THREE UNCLEAN SPIRITS LIKE FROGS - Revelation 16:13
I searched deeply an explanation for this biblical mystery, and by the Word of GOD what I found is the follow:
First of all, frogs are amphibians vertebrate animals that live in the aquatic environment and on the terrestrial environment. But is it the same in the spiritual environment? Yes, it is.
1-AQUATIC ENVIRONMENT OF THE EVIL SPIRITS LIKE FROGS
Revelation 17:15-And the angel saith unto me, The waters which thou sawest, where the whore sitteth, are peoples, and multitudes, and nations, and tongues. NOTE: Except the TRUE CHRISTIANS/ ELIEVERS, all the peoples of all the nations are leaded and guided by the THREE UNCLEAN SPIRITS like frogs.TERRIBLE.
The aquatic environment of these three spirits of demons like frogs which guide the peoples or rule nations of all tongues in whole earth, through devilish systems, as religious systems(Catholicism, and Judaism, spiritism, budhism, islamism, among others),and also political systems,and military systems,and social and cultural systems,among others systems. In fact, Satan goes to and fro and from walking up and down among them.
2 - TERRESTRIAL ENVIRONMENT OF THE EVIL SPIRITS LIKE FROGS
FIRST we need to understand that Israel is an island among the waters (Gentile nations)or in the middle of the sea, as is described above in according the Scriptures. Israel is the earth, a dry land, Genesis 1:v.10-3rd Day-or still the clay- Isaiah 64:v.8-a dry land surrounded by water on all sides or by allegory surrounded by the Gentile nations. Isaiah prophesyed saying: Is.41:1-2 -> 1-Keep silence before me,O islands; and let the people renew their strength:let them come near;then let them speak:let us come near together to Judgment.
2 Who raised up the righteous man from the east,called him to his foot,gave the nations before him,and made him rule over kings?he gave them as the dust to his Sword- Revelation 2:v.26 to 28-,and as driven stubble to his bow.(bow- Revelation 6:v.2)
Fear not according to a site online (I won't name it in case that is an issue) is listed 365 times in the Bible. I am aware of the message of the angels about Christ the Savior being born to the shepherds as the verse which Charles Schultz included in the famous Peanuts Christmas story when Linus dropped the security blanket as a symbolic gesture.
Of course Franklin Roosevelt gave the quote "the only thing we have to fear is fear itself." That is true to some extent; because the enemy of our souls can only do what God allows; but of course the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom; which is found in numerous scriptural passages as well. It has been said that the opposite of fear is faith; and of course true love casts out fear ( 1 John 4:18). This is something only the Lord can give; for Jesus Himself had martyrdom to face daily; and Revelation 2:10 is one example given for the church; as well as the verse where Christ said to not fear what can be done to the body but the one who can cast body and soul into hell. ( Matthew 10:28). The enemy also likes to remind us as the accuser of the brethern of our sins and our condemnation which Christ took at the cross for true believers. (see Revelation 12:10). The Lord will convict us when we grieve the Spirit but that is out of love. The power of sin is death ( 1 Cor. 15:56). Jesus overcame death and the grave and took our sins on Himself at Calvary. We need to be daily reminded of these basic Gospel truths as we can become hardened to it for various reasons.
There is hope for us after death and hope is for things yet unseen ( Hebrews 11:1). Surely with the world in the state it is today we need that future expectation for any joy to be maintained; whether emotionally or as a fruit of the Spirit. Being part of the BODY of Christ is imperitive as to our identity so that we may together strive for unity in fulfilling the Great Commission and prayer and fellowship with one another for strength.
There are terms in the Bible such as twice dead and Second death. " Jude 1:12, Revelation 2:11, Revelation 20:14 and Revelation 21:8.
Paul says in Romans 7:9 For I was alive without the law once: but when the commandment came, sin revived, and I died.
Which death did he die? The 1st or the 2nd?
An unbeliever is ALREADY dead! Yet he is still continuous.
( 1 Timothy 5:6.) This is a very common NT idiom. The word (noun) for "dead" is "nekros" and is used of physical death (obviously) but also spiritual death to describe an unsaved person who is physically alive but spiritually dead. Here are some examples:
Matt 8:22 - But Jesus told him, "Follow me, and let the dead bury their own dead."
Eph 2:1 - As for you, you were dead in your transgressions and sins,
Eph 2:5 - made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions--it is by grace you have been saved.
Eph 5:14 - This is why it is said: "Wake up, sleeper, rise from the dead, and Christ will shine on you.
Col 2:13 - When you were dead in your sins and in the uncircumcision of your flesh, God made you alive with Christ. He forgave us all our sins.
Eternal Salvation is life! It is separation from this Body/Tabernacle of death.
In Romans 6:3 we see the sacrificial Lamb at work.
In Romans 6:4-5 we see the NEW BIRTH and the first fruit of the Resurrection. This is the 1st Resurrection.
You are either dead right now or you have life right now!
Those who have life has already died once and has been born again, never to die again.
"Eternal life speaks of "spiritual life and death".
That's the only death a believer has. "He's already been born again"
Those who are dead is already spiritual dead and their bodies will soon die, and they will remain spiritual dead throughout eternity.
The bible doesn't say anything about being unconscious after the body dies. It has lots of scripture describing conscious.
If the grave is Hell, the Bible never says anything about the saved going there.
All men DIED (take up your cross and follow me in death), a NEW CREATION arose, the BODY of Christ, the bride, Christ's wife: and Christ being the HEAD of the BODY.
1 John 3:9 Whosoever is BORN (new birth, being RAISED as the body of Christ, and Christ as the head of that body) doth not commit sin, BECAUSE his SEED (the word of God, truth, life) remaineth IN HIM (this mystery, Christ IN YOU), and he CANNOT SIN
WHY can't we sin: BECAUSE
Ezekiel 36:27 And I WILL put my SPIRIT (the Spirit that raised Christ) IN YOU, and I WILL CAUSE you to walk in my statutes, and TO KEEP my judgements and DO THEM.
It's not our works (in that day they will say, did WE NOT): we do nothing it's all the WORKS OF GOD.
Revelation 2:26 .... and KEEPS my WORKS .....
Isaiah 26:10 ....TOGETHER (as ONE), with my DEAD BODY shall they ARISE .....
Revelation 21:5 ..... I MAKE all things NEW ......
John 17:22 And the GLORY that thou GAVEST ME, I have given them, that as WE ARE ONE, that may be ONE .
Christ was RAISED with eternal (IMMORTAL) LIFE, we are joint-heirs of that eternal LIFE
1 Timothy 6:16 ... Christ ONLY hath IMMORTALITY, dwelling in the light .....
1 Corinthians 15:53 ....this mortal MUST PUT ON IMMORTALITY ....
1 Corinthians 15:38 ... and to every SEED ..... HIS OWN BODY ......
1 Corinthians 12:27 ..... ye are the BODY of CHRIST ......
OSAS and the family of God and how we are saved to be part of the Body of Christ as well as individually
Revelation 19:14 states: "and the armies in heaven, clothed in [b]fine linen, white and clean, followed Him on white horses".
Revelation 2:26-27 says 26 "And he that overcometh, and keepeth my works unto the end, to him will I give power over the nations: 27 And he shall rule them with a rod of iron; as the vessels of a potter shall they be broken to shivers: even as I received of my Father."
Perhaps a reminder of the exhortation of 1 John 2:10 is needed at this point. "He that loveth his brother abideth in the light, and there is none occasion of stumbling in him." The next verse states the opposite state of a soul who hates his brother; that is being in darkness. We are adopted sons and daughters ( Ephesians 1:5 and many other verses) and part of something vastly bigger than ourselves. If we are saved we are no longer our own ( 1 Cor. 6:19) and bought with a price. Therefore our commission and omission of transgressions affects not only us but others in our midst as well; particularly true in regard to the body of Christ. Salvation itself; therefore in order to be genuine begins to give the true convert a sense of being "seated in heavenly places" ( Eph. 2:6). That verse shows how we are in that state together as well in the Body of Christ not just as individuals.
What matters to those who the Godhead dwells ( John 14:23) is the Lord's concerns. Note that keeping God's Word is a part of the verse indicating those who are truly possessed by the Holy Ghost. God gets all the glory and does all the work; but we are responsible to work out our salvation with fear and trembling (Phillipians 2:12) demonstrating our inner heart through our outer actions and works. The persevering is part of God's work of sanctification; but of course we need to be demonstrating good works predestined for us to do from the foundation of the world ( Ephesians 2:10).
"And to speak unto the priests which were in the house of the LORD of hosts, and to the prophets, saying, Should I weep in the fifth month, separating myself, as I have done these so many years?"
Verse 4-6 state: 4 Then came the word of the Lord of hosts unto me, saying, 5 Speak unto all the people of the land, and to the priests, saying, When ye fasted and mourned in the fifth and seventh month, even those seventy years, did ye at all fast unto me, even to me? 6 And when ye did eat, and when ye did drink, did not ye eat for yourselves, and drink for yourselves?
We are reminded here of parallel passages in Isaiah 58; verse 4 states "Behold, ye fast for strife and debate, and to smite with the fist of wickedness: ye shall not fast as ye do this day, to make your voice to be heard on high."
Zechariah 7:9-10 goes on to say 9 Thus speaketh the Lord of hosts, saying, Execute true judgment, and shew mercy and compassions every man to his brother: 10 And oppress not the widow, nor the fatherless, the stranger, nor the poor; and let none of you imagine evil against his brother in your heart.
Again in Isaiah 58:6-7 we see simiilar admonitions: 6Is not this the fast that I have chosen? to loose the bands of wickedness, to undo the heavy burdens, and to let the oppressed go free, and that ye break every yoke? 7Is it not to deal thy bread to the hungry, and that thou bring the poor that are cast out to thy house? when thou seest the naked, that thou cover him; and that thou hide not thyself from thine own flesh?
We can see here in the rest of this chapter in Zechariah the results which were the captivity; in the Isaiah passage the end of that chapter talks about blessings should they heed a correct fast in their worship. These are all things we should take into consideration if we find ourselves going through the motions of worship without putting our heart into it. Revelation 2:4 is a good warning for our example in this matter.
The first 9 verses discuss 4 horses which are likely the same spiritual entities listed in Revelation. The white horse is described as going with the black horse and somehow "quieting my spirit" in the north country. This seems to be referring to the angel himself; likely a scenario at that time with nations attempting to intrude from the north. Verse 10 mentions people coming out of captivity; which is somewhat paralleled in recent years with the Jews coming from Russia and other areas; and fulfilled completely during the Millennium after the Tribulation when captives are freed.
Verses 11-15 discuss crowning Joshua; but then mention the final fulfillment with "The BRANCH" starting in verse 12. The Messianic rule is clear here with the building of the Millennial Temple (verses 12-13); and the O.T. saints crowned as a "memorial" verse 14. Finally; verse 15 shows people from far off (probably nations throughout the world) and indicates these things happen "if ye will diligently obey the voice of the Lord your God." (v. 15).
We can see from this near and far fulfillments; as well as conditionally what would have perhaps been sooner in coming to pass with continual obedience; which of course is impossible in the law. We certainly can learn today to continue to be salt and light ( Matt. 5:13-14) so as not to allow spiritual decay farther before the Lord's return. Christ was necessary to fulfill the role of Priest for our justification but also wat the final Prophet as well as the King of Kings. Scripture demonstrates that the most godly have from time to time fallen short ( Numbers 20:10-13; Matthew 11:3). The Lord wishes to move in His Body the church but will withdraw His candlestick when we fall short ( Revelation 2:5).
Study Ezekiel 40-48 for further insights on the Millennial Temple as well as changes on the earth at that time.
Why do you assume the beast in Revelation is satan or the anti-christ?
Daniel 7:23 ...the FORTH beast shall be the FORTH KINGDOM on earth ....
John the Baptist came preaching the KINGDOM of GOD; the FORTH kingdom on earth, the FORTH BEAST, the last kingdom on earth.
The Kingdom of God has been on earth now for about 2000 years; CHRIST IN THE FLESH, IN YOU, his BODY, causing man TO WILL and TO DO his good pleasure.
Ezekiel 36:27 I WILL put MY SPIRIT IN YOU and CAUSE YOU to walk in my statutes and TO KEEP my judgements and DO THEM
Revelation 6:7 And when HE (the lamb of God) had opened the forth seal, I heard the voice of the FORTH BEAST (the lamb of God, the kingdom of God) SAY, come and see
Revelation 6:8 And I looked, and behold, a pale horse, and his name that sat on him WAS DEATH, and the grave followed after him, and POWER WAS GIVEN TO THEM (the image of the BEAST, the kingdom of GOD) over the forth part of the earth, to KILL with the SWORD (the word of God), and with HUNGER (no bread of life), and with DEATH, and with the BEAST of the EARTH (those that carry the mark of the BEAST: the kingdom of God.
Revelation 12:16 And the earth HELPED the WOMAN, and the earth OPENED her MOUTH (DEATH and the grave), and swallowed up the FLOOD (people, tongues and nations) which the dragon cast out of his mouth.
Psalms 7:13 He hath also prepared for him the INSTRUMENTS of DEATH; he ORDAINED his ARROWS against the persecutors.
Jeremiah 51:29 THOU (those that carry the MARK) are my battle axe and WEAPONS of WAR (arrows, the word of GOD); for with THEE (the saints, the BODY of Christ, the IMAGE of the BEAST) WILL I break in pieces the NATIONS, and with THEE will I destroy kingdoms.
Revelation 2:27 ...to him that overcometh, WILL I give POWER over the NATIONS .....
You was saved from death 2000 years ago, when you were resurrected a NEW CREATION.
Christ (TRUTH) began revealing himself to you in 1979, this Revelation of "Christ in you" will continue until the angel ls sent to harvest HIS SEED.
Luke 20:36 Neither can they (YOU) DIE ANY MORE: for they are equal unto the angels; and are the children of God, being the CHILDREN of the RESURRECTION.
You are now in the birth pains of being born again.
Christ revealing who you are IN HIM.
1 Peter 1:23 Being BORN AGAIN ..... by the WORD(s) of GOD ...... TRUTH ......
Revelation 12:2 .... and she (YOU, Christ wife) being with child, travailing in birth, pained to be DELIVERED ......
1 Timothy 2:14 .... but the woman, being deceived (by a carnal mind) was in the TRANSGRESSION ....
1 Timothy 2:15 ..... she shall BE SAVED IN CHILDBEARING ...
Revelation 12:5 And she brought forth a man child, who was to rule all nations with a rod of iron....
Philippians 2:5 Let this MIND be IN YOU, which was also in Christ Jesus
Philippians 2:6 Who being in the form (image) of God, thought it not robbery to equal to God.
1 Corinthians 2:16 ....we have the MIND of CHRIST ....
Romans 8:29 .... being predestinated (by the resurrection of Christ) to be conformed to his image .....
Revelation 2:26 And to him that overcometh (deception) and keepeth MY WORKS, to him will I give power over the nations .....
What does the Word of GOD say for this current time, the seventh and last Day, the Lord's Day, or seventh and last millennium? The Word is GOD, self-executable, understand?
Romans 6:2-3
2 Do ye not know that the saints shall Judge the WORLD? and if the WORLD shall be Judged by you(we), are ye(we) unworthy to Judge the smallest matters?
3 Know ye not that we shall Judge angels (ANGELS of the Churches: Revelation 2:2; and 2:9; and 2:14-17; and 2:20; and 3:1-3; and 3:7-8; and 3:14-18)? How much more things that pertain to this life?
Daniel 7:22
22 ... and Judgment was given to the saints of the most High; and the time came that the saints possessed the Kingdom.
Revelation 11:15-18
15 ... The kingdoms OF THIS WORLD are become the Kingdoms of our Lord, and of his Christ; and he shall reign for ever and ever.
18 And the nations were (WILL BE) angry, and thy wrath is come, and the time of the dead, that they should be judged, and that thou shouldest give reward unto thy servants the prophets, and to the saints, and them that fear thy name, small and great; and shouldest destroy them which destroy the earth.
Get ready
1 Peter 4:17 - 17 For the time is come that judgment must begin at the house of God: and if it first begin at us, what shall the end be of them that obey not the gospel of God?
18 And if the righteous scarcely be saved, where shall the ungodly and the sinner appear?
John 2:28 - And now, little children, abide in Him; that, when He shall appear, we may have confidence, and not be ashamed before Him at His coming.
So, John pastored there. And like I said, Paul was there for about three years. Timothy took over after him for a year and a half, and the letters and the missionary efforts coming out from here went all the way through and the seven churches in Revelation had actually started from out of Ephesus, one of the capitals and the main encampment of Christianity.
Right outside of Ephesus is where the tomb of Mary is supposed to be, as history tells us that Mary actually wound up in Ephesus and spent her last days there. Ephesus was the Roman capital of Asia. Ephesus was known for having one of the seven wonders of the world - the temple of Artemis (or Diana).
Ephesus is believed to be evangelized by Priscilla and Aquila. ( Acts 18:18-19). The church in Ephesus was later established by Paul during his third missionary journey. ( Acts 19). Paul ministered there for three years. After Paul left, Timothy pastored the church for about 1 1/2 years.
Paul wrote to Timothy in Ephesus to counter false teaching by two leaders in the church in Ephesus - Hymenaeus and Alexander ( I Timothy 1:3 and I Timothy 1:20).
Thirty years later, Christ gave the message to Ephesus in Revelation 2:1-7. So, thirty years later, the Lord said that you have left your first love. And that was Christ's message to them!
IV. THE THEME OF EPHESIANS:
It presents the believer's position in Christ. The term "in Christ" is the key phrase in the letter to the Ephesians.
In this chapter, the Israelites are camping near an Acacia Grove. Such groves were often used by pagans to worship Baal and Asherah. They were still in the land of Moab east of the Jordan River and Jericho. Balaam had taken leave of Balak at this time. Israel did not know what Balak and Balaam were plotting. Because Balaam knew that God would not go back on His word and curse Israel whom He had blessed, he came up with a new way to bring harm to the nation of Israel. Revelation 2:12-17 speaks of Balaam's involvement in the incidents in this chapter of Numbers, saying that Balaam instructed Balak to have the women invite the Israelite men to their idol feasts and to entice them into sexual and spiritual immorality by participating in sexual immorality associated with the worship of Baal. Soon, the men were also bowing down to Baal.
This incident in Numbers 25 is where Israel was introduced into Baal worship. YHWH was full of anger at this immorality and idolatry from the very people He blessed and set apart for Himself in a covenant relationship. The men so easily broke this covenant. And by breaking it, the curses of this broken covenant came upon Israel from the hand of YHWH. So, Balaam was successful in devising a way for Israel to be cursed, not that God changed His mind or His blessing to a curse, but by the people bringing upon themselves the curses that were a part of the covenantal agreement they made with YHWH at Sinai.
So, Balaam's scheme worked, but he did not get to enjoy his success for long. He was killed in Moab when he abode among the Midianites when Isael came against Midian at God's direction. Israel slew all of the Midianite men in the area and most of the women.
In this era and area of the world, sexual immorality was a part of the way they worshipped Baal and Asherah. Apparently, Moab, descended from Lot, took to Baal worship early on. cont.
I am sorry I should have proofread that better. It should have been Revelation 2:27Revelation 12:5 and Revelation 19:15, these are verses that show the man child the woman birthed is Jesus That He will reign and rule with a rod of iron.
There is only ONE SIN ..... UNBELIEF .....all other sins are COVERED by the blood of Christ.
John 16:8 And when HE IS COME, he (the Holy Ghost) will reprove the world of SIN .... UNBELIEF ..... the HOLY Ghost is going to rule the world with a rod or iron (truth and mercy)
John 16:9 OF SIN, because they BELIEVE NOT on me (THE WORD) .....
Most believe Jesus came for the WORKS of the cross ..... they don't BELIEVE those WORKS ....
ALL BODIES DIED (yours, mine, and Christ's) on the cross 2000 years ago; ONLY ONE BODY arose, the BODY of CHRIST.
1 Corinthians 12:27 ... NOW ye are the BODY of Christ ..... who did NO SIN .....
There is NO .... I, me, myself ... ONLY ONE BODY .... the body of Christ ..... all creation, the NEW CREATION ....
John 17:22 And the glory that thou (the Spirit that raised Christ) has given me, I have GIVEN THEM (the new creation) that they may be ONE as we are ONE.
If you don't BELIEVE his WORDS your continuing in SIN ..... if you BELIEVE his WORDS you CANNOT SIN .... your just doing what Christ WILLS and Causes you TO DO.
Colossians 1:27 ..... this MYSTERY .... Christ in YOU ......
Ezekiel 36:27 And I (the Holy Ghost) will put my Spirit IN YOU (his body) and CAUSE you to walk in my statutes, and keep my judgements, and DO THEM.
Philippians 2:13 For it is God that WORKETH IN YOU both to WILL and to do his good pleasure.
Most don't BELIEVE the WORD.
God is giving you eyes to SEE his truth, your Christ's BODY, he is causing you to DO his good pleasure; therefore, you; his body, CANNOT SIN, because it's HIS WORKS, not your works.
Revelation 2:26 ....and he that keepeth MY WORKS to the end, to him will I give power over the nations ....as I have been given of my Father .....
God bless you as Christ CAUSES us to walk in TRUTH.
Does this spirit control the world to this day, and did they use the state to torcher and murder Jesus Christ? Revelation 2:9s bankers, Ashkenazi, Zionists, corporate owners and heads, government corporation owners etc. Luke 22:43-71 and Chapter 23, Using 1 Timothy 6:10 etc. Why does using a strongs concordance for the word "god" in Genisis 1 and 2 say Elohym and not God all mighty or other name used for Jehovah God of heaven? The word magistrates are gods, but Lucifer is a god? Did we fall for the bate and get trapped on earth that is under his control? And why does the world not see the divining serpent in English better known as the Jesuit controlled Vati can in Latin with all her secret societies (Tapped Freemasonry etc.). The Latin to English translators online were all altered around March 2023 to hide this information? Her priests praise Lucifer and the dawning of his creation (the earth) every Easter Sunday on the first day of the week when the Sabbath is on the seventh day of the week. The large alter gives hidden messages in symbolic form. In John 14:15 red letters, Jesus is saying If ye love me, keep my commandments. So, grace and the law (Commandments) because we love God and want to follow Him and not one or the other? So, starting to understand but need more information, thank you, I know that this is a lot to figure out.
One of the few things wrong with the King James Bible is the Greek word that means; age, or of the age, was translated eternity or everlasting, not age as it should be.
Eternity is divided into ages or generations, the age or generation we are now in has been so far about 2000 yrs.
When this age is complete then there is another age or generation after that, and so on till all the ages have come to and end.
Christ saved everyone by his resurrection, most haven't been judged by God's word to come to that truth.
Presently God is calling out a priesthood, that at some point in the ages to come, will join Christ as judges to judge the earth.
The believers will be judges; and they, the unbelievers, will confess Christ is Lord and saviour.
There is two deaths, two judgements, two resurrection.
Believers are in the first death, first resurrection and first judgement, all others are in the second death, second resurrection and second judgement,
The saints of the first death, first resurrection and first judgement will be the judges if those in the second death, second resurrection and second judgement.
Isaiah 26:9 ...when thy JUDGEMENTS are in the earth, the inhabitants of the world will learn righteousness.
Psalms 149:9 To execute upon them the judgement written: this honour hath all his saints.
Revelation 2:26 And to him that overcometh (deception) ......to him will I give power over the nations.
We are the body of Christ; we were raised a joint heir with Christ, the Spirit of God that raised Christ is the LIFE in US, his body.
Everything that we do IS WORKS: but not OUR works, we will and do what God CAUSES us to do, EVERYTHING is HIS WORKS, we are just the instrument that God uses to do HIS WORKS.
Just as God created ALL THINGS, through JESUS; we do all works of God, through JESUS.
Ezekiel 36:27 And I will put my Spirit WITHIN YOU, and CAUSE you to walk in my statutes, and ye shall keep my judgements and DO THEM.
Philippians 2:13 For it is GOD (in you) that WORKETH both TO WILL and TO DO of his good pleasure.
Revelation 2:26 And he that overcometh, and keepeth MY WORKS unto the end, to him will I give power over the nations:
Jeremiah 51:20 Thou art my battle axe and weapons of war; for with thee WILL I break in pieces the nations, and with thee will I destroy the kingdoms ......
My previous posts have discussed the extreme of overly legalistic churches vs those who are overly emotional; in short. Within a certain context; it is often helpful when one can experience the joy of the Lord when expressed more openly in a different type of fellowship on occasion as well as those from more expressive congregants to be introduced or reestablished with fellowship in more traditional worship. There is room for correction in either case; one extreme has the warnings of the Ephesian church abandoning their first love in Revelation 2:4-5; while there are sufficient warnings not only for order as in the Corinthians church but against false doctrines and "damnable heresies" such as 2 Peter 2:1 mentions.
This discussion; to reiterate is considering a true fellowship of worship sort of example and the various styles; preferences or modes of worship that often are commonplace and overlap; as stated in the introduction based on general parameters in scripture but as we shall see often influenced by culture in a given nation more than we may observe after being immersed in such traditions for a long time. To fast forward to the big picture let's look to the supernatural realm; specifically related to the angels and demons; under the authority of Christ and Satan and what a service is like in that dimension concurrent to our actions inside a church service on earth. The test of doctrine; for example shows how to test the spirits as to which ones proclaim Jesus has come in the flesh as opposed to those who deny it ( 1 John 4:2). That may define falsehood; but it is equally true that a church can be dead and lose its "candlestick" ( Rev. 2:5) so that as the Ephesians did; have all the right words but lose any effective power for change.
Briefly; worship must contain the truth reflecting God's character and unchanging attributes as well as express worship with all of the soul; body and mind ( Deut. 6:4-7)
The bigger picture: Brothers and sisters in Christ and the armies of heaven.
Revelation 2:27 has a cross reference somewhere but it is hard to find...in Psalms regarding the inheritance of the saints and ruling with an iron rod. Of course Christ Himself will do this as shown in Psalm 2:7-9 and elsewhere.
There are numerous other verses such as in Ephesians on inheritance and what as sons of light we will have someday ( Eph. 5:8; 1 Thess. 5:5). There is also the reference in the Book of Hebrews to the "cloud of witnesses" ( Heb. 12:1) with specific references in the previous chapter to those who lived lives of faith and are in God's "hall of fame" so to speak. Psalm 8:2 even talks of God's strength in the praise of infants; which was quoted in Matthew 11:25 (also see Matthew 21:15-16 for fulfillment).
Ephesians 6 gives us instructions to be victors on the battlefield with only one offensive weapon; the sword of the Spirit ( Eph. 6:17). This is something only effective when we have the entire defensive mechanism set up to stop the fiery darts of the evil one in the previous verse.
We often are quick to point out the persecution; wars; famines and other trials that believers go through which is no doubt an essential concern in prayer. The fact is that there is a battle raging all the time for the souls of men; Christ has won the war and ultimately all He has called and chosen will be saved. This doesn't by any means lessen the conflict but gives us assurance that the Lord will direct those who He wills in our paths to minister to; and pray for. 1 Peter 4:19 discusses prosperity and trials as they come and go in our lives; and Ecclesiastes 7:14 shows God's Providence. I would state that it appears when things are going well it is a more accurate test to determine faithfullness as that is when sin in most likely to take root. In adversity many will fear the Lord; but the faithful will not forget His benefits ( Deuteronomy 8:10-18). Also read Eph. 2:10
I may be different, but in my understanding of the Bible, I approach scripture simply and do not try to complicate things with preconceived ideas and let the Bible and the Holy Spirit do the interpretation. To me, a symbol will have a non-symbolic meaning.
A symbol represents something real, a real person, a real thing, or a historical event. When I read, I understand words in a literal sense first, then in a figurative or spiritual sense if the literal doesn't make sense.
Are the Christians now the Israel of God? Have the promises to Israel and the church merged into one common heritage? If so that brings up.
Will the promise of the land given to Abraham's seed, Isaac then Jacob be fulfilled? Isaiah 11:11-12Ezekiel 37:21-25Jeremiah 24:5-6Ezekiel 34:11-12Ezekiel 36:24-26Hosea 3:4-5Micah 4:6-7Zechariah 13:8-9
Will Jesus the Messiah return and reign on the earth, with a rod of iron? Isaiah 2:1-4Isaiah 11:1-4Daniel 2:44Daniel 7:14Zechariah 14:1-4Jeremiah 3:17Revelation 2:26-27 Revelation 11:15Revelation 12:5Revelation 19:11-21.
Will there be a literal millennium during which Satan will not deceive the nations and Christ will reign on earth? Revelation 20:1-62 Timothy 2:11-12Isaiah 2:2-4Isaiah 11:5-16Isaiah 65:19-25Isaiah 51:4-5Zechariah 14:16-21Micah 4:1-4Psalms 46:7-11Matthew 19:28.
To me there are too many scriptures that are showing God has not replaced Israel with the Church. We see in Romans 11:24-27 a day when God will again turn to Israel, the day Jesus returns. Forgive me if some of the scriptures do not fit.
The resurrection made all things NEW, including your name.
Isaiah 62:2 ...... and thou shall be called by a new name ....
Revelation 2:17 ...and I will give him a white stone, and in that stone a NEW NAME written, which no man knoweth but he that RECEIVETH it.
Revelation 3:12 ...and i will write upon him my new name ...
If you don't YET know your new name, the word of God tells you what that name is.
You were married to Christ by his and your resurrection TOGETHER, the bride takes the name of her husband,
You were baptised in the NAME of Jesus.
There was only ONE BODY raised at the resurrection, and that ONE BODY was given LIFE by ONE SPIRIT.
1 Corinthians 12:27 NOW you are the body of Christ .....
Luke 8:11 .... the SEED is the WORD OF GOD .....
Isaiah 59:21 And this is my covenant with them (YOU), saith the Lord, the words that I (the Father) have put in your (Christ's) mouth, shall not depart out of your (Christ is the WORD, the SEED) mouth, nor out of thy SEED (your born again by the WORD of GOD----you become SEED) nor out of the mouth of thy SEED'S SEED (your are going to bear fruit---SEED), saith the Lord, from henceforth (the resurrection) and forever.
You are the BODY OF CHRIST.
Revelation 19:16 And he had on his vesture and on his thigh (body) written, THE LORD OF LORDS AND THE KING OF KINGS
Revelation 19:13 ...and his name is called THE WORD OF GOD ....
Revelation 1:1 The REVELATION (the revealing) of Jesus Christ .....
Revelation 1:11 .... I AM .... the first (man) ....I AM .... the last (man)
Exodus 3:13 .... I AM that I AM .... I AM hath sent ME to YOU ....
John 17:22 ...and the GLORY that thou has given me, I have GIVEN THEM ....that they may be ONE as we are ONE ...
You were given a NEW NAME, a gift of GOD, by the death and resurrecting of CHRIST.
Divine light was only found in the Holy Place. Only as worshipers in the present age pass by the cross and laver and come to Christ for light are they truly worshiping God. Christ is the Lamp unto our feet, and the Holy Spirit is the Light unto our path (see Psalm 119:105). Christ said, "I am the light of the world" ( John 8:12). The true believers alone know that to be true.
Believers today have been sent into the world as lights: "Ye are the light of the world" ( Matthew 5:14).We are merely reflectors, to reflect His light. Only as we walk in Him can we be lights in the world. A reflector must be where the light is, in order to reflect it.
End article.
Side note;
The number 6 is the number for man. Seven is the number of completion.
We're complete in Christ .
In the OT the Lord was In the midst of Israel.
In Revelation 1:12-13 we see the Lord in the midst of the Lampstand.
In verse 20 the Lord Identify the Lampstand as the seven Churches. Here is the complete Church bearing light on the Lampstand. Revelation 1:20.
This light also represents our witness. In Revelation 2:5 Jesus tells Ephesus he will remove their candle stick.
The light isn't meant to shine light on the the candle stick, It's meant to shine light on the one in the Midst. The Lord.
When done so you see what is revealed in Revelation 1:13-17.
You see Deity, Judgment, The word, Eyes of flaming fire that reveals and exposes.
Verse 43: "And Jesus said unto him, Verily I say unto thee, Today shalt thou be with me in paradise." There have been many discussions over the years as to where paradise is. First of all, it is a Persian word. That is where the word paradise came from. In the New Testament, not only is it here, but it's also found in 2 Corinthians 12:3 where Paul says that he was caught up in the third heaven into paradise.
And again, in Revelation 2:7, where it is the reward for those overcomers, those that overcome the evil. It is also used in the Greek translation of the Old Testament for the Garden of Eden. It is called PARADISO, paradise, same word! But that doesn't answer the question where is it? Well, right before the term "in paradise" we have the answer. Jesus says you will be with "me" in paradise.
Wherever Jesus is, it is paradise. Where was Jesus that day or that night or the next day? Wherever Jesus was, the thief on the cross was with Him, and that's paradise.
Isaiah 9:6 For unto us a CHILD is BORN, a son is given, and the government shall be upon his shoulders .....
Isaiah 60:22 And a LITTLE ONE shall become a thousand (by the operation of God through Christ's death and resurrection ..... Colossians 2:12
Revelation 12:5 and she brought forth a man child, who was to RULE ALL NATIONS, with a rod of IRON ...
Revelation 2:26 And he that overcometh (lies and deception), and keepeth MY WORKS (the WORK'S of the CROSS), to him will I give power over the nations:
Revelation 2:27 And he shall rule them with a rod of iron ....even as I received of my Father.
Romans ...God did predestinate (a priesthood) to be conformed to the IMAGE of his SON ...
GiGi, I'm praying for Steve this morning. Have you ever listened to Dr. Tom Renfro's terminal cancer testimony? Maybe you or Steve could email (or share by text) the video Tom made about his miracle healing. Just a thought. When my sis was diagnosed with stage 3 ovarian cancer, I scoured the internet to search for options and I came across some really good stories which gave much hope and strengthened her faith, and mine. Maybe a video in his email or on his phone might be a seed or conversation starter. Maybe an anonymous printed testimony in an envelope left on his door or in his mailbox might get read to or by him?
Steve might be the only thing standing between Jeff and Hell.
Yes, I believe in a literal, hot place of eternal torment, called Hell. I believe it was created for satan ( purposely lower case) and his fallen angels. I also believe that humans can and will be there, Father forgive us! I also believe that it's NOT God's will that ANY should go there. God made a way of escape (Jesus, mercy) and gave us free will, we must CHOOSE WISELY. John 3:16
check out "The Bibel Project" on youtube, it's very helpful to understand most all things about the bible, history, characters, etc. It's full of easy to understand visuals, good for an overview of the bible and concepts, they even break down each individual book of the bible.
Craig try this, Study small sections at a time to start out, and use a Strongs Concordance to look up the true meaning of the words, then use a note pad to write down the verses, the number of the word in the Strongs, and the meaning, it seems to be really helpful to me. before you know it you'll have a note pad full of studies from the Word of God that you can read over and over if you need too, that way you can study the same thing a lot easier to keep it fresh in your mind, plus it always seems to stick with you more when you write it down. I hope this helps you it really helped me, I have probably 20 note pads almost all full of studies I've done over many years. Stay in the Word!
I searched deeply an explanation for this biblical mystery, and by the Word of GOD what I found is the follow:
First of all, frogs are amphibians vertebrate animals that live in the aquatic environment and on the terrestrial environment. But is it the same in the spiritual environment? Yes, it is.
1-AQUATIC ENVIRONMENT OF THE EVIL SPIRITS LIKE FROGS
Revelation 17:15-And the angel saith unto me, The waters which thou sawest, where the whore sitteth, are peoples, and multitudes, and nations, and tongues. NOTE: Except the TRUE CHRISTIANS/ ELIEVERS, all the peoples of all the nations are leaded and guided by the THREE UNCLEAN SPIRITS like frogs.TERRIBLE.
The aquatic environment of these three spirits of demons like frogs which guide the peoples or rule nations of all tongues in whole earth, through devilish systems, as religious systems(Catholicism, and Judaism, spiritism, budhism, islamism, among others),and also political systems,and military systems,and social and cultural systems,among others systems. In fact, Satan goes to and fro and from walking up and down among them.
2 - TERRESTRIAL ENVIRONMENT OF THE EVIL SPIRITS LIKE FROGS
FIRST we need to understand that Israel is an island among the waters (Gentile nations)or in the middle of the sea, as is described above in according the Scriptures. Israel is the earth, a dry land, Genesis 1:v.10-3rd Day-or still the clay- Isaiah 64:v.8-a dry land surrounded by water on all sides or by allegory surrounded by the Gentile nations. Isaiah prophesyed saying: Is.41:1-2 -> 1-Keep silence before me,O islands; and let the people renew their strength:let them come near;then let them speak:let us come near together to Judgment.
2 Who raised up the righteous man from the east,called him to his foot,gave the nations before him,and made him rule over kings?he gave them as the dust to his Sword- Revelation 2:v.26 to 28-,and as driven stubble to his bow.(bow- Revelation 6:v.2)
Of course Franklin Roosevelt gave the quote "the only thing we have to fear is fear itself." That is true to some extent; because the enemy of our souls can only do what God allows; but of course the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom; which is found in numerous scriptural passages as well. It has been said that the opposite of fear is faith; and of course true love casts out fear ( 1 John 4:18). This is something only the Lord can give; for Jesus Himself had martyrdom to face daily; and Revelation 2:10 is one example given for the church; as well as the verse where Christ said to not fear what can be done to the body but the one who can cast body and soul into hell. ( Matthew 10:28). The enemy also likes to remind us as the accuser of the brethern of our sins and our condemnation which Christ took at the cross for true believers. (see Revelation 12:10). The Lord will convict us when we grieve the Spirit but that is out of love. The power of sin is death ( 1 Cor. 15:56). Jesus overcame death and the grave and took our sins on Himself at Calvary. We need to be daily reminded of these basic Gospel truths as we can become hardened to it for various reasons.
There is hope for us after death and hope is for things yet unseen ( Hebrews 11:1). Surely with the world in the state it is today we need that future expectation for any joy to be maintained; whether emotionally or as a fruit of the Spirit. Being part of the BODY of Christ is imperitive as to our identity so that we may together strive for unity in fulfilling the Great Commission and prayer and fellowship with one another for strength.
Do you believe:
Psalms 149:9 To execute upon them the judgement written, this honour hath all his saints.
1 Corinthians 6:2 ... the saints shall judge the world ......
This is GOD'S words not mine.
Psalms 82:6 I (God) have said, Ye are gods, children of the most high,
Psalms 82:7 But ye shall DIE like men (sinful flesh, on the cross of Christ) and fall like one of the princes (of this world)
Psalms 82:6 ARISE (by the resurrection), O god, JUDGE the EARTH, for thou shall inherit the nations.
Revelation 2:26 And he that overcometh and keeps MY WORKS, until the end, to him will I give power over the nations
Do you believe these words.
God Bless YOU!
There are terms in the Bible such as twice dead and Second death. " Jude 1:12, Revelation 2:11, Revelation 20:14 and Revelation 21:8.
Paul says in Romans 7:9 For I was alive without the law once: but when the commandment came, sin revived, and I died.
Which death did he die? The 1st or the 2nd?
An unbeliever is ALREADY dead! Yet he is still continuous.
( 1 Timothy 5:6.) This is a very common NT idiom. The word (noun) for "dead" is "nekros" and is used of physical death (obviously) but also spiritual death to describe an unsaved person who is physically alive but spiritually dead. Here are some examples:
Matt 8:22 - But Jesus told him, "Follow me, and let the dead bury their own dead."
Eph 2:1 - As for you, you were dead in your transgressions and sins,
Eph 2:5 - made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions--it is by grace you have been saved.
Eph 5:14 - This is why it is said: "Wake up, sleeper, rise from the dead, and Christ will shine on you.
Col 2:13 - When you were dead in your sins and in the uncircumcision of your flesh, God made you alive with Christ. He forgave us all our sins.
Eternal Salvation is life! It is separation from this Body/Tabernacle of death.
In Romans 6:3 we see the sacrificial Lamb at work.
In Romans 6:4-5 we see the NEW BIRTH and the first fruit of the Resurrection. This is the 1st Resurrection.
You are either dead right now or you have life right now!
Those who have life has already died once and has been born again, never to die again.
"Eternal life speaks of "spiritual life and death".
That's the only death a believer has. "He's already been born again"
Those who are dead is already spiritual dead and their bodies will soon die, and they will remain spiritual dead throughout eternity.
The bible doesn't say anything about being unconscious after the body dies. It has lots of scripture describing conscious.
If the grave is Hell, the Bible never says anything about the saved going there.
See Pt 2
Revelation 2:1 Unto the ANGEL of the church ....write ....
Revelation 2:8 Unto the ANGEL of the church ..... write.....
Revelation 2:12 Unto the ANGEL of the church ..... write .....
Revelation 2:18 Unto the ANGEL of the church ....write .....
Revelation 3:1 Unto the ANGEL of the church ..... write ......
Revelation 3:7 Unto the ANGEL of the church.... write ....
Revelation 3:14 Unto the ANGEL of the church ..... write ......
The word says the message is to the angel of the church, just as relevant for today as then, the word is for ALL AGES.
YOU are the angel (messenger) of the church, and the church is Christ, and YOU and Christ were made ONE flesh at his resurrection.
God Bless YOU!
All men DIED (take up your cross and follow me in death), a NEW CREATION arose, the BODY of Christ, the bride, Christ's wife: and Christ being the HEAD of the BODY.
1 John 3:9 Whosoever is BORN (new birth, being RAISED as the body of Christ, and Christ as the head of that body) doth not commit sin, BECAUSE his SEED (the word of God, truth, life) remaineth IN HIM (this mystery, Christ IN YOU), and he CANNOT SIN
WHY can't we sin: BECAUSE
Ezekiel 36:27 And I WILL put my SPIRIT (the Spirit that raised Christ) IN YOU, and I WILL CAUSE you to walk in my statutes, and TO KEEP my judgements and DO THEM.
It's not our works (in that day they will say, did WE NOT): we do nothing it's all the WORKS OF GOD.
Revelation 2:26 .... and KEEPS my WORKS .....
Isaiah 26:10 ....TOGETHER (as ONE), with my DEAD BODY shall they ARISE .....
Revelation 21:5 ..... I MAKE all things NEW ......
John 17:22 And the GLORY that thou GAVEST ME, I have given them, that as WE ARE ONE, that may be ONE .
Christ was RAISED with eternal (IMMORTAL) LIFE, we are joint-heirs of that eternal LIFE
1 Timothy 6:16 ... Christ ONLY hath IMMORTALITY, dwelling in the light .....
1 Corinthians 15:53 ....this mortal MUST PUT ON IMMORTALITY ....
1 Corinthians 15:38 ... and to every SEED ..... HIS OWN BODY ......
1 Corinthians 12:27 ..... ye are the BODY of CHRIST ......
God BLESS YOU!
God BLESS YOU!
Revelation 19:14 states: "and the armies in heaven, clothed in [b]fine linen, white and clean, followed Him on white horses".
Revelation 2:26-27 says 26 "And he that overcometh, and keepeth my works unto the end, to him will I give power over the nations: 27 And he shall rule them with a rod of iron; as the vessels of a potter shall they be broken to shivers: even as I received of my Father."
Perhaps a reminder of the exhortation of 1 John 2:10 is needed at this point. "He that loveth his brother abideth in the light, and there is none occasion of stumbling in him." The next verse states the opposite state of a soul who hates his brother; that is being in darkness. We are adopted sons and daughters ( Ephesians 1:5 and many other verses) and part of something vastly bigger than ourselves. If we are saved we are no longer our own ( 1 Cor. 6:19) and bought with a price. Therefore our commission and omission of transgressions affects not only us but others in our midst as well; particularly true in regard to the body of Christ. Salvation itself; therefore in order to be genuine begins to give the true convert a sense of being "seated in heavenly places" ( Eph. 2:6). That verse shows how we are in that state together as well in the Body of Christ not just as individuals.
What matters to those who the Godhead dwells ( John 14:23) is the Lord's concerns. Note that keeping God's Word is a part of the verse indicating those who are truly possessed by the Holy Ghost. God gets all the glory and does all the work; but we are responsible to work out our salvation with fear and trembling (Phillipians 2:12) demonstrating our inner heart through our outer actions and works. The persevering is part of God's work of sanctification; but of course we need to be demonstrating good works predestined for us to do from the foundation of the world ( Ephesians 2:10).
Agape
Verse 3 states:
"And to speak unto the priests which were in the house of the LORD of hosts, and to the prophets, saying, Should I weep in the fifth month, separating myself, as I have done these so many years?"
Verse 4-6 state: 4 Then came the word of the Lord of hosts unto me, saying, 5 Speak unto all the people of the land, and to the priests, saying, When ye fasted and mourned in the fifth and seventh month, even those seventy years, did ye at all fast unto me, even to me? 6 And when ye did eat, and when ye did drink, did not ye eat for yourselves, and drink for yourselves?
We are reminded here of parallel passages in Isaiah 58; verse 4 states "Behold, ye fast for strife and debate, and to smite with the fist of wickedness: ye shall not fast as ye do this day, to make your voice to be heard on high."
Zechariah 7:9-10 goes on to say 9 Thus speaketh the Lord of hosts, saying, Execute true judgment, and shew mercy and compassions every man to his brother: 10 And oppress not the widow, nor the fatherless, the stranger, nor the poor; and let none of you imagine evil against his brother in your heart.
Again in Isaiah 58:6-7 we see simiilar admonitions: 6Is not this the fast that I have chosen? to loose the bands of wickedness, to undo the heavy burdens, and to let the oppressed go free, and that ye break every yoke? 7Is it not to deal thy bread to the hungry, and that thou bring the poor that are cast out to thy house? when thou seest the naked, that thou cover him; and that thou hide not thyself from thine own flesh?
We can see here in the rest of this chapter in Zechariah the results which were the captivity; in the Isaiah passage the end of that chapter talks about blessings should they heed a correct fast in their worship. These are all things we should take into consideration if we find ourselves going through the motions of worship without putting our heart into it. Revelation 2:4 is a good warning for our example in this matter.
The first 9 verses discuss 4 horses which are likely the same spiritual entities listed in Revelation. The white horse is described as going with the black horse and somehow "quieting my spirit" in the north country. This seems to be referring to the angel himself; likely a scenario at that time with nations attempting to intrude from the north. Verse 10 mentions people coming out of captivity; which is somewhat paralleled in recent years with the Jews coming from Russia and other areas; and fulfilled completely during the Millennium after the Tribulation when captives are freed.
Verses 11-15 discuss crowning Joshua; but then mention the final fulfillment with "The BRANCH" starting in verse 12. The Messianic rule is clear here with the building of the Millennial Temple (verses 12-13); and the O.T. saints crowned as a "memorial" verse 14. Finally; verse 15 shows people from far off (probably nations throughout the world) and indicates these things happen "if ye will diligently obey the voice of the Lord your God." (v. 15).
We can see from this near and far fulfillments; as well as conditionally what would have perhaps been sooner in coming to pass with continual obedience; which of course is impossible in the law. We certainly can learn today to continue to be salt and light ( Matt. 5:13-14) so as not to allow spiritual decay farther before the Lord's return. Christ was necessary to fulfill the role of Priest for our justification but also wat the final Prophet as well as the King of Kings. Scripture demonstrates that the most godly have from time to time fallen short ( Numbers 20:10-13; Matthew 11:3). The Lord wishes to move in His Body the church but will withdraw His candlestick when we fall short ( Revelation 2:5).
Study Ezekiel 40-48 for further insights on the Millennial Temple as well as changes on the earth at that time.
Why do you assume the beast in Revelation is satan or the anti-christ?
Daniel 7:23 ...the FORTH beast shall be the FORTH KINGDOM on earth ....
John the Baptist came preaching the KINGDOM of GOD; the FORTH kingdom on earth, the FORTH BEAST, the last kingdom on earth.
The Kingdom of God has been on earth now for about 2000 years; CHRIST IN THE FLESH, IN YOU, his BODY, causing man TO WILL and TO DO his good pleasure.
Ezekiel 36:27 I WILL put MY SPIRIT IN YOU and CAUSE YOU to walk in my statutes and TO KEEP my judgements and DO THEM
Revelation 6:7 And when HE (the lamb of God) had opened the forth seal, I heard the voice of the FORTH BEAST (the lamb of God, the kingdom of God) SAY, come and see
Revelation 6:8 And I looked, and behold, a pale horse, and his name that sat on him WAS DEATH, and the grave followed after him, and POWER WAS GIVEN TO THEM (the image of the BEAST, the kingdom of GOD) over the forth part of the earth, to KILL with the SWORD (the word of God), and with HUNGER (no bread of life), and with DEATH, and with the BEAST of the EARTH (those that carry the mark of the BEAST: the kingdom of God.
Revelation 12:16 And the earth HELPED the WOMAN, and the earth OPENED her MOUTH (DEATH and the grave), and swallowed up the FLOOD (people, tongues and nations) which the dragon cast out of his mouth.
Psalms 7:13 He hath also prepared for him the INSTRUMENTS of DEATH; he ORDAINED his ARROWS against the persecutors.
Jeremiah 51:29 THOU (those that carry the MARK) are my battle axe and WEAPONS of WAR (arrows, the word of GOD); for with THEE (the saints, the BODY of Christ, the IMAGE of the BEAST) WILL I break in pieces the NATIONS, and with THEE will I destroy kingdoms.
Revelation 2:27 ...to him that overcometh, WILL I give POWER over the NATIONS .....
God Bless You!
You was saved from death 2000 years ago, when you were resurrected a NEW CREATION.
Christ (TRUTH) began revealing himself to you in 1979, this Revelation of "Christ in you" will continue until the angel ls sent to harvest HIS SEED.
Luke 20:36 Neither can they (YOU) DIE ANY MORE: for they are equal unto the angels; and are the children of God, being the CHILDREN of the RESURRECTION.
You are now in the birth pains of being born again.
Christ revealing who you are IN HIM.
1 Peter 1:23 Being BORN AGAIN ..... by the WORD(s) of GOD ...... TRUTH ......
Revelation 12:2 .... and she (YOU, Christ wife) being with child, travailing in birth, pained to be DELIVERED ......
1 Timothy 2:14 .... but the woman, being deceived (by a carnal mind) was in the TRANSGRESSION ....
1 Timothy 2:15 ..... she shall BE SAVED IN CHILDBEARING ...
Revelation 12:5 And she brought forth a man child, who was to rule all nations with a rod of iron....
Philippians 2:5 Let this MIND be IN YOU, which was also in Christ Jesus
Philippians 2:6 Who being in the form (image) of God, thought it not robbery to equal to God.
1 Corinthians 2:16 ....we have the MIND of CHRIST ....
Romans 8:29 .... being predestinated (by the resurrection of Christ) to be conformed to his image .....
Revelation 2:26 And to him that overcometh (deception) and keepeth MY WORKS, to him will I give power over the nations .....
God bless you
Praise GOD
What does the Word of GOD say for this current time, the seventh and last Day, the Lord's Day, or seventh and last millennium? The Word is GOD, self-executable, understand?
Romans 6:2-3
2 Do ye not know that the saints shall Judge the WORLD? and if the WORLD shall be Judged by you(we), are ye(we) unworthy to Judge the smallest matters?
3 Know ye not that we shall Judge angels (ANGELS of the Churches: Revelation 2:2; and 2:9; and 2:14-17; and 2:20; and 3:1-3; and 3:7-8; and 3:14-18)? How much more things that pertain to this life?
Daniel 7:22
22 ... and Judgment was given to the saints of the most High; and the time came that the saints possessed the Kingdom.
Revelation 11:15-18
15 ... The kingdoms OF THIS WORLD are become the Kingdoms of our Lord, and of his Christ; and he shall reign for ever and ever.
18 And the nations were (WILL BE) angry, and thy wrath is come, and the time of the dead, that they should be judged, and that thou shouldest give reward unto thy servants the prophets, and to the saints, and them that fear thy name, small and great; and shouldest destroy them which destroy the earth.
Get ready
1 Peter 4:17 - 17 For the time is come that judgment must begin at the house of God: and if it first begin at us, what shall the end be of them that obey not the gospel of God?
18 And if the righteous scarcely be saved, where shall the ungodly and the sinner appear?
John 2:28 - And now, little children, abide in Him; that, when He shall appear, we may have confidence, and not be ashamed before Him at His coming.
So, John pastored there. And like I said, Paul was there for about three years. Timothy took over after him for a year and a half, and the letters and the missionary efforts coming out from here went all the way through and the seven churches in Revelation had actually started from out of Ephesus, one of the capitals and the main encampment of Christianity.
Right outside of Ephesus is where the tomb of Mary is supposed to be, as history tells us that Mary actually wound up in Ephesus and spent her last days there. Ephesus was the Roman capital of Asia. Ephesus was known for having one of the seven wonders of the world - the temple of Artemis (or Diana).
Ephesus is believed to be evangelized by Priscilla and Aquila. ( Acts 18:18-19). The church in Ephesus was later established by Paul during his third missionary journey. ( Acts 19). Paul ministered there for three years. After Paul left, Timothy pastored the church for about 1 1/2 years.
Paul wrote to Timothy in Ephesus to counter false teaching by two leaders in the church in Ephesus - Hymenaeus and Alexander ( I Timothy 1:3 and I Timothy 1:20).
Thirty years later, Christ gave the message to Ephesus in Revelation 2:1-7. So, thirty years later, the Lord said that you have left your first love. And that was Christ's message to them!
IV. THE THEME OF EPHESIANS:
It presents the believer's position in Christ. The term "in Christ" is the key phrase in the letter to the Ephesians.
In this chapter, the Israelites are camping near an Acacia Grove. Such groves were often used by pagans to worship Baal and Asherah. They were still in the land of Moab east of the Jordan River and Jericho. Balaam had taken leave of Balak at this time. Israel did not know what Balak and Balaam were plotting. Because Balaam knew that God would not go back on His word and curse Israel whom He had blessed, he came up with a new way to bring harm to the nation of Israel. Revelation 2:12-17 speaks of Balaam's involvement in the incidents in this chapter of Numbers, saying that Balaam instructed Balak to have the women invite the Israelite men to their idol feasts and to entice them into sexual and spiritual immorality by participating in sexual immorality associated with the worship of Baal. Soon, the men were also bowing down to Baal.
This incident in Numbers 25 is where Israel was introduced into Baal worship. YHWH was full of anger at this immorality and idolatry from the very people He blessed and set apart for Himself in a covenant relationship. The men so easily broke this covenant. And by breaking it, the curses of this broken covenant came upon Israel from the hand of YHWH. So, Balaam was successful in devising a way for Israel to be cursed, not that God changed His mind or His blessing to a curse, but by the people bringing upon themselves the curses that were a part of the covenantal agreement they made with YHWH at Sinai.
So, Balaam's scheme worked, but he did not get to enjoy his success for long. He was killed in Moab when he abode among the Midianites when Isael came against Midian at God's direction. Israel slew all of the Midianite men in the area and most of the women.
In this era and area of the world, sexual immorality was a part of the way they worshipped Baal and Asherah. Apparently, Moab, descended from Lot, took to Baal worship early on. cont.
I am sorry I should have proofread that better. It should have been Revelation 2:27 Revelation 12:5 and Revelation 19:15, these are verses that show the man child the woman birthed is Jesus That He will reign and rule with a rod of iron.
God bless,
RLW
There is only ONE SIN ..... UNBELIEF .....all other sins are COVERED by the blood of Christ.
John 16:8 And when HE IS COME, he (the Holy Ghost) will reprove the world of SIN .... UNBELIEF ..... the HOLY Ghost is going to rule the world with a rod or iron (truth and mercy)
John 16:9 OF SIN, because they BELIEVE NOT on me (THE WORD) .....
Most believe Jesus came for the WORKS of the cross ..... they don't BELIEVE those WORKS ....
ALL BODIES DIED (yours, mine, and Christ's) on the cross 2000 years ago; ONLY ONE BODY arose, the BODY of CHRIST.
1 Corinthians 12:27 ... NOW ye are the BODY of Christ ..... who did NO SIN .....
There is NO .... I, me, myself ... ONLY ONE BODY .... the body of Christ ..... all creation, the NEW CREATION ....
John 17:22 And the glory that thou (the Spirit that raised Christ) has given me, I have GIVEN THEM (the new creation) that they may be ONE as we are ONE.
If you don't BELIEVE his WORDS your continuing in SIN ..... if you BELIEVE his WORDS you CANNOT SIN .... your just doing what Christ WILLS and Causes you TO DO.
Colossians 1:27 ..... this MYSTERY .... Christ in YOU ......
Ezekiel 36:27 And I (the Holy Ghost) will put my Spirit IN YOU (his body) and CAUSE you to walk in my statutes, and keep my judgements, and DO THEM.
Philippians 2:13 For it is God that WORKETH IN YOU both to WILL and to do his good pleasure.
Most don't BELIEVE the WORD.
God is giving you eyes to SEE his truth, your Christ's BODY, he is causing you to DO his good pleasure; therefore, you; his body, CANNOT SIN, because it's HIS WORKS, not your works.
Revelation 2:26 ....and he that keepeth MY WORKS to the end, to him will I give power over the nations ....as I have been given of my Father .....
God bless you as Christ CAUSES us to walk in TRUTH.
One of the few things wrong with the King James Bible is the Greek word that means; age, or of the age, was translated eternity or everlasting, not age as it should be.
Eternity is divided into ages or generations, the age or generation we are now in has been so far about 2000 yrs.
When this age is complete then there is another age or generation after that, and so on till all the ages have come to and end.
Christ saved everyone by his resurrection, most haven't been judged by God's word to come to that truth.
Presently God is calling out a priesthood, that at some point in the ages to come, will join Christ as judges to judge the earth.
The believers will be judges; and they, the unbelievers, will confess Christ is Lord and saviour.
There is two deaths, two judgements, two resurrection.
Believers are in the first death, first resurrection and first judgement, all others are in the second death, second resurrection and second judgement,
The saints of the first death, first resurrection and first judgement will be the judges if those in the second death, second resurrection and second judgement.
Isaiah 26:9 ...when thy JUDGEMENTS are in the earth, the inhabitants of the world will learn righteousness.
Psalms 149:9 To execute upon them the judgement written: this honour hath all his saints.
Revelation 2:26 And to him that overcometh (deception) ......to him will I give power over the nations.
God Bless You
We are the body of Christ; we were raised a joint heir with Christ, the Spirit of God that raised Christ is the LIFE in US, his body.
Everything that we do IS WORKS: but not OUR works, we will and do what God CAUSES us to do, EVERYTHING is HIS WORKS, we are just the instrument that God uses to do HIS WORKS.
Just as God created ALL THINGS, through JESUS; we do all works of God, through JESUS.
Ezekiel 36:27 And I will put my Spirit WITHIN YOU, and CAUSE you to walk in my statutes, and ye shall keep my judgements and DO THEM.
Philippians 2:13 For it is GOD (in you) that WORKETH both TO WILL and TO DO of his good pleasure.
Revelation 2:26 And he that overcometh, and keepeth MY WORKS unto the end, to him will I give power over the nations:
Jeremiah 51:20 Thou art my battle axe and weapons of war; for with thee WILL I break in pieces the nations, and with thee will I destroy the kingdoms ......
God bless you
My previous posts have discussed the extreme of overly legalistic churches vs those who are overly emotional; in short. Within a certain context; it is often helpful when one can experience the joy of the Lord when expressed more openly in a different type of fellowship on occasion as well as those from more expressive congregants to be introduced or reestablished with fellowship in more traditional worship. There is room for correction in either case; one extreme has the warnings of the Ephesian church abandoning their first love in Revelation 2:4-5; while there are sufficient warnings not only for order as in the Corinthians church but against false doctrines and "damnable heresies" such as 2 Peter 2:1 mentions.
This discussion; to reiterate is considering a true fellowship of worship sort of example and the various styles; preferences or modes of worship that often are commonplace and overlap; as stated in the introduction based on general parameters in scripture but as we shall see often influenced by culture in a given nation more than we may observe after being immersed in such traditions for a long time. To fast forward to the big picture let's look to the supernatural realm; specifically related to the angels and demons; under the authority of Christ and Satan and what a service is like in that dimension concurrent to our actions inside a church service on earth. The test of doctrine; for example shows how to test the spirits as to which ones proclaim Jesus has come in the flesh as opposed to those who deny it ( 1 John 4:2). That may define falsehood; but it is equally true that a church can be dead and lose its "candlestick" ( Rev. 2:5) so that as the Ephesians did; have all the right words but lose any effective power for change.
Briefly; worship must contain the truth reflecting God's character and unchanging attributes as well as express worship with all of the soul; body and mind ( Deut. 6:4-7)
Revelation 2:27 has a cross reference somewhere but it is hard to find...in Psalms regarding the inheritance of the saints and ruling with an iron rod. Of course Christ Himself will do this as shown in Psalm 2:7-9 and elsewhere.
There are numerous other verses such as in Ephesians on inheritance and what as sons of light we will have someday ( Eph. 5:8; 1 Thess. 5:5). There is also the reference in the Book of Hebrews to the "cloud of witnesses" ( Heb. 12:1) with specific references in the previous chapter to those who lived lives of faith and are in God's "hall of fame" so to speak. Psalm 8:2 even talks of God's strength in the praise of infants; which was quoted in Matthew 11:25 (also see Matthew 21:15-16 for fulfillment).
Ephesians 6 gives us instructions to be victors on the battlefield with only one offensive weapon; the sword of the Spirit ( Eph. 6:17). This is something only effective when we have the entire defensive mechanism set up to stop the fiery darts of the evil one in the previous verse.
We often are quick to point out the persecution; wars; famines and other trials that believers go through which is no doubt an essential concern in prayer. The fact is that there is a battle raging all the time for the souls of men; Christ has won the war and ultimately all He has called and chosen will be saved. This doesn't by any means lessen the conflict but gives us assurance that the Lord will direct those who He wills in our paths to minister to; and pray for. 1 Peter 4:19 discusses prosperity and trials as they come and go in our lives; and Ecclesiastes 7:14 shows God's Providence. I would state that it appears when things are going well it is a more accurate test to determine faithfullness as that is when sin in most likely to take root. In adversity many will fear the Lord; but the faithful will not forget His benefits ( Deuteronomy 8:10-18). Also read Eph. 2:10
I may be different, but in my understanding of the Bible, I approach scripture simply and do not try to complicate things with preconceived ideas and let the Bible and the Holy Spirit do the interpretation. To me, a symbol will have a non-symbolic meaning.
A symbol represents something real, a real person, a real thing, or a historical event. When I read, I understand words in a literal sense first, then in a figurative or spiritual sense if the literal doesn't make sense.
Are the Christians now the Israel of God? Have the promises to Israel and the church merged into one common heritage? If so that brings up.
Will the promise of the land given to Abraham's seed, Isaac then Jacob be fulfilled? Isaiah 11:11-12 Ezekiel 37:21-25 Jeremiah 24:5-6 Ezekiel 34:11-12 Ezekiel 36:24-26 Hosea 3:4-5 Micah 4:6-7 Zechariah 13:8-9
Will Jesus the Messiah return and reign on the earth, with a rod of iron? Isaiah 2:1-4 Isaiah 11:1-4 Daniel 2:44 Daniel 7:14 Zechariah 14:1-4 Jeremiah 3:17 Revelation 2:26-27 Revelation 11:15 Revelation 12:5 Revelation 19:11-21.
Will there be a literal millennium during which Satan will not deceive the nations and Christ will reign on earth? Revelation 20:1-6 2 Timothy 2:11-12 Isaiah 2:2-4 Isaiah 11:5-16 Isaiah 65:19-25 Isaiah 51:4-5 Zechariah 14:16-21 Micah 4:1-4 Psalms 46:7-11 Matthew 19:28.
To me there are too many scriptures that are showing God has not replaced Israel with the Church. We see in Romans 11:24-27 a day when God will again turn to Israel, the day Jesus returns. Forgive me if some of the scriptures do not fit.
God bless,
RLW
God has given you a new name.
The resurrection made all things NEW, including your name.
Isaiah 62:2 ...... and thou shall be called by a new name ....
Revelation 2:17 ...and I will give him a white stone, and in that stone a NEW NAME written, which no man knoweth but he that RECEIVETH it.
Revelation 3:12 ...and i will write upon him my new name ...
If you don't YET know your new name, the word of God tells you what that name is.
You were married to Christ by his and your resurrection TOGETHER, the bride takes the name of her husband,
You were baptised in the NAME of Jesus.
There was only ONE BODY raised at the resurrection, and that ONE BODY was given LIFE by ONE SPIRIT.
1 Corinthians 12:27 NOW you are the body of Christ .....
Luke 8:11 .... the SEED is the WORD OF GOD .....
Isaiah 59:21 And this is my covenant with them (YOU), saith the Lord, the words that I (the Father) have put in your (Christ's) mouth, shall not depart out of your (Christ is the WORD, the SEED) mouth, nor out of thy SEED (your born again by the WORD of GOD----you become SEED) nor out of the mouth of thy SEED'S SEED (your are going to bear fruit---SEED), saith the Lord, from henceforth (the resurrection) and forever.
You are the BODY OF CHRIST.
Revelation 19:16 And he had on his vesture and on his thigh (body) written, THE LORD OF LORDS AND THE KING OF KINGS
Revelation 19:13 ...and his name is called THE WORD OF GOD ....
Revelation 1:1 The REVELATION (the revealing) of Jesus Christ .....
Revelation 1:11 .... I AM .... the first (man) ....I AM .... the last (man)
Exodus 3:13 .... I AM that I AM .... I AM hath sent ME to YOU ....
John 17:22 ...and the GLORY that thou has given me, I have GIVEN THEM ....that they may be ONE as we are ONE ...
You were given a NEW NAME, a gift of GOD, by the death and resurrecting of CHRIST.
God bless you.
Part 5.
Divine light was only found in the Holy Place. Only as worshipers in the present age pass by the cross and laver and come to Christ for light are they truly worshiping God. Christ is the Lamp unto our feet, and the Holy Spirit is the Light unto our path (see Psalm 119:105). Christ said, "I am the light of the world" ( John 8:12). The true believers alone know that to be true.
Believers today have been sent into the world as lights: "Ye are the light of the world" ( Matthew 5:14).We are merely reflectors, to reflect His light. Only as we walk in Him can we be lights in the world. A reflector must be where the light is, in order to reflect it.
End article.
Side note;
The number 6 is the number for man. Seven is the number of completion.
We're complete in Christ .
In the OT the Lord was In the midst of Israel.
In Revelation 1:12-13 we see the Lord in the midst of the Lampstand.
In verse 20 the Lord Identify the Lampstand as the seven Churches. Here is the complete Church bearing light on the Lampstand. Revelation 1:20.
This light also represents our witness. In Revelation 2:5 Jesus tells Ephesus he will remove their candle stick.
The light isn't meant to shine light on the the candle stick, It's meant to shine light on the one in the Midst. The Lord.
When done so you see what is revealed in Revelation 1:13-17.
You see Deity, Judgment, The word, Eyes of flaming fire that reveals and exposes.
Thanks for allowing me Gigi.
Good night.
(Part 2):
Verse 43: "And Jesus said unto him, Verily I say unto thee, Today shalt thou be with me in paradise." There have been many discussions over the years as to where paradise is. First of all, it is a Persian word. That is where the word paradise came from. In the New Testament, not only is it here, but it's also found in 2 Corinthians 12:3 where Paul says that he was caught up in the third heaven into paradise.
And again, in Revelation 2:7, where it is the reward for those overcomers, those that overcome the evil. It is also used in the Greek translation of the Old Testament for the Garden of Eden. It is called PARADISO, paradise, same word! But that doesn't answer the question where is it? Well, right before the term "in paradise" we have the answer. Jesus says you will be with "me" in paradise.
Wherever Jesus is, it is paradise. Where was Jesus that day or that night or the next day? Wherever Jesus was, the thief on the cross was with Him, and that's paradise.
John was told to Write the things which thou hast seen, (The pre-incarnate Christ.)
and the things which are, (Church things. Then and now)
and the things which shall be hereafter; (The rest of the book)
By the time we get to Revelation 4:1 There's no more mention of the Church. So the overcoming has been done before the Tribulation.
And the overcoming is done by the Holyspirit. There is nothing you and I can do to present ourselves righteous before God. It's him that keeps us.
Concerning Revelation 2:10
It has already past. 10 days refers to 10 periods under 10 Roman Imperors.
The "ten days" in Revelation 2:10 refers to ten persecutions that began with Nero and ended with Diocletian at the end of the third century.
The early Church was persecuted and under tribulation. NOT THE GREAT TRIBULATION.
Jimbob I see you Brother Chris and others have covered much of this topic. I'm not sure what you guys covered,
I haven't had the chance to read much of it.
I believe we will have to agree to disagree on this topic.
However I would love to discuss soteriology with you.
I don't believe the eschatology views have anything to do with whether one is saved or not.
May I ask How do you feel about that?
Are we saved by grace?
Works "of the Law"?
Both? ect..
Isaiah 9:6 For unto us a CHILD is BORN, a son is given, and the government shall be upon his shoulders .....
Isaiah 60:22 And a LITTLE ONE shall become a thousand (by the operation of God through Christ's death and resurrection ..... Colossians 2:12
Revelation 12:5 and she brought forth a man child, who was to RULE ALL NATIONS, with a rod of IRON ...
Revelation 2:26 And he that overcometh (lies and deception), and keepeth MY WORKS (the WORK'S of the CROSS), to him will I give power over the nations:
Revelation 2:27 And he shall rule them with a rod of iron ....even as I received of my Father.
Romans ...God did predestinate (a priesthood) to be conformed to the IMAGE of his SON ...
God Bless YOU!
Steve might be the only thing standing between Jeff and Hell.
Yes, I believe in a literal, hot place of eternal torment, called Hell. I believe it was created for satan ( purposely lower case) and his fallen angels. I also believe that humans can and will be there, Father forgive us! I also believe that it's NOT God's will that ANY should go there. God made a way of escape (Jesus, mercy) and gave us free will, we must CHOOSE WISELY. John 3:16
Revelation 2:18
God bless you Sister GiGi
:-)