JESUS is the KING of kings - kings made by He Himself - Re.1:8 and 5:10, and LORD of the lords. Michael is a lord, a Prince of GOD. JESUS sent him to the isle of Patmos-Re.1:1. Revelation 22:8-9 clarify: 8 And I John saw these things, and heard them. And when I had heard and seen, I fell down TO WORSHIP before the feet of the ANGEL which shewed me these things. 9 Then saith he unto me, See thou do it not: for I am thy fellowservant, and of thy brethren the prophets, and of them which keep the sayings of this book: worship GOD.
JESUS is God- Hebrews 1:8, not an angel, nor Archangel. JESUS and Michael are two distincts persons. By the way, Michael the Archangel fought / contended against the Devil when he disputed about the body of Moses (by allegory we may understand Israel was the body of Moses), and now again he shall contend with the old serpent, called the Devil, and Satan, which deceiveth the whole world, fighting/ disputing about the Body od Christ: now, even now, from now, in the time of Apocalypse, Satan now called red Dragon, he shall be cast out from this current heavenly environment- Ephesians 1:3-8- into the earth, and his messengers shall be also cast out with him.
Michael shall cast Satan into the bottomless pit, and shut him up, and set a seal upon him, that he should deceive the nations no more.
( Revelation 22:17.) We ask the Lord Jesus Christ to restore our Liberty and Freedom. We seek to dwell in Isaiah Chapter 55 and in Psalm 127. We ask the Lord Jesus Christ to help us to depart from Georgia. ( Proverbs 16:3.) James Brian Hill (son) and Sharon Rose Hill (mother) at 195 Wrigley Court, (Jacobs Field), Hull, Madison County, Georgia 30646. (706)206-2313 and (706)247-0742. Again, we surrender our lives and our home to the Lord Jesus Christ and to HIS Holy Spirit. Amen.
Happy Sunday. Some verses that jumped out at me...
1 Timothy 3:16
Colossians 1:14-20
John 14:6
Isaiah 48:12, Revelation 22:13
My interpretation: Jesus is a big deal. Probably bigger than we realize and He loves us and died for each of us that we may choose to follow Him. God bless.
God since the time of Genesis in the garden has kept man from the tree of life; first with Cherubim guarding it ( Gen. 3:24) then it apparently being placed in heaven as it appears once again only after the Millennium and Great White Throne judgment. God; of course in His infinite wisdom has given those who are children of righteousness eternal life. In reverse order from the original fall; man gains spiritual life first; then a resurrected physical body later. Or; as some have said a believer dies once ( Heb. 9:27) and lives again; while all others live once and die twice (first physically then spiritually). The second death technically means they will live again physically but in a body to endure eternal physical punishment.
Obviously; men couldn't be allowed to eat something that allowed their original body never to die. This would preserve wicked sinners forever in theory. More importantly it would circumvent God's plan for redemption. He allows those in a glorified state only to eat of this tree from what scripture indicates; thus physical healing or preservation may be a sort of way of continuance of life in a glorified body. Christ Himself was able to eat in a glorified form; but will abstain from fruit of the vine until He returns. Some of these things are theoretical; but it is entirely possible that specifically those who survive the Millennium who do not rebel WILL be in the Book of life and be translated into the eternal Kingdom. It would seem they also would have glorified bodies; but the fresh memory at first may require healing and wiping away tears ( Rev. 21:4) from what happened at the last rebellion. Maybe it is tears of joy. In any case there will be eternal bliss from that point forward!
Another fact is that only then will all nations be able to function together with no further possibility of rebellion. That also is a form of healing promised; a world ruled with eternal peace and love
We just entered in the seventh and last GOD's Day, or seventh and last millennium. In fact, we are already living in the beginning of the first century of the last millennium.
John 7:37-38
37 - In the last day, that great day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried, saying, If any man thirst, let him come unto me, and drink.
38 - He that believeth on me, as the Scripture hath said, out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water.
The Spirit and the bride say, Come. And let him that heareth say, Come. And let him that is athirst come. And whosoever will, let him take the water of life freely. Revelation 22:17
Re.22:7 - 7 Behold, I come quickly: blessed is he that keepeth the sayings of the prophecy of this book.
I Jesus have sent mine angel to testify unto you these things in the churches. I am the root and the offspring of David, and the bright and morning star.Re.22:16
For without are dogs, and sorcerers, and whoremongers, and murderers, and idolaters, and whosoever loveth and maketh a lie-Re.22:15
Behold, the bridegroom cometh; go ye out to meet him-Mat.25:6
There is no contradiction, we see in Exodus 33:20-23 God told Moses he cannot see my face and no man can see me and live, so God showed Moses His backside, that is the closest any person has come to seeing God. Matt. 5:8 Jesus says those pure in heart meaning those who are amongst the saints/saved will see God. Job knew this as he says in Job 19:26, his glorified flesh/body.
We have our confirmation in Revelation 22:3-4 And there shall be no more curse: but the throne of God and of the Lamb shall be in it; and his servants shall serve him: 4 And they shall see his face; and his name shall be in their foreheads.
We will see God's face and the Lamb/Jesus for they will be the light and the temple of the new earth and the new Jerusalem, Revelation 21:22-23.
This is a good example of flawed logic as referred to earlier.
You seem to suggest you believe Jesus is the Son of God, but can't be God because he's already the Son of God.
Jesse, do you have kids?
If so, you would be a dad, correct? But you're also a son. But how can someone be both a "father" and a "son" at the same time. Surely that's impossible! This exposes one of your logical assumptions you used.
But the same argument could also be made for God the Father. He's already called the Father, so how can He also be God, if He's already the Father? Believing flawed human logic instead of scripture.
The second false assumption is thinking that Jesus can't be God, because [according to you] you don't think He would pray to Himself. But the Bible says Jesus created everything and was always there from the beginning ( John 1) before He relegated Himself to being a temporary man. You then take Jesus's actions as a temporary man and falsely assuming He was never anything but a man and that all of His actions as a temporary man is permanently how He is. That's quite an assumption. Also, the Son was praying to the Father, was He not? And the verse saying the Father and Son are one- do you believe that?
This post is more for others, because the truth needs to be shared instead of the anti-Bible propaganda people post here.
"Thus saith the LORD the King of Israel, and his redeemer the LORD of hosts; I am the first, and I am the last; and beside me there is no God." Isaiah 44:6 KJV
Do you believe Jesus is Lord? Do you believe He's the King of Israel, and King of the Jews? Do you believe He's the Alpha and Omega, first and last like the Bible says?
"I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end, the first and the last." Revelation 22:13 KJV
"besides me there is no God" He says. But I'm sure people will keep believing in whatever appeases them, rather than what the Bible actually says. God bless.
I really appreciated so much your message in reply. I'm so glad that you, and me, and many others brothers in Christ JESUS, all of us are linked to the personal invite of our Lord JESUS that He left for us through His angel, after His ascension, mainly for the generation of the last days like us: Revelation 22:16-17
17 The Spirit and the bride say, Come. And let him that heareth say, Come. And let him that is athirst come. And whosoever will, let him take the water of life freely. (This is our daily and continuos message for now on)
16 I Jesus have sent mine angel to testify unto you these things in the churches. I am the root and the offspring of David, and the bright and morning star.
Halllujaaaah!
May our Lord GOD bless and keep us, and give us His protection
The true gospel is circumscribed by the Bible, alone and in its entirety, the 66 books of the Old and New Testaments, in its original languages. The King James Version is translated from the oldest and most reliable manuscripts available, and the translators have sought to stick as closely as possible to the original text, which is in stark contrast to the modern translations that use inferior manuscripts and seek to reinterpret the original text and put it in more understandable language. That said, the KJV is far from perfect, it does contain errors, and the KJV translators were heavily influenced by the doctrines of the church, which when viewed from the superior vantage point of our day when we are very near the end of time and God is opening our understanding to many truths that were previously kept sealed ( Daniel 12:4,9), were very often faulty. Therefore, the serious Bible student should always carefully check the original languages of Hebrew, Aramaic, and Greek using the modern tools that are readily available, such as interlinears and concordances, which are keyed to the KJV.
By definition, any gospel that cites an authority that is outside the 66 books of the Bible, or narrower than the Bible, is false. That includes gospels that look upon other books as divinely inspired or that feature the teachings of those who claim to have received direct revelation from God, whether in a dream or a vision or tongue, as in the tongues described in 1 Corinthians 14.
Revelation 22:18-19
18 For I testify unto every man that heareth the words of the prophecy of this book, If any man shall add unto these things, God shall add unto him the plagues that are written in this book: 19 And if any man shall take away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God shall take away his part out of the book of life, and out of the holy city, and from the things which are written in this book.
Those who believe they DIED and were made ONE in Christ, will never die again.
Those who don't believe they DIED, and the resurrection made them ONE as the Father and Son and son are ONE will be cast into prison, the GRAVE. "Made one in Christ" in Jordyn's opinion means you become Gods"
Is this not another Gospel?
More issues.
Jordyn claims the flesh of the unbelievers is the devil and the bottomless pit mentioned in Revelation 20:2-3 is the grave.
He also claims we are already living in the 1000 years mention in verse 5.
He claims the unbelievers/Devil will be loosed out of the grave, "resurrected" in Revelation 20:7.
After all the dead are raised at the second resurrection, "LOOSED OUT OF THE BOTTOMLESS PIT" the Sons of God "WILL PREACH THE TRUTH TO THEM ABOUT THE TRUTH OF THE RESURRECTION"
LET'S EXAMINE.
Revelation 20:7-8. And he laid hold on the dragon, that old serpent, which is the Devil, and Satan, and bound him a thousand years,
AND SHALL GO OUT TO DECIEVE THE NATIONS which are in the four quarters of the earth, Gog and Magog, to gather them together to battle: the number of whom is as the sand of the sea.
(Jordyn says these verses says the unbelievers will preach the truth!)
The bible says Satan will deceive the nations!
So, Jordyn says God will judge the unbelievers by the word of God and give them the truth and mercy given to us, and they will have DIED the second death, and also become the SONS of God and will enter the Kingdom. Thats what he gets out of Revelation 20:2-8.
However, Look at Revelation 22:11-15. SOME REMAIN UNJUST!
Some have right to the tree of life and may enter in through the gates into the city.
Some are seen here in verse 15. "For without are dogs, and sorcerers, and whoremongers, and murderers, and idolaters, and whosoever loveth and maketh a lie.
BEWARE OF WHO YOU FOLLOW! NO CHILD OF GOD WOULD DO SUCH BLASPHEMY TO THE WORD OF GOD!
Hello SLLockhart. I believe the verse that is closest to what you seek is in Revelation 22:18,19. Although, these verses specifically relate to this particular book of prophecy (The Revelation) that no one might add or take away from the words of the Book or else suffer under God's Hand, the Truth would apply to all of Scripture. And 2 Timothy 3:16 reminds us that these Holy Scriptures are "given by (the) inspiration of God", or as in the Greek, "God-breathed"; which clearly shows us that the power & truth of God's Words are given by His Spirit - 'breathed' upon those writers, they being moved by Him to pen these words for all who read or hear them. This then becomes a very serious matter in the reading, understanding, & correctly 'dividing' of God's Word, without forcing any human input which can only bring corruption to it.
I would like to clarify that It's actually a Bible study and not a discussion, so who are the dogs acccording to the expresses Scriptures?
Until this moment I have been trying to bring the brothers to interpret the Scriptures as those who are inside them, and not as those who speak of them, but being not inside but on the outside looking at the Scriptures.
What is important for all of us is to identify through the Word of GOD who the dogs are mentioned in Revelation 22:15 and Philippians 3:2, which will be left out of the kingdom of GOD that will be established in this seventh and LAST millennium or seventh and last Day, the Day of the Lord.
Who are the dogs, then? Wouldn't the answer or identification of them be in the Old Testament? Wouldn't it be interesting to identify who the dogs are specifically, so that we are all protected from these dogs as Paulo wrote to the Church of Philippi? saying: Beware of dogs, ... Phil.3:2.
Again: It's actually a Bible study and not a discussion, so who are the dogs according to the expresses Scriptures? There are many here that know Scriptures deeply, so could anyone give us where is written who the dogs are in the Old Testament, and that we all know how to protect ourselves from them?
Perhaps someone here or many may have been "bitten" by a dog in the church they attend, and do not discern that a "dog" bit them. It is important that each of us is vaccinated, I mean, knowing who are dogs is as if be vaccinated and protected from them .
Revelation 22:15 that is a former secret book GOD the Father gave to JESUS , and Philippians 3:2 wrote by Paul te Apostle, they do no refer to "pets" o wild animals, of course. To say that is ridiculous and a mockery.
Actually, it's a challenge to decipher the biblical enigma on: "Who are the dogs?
I see and know that you have knowledge of the Bible and both tried to answer the question, but like someone who looks to the Scriptures from outside of them to inside, and do not enter within them deeply, nor delve and immerse inside them, but like someone surfing on the surface of the water. In my view what matters is to enter and delve into the Scriptures to bring the true interpretation and solution to the biblical enigma : Who are the dogs in Revelation 22: 15 and Philippians 3:2?
The question remains open for all my brothers because the Word of GOD is not speaking of "pets", of course. What we are commenting by the Word of GOD is: "For without are DOGS... - Revelation 22:15, and Philippians 3:2 says: Beware of DOGS... ", but wait, Scriptures are not speaking of "pets", as was suggested in prior replies, so who are them? Who are the dogs?
To decipher the riddle and find the correctly answer to the question it seems a challenge, it is necessary to immerge into the Scriptures and delve into them to find and brings the solution to this enigma within the Bible, otherwise the answers may not match or fit with the Holy Scriptures, the source of Truth. This is a serious problem.
To decipher the riddle giving correctly answer to the question, it is necessary to enter into the Scriptures and delve, and immerse into them finding the solution to this enigma within the the Word of GOD. It's very interesting to decipher for us, I think.
The term dogs in Philippians 3:2 is actually making reference to a religious phrase. The Gentiles were considered dogs by the Jews.
There are two words in the New Testament that have to do with a dog. KUNARION ( Matthew 15:26 and Mark 7:27) is a household pet. And then we have a KUON. A Kuon is a wild scavenger. And that's the animal used here.
Gentiles were called Kuon's, wild scavengers, impure, and grungy. So it was an insult to call somebody a Kuon. And so he's using the word Kuon. He says beware of the dogs. The Jews would have understood who he was referring to.
This is the same word (KUON) that's used in Revelation 22:15.
11 He that is unjust, let him be unjust still: and he which is filthy, let him be filthy still: and he that is righteous, let him be righteous still: and he that is holy, let him be holy still.
12 And, BEHOLD, I COME QUICKLY; and my reward is with me, to give every man according as his work shall be.
15 For without are DOGS, and sorcerers, and whoremongers, and murderers, and idolaters, and whosoever loveth and maketh a lie.
Philippians 3:2KJV
2 Beware of dogs, beware of evil workers, beware of the concision.
True Christ Followers will be obedient to all of God's 10 Commandments as taught by Jesus in the New Testament.
Luke 9:23"And he said to them all, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow me."
John 14:15"If ye love me, keep my commandments."
Keeping God's 10 Commandments - plus the additional commandment that Jesus emphasized - to Love each other.
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."
Jesus warns all of us that we will not enter into Salvation without keeping God's Commandments.
Revelation 22:14 "Blessed are they that do his commandments, that they may have right to the tree of life, and may enter in through the gates into the city."
IF a Christian is filled with God's Holy Spirit they will naturally be following all of God's/Jesus Commandments.
It's IMPOSSIBLE to live a worldly life and be a Christ follower.
I see that according to the your theory, the """Principle of Similitude explains the basis of comparing the like with like; So the heaven is compared with the earth."""
Along the same line as your theory above or interpretation saying "the heaven is compared with the earth" by the Principle of Similitude,
so I took your example to compare the Similitude between the Son of GOD and the angel who was sent by Him to the isle of Patmos- Revelation 1:1-Revelation of JESUS Christ, which GOD gave unto Him, to shew unto His servants things which must shortly come to pass; and He sent and signified it by His ANGEL unto His servant John. (Different of the translation, In my vision an Archangel). But what is the Similitude between the Son of GOD and the archangel sent by JESUS to speak with John?
Here goes the Similitude: Revelation 1:13-16. (By the way, JESUS was in heaven when He sent the archangel to meet John , He was sitting on the right hand of the Father).
Verse 13 - And in the midst of the seven candlesticks (7 Churches of Asia) one like unto the Son of man, clothed with a garment down to the foot, and girt about the paps with a golden girdle.
14 His head and his hairs were white like wool, as white as snow; and his eyes were as a flame of fire;
15 And his feet like unto fine brass, as if they burned in a furnace; and his voice as the sound of many waters.
16 And he had in his right hand seven stars: and out of his mouth went a sharp twoedged Sword: and his countenance was as the sun shineth in his strength.
Revelation 22:8-9
8 And I John saw these things, and heard them. And when I had heard and seen, I fell down to worship before the feet of the angel which shewed me these things.
9 Then saith he unto me, See thou do it not: for I am thy fellowservant, and of thy brethren the prophets, and of them which keep the sayings of this book: worship GOD.
19 For the earnest expectation of the creature waiteth for the manifestation of the sons of God.
20 For the creature was made subject to vanity, not willingly, but by reason of him who hath subjected the same in hope,
21 Because the creature itself also shall be delivered from the bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of the children of God.
The Word is GOD, self-executing. Believest thou this?
Could not this man -JESUS- which opened the eyes of the blind, have caused that even this man should not have died?
Take ye away the stone. Said I not unto thee, that, if thou wouldest believe, thou shouldest see the glory of GOD?
1 Thessalonians 4:13-17
13 But I would not have you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning them which are asleep, that ye sorrow not, even as others which have no hope.
14 For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so them also which sleep in Jesus will GOD bring with Him.(GOD is Life)
15 For this we say unto you by the Word of the Lord, that we which are alive and remain unto the coming of the Lord shall not prevent them which are asleep.
16 For the Lord Himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the Trump of GOD: and the dead in Christ shall rise first:(According Daniel 12:2-3)
17 Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds(the same cloud that was seen by the disciples- Acts 1:9-11), to meet the Lord in the air(in the 3rd heaven that will be established from now on): and so shall we ever be with the Lord.(in he 3rd heaven, which will last a thousand years- Revelation 11:15).
The Spirit and the bride say, Come. And let him that heareth say, Come. And let him that is athirst come. And whosoever will, let him take the water of life freely- Revelation 22:17.
20 He which testifieth these things saith, Surely I come quickly. Amen. Even so, come, Lord Jesus.
21 The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all. Amen.
Romans 9:28-33 combined with Matthew 24:22 & Daniel 12:10
28GOD will finish the work,and cut it short in righteousness:because a SHORT WORK will the Lord make upon the earth( Matthew 24:22-And except those days should be shortened,there should no flesh be saved:but for the elect's sake those days shall be shortened)
29And as Esaias said before,Except the Lord of Sabaoth had left us a seed,we had been as Sodoma,and been made like unto Gomorrha.
30What shall we say then?That the Gentiles,which followed not after righteousness,have attained to righteousness,even the righteousness which is of faith.
31But Israel,which followed after the law of righteousness,hath not attained to the law of righteousness.
32Wherefore?Because they sought it not by faith,but as it were by the works of the law.For they stumbled at that stumblingstone;
33As it is written,Behold,I lay in Sion a stumblingstone and rock of offence:and whosoever believeth on Him shall not be ashamed ( Daniel 12:10-Many shall be purified,and made white,and tried;but the wicked shall do wickedly:and none of the WICKED shall understand; but the WISE shall understand)
Revelation 22:11-17
11He that is unjust,let him be unjust still:and he which is filthy,let him be filthy still:and he that is righteous,let him be righteous still:and he that is holy,let him be holy still.
12And, behold,I come quickly; and my reward is with me,to give every man according as his work shall be.
13I am Alpha and Omega,the beginning and the end,the first and the last.
14Blessed are they that do his commandments,that they may have right to the tree of life,and may enter in through the gates into the city.
15Without are dogs,and sorcerers,and whoremongers,and murderers,and idolaters,and whosoever loveth and maketh a lie.
16I Jesus have sent mine angel to testify unto you these things in the churches.
17And the Spirit and the bride say,Come.Let him that heareth say, Come.And whosoever will,let him take the water of life freely.
Let's step back and think for a moment. What is heaven exactly? Surely a large factor there is that we will SERVE God forever.
John 12:26 says in KJV: If any man serve me, let him follow me; and where I am, there shall also my servant be: if any man serve me, him will my Father honour.
Let us examine the same verse in the amplified version:
If anyone serves Me, he must [continue to faithfully] follow Me [without hesitation, holding steadfastly to Me, conforming to My example in living and, if need be, suffering or perhaps dying because of faith in Me]; and wherever I am [in heaven's glory], there will My servant be also. If anyone serves Me, the Father will honor him.
I am not an expert on translations but it would seem eternally serving God is a theme here! Revelation 7:13-15 and Revelation 22:3 make this abundantly clear as to the serving of God eternally of His saints. Worship is also inextricably tied to being a servant; and the ruling and reigning with Christ is part and parcel with the destiny of the church as Kings and Priests before the throne as well ( Revelation 5:10; etal).
Now as we assess this life; surely we see this attitude of service begins here; and Christ of course laid out the perfect example with His life. Mark 10:45 shows how Christ came not to be served but to serve; if God incarnate followed that principal surely His disciples must do the same.
As to work in heaven; surely it won't be a drudgery. The curse with the thorns and sweat on the brow will be gone that we inherited in the garden. We won't have unreasonable taskmasters; stressful deadlines; and other difficulties. Work no doubt will be a cooperative effort since we will all be together in performing tasks. No doubt individual things will be suitable for us as well.
The world at large cannot serve without some benefit for themselves; just like we can't love unconditionally (see Matthew 5:34).
Hebrews 4:3 For we which have BELIEVED do enter into REST (the sabbath), as he said, As I have sworn in my wrath, if they shall ENTER IN TO MY (the sabbath) REST; although the WORKS were FINISHED from the foundations of the world.
Hebrews 4:2 For unto us was the GOSPEL preached, as well (as it was preached) TO THEM ......
We are just playing out what has ALREADY been written.
God's will is BEING DONE.
We are JUST POTS being CONFORMED into the IMAGE of Christ. From the first man TIL the last man.
Revelation 22:13 "I AM " Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end, the FIRST and the LAST.
Romans 8:29 .... he did PREDESTINATE to be CONFORMED to the IMAGE of son.
Job 38:7 When all the morning stars SANG TOGETHER (all became ONE), the SONS of GOD (all became ONE) shouted for joy?
John 17:22 And the GLORY that thou hast GIVEN ME, I HAVE GIVEN THEM (finished from the foundations of the world), that they may be ONE, even as WE ARE ONE.
Psalms 46:10 Be still and know "I AM" God ......
Isaiah 26:3 Thou will KEEP HIM in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on thee .....
The Revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave unto him, to shew unto his servants things which must shortly come to pass; and he sent and signified it by his angel unto his servant John:
This verse shows much like Matthew 24:36 that some things apparently are still appropriated by the Father; at least in regard to the timing of events in the future and the day and hour they begin. Admittedly; this is a mystery as Christ is fully God and fully man but we can learn the Godhead and how the Son does nothing apart from the Father here at the very least ( John 5:19). Indeed that verse says the Son can do NOTHING of Himself; which could have been particularly true during His earthly ministry.
Nonetheless we see that death could not overcome Him ( Acts 2:24). God exalted Him as High Priest and King and gave Him all authority in heaven and earth positionally ( Matt. 28:18); restoring the position which He no doubt had since He was the One who created all things ( Colossians 1:16).
verse 3 states Blessed is he that readeth, and they that hear the words of this prophecy, and keep those things which are written therein: for the time is at hand. It reminds us of the verse in Revelation 22:12 where He states that He comes quickly; and the delay of the church age can be seen in the verse Habakkuk 2:3 where it says although it tarries wait for it and the original language shows that it will surely come in its time and not delay. There is a crown; in fact for those who patiently wait for it; we are warned against losing our crown in Revelation 3:10. See also 2 Timothy 4:8 and Malachi 3:16.
The subsequent chapters show what happens when one casts aside their first love (with the Ephesian church); and other churches as to false doctrines. Since only God knows when the Rapture and subsequent Tribulation begins; any attempt for Satan to bring it forth sooner will fail so many will not believe it when it truly comes.
You mentioned me in your post above, so I felt that I should respond to you, as you have always been honest, sincere, and open regarding the scriptures.
Jesus informs us and provides us with warnings in the following in scripture:
Matthew 19:17 "And he said unto him, Why callest thou me good? there is none good but one, that is, God: but if thou wilt enter into life, keep the commandments."
Jesus tells us above if we want to enter into life - keep the commandments.
Revelation 22:14"Blessed are they that do his commandments, that they may have right to the tree of life, and may enter in through the gates into the city."
If we want to have the right to the tree of life, and enter through the gates into the city we will do His Commandments. Jesus is stating: will do His Commandments. Who is Jesus referring to when he say His? God.
Both of these verses are spoken by Jesus, and both are commanding us (Christians) to keep God's Commandments if we wish to receive eternal life.
It can't get much clearer than this scripture, and the scripture itself will convict unbelievers.
The only possible argument on the above scripture would be how do we accomplish following God's Commandments. A Born Again Christian is following these Commandments via God's Holy Spirit, not of their own accord. Per this verse: 1 John 3:24
"And he that keepeth his commandments dwelleth in him, and he in him. And hereby we know that he abideth in us, by the Spirit which he hath given us."
So this really puts to rest the argument by a few on this site; that believe following God's Commandments aren't necessary, or that when we follow them, or encourage others to do so, we are trying to create/work for our own salvation. As you implied, we are living in the Spirt and being obedient to our God. Amen
Jesus/God shines the light for us, all we have to do is believe and follow it!
The scripture below is truth, and it convicts all those that believe as you.
1 John 2: "He that saith, I know him, and keepeth not his commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him.
Matthew 19:17 "And he said unto him, Why callest thou me good? there is none good but one, that is, God: but if thou wilt enter into life, keep the commandments."
Revelation 22:14"Blessed are they that do his commandments, that they may have right to the tree of life, and may enter in through the gates into the city."
Jesus spoke to apostle John in this verse above in Revelation 22:14 approximately 60 years after His death on the cross, and about 18 years after apostle Pauls death. Jesus knew what Paul preached, and he preached the same gospel as Christ! Paul did not cancel any of God's commandments, he and all of the apostles followed them during their lives. Do you really believe you are favored over and above Christ and His apostles, they followed the Commandments but now you and others today feel you don't have to. Really.
Lastly, I do not believe we can continue this discussion as your beliefs conflict with the scripture, and your popular modern day take on salvation 2Tim 4:3 is only deceiving to those that are not living in God's Spirit. 1 John 3:24 God's Salvation is not a buffet to pick and choose what scripture that you believe, and what scripture you will ignore!
I pray that God's Spirit will eventually convict you, and some others here, to actually pick up your cross and follow Christ, which will result in obedience, and a desire to follow Gods Commandments, and turn away from this sinful and deceived world. Matt 16:24
To believe as you do you would have to be very deceived to completely ignore tons of bible scripture regarding God's commandments.
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
Matthew 5:19 "Whosoever therefore shall break one of these least commandments, and shall teach men so, he shall be called the least in the kingdom of heaven: but whosoever shall do and teach them, the same shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven."
1 John 3:24 "And he that keepeth his commandments dwelleth in him, and he in him. And hereby we know that he abideth in us, by the Spirit which he hath given us."
Jesus knows who really loves Him. John 14:15 "If ye love me, keep my commandments."
Jesus kept His Father Commandments, and if we are REAL Christ Followers, we will pick up our cross and follow Christ including doing what He did - and follow God's Commandments.
Lastly, here is Jesus telling us that we need to follow God's Commandments is we wish to have eternal life. Revelation 22:14"Blessed are they that do his commandments, that they may have right to the tree of life, and may enter in through the gates into the city."
So, you are basically telling others on this site to ignore Jesus and God, and much of the bible scripture!
Contrary to what you said; I'm not stating anything surreptitiously. Dictionary meaning of surreptitiously: in a way that attempts to avoid notice or attention;
Actually, I'm shouting Jesus/God's message from scripture: from the rooftops for all to hear!
Yes, I try to follow Jesus/God's directives, including the commands to follow God's commandments and repent from sin that come straight from the bible scripture.
Matthew 19:17
"And he said unto him, Why callest thou me good? there is none good but one, that is, God: but if thou wilt enter into life, keep the commandments."
Jesus tells us above if we want to enter into life - keep the commandments.
Jesus tells us again here: Revelation 22:14"Blessed are they that do his commandments, that they may have right to the tree of life, and may enter in through the gates into the city."
Do you want to have the right to the tree of life, and enter through the gates into the city? If you do, you will follow God's/Jesus commandments.
Jesus/God shines the light for all to see, all we have to do is believe, have FAITH and apply his commands to our lives and He will live in us, and us in Him!
I don't think you've been reading/comprehending what I've been writing. My main point is that many christians today are deceived into thinking they do not have to follow God's/Jesus Commandments. They will tell you straight out that they don't have to. There is so much scripture supporting the need to adhere to these commands, and I've listed many verses previously.
1John 2:4 A Born Again Christian will in fact adhere and consciously follow God's Commandments. Why? Not because they are doing it on their own, it is because God's Holy Spirit is working in them to do it. So David, It is not works when you are following God's Spirit and adhering to the commands in the scriptures. Doing good works is the result of the Holy Spirit. 1John 3:24 Convincing each of us to pick up our cross, and turn away from this world is God working a miracle in us. As Christian's we should be sharing this with each other, and encouraging each other to obey God, keep His Commandments, and strive daily to overcome sin! Instead, I hear a lot of Christian's telling each other that they will never stop sinning, while at the same time continuing to live their worldly lifestyles.
The scripture always shines a bright light on the truth! Regarding God's Commandments there are so many verses outlining the need for us to embrace and become obedient, and this is just one of many powerful verses regarding the Commandments and in-fact: could be the greatest regarding keeping the Commandments and achieving salvation: Revelation 22:14"Blessed are they that do his commandments, that they may have right to the tree of life, and may enter in through the gates into the city."
In summary, the above verse tells us Jesus will personally be at the entrance to the Kingdom/Everlasting Life, and "He tells us directly" to have the right to the tree of life, and enter through the gates into the city, ONLY those that do His Commandments!
JESUS is the KING of kings - kings made by He Himself - Re.1:8 and 5:10, and LORD of the lords. Michael is a lord, a Prince of GOD. JESUS sent him to the isle of Patmos-Re.1:1. Revelation 22:8-9 clarify: 8 And I John saw these things, and heard them. And when I had heard and seen, I fell down TO WORSHIP before the feet of the ANGEL which shewed me these things. 9 Then saith he unto me, See thou do it not: for I am thy fellowservant, and of thy brethren the prophets, and of them which keep the sayings of this book: worship GOD.
JESUS is God- Hebrews 1:8, not an angel, nor Archangel. JESUS and Michael are two distincts persons. By the way, Michael the Archangel fought / contended against the Devil when he disputed about the body of Moses (by allegory we may understand Israel was the body of Moses), and now again he shall contend with the old serpent, called the Devil, and Satan, which deceiveth the whole world, fighting/ disputing about the Body od Christ: now, even now, from now, in the time of Apocalypse, Satan now called red Dragon, he shall be cast out from this current heavenly environment- Ephesians 1:3-8- into the earth, and his messengers shall be also cast out with him.
Michael shall cast Satan into the bottomless pit, and shut him up, and set a seal upon him, that he should deceive the nations no more.
Be careful or else get ready
1 Timothy 3:16
Colossians 1:14-20
John 14:6
Isaiah 48:12, Revelation 22:13
My interpretation: Jesus is a big deal. Probably bigger than we realize and He loves us and died for each of us that we may choose to follow Him. God bless.
God since the time of Genesis in the garden has kept man from the tree of life; first with Cherubim guarding it ( Gen. 3:24) then it apparently being placed in heaven as it appears once again only after the Millennium and Great White Throne judgment. God; of course in His infinite wisdom has given those who are children of righteousness eternal life. In reverse order from the original fall; man gains spiritual life first; then a resurrected physical body later. Or; as some have said a believer dies once ( Heb. 9:27) and lives again; while all others live once and die twice (first physically then spiritually). The second death technically means they will live again physically but in a body to endure eternal physical punishment.
Obviously; men couldn't be allowed to eat something that allowed their original body never to die. This would preserve wicked sinners forever in theory. More importantly it would circumvent God's plan for redemption. He allows those in a glorified state only to eat of this tree from what scripture indicates; thus physical healing or preservation may be a sort of way of continuance of life in a glorified body. Christ Himself was able to eat in a glorified form; but will abstain from fruit of the vine until He returns. Some of these things are theoretical; but it is entirely possible that specifically those who survive the Millennium who do not rebel WILL be in the Book of life and be translated into the eternal Kingdom. It would seem they also would have glorified bodies; but the fresh memory at first may require healing and wiping away tears ( Rev. 21:4) from what happened at the last rebellion. Maybe it is tears of joy. In any case there will be eternal bliss from that point forward!
Another fact is that only then will all nations be able to function together with no further possibility of rebellion. That also is a form of healing promised; a world ruled with eternal peace and love
John 7:37-38
37 - In the last day, that great day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried, saying, If any man thirst, let him come unto me, and drink.
38 - He that believeth on me, as the Scripture hath said, out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water.
The Spirit and the bride say, Come. And let him that heareth say, Come. And let him that is athirst come. And whosoever will, let him take the water of life freely. Revelation 22:17
Re.22:7 - 7 Behold, I come quickly: blessed is he that keepeth the sayings of the prophecy of this book.
I Jesus have sent mine angel to testify unto you these things in the churches. I am the root and the offspring of David, and the bright and morning star.Re.22:16
For without are dogs, and sorcerers, and whoremongers, and murderers, and idolaters, and whosoever loveth and maketh a lie-Re.22:15
Behold, the bridegroom cometh; go ye out to meet him-Mat.25:6
There is no contradiction, we see in Exodus 33:20-23 God told Moses he cannot see my face and no man can see me and live, so God showed Moses His backside, that is the closest any person has come to seeing God. Matt. 5:8 Jesus says those pure in heart meaning those who are amongst the saints/saved will see God. Job knew this as he says in Job 19:26, his glorified flesh/body.
We have our confirmation in Revelation 22:3-4 And there shall be no more curse: but the throne of God and of the Lamb shall be in it; and his servants shall serve him: 4 And they shall see his face; and his name shall be in their foreheads.
We will see God's face and the Lamb/Jesus for they will be the light and the temple of the new earth and the new Jerusalem, Revelation 21:22-23.
God bless,
RLW
You seem to suggest you believe Jesus is the Son of God, but can't be God because he's already the Son of God.
Jesse, do you have kids?
If so, you would be a dad, correct? But you're also a son. But how can someone be both a "father" and a "son" at the same time. Surely that's impossible! This exposes one of your logical assumptions you used.
But the same argument could also be made for God the Father. He's already called the Father, so how can He also be God, if He's already the Father? Believing flawed human logic instead of scripture.
The second false assumption is thinking that Jesus can't be God, because [according to you] you don't think He would pray to Himself. But the Bible says Jesus created everything and was always there from the beginning ( John 1) before He relegated Himself to being a temporary man. You then take Jesus's actions as a temporary man and falsely assuming He was never anything but a man and that all of His actions as a temporary man is permanently how He is. That's quite an assumption. Also, the Son was praying to the Father, was He not? And the verse saying the Father and Son are one- do you believe that?
This post is more for others, because the truth needs to be shared instead of the anti-Bible propaganda people post here.
"Thus saith the LORD the King of Israel, and his redeemer the LORD of hosts; I am the first, and I am the last; and beside me there is no God." Isaiah 44:6 KJV
Do you believe Jesus is Lord? Do you believe He's the King of Israel, and King of the Jews? Do you believe He's the Alpha and Omega, first and last like the Bible says?
"I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end, the first and the last." Revelation 22:13 KJV
"besides me there is no God" He says. But I'm sure people will keep believing in whatever appeases them, rather than what the Bible actually says. God bless.
Greetings in Christ JESUS
I really appreciated so much your message in reply. I'm so glad that you, and me, and many others brothers in Christ JESUS, all of us are linked to the personal invite of our Lord JESUS that He left for us through His angel, after His ascension, mainly for the generation of the last days like us: Revelation 22:16-17
17 The Spirit and the bride say, Come. And let him that heareth say, Come. And let him that is athirst come. And whosoever will, let him take the water of life freely. (This is our daily and continuos message for now on)
16 I Jesus have sent mine angel to testify unto you these things in the churches. I am the root and the offspring of David, and the bright and morning star.
Halllujaaaah!
May our Lord GOD bless and keep us, and give us His protection
Amen
The true gospel is circumscribed by the Bible, alone and in its entirety, the 66 books of the Old and New Testaments, in its original languages. The King James Version is translated from the oldest and most reliable manuscripts available, and the translators have sought to stick as closely as possible to the original text, which is in stark contrast to the modern translations that use inferior manuscripts and seek to reinterpret the original text and put it in more understandable language. That said, the KJV is far from perfect, it does contain errors, and the KJV translators were heavily influenced by the doctrines of the church, which when viewed from the superior vantage point of our day when we are very near the end of time and God is opening our understanding to many truths that were previously kept sealed ( Daniel 12:4,9), were very often faulty. Therefore, the serious Bible student should always carefully check the original languages of Hebrew, Aramaic, and Greek using the modern tools that are readily available, such as interlinears and concordances, which are keyed to the KJV.
By definition, any gospel that cites an authority that is outside the 66 books of the Bible, or narrower than the Bible, is false. That includes gospels that look upon other books as divinely inspired or that feature the teachings of those who claim to have received direct revelation from God, whether in a dream or a vision or tongue, as in the tongues described in 1 Corinthians 14.
Revelation 22:18-19
18 For I testify unto every man that heareth the words of the prophecy of this book, If any man shall add unto these things, God shall add unto him the plagues that are written in this book: 19 And if any man shall take away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God shall take away his part out of the book of life, and out of the holy city, and from the things which are written in this book.
Continued in part 2
Galatians 1:8-9.
Jordyn said;
Those who believe they DIED and were made ONE in Christ, will never die again.
Those who don't believe they DIED, and the resurrection made them ONE as the Father and Son and son are ONE will be cast into prison, the GRAVE. "Made one in Christ" in Jordyn's opinion means you become Gods"
Is this not another Gospel?
More issues.
Jordyn claims the flesh of the unbelievers is the devil and the bottomless pit mentioned in Revelation 20:2-3 is the grave.
He also claims we are already living in the 1000 years mention in verse 5.
He claims the unbelievers/Devil will be loosed out of the grave, "resurrected" in Revelation 20:7.
After all the dead are raised at the second resurrection, "LOOSED OUT OF THE BOTTOMLESS PIT" the Sons of God "WILL PREACH THE TRUTH TO THEM ABOUT THE TRUTH OF THE RESURRECTION"
LET'S EXAMINE.
Revelation 20:7-8. And he laid hold on the dragon, that old serpent, which is the Devil, and Satan, and bound him a thousand years,
AND SHALL GO OUT TO DECIEVE THE NATIONS which are in the four quarters of the earth, Gog and Magog, to gather them together to battle: the number of whom is as the sand of the sea.
(Jordyn says these verses says the unbelievers will preach the truth!)
The bible says Satan will deceive the nations!
So, Jordyn says God will judge the unbelievers by the word of God and give them the truth and mercy given to us, and they will have DIED the second death, and also become the SONS of God and will enter the Kingdom. Thats what he gets out of Revelation 20:2-8.
However, Look at Revelation 22:11-15. SOME REMAIN UNJUST!
Some have right to the tree of life and may enter in through the gates into the city.
Some are seen here in verse 15. "For without are dogs, and sorcerers, and whoremongers, and murderers, and idolaters, and whosoever loveth and maketh a lie.
BEWARE OF WHO YOU FOLLOW! NO CHILD OF GOD WOULD DO SUCH BLASPHEMY TO THE WORD OF GOD!
Revelation 22:19.
God bless.
Revelation 22:18-19
Thank you for your replies.
I would like to clarify that It's actually a Bible study and not a discussion, so who are the dogs acccording to the expresses Scriptures?
Until this moment I have been trying to bring the brothers to interpret the Scriptures as those who are inside them, and not as those who speak of them, but being not inside but on the outside looking at the Scriptures.
What is important for all of us is to identify through the Word of GOD who the dogs are mentioned in Revelation 22:15 and Philippians 3:2, which will be left out of the kingdom of GOD that will be established in this seventh and LAST millennium or seventh and last Day, the Day of the Lord.
Who are the dogs, then? Wouldn't the answer or identification of them be in the Old Testament? Wouldn't it be interesting to identify who the dogs are specifically, so that we are all protected from these dogs as Paulo wrote to the Church of Philippi? saying: Beware of dogs, ... Phil.3:2.
Again: It's actually a Bible study and not a discussion, so who are the dogs according to the expresses Scriptures? There are many here that know Scriptures deeply, so could anyone give us where is written who the dogs are in the Old Testament, and that we all know how to protect ourselves from them?
Perhaps someone here or many may have been "bitten" by a dog in the church they attend, and do not discern that a "dog" bit them. It is important that each of us is vaccinated, I mean, knowing who are dogs is as if be vaccinated and protected from them .
GOD bless and be careful
Revelation 22:15 that is a former secret book GOD the Father gave to JESUS , and Philippians 3:2 wrote by Paul te Apostle, they do no refer to "pets" o wild animals, of course. To say that is ridiculous and a mockery.
So, the question remains: Who are the dogs mentioned in Revelation 22:15 and Philippians 3:2?
Thank you for your replies
Actually, it's a challenge to decipher the biblical enigma on: "Who are the dogs?
I see and know that you have knowledge of the Bible and both tried to answer the question, but like someone who looks to the Scriptures from outside of them to inside, and do not enter within them deeply, nor delve and immerse inside them, but like someone surfing on the surface of the water. In my view what matters is to enter and delve into the Scriptures to bring the true interpretation and solution to the biblical enigma : Who are the dogs in Revelation 22: 15 and Philippians 3:2?
The question remains open for all my brothers because the Word of GOD is not speaking of "pets", of course. What we are commenting by the Word of GOD is: "For without are DOGS... - Revelation 22:15, and Philippians 3:2 says: Beware of DOGS... ", but wait, Scriptures are not speaking of "pets", as was suggested in prior replies, so who are them? Who are the dogs?
To decipher the riddle and find the correctly answer to the question it seems a challenge, it is necessary to immerge into the Scriptures and delve into them to find and brings the solution to this enigma within the Bible, otherwise the answers may not match or fit with the Holy Scriptures, the source of Truth. This is a serious problem.
To decipher the riddle giving correctly answer to the question, it is necessary to enter into the Scriptures and delve, and immerse into them finding the solution to this enigma within the the Word of GOD. It's very interesting to decipher for us, I think.
GOD bless
The term dogs in Philippians 3:2 is actually making reference to a religious phrase. The Gentiles were considered dogs by the Jews.
There are two words in the New Testament that have to do with a dog. KUNARION ( Matthew 15:26 and Mark 7:27) is a household pet. And then we have a KUON. A Kuon is a wild scavenger. And that's the animal used here.
Gentiles were called Kuon's, wild scavengers, impure, and grungy. So it was an insult to call somebody a Kuon. And so he's using the word Kuon. He says beware of the dogs. The Jews would have understood who he was referring to.
This is the same word (KUON) that's used in Revelation 22:15.
11 He that is unjust, let him be unjust still: and he which is filthy, let him be filthy still: and he that is righteous, let him be righteous still: and he that is holy, let him be holy still.
12 And, BEHOLD, I COME QUICKLY; and my reward is with me, to give every man according as his work shall be.
15 For without are DOGS, and sorcerers, and whoremongers, and murderers, and idolaters, and whosoever loveth and maketh a lie.
Philippians 3:2KJV
2 Beware of dogs, beware of evil workers, beware of the concision.
Who are the DOGS according to the Word of GOD?
YEah, who are the dogs? Who are them?
True Christ Followers will be obedient to all of God's 10 Commandments as taught by Jesus in the New Testament.
Luke 9:23"And he said to them all, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow me."
John 14:15"If ye love me, keep my commandments."
Keeping God's 10 Commandments - plus the additional commandment that Jesus emphasized - to Love each other.
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."
Jesus warns all of us that we will not enter into Salvation without keeping God's Commandments.
Revelation 22:14 "Blessed are they that do his commandments, that they may have right to the tree of life, and may enter in through the gates into the city."
IF a Christian is filled with God's Holy Spirit they will naturally be following all of God's/Jesus Commandments.
It's IMPOSSIBLE to live a worldly life and be a Christ follower.
Happy Sabbath Day!
I see that according to the your theory, the """Principle of Similitude explains the basis of comparing the like with like; So the heaven is compared with the earth."""
Along the same line as your theory above or interpretation saying "the heaven is compared with the earth" by the Principle of Similitude,
so I took your example to compare the Similitude between the Son of GOD and the angel who was sent by Him to the isle of Patmos- Revelation 1:1-Revelation of JESUS Christ, which GOD gave unto Him, to shew unto His servants things which must shortly come to pass; and He sent and signified it by His ANGEL unto His servant John. (Different of the translation, In my vision an Archangel). But what is the Similitude between the Son of GOD and the archangel sent by JESUS to speak with John?
Here goes the Similitude: Revelation 1:13-16. (By the way, JESUS was in heaven when He sent the archangel to meet John , He was sitting on the right hand of the Father).
Verse 13 - And in the midst of the seven candlesticks (7 Churches of Asia) one like unto the Son of man, clothed with a garment down to the foot, and girt about the paps with a golden girdle.
14 His head and his hairs were white like wool, as white as snow; and his eyes were as a flame of fire;
15 And his feet like unto fine brass, as if they burned in a furnace; and his voice as the sound of many waters.
16 And he had in his right hand seven stars: and out of his mouth went a sharp twoedged Sword: and his countenance was as the sun shineth in his strength.
Revelation 22:8-9
8 And I John saw these things, and heard them. And when I had heard and seen, I fell down to worship before the feet of the angel which shewed me these things.
9 Then saith he unto me, See thou do it not: for I am thy fellowservant, and of thy brethren the prophets, and of them which keep the sayings of this book: worship GOD.
Surely He is our fellowservant. Praise our GOD.
Blessings
19 For the earnest expectation of the creature waiteth for the manifestation of the sons of God.
20 For the creature was made subject to vanity, not willingly, but by reason of him who hath subjected the same in hope,
21 Because the creature itself also shall be delivered from the bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of the children of God.
The Word is GOD, self-executing. Believest thou this?
Could not this man -JESUS- which opened the eyes of the blind, have caused that even this man should not have died?
Take ye away the stone. Said I not unto thee, that, if thou wouldest believe, thou shouldest see the glory of GOD?
1 Thessalonians 4:13-17
13 But I would not have you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning them which are asleep, that ye sorrow not, even as others which have no hope.
14 For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so them also which sleep in Jesus will GOD bring with Him.(GOD is Life)
15 For this we say unto you by the Word of the Lord, that we which are alive and remain unto the coming of the Lord shall not prevent them which are asleep.
16 For the Lord Himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the Trump of GOD: and the dead in Christ shall rise first:(According Daniel 12:2-3)
17 Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds(the same cloud that was seen by the disciples- Acts 1:9-11), to meet the Lord in the air(in the 3rd heaven that will be established from now on): and so shall we ever be with the Lord.(in he 3rd heaven, which will last a thousand years- Revelation 11:15).
The Spirit and the bride say, Come. And let him that heareth say, Come. And let him that is athirst come. And whosoever will, let him take the water of life freely- Revelation 22:17.
20 He which testifieth these things saith, Surely I come quickly. Amen. Even so, come, Lord Jesus.
21 The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all. Amen.
28GOD will finish the work,and cut it short in righteousness:because a SHORT WORK will the Lord make upon the earth( Matthew 24:22-And except those days should be shortened,there should no flesh be saved:but for the elect's sake those days shall be shortened)
29And as Esaias said before,Except the Lord of Sabaoth had left us a seed,we had been as Sodoma,and been made like unto Gomorrha.
30What shall we say then?That the Gentiles,which followed not after righteousness,have attained to righteousness,even the righteousness which is of faith.
31But Israel,which followed after the law of righteousness,hath not attained to the law of righteousness.
32Wherefore?Because they sought it not by faith,but as it were by the works of the law.For they stumbled at that stumblingstone;
33As it is written,Behold,I lay in Sion a stumblingstone and rock of offence:and whosoever believeth on Him shall not be ashamed ( Daniel 12:10-Many shall be purified,and made white,and tried;but the wicked shall do wickedly:and none of the WICKED shall understand; but the WISE shall understand)
Revelation 22:11-17
11He that is unjust,let him be unjust still:and he which is filthy,let him be filthy still:and he that is righteous,let him be righteous still:and he that is holy,let him be holy still.
12And, behold,I come quickly; and my reward is with me,to give every man according as his work shall be.
13I am Alpha and Omega,the beginning and the end,the first and the last.
14Blessed are they that do his commandments,that they may have right to the tree of life,and may enter in through the gates into the city.
15Without are dogs,and sorcerers,and whoremongers,and murderers,and idolaters,and whosoever loveth and maketh a lie.
16I Jesus have sent mine angel to testify unto you these things in the churches.
17And the Spirit and the bride say,Come.Let him that heareth say, Come.And whosoever will,let him take the water of life freely.
Let's step back and think for a moment. What is heaven exactly? Surely a large factor there is that we will SERVE God forever.
John 12:26 says in KJV: If any man serve me, let him follow me; and where I am, there shall also my servant be: if any man serve me, him will my Father honour.
Let us examine the same verse in the amplified version:
If anyone serves Me, he must [continue to faithfully] follow Me [without hesitation, holding steadfastly to Me, conforming to My example in living and, if need be, suffering or perhaps dying because of faith in Me]; and wherever I am [in heaven's glory], there will My servant be also. If anyone serves Me, the Father will honor him.
I am not an expert on translations but it would seem eternally serving God is a theme here! Revelation 7:13-15 and Revelation 22:3 make this abundantly clear as to the serving of God eternally of His saints. Worship is also inextricably tied to being a servant; and the ruling and reigning with Christ is part and parcel with the destiny of the church as Kings and Priests before the throne as well ( Revelation 5:10; etal).
Now as we assess this life; surely we see this attitude of service begins here; and Christ of course laid out the perfect example with His life. Mark 10:45 shows how Christ came not to be served but to serve; if God incarnate followed that principal surely His disciples must do the same.
As to work in heaven; surely it won't be a drudgery. The curse with the thorns and sweat on the brow will be gone that we inherited in the garden. We won't have unreasonable taskmasters; stressful deadlines; and other difficulties. Work no doubt will be a cooperative effort since we will all be together in performing tasks. No doubt individual things will be suitable for us as well.
The world at large cannot serve without some benefit for themselves; just like we can't love unconditionally (see Matthew 5:34).
The last enemy destroyed is deateh (1COR15:26
Hebrews 4:3 For we which have BELIEVED do enter into REST (the sabbath), as he said, As I have sworn in my wrath, if they shall ENTER IN TO MY (the sabbath) REST; although the WORKS were FINISHED from the foundations of the world.
Hebrews 4:2 For unto us was the GOSPEL preached, as well (as it was preached) TO THEM ......
We are just playing out what has ALREADY been written.
God's will is BEING DONE.
We are JUST POTS being CONFORMED into the IMAGE of Christ. From the first man TIL the last man.
Revelation 22:13 "I AM " Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end, the FIRST and the LAST.
Romans 8:29 .... he did PREDESTINATE to be CONFORMED to the IMAGE of son.
Job 38:7 When all the morning stars SANG TOGETHER (all became ONE), the SONS of GOD (all became ONE) shouted for joy?
John 17:22 And the GLORY that thou hast GIVEN ME, I HAVE GIVEN THEM (finished from the foundations of the world), that they may be ONE, even as WE ARE ONE.
Psalms 46:10 Be still and know "I AM" God ......
Isaiah 26:3 Thou will KEEP HIM in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on thee .....
God Bless YOU!
Verse one states:
The Revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave unto him, to shew unto his servants things which must shortly come to pass; and he sent and signified it by his angel unto his servant John:
This verse shows much like Matthew 24:36 that some things apparently are still appropriated by the Father; at least in regard to the timing of events in the future and the day and hour they begin. Admittedly; this is a mystery as Christ is fully God and fully man but we can learn the Godhead and how the Son does nothing apart from the Father here at the very least ( John 5:19). Indeed that verse says the Son can do NOTHING of Himself; which could have been particularly true during His earthly ministry.
Nonetheless we see that death could not overcome Him ( Acts 2:24). God exalted Him as High Priest and King and gave Him all authority in heaven and earth positionally ( Matt. 28:18); restoring the position which He no doubt had since He was the One who created all things ( Colossians 1:16).
verse 3 states Blessed is he that readeth, and they that hear the words of this prophecy, and keep those things which are written therein: for the time is at hand. It reminds us of the verse in Revelation 22:12 where He states that He comes quickly; and the delay of the church age can be seen in the verse Habakkuk 2:3 where it says although it tarries wait for it and the original language shows that it will surely come in its time and not delay. There is a crown; in fact for those who patiently wait for it; we are warned against losing our crown in Revelation 3:10. See also 2 Timothy 4:8 and Malachi 3:16.
The subsequent chapters show what happens when one casts aside their first love (with the Ephesian church); and other churches as to false doctrines. Since only God knows when the Rapture and subsequent Tribulation begins; any attempt for Satan to bring it forth sooner will fail so many will not believe it when it truly comes.
You mentioned me in your post above, so I felt that I should respond to you, as you have always been honest, sincere, and open regarding the scriptures.
Jesus informs us and provides us with warnings in the following in scripture:
Matthew 19:17 "And he said unto him, Why callest thou me good? there is none good but one, that is, God: but if thou wilt enter into life, keep the commandments."
Jesus tells us above if we want to enter into life - keep the commandments.
Revelation 22:14"Blessed are they that do his commandments, that they may have right to the tree of life, and may enter in through the gates into the city."
If we want to have the right to the tree of life, and enter through the gates into the city we will do His Commandments. Jesus is stating: will do His Commandments. Who is Jesus referring to when he say His? God.
Both of these verses are spoken by Jesus, and both are commanding us (Christians) to keep God's Commandments if we wish to receive eternal life.
It can't get much clearer than this scripture, and the scripture itself will convict unbelievers.
The only possible argument on the above scripture would be how do we accomplish following God's Commandments. A Born Again Christian is following these Commandments via God's Holy Spirit, not of their own accord. Per this verse: 1 John 3:24
"And he that keepeth his commandments dwelleth in him, and he in him. And hereby we know that he abideth in us, by the Spirit which he hath given us."
So this really puts to rest the argument by a few on this site; that believe following God's Commandments aren't necessary, or that when we follow them, or encourage others to do so, we are trying to create/work for our own salvation. As you implied, we are living in the Spirt and being obedient to our God. Amen
Jesus/God shines the light for us, all we have to do is believe and follow it!
GBU
The scripture below is truth, and it convicts all those that believe as you.
1 John 2: "He that saith, I know him, and keepeth not his commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him.
Matthew 19:17 "And he said unto him, Why callest thou me good? there is none good but one, that is, God: but if thou wilt enter into life, keep the commandments."
Revelation 22:14"Blessed are they that do his commandments, that they may have right to the tree of life, and may enter in through the gates into the city."
Jesus spoke to apostle John in this verse above in Revelation 22:14 approximately 60 years after His death on the cross, and about 18 years after apostle Pauls death. Jesus knew what Paul preached, and he preached the same gospel as Christ! Paul did not cancel any of God's commandments, he and all of the apostles followed them during their lives. Do you really believe you are favored over and above Christ and His apostles, they followed the Commandments but now you and others today feel you don't have to. Really.
Lastly, I do not believe we can continue this discussion as your beliefs conflict with the scripture, and your popular modern day take on salvation 2Tim 4:3 is only deceiving to those that are not living in God's Spirit. 1 John 3:24 God's Salvation is not a buffet to pick and choose what scripture that you believe, and what scripture you will ignore!
I pray that God's Spirit will eventually convict you, and some others here, to actually pick up your cross and follow Christ, which will result in obedience, and a desire to follow Gods Commandments, and turn away from this sinful and deceived world. Matt 16:24
To believe as you do you would have to be very deceived to completely ignore tons of bible scripture regarding God's commandments.
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
Matthew 5:19 "Whosoever therefore shall break one of these least commandments, and shall teach men so, he shall be called the least in the kingdom of heaven: but whosoever shall do and teach them, the same shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven."
1 John 3:24 "And he that keepeth his commandments dwelleth in him, and he in him. And hereby we know that he abideth in us, by the Spirit which he hath given us."
Jesus knows who really loves Him. John 14:15 "If ye love me, keep my commandments."
Jesus kept His Father Commandments, and if we are REAL Christ Followers, we will pick up our cross and follow Christ including doing what He did - and follow God's Commandments.
Lastly, here is Jesus telling us that we need to follow God's Commandments is we wish to have eternal life. Revelation 22:14"Blessed are they that do his commandments, that they may have right to the tree of life, and may enter in through the gates into the city."
So, you are basically telling others on this site to ignore Jesus and God, and much of the bible scripture!
Contrary to what you said; I'm not stating anything surreptitiously. Dictionary meaning of surreptitiously: in a way that attempts to avoid notice or attention;
Actually, I'm shouting Jesus/God's message from scripture: from the rooftops for all to hear!
Yes, I try to follow Jesus/God's directives, including the commands to follow God's commandments and repent from sin that come straight from the bible scripture.
Matthew 19:17
"And he said unto him, Why callest thou me good? there is none good but one, that is, God: but if thou wilt enter into life, keep the commandments."
Jesus tells us above if we want to enter into life - keep the commandments.
Jesus tells us again here: Revelation 22:14"Blessed are they that do his commandments, that they may have right to the tree of life, and may enter in through the gates into the city."
Do you want to have the right to the tree of life, and enter through the gates into the city? If you do, you will follow God's/Jesus commandments.
Jesus/God shines the light for all to see, all we have to do is believe, have FAITH and apply his commands to our lives and He will live in us, and us in Him!
GBU
I don't think you've been reading/comprehending what I've been writing. My main point is that many christians today are deceived into thinking they do not have to follow God's/Jesus Commandments. They will tell you straight out that they don't have to. There is so much scripture supporting the need to adhere to these commands, and I've listed many verses previously.
1John 2:4 A Born Again Christian will in fact adhere and consciously follow God's Commandments. Why? Not because they are doing it on their own, it is because God's Holy Spirit is working in them to do it. So David, It is not works when you are following God's Spirit and adhering to the commands in the scriptures. Doing good works is the result of the Holy Spirit. 1John 3:24 Convincing each of us to pick up our cross, and turn away from this world is God working a miracle in us. As Christian's we should be sharing this with each other, and encouraging each other to obey God, keep His Commandments, and strive daily to overcome sin! Instead, I hear a lot of Christian's telling each other that they will never stop sinning, while at the same time continuing to live their worldly lifestyles.
The scripture always shines a bright light on the truth! Regarding God's Commandments there are so many verses outlining the need for us to embrace and become obedient, and this is just one of many powerful verses regarding the Commandments and in-fact: could be the greatest regarding keeping the Commandments and achieving salvation: Revelation 22:14"Blessed are they that do his commandments, that they may have right to the tree of life, and may enter in through the gates into the city."
In summary, the above verse tells us Jesus will personally be at the entrance to the Kingdom/Everlasting Life, and "He tells us directly" to have the right to the tree of life, and enter through the gates into the city, ONLY those that do His Commandments!
Jesus shines the light!
GBU