was in Jerusalem at the passover, in the feast day, many believed in his name, when they saw the miracles which he did.
24But Jesus did not commit himself unto them, because he knew all men,
25And needed not that any should testify of man: for he knew what was in man.
Just as the Son of God warned us that many would claim mighty miracles in His Name ( Matt. 7:22); not knowing Christ as a member of the Godhead kept unregenerate individuals who saw Christ Himself performing them when they ascribed it to someone who was merely a great teacher; or Prophet of God. What the Prophets couldn't do was forgive sins; which is always man's greatest need as we see from John 5:14 where a man for decades was healed from being a paralytic. In this case sin had something to do with his condition but eternal death would probably be the only thing WORSE that Christ was referring to.
Preaching about sin to enemies of God can and will cause strife and persecution. But the whole Gospel must make it clear that our spiritual condition is dead; and judgment inevitable until we are saved; and that only comes through Christ's atonement removing out sins. The Pharisees themselves were looking for signs; even at the cross He was mocked and challenged to save Himself as though He was under the control of those who crucified Him. The concept of setting someone free was overshadowed by the Pharisees tenacious grasp on the law and their many additions of "working on the Sabbath Day" ( Luke 13:16). The crowds wanted free bread and fish; or to be caught up in the acction of the moment; with only a few truly being disciples; worshipping Him; and giving up all for following Him. Matthew 2:7 shows how Herod pretended to want to worship the Christ child; such is the same sort of concept of those who tried to trap Him with questions later on ( Luke 11:53-54). Others only wanted Him to rule as King; which will happen in the Millennium ( John 6:15).
When we see TEN chapters of Luke encompassing the last few days of Christ's life taking up more than a third of the text in the entire book; and similar patterns in all the Gospels; the magnitude of the narrative is exponentially ratched up in terms of the stress on the Messiah; the amount of challenges; as well as the increase in variety of things preached; rebukes to the Pharisees; etc.
I think it is good to ponder on this reality carefully. Christ had already had numerous (some say 10) attempts at being killed at this point; whether attempting to throw Him off a cliff; or stoning as the most popular methodology. He knew through Divine wisdom that He was destined to die at Calvary; thus any earlier attempts to kill Him would be in vain. Nonetheless; He certainly didn't seek to take a break before facing the inevitable-until Gethsemane when He sweat drops of blood and undoutably had angelic strengthening in what was a battle of life and death according to scripture. God would later use others to help carry the cross when His strength failed.
Turning to the ministry with His Disciples; He would at this time emphasize the prophecy of future events (as seen in Matthew 24 for instance). Up until the end; it seemed the Disciples didn't get it as to His need to die (as evidenced by the account of Peter striking the ear of the High Priest when the soldiers came). He also had to deal with the rapid decay from the triumphal entry with the donkey and the "Hosanna's" from the crowd to the rapid shift to "crucify Him" just a week later. He had the betrayal of Judas Iscariot (prophesied in Psalm 41:9); the abandonment of all the Disciples in Gethsemene; and all the sufferings to come in the cruel series of trials leading up to the agony of the Crucifixion; whose physical torments would pale to taking on the sins of men and the wrath of God for us.
He was the suffering servant to the end mindful of others.
I would be sadly remiss if I didn't emphasize how we should fear the Lord who can send both body and soul to hell ( Matt. 10:28).
This; in my opinion should elicit a response in the souls of all true believers; as we should be ever greatful for what He did for us on the cross; taking the punishment of God the Father on Himself for our benefit.
What we can do now; however is be ambassadors for the truth; and allow God to make us vessels of reconciliation ( 2 Cor. 5:19).
We cannot save anyone; but are held responsible for the death of others if we don't sound the alarm (see Ezekiel 33). Notice there that they may or may not heed the warning.
One cannot separate the love of God for fear of the Lord; and one cannot appreciate the joys of heaven without realizing the horrors of hell they have been delivered from.
We also have to understand predestination in that regard; if we disagree on certain aspects it is clear that in the end a certain number are saved and sadly it is only "few" according to Christ Himself. ( Luke 13:23 among other verses).
Another thing which needs consideration is the reports of children being in hell. Matthew 18:10; as well as Matthew 21:16 tied to Psalm 8:2; and the testimony of David in 2 Samuel 12:23 should dispel this; there are other verses as well which I may elaborate on in a future posting. Those scenes where people seem baffled or confused as to what is happening to them isn't scriptural; and we also must ponder Hebrews 9:27; and understand that judgment comes first immediately after death (although before the Great White Throne one at the end of the Millennium). The punishment is justly given in different levels depending on the crime. I need to be careful here; but will say that punishment will be no more or less than deserved; more "tolerable" for some as in Matthew 11:22.
In conclusion; God's Word should make us tremble; the subject matter should never be looked at as entertaining.
The matter of Predestination becomes a thorny one on this verse. On the surface it would seem a Universalist mindset saying that all men eventually will be saved is a logical conclusion but clearly the Bible indicates otherwise. When we examine the same book in chapter 4 verse 10 we see that Christ is the Savior "especially of those who believe" which makes no sense unless we understand that He knows all who will eventually come to Him therefore in that sense while we were yet sinners; Christ died for us as we see in Romans 5:8. There are certain joys and comforts in this life as well for everyone; saved or lost to some extent; the subject being called "common grace" is a cause of no small stir among some; I would prefer to say delayed sentence.
This verse clearly is different when we understand the will of the Father toward Christ and all those predestined to come to the Lord as we see in the Book of John. There are verses in Isaiah where it states that He came to take away the sins of many ( Isaiah 53:12; also see Hebrews 9:28). It is clear also that "few will be saved" ( Luke 13:24).
The focus on much of this should be on God's method of salvation; all man centered attempts to somehow fulfill statements in the Sermon on the Mount may appeal to a humanist or even an atheist in principle; but in reality unregenerate man has no capacity to fulfill the law; let alone the deeper implications; both of omission and commission of righteousness and avoiding sins of those types as well.
His church is a part of His Body in a mystical sense but also in a very real one as well ( 1 Cor. 12:27). He purchased it or redeemed it with His blood; and this in a legally binding covenant as it were. God always keeps His end of a bargain; man on the other hand finds many schemes. Again; the key is if the Lord confesses we are His own ( Matt. 10:32).
It repeatedly from beginning to end continues to teach faith together with obedience to God's ten commandments are a prerequisite to salvation. Everyone in the Bible is judged according to their works. Not according to their faith. Romans 3:31
"Do we then make void the law through faith? God forbid: yea, we establish the law." 1 John 2:4
"He that saith, I know him, and keepeth not his commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him."
King James
Luke 18:18
"And a certain ruler asked him, saying, Good Master, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?" Luke 18:19
"And Jesus said unto him, Why callest thou me good? none is good, save one, that is, God."
Luke 18:20
"Thou knowest the commandments, Do not commit adultery, Do not kill, Do not steal, Do not bear false witness, Honour thy father and thy mother."
King James
Matthew
5
Matthew 5:17
"Think not that I am come to destroy the law, or the prophets: I am not come to destroy, but to fulfil."
King James
John
15
John 15:10
"If ye keep my commandments, ye shall abide in my love; even as I have kept my Father's commandments, and abide in his love." John 14:15
"If ye love me, keep my commandments."
King James
Luke
13
Luke 13:24
"Strive to enter in at the strait gate: for many, I say unto you, will seek to enter in, and shall not be able."
King James
Romans 2:6
"Who will render to every man according to his deeds:"
King JamesRevelation 22:12
"And, behold, I come quickly; and my reward is with me, to give every man according as his work shall be."
King James
There is a ton of more verses that could be attached that continue to back up truth.
The main thing is you must read the Bible for yourself because ultimately you are responsible for your own salvation. Trusting what I say or what this person says is not the way to work out your own salvation.
This is some passages I clearly overlooked!
Luke 13:23-24.
Then said one unto him, Lord, are there few that be saved? And he said unto them,
Strive to enter in at the strait gate: for many, I say unto you, will seek to enter in, AND SHALL NOT BE ABLE.
There's no way to spin this towards a universal salvation.
God bless.
Luke 13:27 - But he shall say, I tell you, I know you not whence ye are; depart from me, all ye workers of iniquity (Literally unrighteousness).
These are those who have rejected Christ. They will not be allowed in.
Luke 13:28 - Speaking of those who are unsaved: "There shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth, when ye shall see Abraham, and Isaac, and Jacob, and all the prophets, in the kingdom of God, and you yourselves thrust out."
Luke 13:29 - Speaking of those who are saved: And they shall come from the east, and from the west, and from the north, and from the south, and shall sit down in the kingdom of God.
Luke 13:30 - This verse is the key to this section. It says, "And, behold, there are last which shall be first, and there are first which shall be last."
The application is that people are going to come from the east, west, north, and south. Other nations, the Gentiles, are going to come in and the end result is that a Hebrew or Jewish person that has rejected Christ, they are going to think "We are Hebrews, we are Jews, we are God's chosen people, and we should be there."
And He (Jesus) is saying no, the first will be last and the last be first. You will see many Gentiles enter in to the banqueting feast, but you yourself cast out!
Luke 13:22 - And he (Jesus) went through the cities and villages, teaching, and journeying toward Jerusalem.
Luke 13:23 - Then said one unto him, Lord, are there few that be saved? And he (Jesus) said unto them,
Now why is this person is asking this question? It is like this person is telling Jesus, "We get the idea from you, from listening to your teachings that there are not very many people that are going to be saved because you just eliminated 99% of the people. Are there few that be saved?
Luke 13:24 - Jesus says, " Strive to enter in at the strait gate: for many, I say unto you, will seek to enter in, and shall not be able."
The word "strive" is the word AGONIDZO where we get the word agonize from. Agonize to enter in at the strait gate: for many, I say unto you, will seek to enter in, and shall not be able.
That is when this life is over. Jesus said in Matthew that the way of destruction, the gate is Broad, the road is broad. But the narrow gate and the straight road, and He says that there are very few that find it. So do you think that Jesus made it easy?
Only those people that had a heart for Him are the only ones that are going to go through that narrow gate and walk that straight road and give up the only life that they have by surrendering their life to Christ.
Luke 13:25 - When once the master of the house is risen up, and hath shut to the door, and ye begin to stand without, and to knock at the door, saying, Lord, Lord, open unto us; and he shall answer and say unto you, I know you not whence ye are:
Luke 13:26 - Then shall ye begin to say, We have eaten and drunk in thy presence, and thou hast taught in our streets.
"Hey, didn't we eat dinner with you at the Pharisees house? And we drank in your presence, and you taught in our streets. You were at that street evangelism sermon that we heard."
Will continue as Part 2
Refer to John 3:18-19 and Luke 13:3 (Jesus said to repent or perish)
The Sciptures says that the Holy Spirit, Christ, and the Father all come to dwell within the believer, but all are not remade into baby gods in us, nor replicated in our human persons.
Read Ephesians 2:22 and Ephesians 3:17
John 14:17 and John 14:23
God does not change, as in the Spirit being born in us as child that grows. Only Jesus was Incarnated, not the Holy Spirit.
Read Psalm 102:27 and Hebrews 1:12 and Malachi 3:6
Alex, I know that we have addressed these doctrines before, but I still believe that YOU are the one in direct opposition to the revealed Word of God.
Bless you today, Alex. Always, love in Christ.
We will all give account Romans 14:12, 1Peter 4, Jude 1, Matthew 16:27,
Also says Work out your own salvation with fear & trembling Philippians 2, Matthew 25:31-46,
Please notice context to What's being said, Luke 13:24,30, Matthew 24, Luke 18:24, Luke 18:9-43,
like Malachi 3:5, James 1,26,27, James 1, Luke 12, Luke 12:42-48,
I see within all of these, it's very important how we treat others especially those in deepest need, fatherless, widows, orphans etc.
1John 1:9, James 1:5
Hopefully this is helpful
Interestingly, after studying scripture I've noticed, GOD gave mankind dominion, on Earth. Genesis 1:26,27,28, GOD didn't take that dominion away, people have misused their powers. They/we will all give account: Revelation 1:5-8, Romans 14:12, Daniel 4:3,34, Matthew 25:31-46, Matthew 18,
Jesus was here to show us how to bring His Kingdom the Kingdom of GOD on Earth, with Love, John 3:16-21, John 13:34, Romans 12:10, 1John 4:7,12, 1Peter 3:8, John 15:17, James 2:13-17, Luke 13:34,
one day all dominion will go to Christ: 1Corinthians 15:20-28, Romans 16:20,
Galatians 4:1-8, Colossians 3:21,
Matthew 20:25-28, Ephesians 1, (whole chapters) 1Peter 4, Jude 1,
Jesus gave all that believe in him, authority under heaven: from GOD ALMIGHTY: Matthew 28:18-20, Matthew 6, Luke 11, Mark 3:15, Acts 4:30,31, Luke 9:2,
We all have power in the natural if even just to comfort someone else, & as we grow in faith, supernatural power in prayer, through GOD & Christ Jesus our Savior.
Hopefully these are helpful
Romans 14:12, 1Peter 4, Jude 1, Zechariah 3, 1Chronicles 21:1, Job 1, Job 2, Matthew 4:10, Mark 1:13, Luke 4, Luke 22, John 13,
Mark 4:15, Luke 13:16, Acts 5, notice Acts 4:32-37, continued into Acts 5, - Acts 5:13, 1Corinthians 7:5, 2Corinthians 11:13,14, 2Thessalonians 2:9, John 7:24, Romans 14:13,
Acts 26:18, Romans 16:20, Revelation 12:9, Revelation 20, Psalms 98:9,
James 1:5,
Hopefully these give you wisdom
I think as you do on this, but we could be wrong. I think that God executed capital punishment on some of the Israelites not so much because what they did was exceedingly evil, but to make the point that they must view Him as truly holy and be mindful of interacting with Him with reverence.
It reminds of what Jesus said about the people on which the tower of Siloam fell or the Galileans whose blood Pilate mingled with their sacrifices were worse sinners than others ( Luke 13:1-5) as He admonished those hearing Him to repent or they would likewise perish. Jesus spoke against the judgmental and self-righteous spirit of the Scribes and Pharisees who thought they were qualified to tell the degree of sinfulness of others due to their infirmities, malformations in their bodies and other imperfections.
They looked at the outside, but Jesus was concerned about the inward aspects of a person, calling them whitewashed sepulchers full of death even though these men thought that they were pure and holy because of their outward works.
Looking up Matthew 18:18, in word breakdown in Strongs Exhaustive Concordance reference at bottom of page, "bind" translated 'deo' can mean pledge, marriage, or be in bonds, = Luke 13:16, context Luke 13, "loosed" translated 'luo' = break, destroy, dissolve, divorce
both scriptures same words, in Greek.
In the Old Testament, Daniel 3:5, "loose" translated 'shre' = to free, separate, unravel ( Thayer's Greek Lexicon a reference also in site, I use for comparison)
James 1:5,
Hopefully helpful in your study
note, Matthew 18:18-20,
the word bind & bound is- "deo" Greek, as per Strongs Exhaustive Concordance = to bind, be bound,
Loosed - "Luo" Greek, also in Strongs Exhaustive Concordance, = to loosen, break, destroy, dissolve,
Luke 13:16, this is a great example. It appears as believers, we have been given authority to make rulings, set free, etc. James 1:5, Mark 13:34, Matthew 28:18,19, John 16:23-28
Hopefully these are helpful
This Dog you might speak to it and he will wiggle his tail but i tell you tomorrow or few months down the line it will do it again
The point is God has made us and breath into our nostrils and given man the breath of life then man became living being .
Jesus died on the cross for man to be reconciled with God This is clearly shown on
John 3:16
For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life."
another point to understand is that we are more valuable to God than animals and as God takes care of the animals and birds of the skys he values man more than them.
Matthew 6:26-34
26 Look at the birds of the air, for they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they?
By the grace of God Please don't worry about the animals worry about your souls before God, remember unless you repent you will likewise perish
Luke 13:3
I tell you, Nay: but, except ye repent, ye shall all likewise perish.
Giannis says Israel, that seems very contradictory to the WORD: Romans 11, whole chapter. Notice, Luke 13:22-35, note Luke 13:27, iniquity, Matthew 7, Matthew 25:31-46, Isaiah 48:12, Matthew 24:48-51,
Matthew 20:1-16, again arrogance & expecting more reward than another? Again if you go back a little in context Jesus is telling them don't forbid the children to come to Him. Matthew 19:14, continued the same event follows. Matthew 19:14-30, so Matthew 20, is repeating the teaching of 1st, & last; meekness, in another perspective same teaching. Matthew 10:22,24,25,42, Matthew 10:5-42, Mark 9:35, Mark 10:44, Matthew 20:27, Matthew 18:3,4,5,
Hopefully these are helpful
As we enter into verse 8; we have the first of several statements as to the fate of the wicked.
It is hard to even bear thinking about these things without pleading to God for strength. We notice the cowardly state as being the first sin mentioned. We can't do it without the Lord as Peter attempted to do with bravado without the Spirit. Without Him we can do nothing. As we see a parallel verse in Isaiah 66:24 we see the state of man either in hades during the Millennium or during the eternal state. We see how God's mercy and forgiveness are only for when they are in this life; and we also see how they will be an abhorrence to all that see them. There is no way to overstate here how important hearing God's voice is at the present above all of life's distractions and temptations and comforts. I can't see how anyone no matter how mature they are in the Lord isn't broken when considering these things; and ever grateful that God saved them from this unspeakable horror.
The rest of the chapter basically describes heaven coming down to earth and it's dimensions and foundation stones. Again; as stated previously when we consider the affect of a city almost the size of the moon landing on the earth surely the edges would be pressed out and likely the mantle would expose itself to the surface which would allow lava (i.e. the lake of fire) to be outside the gates. We see this also in other verses where Christ warns that heaven will be seen but "you yourselves thrust out" ( Luke 13:28).
There will be some existence of kings on the earth; whether it symbolizes those of the church or those perhaps who lived through the Millennium period bringing glory and honor into it. The doors are not shut day and night (implying that even if the light of the sun and moon aren't NEEDED they still may exist). Again; the last verse is a terrifying reminder that unsaved people will not enter or be able to. They are locked forever in sin.
The Apostles did not believe Jesus taught them to obey the "powers that be"; as evidenced by the fact that they disobeyed them:
Did not we straitly command you that ye should not teach in this name? and, behold, ye have filled Jerusalem with your doctrine, and intend to bring this man's blood upon us. Then Peter and the other apostles answered and said, We ought to obey God rather than men. Acts 5:28-29
It appears you are trying to marry the two gospels together; one must choose one or the other:
"...if he that cometh preacheth another Jesus, whom we have not preached, or if ye receive another spirit, which ye have not received, or another gospel, which ye have not accepted, ye might well bear with him." 2 Corinthians 11:4
Jesus has prophesied that he will tell all the workers of iniquity (sinners) to depart from him:
"I know you not whence ye are; depart from me, all ye workers of iniquity." Luke 13:27
I say unto you, that likewise joy shall be in heaven over one sinner that repenteth, more than over ninety and nine just persons, which need no repentance. Luke 15:7
Jesus claims there are two distinct groups of human beings:
"I pray for them: I pray not for the world, but for them which thou hast given me; for they are thine." John 17:9
The world aka the "powers that be" aka workers of iniquity aka sinners only comprise one group.
The other group are the sheep who pray with Jesus: "thy will be done on earth" and "lead us not into temptation".
Psalm(s) 14 and 53 also speak of two distinct groups of human beings:
The "workers of iniquity" who eat up God's People as they eat up bread;
and "God's People" who are being eaten up like bread.
We don't sin with our mind and our flesh.
We have been commanded to love the LORD our God with all our heart, all our mind, all our strength, and all our soul.
He is able to keep us from sinning. He teaches us to ask him for his will.
Matthew 23:37 and Luke 13:34
Very respectfully,
I enjoyed your comments on this Holy Sabbath Day, and thanks for sharing!
I also observe many people in the world choosing to ignore Jesus Christ and His Gospel of the Kingdom. It is very sad to see the rejection, but it coincides with much of the scripture which tells us so many times that "few people will enter into God's Kingdom".
Matthew 22:14
"For many are called, but few are chosen."
Luke 13:23-24
"Then said one unto him, Lord, are there few that be saved? And he said unto them," "Strive to enter in at the strait gate: for many, I say unto you, will seek to enter in, and shall not be able."
Matthew 7:14
"Because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it."
The emphasis coming directly from the mouth of Jesus saying "few there be that find it". If these bible verses don't move a Christian to "take notice" of themselves, nothing well.
Are we truly picking up our crosses and following Christ? Are we living our lives as part of this world? Jesus tells us that we can't do both!
Matthew 16:25
"For whosoever will save his life shall lose it: and whosoever will lose his life for my sake shall find it."
People need to take the bible to heart and NOT be lulled into thinking/believing they are (forever saved) while at the same time living their worldly lives.
Matthew 16:26
"For what is a man profited, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul? or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul?"
There are many false teachers, and preachers out there telling others that you can still live a worldly life and still have a "free ticket to heaven".
Any wonder why Jesus tells us over and over that FEW will be saved!
GB You