"COMING" in Bible Discussions

 
  • Bennymkje - 1 day ago
    Mark 7:1-9 Doctrinal war"

    God framed the worlds by the word of God. So the Word lays down the constitution of His kingdom where both unseen and what was made to appear are complete in his Son Jesus Christ. (He.11:3; Col.1:19). Of him we received grace for grace which empowers us to not only believe in him and enjoy the liberty of producing the fruits of the Spirit. Besides the blessings of his Father in him also has given us the peace which is not as the world can give so death signifies only dissolution of our vile bodies. Everlasting life that comes with faith shall continue.

    Mark narrates how the Pharisees and the scribes coming from Jerusalem were offended at the disciples of Jesus. "Why walk not thy disciples according to the tradition of the elders, but eat bread with unwashen hands?"(v.5). How did the tradition of the elder become the Law without God permitting doctrine of men supersede his word? Recent news illustrates the same dilemma. Is Constitution of a nation and their Bill of Rights are to be given same sanctity and worshiped? Jesus did drive out those who made it a business, "And said unto them, It is written, My house shall be called the house of prayer; but ye have made it a den of thieves."(Matt.21:13). There is a place where state's business are transacted and when we pray it has to be done with all our heart our soul and might. This is how tradition of the elders where money is to be made becomes a doctrine. Where does it come from? Not from unwashed hands but from the heart of man. " For from within, out of the heart of men, proceed evil thoughts, adulteries, fornications, murders,/Thefts, covetousness, wickedness, deceit, lasciviousness, an evil eye, blasphemy, pride, foolishness:/All these evil things come from within, and defile the man."(vv.21-23)

    What goes into the mouth shall find their own passage while what comes out of heart can be very deceptive. So love of God is either whole hearted for his glory or none at all.
  • Ronald Whittemore - In Reply - 3 days ago
    Hello ToshiroWhite,

    There are several speculations on what the mark may be, a literal mark, a computer chip, symbols, and more but the mark of the beast will be based on worship. It is the false prophet, the second beast who causes people to worship the first beast and his image. The number 666 goes back to Babylon, the 36 gods numbered 1 through 36, 6 columns and 6 rows the numbers were arranged in such a way that the sum of any given row, column, or diagonal was 111, and therefore the sum of all six rows or all six columns was 666, like 18+20+22+21+17+13 =111, 1+2+3 to 36=666.

    We are told to have faith and patience Luke 21:19 Hebrews 6:12 and hear in Revelation 13:10 and Revelation 14:11 that if we are strong in our faith and patience we will have the steadfastness and endurance (the meaning of patience) to not give into the temptation of the three who is to come, Satan, the beast out of the bottomless pit and the beast who will be the false prophet, even if we face death, the hour of temptation, Rev. 3:10.

    Something like this was done in the past in the Decian persecution in 250 AD. The decree ordered sacrifices be performed in the presence of a Roman magistrate, it was a signed and witnessed certificate, issued to that effect. People had to perform a sacrifice to the Roman gods and the well-being of the emperor.

    Christians were put to death for refusing to perform the sacrifices, many others apostatized and performed the ceremonies, and others went into hiding. Those who compromised were able to prosper economically. By way of contrast, those who did not have the certificate were unable to buy or sell and suffered economic hardship. Buying and selling was done in marketplaces ruled by Rome. This may be similar to what is coming but a mark instead of a certificate.

    Hope this helps.

    God bless,

    RLW
  • Richard H Priday - In Reply - 3 days ago
    Concluding thoughts

    Look at earlier postings about ideas related to genetic DNA manipulation to render someone not human and therefore unredeemable. This would explain the wholesale destruction of all men except for Noah and his immediate family who was said to be "perfect" in his generations. ( Gen. 6:9). This would almost certainly have a primary reference to his genetic line not being contaminated with the sons of the giants or "men of renown" mentioned in Genesis 6:4. Christ came to redeem men not hybrid creatures and naturally angels that fell would also be unredeemable. Whether this business would be sold as an "evolutionary leap" or promise immortality or both is uncertain; but the "strong delusion" ultimately is sent by God; therefore men will worship the Beast and of course Satan who empowers him. The idea of rebellion comes to mind with what Cain did; and the original concept of the tower of Babel will come to its fruition "bringing the whole world together" in unity; so to speak.

    The Tribulation likely begins with one man controlling all of the earth's wealth. That is seen in prophecies in Daniel 11:38 and prophecies such as him "dividing the land for gain" ( Daniel 11:39). See also Habukkuk 2:9 and the whole chapter there to see the consolidation of wealth. Despite his control of the 10 nation beast empire; we see in Revelation that the nations from the east and north amass to go after him. (sixth trumpet starting Revelation 9:13.) Therefore, he may have control over everyone economically but nations will still fight him. By Armageddon in Meddigo at least it appears all are damned after they are enticed to gather by the 3 demons from the frog like spirits coming from the "unholy" trinity. After fighting each other they turn and fight Christ which of course is futile. THose in the Ezekiel 38 campaign however have one sixth remain; I am guessing some don't have the mark and make it into the Millennium. I may discuss that later.
  • Ronald Whittemore - In Reply - 3 days ago
    Hi Jaz,

    Full Preterists believe Revelation happened in the first century. Partial Preterists believe that most of the prophecies of Revelation have been fulfilled but the second coming of Jesus is still to happen. This is not my understanding.

    God bless,

    RLW
  • Richard H Priday - 1 week ago
    Romans 2:9 states: There will be trouble and distress for every human being who does evil: first for the Jew, then for the Gentile..

    (NIV); but says tribulation and anguish in the KJV. There is another verse stating that judgment begins at the house of God. ( 1 Peter 4:17).

    Just as not all Israel is Israel ( Romans 9:6); not all the "professing" church is the possessing church; that is possessing the Holy Spirit and true salvation. Jesus made that perfectly clear to those who thought because they were the physical descendants of Abraham that gave them some sort of benefit were sadly mistaken ( John 8:39-44). Those who had seen Christ; knew the prophecies about the Messiah and yet rejected Him would in fact be worse off than Sodom and Gomorrah in their punishment. ( Matt. 11:21-24). We see similar warnings for those who have knowledge of the truth and become reprobate; in that it would be better not to have known it in the first place ( 2 Peter 2:21).

    Testing ourselves to see if we are in the faith is sadly lacking today among professing believers; or we would see a reality check in the fruits of many lives. ( 2 Corinthians 13:5). We can glibly see this example as a carnal bunch of people and think that being steeped in our own religious training or theology that we are automatically exempt from this test. I have said before that there are dangers in any extreme that is lacking the balancing attribute; such as with loving people and warning them of judgment to come ( John 16:8). We see in the Ephesian church everything being done properly but their first love somehow becoming distant in their hearts. Look at 1 Corinthians 13:6; love rejoices in the truth. The basic fact that man's heart is desperately wicked ( Jeremiah 17:9) and that our sin makes us enemies of God ( James 4:4) means that there is a wall between opposing parties and yes God is angry with the wicked (i.e. us) every day. ( Psalm 7:11). Having our heads in the sand doesn't help anyone.
  • Bennymkje - 1 week ago
    Mark 3:19-27 "Besides himself"

    Jesus formally chose the twelve "And they went into an house." Here we a curious passage,"And the multitude cometh together again, so that they could not so much as eat bread./And when his friends heard of it, they went out to lay hold on him: for they said, He is beside himself."(vv.20-21).

    Fame of the new prophet we read earlier in the Gospel of Mark was no different than of John the Baptist. "And immediately his fame spread abroad throughout all the region round about Galilee."(1:28) Jesus having seen the masses who were as sheep without a shepherd.(Matt.9:36) began to preach of the gospel while his cousin before him aroused much speculation and curiosity. "Then went out to him Jerusalem, and all Judaea, and all the region round about Jordan." to hear his message.(Matt.3:5) " And this is the record of John, when the Jews sent priests and Levites from Jerusalem to ask him, Who art thou?"( John 1:19). His testimony was received and they saw him as well. "The next day John seeth Jesus coming unto him, and saith, Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world." Here we have an unvarnished look at fame or celebrity status. The ear hears so much as eye sees so often yet Jesus was an unknown quantity to his friends. "He is possessed!" summed up their report. The Spirit gives us the instance of his mother, "But Mary kept all these things, and pondered them in her heart."( Luke 2:19).

    Hearing without faith is a dumb thing to do and it is how Jesus became so many things to so many. She heard with her ear of faith and digested over it. What many have witnessed or heard are good seed sown into the heard but it poves to be no man's land."When any one heareth the word of the kingdom, and understandeth it not, then cometh the wicked one, and catcheth away that which was sown in his heart. This is he which received seed by the way side."(Matt.13:19). Is it strange to hear that some believers do not believe in trinity?
  • GiGi - 1 week ago
    OK getting back to my postings about God's attributes:

    "R" GOD IS RIGHTEOUS

    He always does what is good and right. He never deviates from being sinless. He always thinks, says, and does everything righteously from pure and holy motives. There is no shadow of "darkness" in Him as to evil. His righteousness is far above whatever righteousness man can perform because even our righteousness is tainted by sin.

    Romans 3:23 "For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God" In all of history, there has never been and strictly human person who is sinless. so, there has never been a strictly human person who is able to save himself from the condemnation of sin let alone anyone else.

    Because of the complete and utter fallenness of mankind, there can be no redeemer from among humanity. There is no one whose righteousness is so pure and complete to be efficacious for the removal of God's judgment upon ALL of mankind.

    It takes the righteousness of God to save mankind and God determined that his righteousness would come to save mankind by His divine Son becoming a man, righteous in every way, since He is God and cannot be unrighteous, and dying as our sacrifice.

    The divine Son of God was incarnated, as John says in John 1:1, 14, ad became man for our sake. As God said in the OT, it is God alone who is Savior (Is 43:1, 11; 45;21; Hos 13:4) therefore, Jesus is God who is our Savior. If He is not God, then He is not our Savior because no strictly human man can save anyone. It is God who saves, who, though God the Son, took on human flesh and nature to be the only Kinsmen Redeemer who can take a way our sin, be a perfect, worthy, and more than sufficient sacrifice for the sins of the whole world, and to be able to bear the complete wrath of God for mankind for all their sins. No mere human can do that,

    In Titus 2:13 Jesus is called our "Great God and Savior"

    John 1:1 calls Jesus God:" the Word was God"
  • Richard H Priday - 1 week ago
    Whole counsel of God: Church membership.

    Here is an issue that can leave us at times with more questions than answers. I may have stated in a past post about a friend of mine in a former church who gladly cleans bathrooms and does other "servile" actions. The definition of that word is interesting because it both encompasses someone who is exuberant about serving others as well as someone often looked down as a low class member of society. Food for thought...

    At any event; this friend of mine along with a sizeable group in my current church more than meet the commitment of those who are considered "members" (in fact they seem to exceed them in many ways). In general their explanation of not being a member when I have inquired is that they feel no need to make a formal commitment to something that is a man made sort of concept. Here are a few summary bullet points.

    WHY WE SHOULD BE A CHURCH MEMBER

    WE MAKE A FORMAL DECLARATION AND ARE HELD TO THE RESPONSIBILITIES OF OUR COMMITMENTS TO SERVICE; PRAYER; SCRIPTURE READING; EVANGELISM AND WHATEVER ELSE IS IN A DENOMINATIONAL "STATEMENT OF FAITH"

    WE ARE IN MANY CASES GIVEN ACCESS TO COMMINION AS WELL AS DECISIONS IN CONGREGATIONAL MEETINGS ON FINANCES AND VOTES FOR NEW LEADERSHIP

    Now I am going to go through a couple reasons that we should be cautious about becoming a member. Most pressing in my situation is something I was concerned about before I was made a member; that is those who are taking communion unworthily (either in adultery or fornication in particular). I won't go into the subject again as to how I view remarriage when a spouse is still alive as being adultery. In general though if we are a church member we have a responsibility to hold leadership as well as other laypersons accountable which is often uncomfortable. Clearly we should expect our own conduct to be examined carefully as well; exhortation is said to be a spiritual gift but we rarely see it these days.
  • Bennymkje - 1 week ago
    Mark 1:41-45 "As soon as he had spoken"

    "And Jesus, moved with compassion, put forth his hand, and touched him, and saith unto him, I will; be thou clean./ And as soon as he had spoken, immediately the leprosy departed from him, and he was cleansed." Here we see the word prospering in its round. (Is.55:11) It shall never return to God in void. "God sent his word, and healed them, and delivered them from their destructions.(Ps.107:20) explains the healing of the leper. Mark lays emphasis on the aspect of the word as God's work. So "immediately" refers to the word of God the Father; secondly of the Son. So 'as soon as he had spoken' defines the second aspect of the Trinity. He 'put forth his hand, and touched him' refers to 'the finger of God' the word become flesh ( Luke 11:20). The kingdom of God coming unto you is fulfilled on the day of Pentecost. In short the Will of the Father is fulfilled by the Son in this healing. Third office of the Spirit is the witnessing spirit otherwise Mark would have no reason to record it unless he himself was present there.

    "And he straitly charged him, and forthwith sent him away;/And saith unto him, See thou say nothing to any man: but go thy way, shew thyself to the priest, and offer for thy cleansing those things which Moses commanded, for a testimony unto them." (vv.43-44) Jesus tells him not to give glory which is due to his Father. He did not teach the leper to break the Law of Moses. Instead he advised him to present himself to the priest. As a sign he was a testimony to man and his Father in heaven.

    45 But he went out, and began to publish it much, and to blaze abroad the matter, insomuch that Jesus could no more openly enter into the city, but was without in desert places: and they came to him from every quarter.
  • GiGi - In Reply - 1 week ago
    Hello Giannis,

    thank you for asking.

    I am improving from covid. I got a secondary sinus infection that was worse than the covid. My face was aching all over really badly. Went into the dr. got antibiotics, prednisone and Visteral. Improvement in a day! no more face pain!.

    My daughter in law had an IV iron infusion on Friday because her iron levels were so very low. Glad they gave her this therapy. May need to be repeated before the baby comes in May. Otherwise, she is feeling good and baby is growing well.

    Our home repairs are coming along slowly right now. Waiting for some materials to finally be delivered. We need to order cabinetry this week. Electricians coming this week to install electrical panel. One bedroom downstairs should be completely done Monday or Tuesday so our son can move back in there so we can move our master bedroom stuff into the room he has been in. Then the contractor can complete the repair on our master bath, remove the popcorn ceilings in there and lay the flooring before they start on the other bath upstairs, complete that, remove the popcorn ceiling in the hall and stairs and lay the flooring to the doorways to the other two bedrooms upstairs. Then we move back into our master and they finish the ceiling and flooring in that room. Then Kevin and Viv move into that room, and the contractor finishes the other bedroom ceiling and flooring and then flooring down the stairs. When that is all done the upstairs will be finished. So a big process. We will be painting walls in between moves from room to room. But it goes pretty fast.

    When the upstairs is done, then the popcorn ceiling downstairs will be removed, and begin demo of the kitchen and removal of walls and the drop down ceiling in there. Then the electrician will come and install can lighting, outlets, etc, before the walls get prepped for painting and installation of the cabinets, appliances, etc. There will just be two more rooms to finish after the kitchen. Whew!
  • Jayh1979 - In Reply - 1 week ago
    My faith is in God and God only hallelujah he coming I can not wait
  • Momsage - 1 week ago
    So why would a true believer not want to believe in the Trinity? We know God the Father, our creator. We know Jesus, the only begotten Son of God, God Himself becoming incarnate as man so He could shed His divine blood for the salvation of mankind. We know the Holy Spirit, the fire that came to the Church so she can be wholly sanctified so the Bride can make Herself ready for the Marriage to Her precious Groom, the Lamb of God. A Bride without spot or wrinkle or any such thing, including the sin nature we are born with. All of it gone because Jesus isn't going to marry a grimy bride.

    God is God so if He is all three in one, then He is. It is very plainly seen in the scripture for any child of God who rightly divides the word of God, which, I don't believe means arguing about His sovereignty. God Bless :)
  • Richard H Priday - 2 weeks ago
    Love is patient; love is kind. ( 1 Corinthians 13:4-8). This section of scripture gets into all of the attributes of true love which characterizes "agape" which is the deepest kind of love which we can experience coming from heaven itself. Every other type of human affection is stereotyped by a particular relationship; but cannot stand the test of time truly without the Lord's love being in the mix. "Storge" for instance is defined as a type of familiar bond; which I would think describes a kinship with family members.

    This is often flipped as to the responsibility and frustrations of a parent for a child then later on for a caretaker as myself the burden of assisting family members losing their physical stamina; mental acuity; as well as the emotional volatility that can result from such deterioration. fThere is another term for "self love" which up until now I am unfamiliar with called "philautia" which I suspect is retlated to "philia" which is a sort of plutonic affection (without eros) for others. As a Christian; of course we are instructed to die to self and live out the new life of Christ; nonetheless the law itself says to love your neighbor as yourself ( Leviticus 19:18 as well as quoted in the Gospels. There are other passages that state we should care for our wives as our own body ( Ephesians 5:29).

    What is necessary; of course is to honor what God has given us stewardship over; whether it is our own bodies; our finances; marriages; or anything else the Lord has given us. Trusting God to provide; as well as guide us through self deprivation; fasting; and suffering even leading to death needs to be done trusting that God has the best ultimately even if it means martyrdom in terms of our eternity. This allows us to have the proper commitment to others entrusted to our care as well as having a love for the brothers and sisters both in our midst and abroad preaching the Good News. We need to trust God in maintaining what He has provided for us
  • Bennymkje - 2 weeks ago
    Matt.27:1-25 "Jesus is Questioned"

    God sent his only begotten Son to the world. St Matthew presents him deliver the doctrine of his Father. Sermon on the Mount in ch.5 gives it as the Word become flesh. As the Word there was no higher authority than what he signified in his person. John speaks of his deity thus, "All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made." ( John 1:2).

    The Gospel presents him in the following chapters as Man is the Message. Evangelist traces a subtext why he was not received by his own." He came unto his own, and his own received him not"( John 1:11). Conflict between light and darkness must be resolved and it comes to a head on the charges of blasphemy. "I sat daily with you teaching in the temple, and ye laid no hold on me./But all this was done, that the scriptures of the prophets might be fulfilled."(26:56-57)

    When Jesus told the truth, "Hereafter shall ye see the Son of man sitting on the right hand of power, and coming in the clouds of heaven" the council that tried him was certain,"Then the high priest rent his clothes, saying, He hath spoken blasphemy; what further need have we of witnesses? behold, now ye have heard his blasphemy." Their entire process was illegal but his role as the Lamb to his slaughter was right on track. "he is brought as a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before her shearers is dumb, so he openeth not his mouth."(Is.53:7)

    "And he answered him to never a word; insomuch that the governor marvelled greatly."(27:14). Grace and truth came by Jesus Christ in denying the truth they were proving that they were unworthy of the other. So the mob crying,"Then answered all the people, and said, His blood be on us, and on our children."(v.27) illustrates what precious gift had they trodden underfoot. Holocaust wiped out some six million in the process. Has it sobered them up? Without grace beauty is blind and truth is darkness. We are warned what a terror awaits us if we neglect it.
  • Bennymkje - 2 weeks ago
    Matt.26:59-60 "False witnesses"

    "Now the chief priests, and elders, and all the council, sought false witness against Jesus, to put him to death;/ But found none: yea, though many false witnesses came, yet found they none. At the last came two false witnesses,"

    The Seat of Moses is a symbol for authority. It signals the Law of Moses and his piety. What if the man who sits there is actively seeking false witnesses what are we to think of it. That law is an ass, is it not? Hypocrisy of chief priests and the council allowed their temple to be a den of thieves and now a Privy Council of Satan was called to order. They needed two witnesses since in their law two or three witnesses clinched the case against Jesus.

    "But Jesus held his peace, And the high priest answered and said unto him, I adjure thee by the living God, that thou tell us whether thou be the Christ, the Son of God./Jesus saith unto him, Thou hast said: nevertheless I say unto you, Hereafter shall ye see the Son of man sitting on the right hand of power, and coming in the clouds of heaven." (vv.63-64)

    Simon Peter comments on the trial,"Him, being delivered by the determinate counsel and foreknowledge of God, ye have taken, and by wicked hands have crucified and slain."(Ac.2:23)

    Wicked men in their cloth pontificate and get their victims which explains, the Inquisition and the imposter church has soiled their hands ever since but the Word of God stands sure.

    vv.63-64 "Thou hast said"

    You shall be judged by what you say and the chief priest who said,"I adjure thee by the living God, that thou tell us whether thou be the Christ, the Son of God" having said it was in judgment himself. In refusing the truth he was guilty of hellfire as well. This is what Jesus implied. Compare with this question, "The baptism of John, whence was it? from heaven, or of men? And they reasoned with themselves, saying, If we shall say, From heaven; he will say unto us, Why did ye not then believe him?"(21:25-27)
  • Richard H Priday - 2 weeks ago
    Necessary doctrines: Prophecy

    The subject of prophecy never seems to be an issue in one regard among those who generally hold to proper scriptural interpretation in one sense; that is of PAST fulfillment. A Reformed church and many other traditional denominational assemblies hold onto belief that the Prophets accurately predicted specific events; in particular relating to the first coming of Christ. When it comes to future prophecies related to the nation of Israel and the Millennium there is often confusion as to what is taken literally and what is meant figuratively. Thus; again sometimes it is claimed that we can't understand certain things; or perhaps more insidious that because of an isolated doctrinal stance we can't pigeonhole something being literally fulfilled because it threatens that doctrine. Needless to say if our doctrines are truly Biblical and we take scripture literally unless clearly indicated as figurative we can make a lot more sense of things.

    We need to remind ourselves that when Christ came the first time He was; by and large not received by His own ( John 1:11). We also need to realize that no matter how much prophecy we read if we are not written in the Book of life we are ultimately going to be deceived to the point that ALL who aren't there will worship the Antichrist (Beast) mentioned in Revelation 13:8.

    As I have commented numerous times in the past few years at this site; by the sixth seal it is clear there are no more Atheists; nonetheless many will continue to live in open rebellion and follow Satan to their doom at Armageddon after damning themselves and taking the Mark of the Beast. Despite these factors; there are some who have reservations as to the Eschatology of a Millennium period; for example who I still fellowship with despite disagreeing with their interpretations.

    A bigger issue is those who think God is done with Israel; a common verse used is Romans 9:6 as well as Galatians 3:7.

    I will discuss this further.
  • Richard H Priday - 2 weeks ago
    Further details on necessary doctrine

    My last post (if it gets uploaded) gets into the basic doctrines needed to be understood for salvation. I would better state that as necessary doctrines that accompany a correct proclamation of our salvation which need to come from a truly regenerated heart to have any real effect. In terms of the law; we no longer need to continue to uphold all the hundreds of laws in the Torah. This is due to some being only for those who were in National Israel; and some which were ceremonial. Following the law never resulted in anyone being saved due to a state of perfection; and in the same logic adhering to the "doctrines of grace" or any and all correct ones doesn't guarantee anything either. The true essence of the law was explained by our Lord when He discussed the attitudes of the heart in Matthew 5 (in the case of verse 28 how looking after a woman lustfully means adultery in the heart).

    I would contend that there are universal laws which involve the dignity of human life related to murder; marriage; etc. which are incumbent on all men to follow and which were established from the time of Adam and his immediate offspring as we see with the murder of Abel by Cain the firstborn male of our common ancestory. Even in the Ten Commandments there are certain things such as coveting in the Tenth Commandment that may not have punishment that is as extreme as a death penalty; and clearly we all break God's law in commission; omission or thought on a regular basis. The main concept here is that we are not to be lawless (as we are about to see the coming of the "lawless one" ( 2 Thess. 2:8). We are also not to be legalists by attempting to follow scripture but with a cold heart; or in the sense of creating new rules not in scripture (don't dance; don't smoke; don't drink; etc) which may be fine in their own right; but can't be pushed as a direct scriptural commandment.

    Thus I would contend rules about our conduct also as essential.
  • Richard H Priday - 2 weeks ago
    Essential doctrines

    To know Christ and to make Him known is the theme of the Navigators ministry and correlates with 1 John and other passages.

    This is a good summary of understanding the personal meaning of Christ's sacrifice on the cross for atonement as well as our duties fulfilling our part in the Great Commission.

    I imagine most here know the necessary doctrines of believing Christ is a member of the Godhead and thus Divinity Himself who was the only one who could atone for sins (as the sinless spotless Lamb of God) by becoming a man as we are without sin and remaining so throughout His earthly ministry; then dying on the cross and resurrecting from the dead 3 days later. Finally; He is to return once again physically to rule and reign on the earth.

    2 Timothy 2:8 and 2 Thessalonians 2:2 show we should avoid the error of stating that the resurrection has already occurred or the day of the Lord is at hand. Matthew 24:26 states that the Lord hasn't come yet for those who say He is hiding somewhere and also states the likeness of His arrival as lightning in the very next verse. This should be enough to disclaim what Preterists state that the Lord has already come. Therefore I would contend that full Preterists that state this are far enough off in doctrine that we should avoid fellowship with them.

    Assuming we have the essentials of salvation straightened out; there are many other warnings and admonitions in scripture such as testing ourselves to see if we are in the faith would involve ( 2 Corinthians 13:5). We need to accept that doctrines aren't just what is required to be saved; but also what is necessary to prove that we are bringing fruits worthy of repentance ( Matthew 3:8 and many other similar verses). We are not subject to the law in some sense IF we are truly dead to sin ( Romans 6:11) in one sense; because we have a new nature; but in the same token we DESIRE to obey Christ and love and serve Him as Lord; Master and Savior.
  • Bennymkje - 2 weeks ago
    Matt.25:34 Alpha Omega-glory (2 of 2)

    Earlier we quoted,"Wherefore in all things it behoved him to be made like unto his brethren, that he might be a merciful and faithful high priest in things pertaining to God, to make reconciliation for the sins of the people"(He.2:17)" This glory sets Jesus Christ as the Apostle as well as the high priest of our profession. Alpha aspect gives us the decree. "The Lord hath sworn, and will not repent, Thou art a priest for ever after the order of Melchizedek." (110:4). The Spirit gives us a clue how he has organized the Bible narrative in the encounter between Abraham and Melchizedek. The High Priest of the Most High is meeting Abraham from whom the lineage of Jesus Christ springs from according to his humanity. He.7:9 annotates the Alpha and Omega in the encounter. "And he blessed him, and said, Blessed be Abram of the most high God, possessor of heaven and earth." (Ge.14:19). Earlier God blessed Abraham which sets all families in the earth which is confirmed by Melchizedek. (Ge.12:3). The bread and wine symbolizes the spiritual significance of our glory. "Unto him that loved us, and washed us from our sins in his own blood,/And hath made us kings and priests unto God and his Father; to him be glory and dominion for ever and ever." (Re.1:5-6). Every believer is called to be kings and priests, nothing less.

    Coming back to the key verse the right hand indicates holy angels with him include us. "on his right hand, Come, ye blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world."
  • Bennymkje - 3 weeks ago
    Matt.25:13 "Watch therefore"

    " Watch therefore, for ye know neither the day nor the hour wherein the Son of man cometh."

    The driver is "faith" which activates his body, spirit and soul and when God breathed into the nostrils of man so no one may say he is an exception. The parable of the foolish virgins inform their failure was in quenching the spirit, the oil in their lamps. Without trimming the wick and all other motions are waste of time. Either they replenished their store or let it go waste. They were like the unprofitable servant who simply did not put the one talent he was entrusted with, to work for the glory of his Lord. The wise virgins gathered with the Lord were blessed to be found ready. "For whosoever hath, to him shall be given, and he shall have more abundance: but whosoever hath not, from him shall be taken away even that he hath."(13:12)

    The bride hath made herself ready. The bride is distinct from the five foolish virgins who shall be shut out from the joy in heaven. "Afterward came also the other virgins, saying, Lord, Lord, open to us./But he answered and said, Verily I say unto you, I know you not. "(vv.11-12) "Let us be glad and rejoice, and give honour to him: for the marriage of the Lamb is come, and his wife hath made herself ready."(Re.19:7)

    Either Or is rooted in the very first separation. "And God saw the light, that it was good: and God divided the light from the darkness." (Ge.1:4) Based on this your labor in your field or at home shall not deliver you. Jesus refers to the antediluvian world

    " But as the days of Noah were, so shall also the coming of the Son of man be."

    But selection shall follow the divine Will (Ge.1:4)

    "Then shall two be in the field; the one shall be taken, and the other left./ Two women shall be grinding at the mill; the one shall be taken, and the other left./ Watch therefore: for ye know not what hour your Lord doth come."(24:37-42)
  • Bennymkje - 3 weeks ago
    Matt.24:29-52 Recap. (2 of 2)

    v.30 "And then shall appear the sign of the Son of man in heaven: and then shall all the tribes of the earth mourn, and they shall see the Son of man coming in the clouds of heaven with power and great glory."

    The sign of the Son of man appearing in heaven is distinct as the Son of man appearing in the clouds of heaven. In the first it is what the Spirit raises aloft. The bow in heaven declares what Isaiah referred in 59:19. The war in heaven has its consequence on earth. In the preceding verse full armor of God is referred to and we can understand the connection it has with the vision of St John,"And I saw, and behold a white horse: and he that sat on him had a bow; and a crown was given unto him: and he went forth conquering, and to conquer."(Re.6:2). The Spirit is referring to the bow in heaven. It has a bearing on Noah as well as for us."When the enemy shall come in like a flood, the Spirit of the Lord shall lift up a standard against him."

    The second part deals with the Son of man appearing in heaven to collect his saints. These are in a series after their order."even so in Christ shall all be made alive./ But every man in his own order: Christ the firstfruits; afterward they that are Christ's at his coming./Then cometh the end, when he shall have delivered up the kingdom to God, even the Father; when he shall have put down all rule and all authority and power."(1 Co.15:22-24). Remember that God is the God of the living.

    " And he shall send his angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and they shall gather together his elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other.:(v.31)

    It is to this these verses refer, "I saw four angels standing on the four corners of the earth, holding the four winds of the earth, that the wind should not blow on the earth, nor on the sea, nor on any tree."(Re.7:1) For the left out church time has come to redeem itself and through much tribulation. And a remnant of the Jews shall be saved.
  • Bennymkje - 3 weeks ago
    Matt.24:27-28 (2 of 2) "Coming of the Son"

    "so shall also the coming of the Son of man be."

    Jesus refers to his coming at the end of v.28. The Spirit inserts the outbreak of the Tribulation which has been going before we have in v.30 "And then shall appear the sign of the Son of man in heaven." This narrative mode of Parenthesis we have seen in other places, for example in the vision of Daniel, we have one week isolated from the Seventy Weeks. (9:24-27). We shall come to that anon.

    The point is the east and west mentioned in v.27 is with reference of cardinal direction while Judgment in the Spirit's parlance is with regards to divine Judgment. Pride of Satan said,"I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God: I will sit also upon the mount of the congregation, in the sides of the north."(Is.14:13). God raises the Gentile nations from the north to punish Israel. (Je.1:14). "The beast that ascendeth out of the bottomless pit" who would kill the two witnesses, spiritually is labeled as the son of perdition. The lament over the king of Tyre sets him as another son of perdition. "Thou hast been in Eden the garden of God." (Ez.28:13-15)"Thou wast perfect in thy ways from the day that thou wast created, till iniquity was found in thee." The fallen man is a son of perdition and king of Tyre and so many of his ilk belong to the Gentile nations. Pride is the DNA of the beast while Jesus revealed humility and faith proved he was the Son of God.

    "But the men marveled, saying, What manner of man is this, that even the winds and the sea obey him!" (8:23-27)When Jesus stilled the storm it was a proof that the Lord has set his throne over the floods."So shall they fear the name of the Lord from the west, and his glory from the rising of the sun. When the enemy shall come in like a flood, the Spirit of the Lord shall lift up a standard against him."(Is.59:19) This is the sign Jesus is referring to.
  • Bennymkje - 3 weeks ago
    Matt.24:27-28 "As the lightening cometh" (1 of 2)

    "For as the lightning cometh out of the east, and shineth even unto the west; so shall also the coming of the Son of man be./For wheresoever the carcase is, there will the eagles be gathered together."

    The disciples of Jesus asked the question, which is in three parts. "Tell us, when shall these things be?"The first part we have covered already. From 'the books opened and the judgment was set' in the night vision of Daniel has a bearing on the great tribulation and it is also set on a reconstituted time. Now we shall look at "what shall be the sign of thy coming" For the final part of " the end of the world?" we have a parable in the following chapter.

    The second Temple of Jerusalem faced the east, the prince mentioned in the vision of Ezekiel on leaving the east gate has to be shut. So we are not looking at the Son of man but Jesus Christ as the Lord from heaven. In Malachi his coming leads to the day of his coming. "And the Lord, whom ye seek, shall suddenly come to his temple, even the messenger of the covenant, whom ye delight in: behold, he shall come, saith the Lord of hosts./But who may abide the day of his coming?" (Mal.3:1-2)

    What do we make of lighting, which in the vision of St John is associated with the throne of God?"And out of the throne proceeded lightnings and thunderings and voices."(Re.4:5) From Re.10:4 we shall infer that thunderings and voices refer to gospel preached.

    "And when the seven thunders had uttered their voices, I was about to write: and I heard a voice from heaven saying unto me, Seal up those things which the seven thunders uttered, and write them not." What contained in the little book was judgment remained to be executed."But in the days of the voice of the seventh angel, when he shall begin to sound, the mystery of God should be finished, as he hath declared to his servants the prophets."

    East west mentioned in the first part refers to the destruction of Jerusalem AD70.
  • Bennymkje - 3 weeks ago
    Matt.24:30-31 "The Sign" (2 of 2)

    "And then shall appear the sign of the Son of man in heaven: and then shall all the tribes of the earth mourn, and they shall see the Son of man coming in the clouds of heaven with power and great glory./ And he shall send his angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and they shall gather together his elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other."

    The elect includes both the nation of Israel and the Gentile nations. Daniel the Seer belongs to the former. He also was curious as the disciple to know the end times. But the Angel of the Lord did not dilate much on the topic. Instead he said, "But go thou thy way till the end be: for thou shalt rest, and stand in thy lot at the end of the days."(Dan.12:13) When Jesus went in Spirit to the souls in prison he surely was one among many saints in the OT period. They are witnesses to the gospel below the earth. There is a cloud of witnesses which Daniel had seen in the night vision, " and ten thousand times ten thousand stood before him: the judgment was set, and the books were opened." (7:10). The Spirit refers to the judgment with regards to the beast, to which he is also a witness. The beast referred in terms of the times of the Gentiles is shown as emerging from the bottomless pit. " the beast that ascendeth out of the bottomless pit shall make war against them, and shall overcome them, and kill them."(Re.11:7). In Re. Ch.13:1 "and saw a beast rise up out of the sea." This beast emerges in the vision of Daniel rises from the sea. ("And four great beasts came up from the sea, diverse one from another." Dan.7:3). In this context what Jesus refers here is a sign. " When ye therefore shall see the abomination of desolation, spoken of by Daniel the prophet, stand in the holy place, (whoso readeth, let him understand:)/Then let them which be in Judaea flee into the mountains."(vv.15-16)

    This background helps us to place the great tribulation mentioned in v.21
  • Bennymkje - 3 weeks ago
    Matt.24:21-22 "Since the beginning" (1 0f 2)

    " For then shall be great tribulation, such as was not since the beginning of the world to this time, no, nor ever shall be./And except those days should be shortened,"

    Ch.24 is a treatise of human sorrows on account of sin. Given that Jesus gave this discourse after sharing his coming passion and death to his disciples (20:17-20) we are to treat the main elements ,-the elect, the nation of Israel and the Gentile nations owing their origin from the beginning. The events shall be played out from the worlds,- heaven. the earth and below which are held together by Jesus Christ. (Col.1:16-18)

    Jesus refers to the great tribulation that shall come upon all by the same rationale that sin entered the world through one man.(Ro.5:12) sorrows consequently shall visit upon all. However "but for the elect's sake those days shall be shortened."(24:22). The Vision of the Woman clothed with the Son gives us additional clues as to how. The Man child is caught up to the throne of God. He is collectively called the elect shall be delivered from the great tribulation since he is to rule all nations 'with a rod of iron'. The left-out church has a place prepared for her. "And the woman fled into the wilderness, where she hath a place prepared of God, that they should feed her there a thousand two hundred and threescore days." 1260 is a number a tag the Spirit uses to delineate 'the shortening of days'. Thus the duration of earthly ministry of Jesus is used to distinguish it from the position of the Son in heaven and below the earth.

    This constituted time shall also shall explain Jesus Christ in Spirit visiting souls in prison."By which also he went and preached unto the spirits in prison;"(1 Pe.3:19) This has a great bearing on the manner the earth helping her with the persecution.(Re.12:13-16).It will suffice to say God sits enthroned upon the floods (Ps.29:10).
  • Richard H Priday - 3 weeks ago
    Acts 16:30-33 states: And brought them out, and said, Sirs, what must I do to be saved?

    31 And they said, Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved, and thy house.

    32 And they spake unto him the word of the Lord, and to all that were in his house.

    33 And he took them the same hour of the night, and washed their stripes; and was baptized, he and all his, straightway.

    This passage shows what appears at first glance to be a statement that supports the idea of infant baptism; or that entire households as a given are saved as a result of one person coming to faith. I would take it more as a word of knowledge on Paul's part. We see in this passage in verse 32 that the Gospel was spoken to the entire household of the jail guard first; and immediately afterwards baptism occurred (although it is not clear where that was done in the middle of the night).

    The main concept here is that with the earthquake and releasing of chains at midnight of Paul and all the prisoners brought great fear; and that this shows the Biblical prescident for faith; that is an emphasis on the fear of the Lord and a desire for the individual to come to faith without prodding or compulsion by others as is the style today. When we see other verses such as in Acts when Agrippa almost was convinced to be a Christian ( Acts 26:28) it was through Paul's eloquent appeal. Repent and believe is a general call; but I can't find any specific verses where an individual is called to make a confession of faith such as in modern day "altar calls". This shows that a heart must be ready; and how frequently such commitments are made due to pressure from man; rather than genuine conviction. The appeal in Acts to the Jews was that the one they had crucified was indeed the Christ ( Acts 2:23). Such response brings persecution as all who are giving a genuine convicting message of truth; this is opposed to today's easy believism without counting the cost which happens often.
  • Chris - In Reply - 3 weeks ago
    Indeed, that Scripture can be considered in a couple of ways. Firstly, the language used here as part of the prophetical word to God's people was so that they would understand that in that coming day, all flesh would worship God continually; that is, not on any particular day that was set aside, but at any time & in a continual worship.

    Of course, the other way of reading those verses is that if there was to be times & seasons (e.g. new moons, sabbaths) reinstated in the new heavens & new Earth (which seems doubtful, from Revelation 21:22-24), then the recognition of these would typify what God had once ordained for Israel, would be understood as a no longer looking forward to a future event, but an accomplishment of what those commands represented. So, it may well be that a Sabbath rest would represent more than the actual day, but a continuation of what all believers experience now in Christ & the fullness of it in that coming day in God's Presence.
  • GiGi - In Reply - 3 weeks ago
    Dear Bennymlje,

    You can always move to another area of the world that would work better for your mindset. As for me, I will stay in the U.S.A. because it offers the greatest amount of personal freedom and inalienable rights than ANY other country. None are perfect, but some are better than others for every tier of society. Those who are in poverty in America would be shocked to know the depth of poverty in other parts of the world and see that their own poverty is not near as difficult as billions of others.

    I am long on America, with all of its warts and wounds, it is still a great place to live. Focusing on all the negative things you bring up is certainly your prerogative, but for me, I will look at the good as well as the bad. In doing this, I know that U.S.A. is far from a perfect republic of the people and by the people and for the people, but it has offered opportunities for advancement that no other country can say they possess. I come from a multigenerational legacy of poverty with ancestors coming here from Europe to get a better life. There have been much success through the generations and my generation is the first to raise our kids outside of poverty. It took 5 generations. My ancestors worked hard and faced more severe difficulties than most people alive today in our country, but they did not speak against the country that gave them opportunity and better prospects for their futures. Why do you feel a need to do this?

    I have two relatives who came here from Africa through marriage. They speak of what happens today in their countries, slavery, raping of women, kidnapping of women, physical abuse of women, violence and death of relatives at young ages is more common than here. So many children are orphans due to AIDS and abandonment by their parents or children are sold to other Africans. Tribalism is very strong there and so people do not help people from other tribes or are discouraged from marrying outside of their tribe.

    Sin is worldwide.
  • Bennymkje - In Reply - 3 weeks ago
    America is merely a showcase for the Age of Enlightenment. The Founding Fathers were product of it. Making wealth is not unique for the nation. Vanderbilt Carnegie could exploit the vast resources of a virgin continent. Opening the west for the pioneers was an adventure but Prairies becoming dust bowl and reducing the native Americans to reservation and to squalor shows the bad side of individualism. There is nothing heroic about nations whichever way you look at it. Christianity was systematically used to whitewash the Simon Legrees of the new mercantile class. The Bible Belt has their Lots and daughters. What has the Bible taught these?

    Capitalism spawned banana wars and the migration from the South is one of its consequences and hunger for sugar made Cuba go red and its aftershocks has not left the nation completely. Similarly the foreign policies in Iraq, Afghanistan and Cambodia still reverberate. Fear of Communism and exploitation of natural resources are not unique to the USA. But much of wealth created has went into the pockets of a few while the opioid crisis has made much of manpower thrown into ineffectual. Momsage, it is rather waste of time to dwell too long in social fabric of a nation steeped by its own funk and stupidity. Let us stop the topic.
  • Bennymkje - 3 weeks ago
    Matt.23:13-22 Hypocrisy

    v.13 "For ye shut up the kingdom of heaven against men: for ye neither go in yourselves, neither suffer ye them that are entering to go in." Scribes and Pharisees cause others to stumble to which Jesus had commented on another occasion, "But whoso shall offend one of these little ones which believe in me, it were better for him that a millstone were hanged about his neck, and that he were drowned in the depth of the sea."(18:6)

    v.14 " hypocrites! for ye devour widows' houses, and for a pretence make long prayer." Hypocrisy of Pharisees is to sound holier -than- thou while they hear only the sound of money coming in.

    v.15 "for ye compass sea and land to make one proselyte, and when he is made, ye make him twofold more the child of hell than yourselves." Church planting is well and good. After big fanfare and cheers who shall water them daily and attend to their growth do get lost. St Paul faulted churches in Corinth and ensewhere on their partisan spirit. Heresies find a fertile ground in this spirit of contention.

    vv.16-18 :Ye fools and blind: for whether is greater, the gold, or the temple that sanctifieth the gold?" Wherever the vitality of the doctrine of God is glossed over from Christ to the tradition of man it becomes idolatry. In the age of televangelists it is what celebrities thrive upon. The disciple pointed at the temple in admiration "And Jesus said unto them, See ye not all these things? verily I say unto you, There shall not be left here one stone upon another, that shall not be thrown down."(24:2). Glory of what is seen is temporal and shall fade off. Without taking two worlds of the Spirit and of the body as one and our everlasting life is assured on jour Redeemer Lord what we witness about us is hypocrisy. The Pharisees and scribes were content with praise of men and God swept them off as filth from the face of the earth.


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