What I have been taught is that the books of the OT are arranged with : Pentateuch (Books written by Moses)Genesis-Deuteronomy; then the books of the history of Israel from entering the Promised land under Joshua to the reign of the kings of Israel and Judah (Joshua-2 Chronicles); Ezra and Nehemiah are historical books covering the time of the return from Babylonian exile of Judah; Esther is somewhat of an anomaly since it doesn't have a very clear time frame as far as placement in Israel's history; Job is an ancient wisdom book (Job lived between the time of the flood and Abraham, being a distant cousin of Abraham)
Psalms is poetic musical writing; Proverbs and Ecclesiastes is also wisdom books; and Song of Solomon is allegorical.
As far as the remainder of the OT, the books of the prophets are arranged from longest to shortest.
In the NT; first is the 4 Gospels Then Acts is the history of the early church; the epistles are listed, (again), from longest to shortest. And Revelation is what is called apocalyptic writing (which usually contains much allegory, symbolism, and sensational representations of future events.
Revelation series focusing on God's destruction rather than those of the world's armies: SEALS 2-4
INTRODUCTION
I am going to continue with the second through the fourth seal of Revelation here. My purpose is not to nit pick about every time death occurs because of man's weapons of war or whether it is by other means. The overall emphasis is to show how all the future events are ultimately controlled by the Lord and in a sense "choreographed" that way. Indeed; whatever the means surely the time of Jacob's trouble will be like no other in terms of the level of destruction on the earth. ( Jeremiah 30:7; Matt. 24:21).
Since this is the case; we can't just look at statistics here to determine how awful things will be. That is clear from seeing that just EIGHT souls were saved on Noah's ark. Clearly there are many more than that; albeit a small percent of the earth at large that survives to repopulate in the Millennium. The demonic release "en masse" from the bottomless pit and probably other places in the underworld is what makes it so horrible as they will clearly be tormenting men by the 5th Trumpet. The giant hybrids of Noah's day were destroyed but we never saw a time of such horrible devastation by agents of evil as is to come.
War famine and pestilence
Deuteronomy 32:24-25 states: I will send wasting famine against them, consuming pestilence and deadly plague;
I will send against them the fangs of wild beasts, the venom of vipers that glide in the dust.
25 In the street the sword will make them childless; in their homes terror will reign.
These themes of war; famine and pestilence are rife throughout the Old Testament in Ezekiel; and several passages in Jeremiah along with the solemn warnings of Matthew 24 and of course Revelation which we are discussing now. (also see Luke 21:11).
God has judged this way as we see from the passages in Jeremiah in the past in order to take vengeance on the idolatry of Israel. The same thing will happen again.
[14] And this is the confidence that we have in him, that, if we ask any thing according to his will, he heareth us: [15] and if we know that he hear us, whatsoever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we desired of him.
Answer:
Deuteronomy 31:8 KJV
[8] And the LORD, he it is that doth go before thee; he will be with thee, he will not fail thee, neither forsake thee: fear not, neither be dismayed.
Referenced from Pastor Charles Blake II Sunday January 8, 2024
My answer: Prayer and requests will prevail for me and West Angeles Church Cogic Cathedral
Man is incapable of knowing how Holy and Just God is and we're also incapable of knowing how evil man is apart from the restrainer.
We see a picture of the evil of man in Revelation when the nations take up war against the Lord.
Also look at the evil condition of their heart here in Revelation 16:9-11 while being tormented.
Also see Psalms 2:1-12.
Romans 11:33 states. "O the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! how unsearchable are his judgments, and his ways past finding out!
God gives life and he can take it!
The trouble with atheist is that they don't believe God gave life!
They have no understanding of deity.
See now that I, even I, am he, and there is no god with me: I kill, and I make alive; I wound, and I heal: neither is there any that can deliver out of my hand.
For I lift up my hand to heaven, and say, I live for ever.
If I whet my glittering sword, and mine hand take hold on judgment; I will render vengeance to mine enemies, and will reward them that hate me. Deuteronomy 32:39.
Hello Brother Adam , I believe that you are a Christian so I shan't talk about why we die because you already know that . When you and I were born we were not Christians , we spent some part of our lives as atheists . Remember what we were afraid of ? The same thing atheists are still afraid of , death . A lack of faith in , and knowledge of , God , is a terrible way to live . To live and die in darkness and ignorance is terrible , nothing to look forward to other than death . That's what atheists are facing every day , they watch their loved ones die and see their own end approaching . No wonder so many of them live for the pleasures of this world , because they have nothing else to look forward to .
We know that nothing at all would even be alive if it wasn't for the grace of God , we know that God is kind to atheists every day . Life is God's gift , He is the source and sustainer of it and He can give and He can take away as Job says .
God puts a difference between His children and the atheists . We are in a covenant relationship with Him , they are outside of that . Christ is the door . As long as we are in Christ we need not fear the death of our bodies . Atheists live in faithless fear , insecurity and misery . Desperately trying to fill the void that can only be filled by the Truth . Here are some references that illustrate what I'm trying to say . Exodus chapter 23 v 31-33 , Ex Ch 34 v 10-17 , Lev Ch 20 v 22-26 , Deut Ch 10 v 17-19 , Deut Ch 20 v 10-18 , Deut Ch 32 v 39. Ezekiel Ch 18 v 32 , Eze Ch 33 v 11, Luke Ch 13 v 1-5 . John Ch 17 , Jesus's prayer and finally , what does God want for all of us ? Deuteronomy Ch 5 v 29 . Atheists do not accept God's Sovereignty , they think that they have ' rights' . They don't realise that anything and everything that they have had in the past , have today and will have tomorrow , is only because of God's mercy and kindness . They think they do things themselves and can create their own lives and destinies etc .
Romans 5:12 says Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned:
The fact is that we are all born with Adam's sin and hence at enmity with God. Our hearts are as Jeremiah 17:9 says "desperately wicked." No one does good ( Romans 3:10-12 and in Psalms); and we are estranged from the womb ( Psalm 58:3). So the first issue is the thought that anyone is "good" which inevitably comes from comparing ourselves to another "worse" person like Hitler (unless we are that bad ourselves and we can't appeal to anyone worse; in that case we probably wouldn't want to concern ourselves with doing good deeds. Our deeds also; BTW are evil; even our best deeds as "filthy rags". ( Isaiah 64:6). This "grace Gospel" as it is known is obviously taken from Romans as a primary source but reflects many scripture verses. Or as someone once said "a hundred percent sinner needs a hundred percent savior" (can't seem to find this entire phrase quoted by anyone).
Now death; of course in the law comes in two ways; MURDER or justifiable killing whether to exact a punishment "a life for a life" (part of Deuteronomy 19:21). It also is involved with the wars and conquests of Israel with the admittedly hard verses about exterminating entire peoples including women and children in certain circumstances. The understandable aspect of this is when the descendents of the Nephilim (or angels with women producing giant hybrid offspring) were exterminated; being an aberrant being without and eternal soul perhaps the proper interpretation of Isaiah 26:14. That is a deep study; but no doubt this is easier than explaining extermination of human beings. Those nations which were conquered had common practices of child sacrifice with idol worship; therefore it could have saved the children from a worse death. Genesis 15:16 shows how God waits until iniquity is full before utter destruction.
First I must say that questions as such"why God kills or asks others to kill, despite "do not kill",are made by many atheists that were members of the SDA,but now turned demonic atheists.
They well know the letter of the Bible and now use it in their demonic posts to deny GOD and to contradict His Word.In fact they are killers,killers of souls.
They know that when GOD said to the people of Israel through Moses," do not kill", it had already passed around 2500 years(two days and half of GOD's work),and the commandment was exclusively for the people of GOD,Israel. It was given in the OT, not in the NT,very different of the OT. See, GOD was creating a new environment for His seed, descendants of Abraham, when He brought His people out of Egypt. GOD separated His people Israel from the midst of the Gentilic peoples, from the midst of the idolaters and murderers peoples, actually He divided waters from the waters- Genesis 1:6-10-and then appeared the dry land-Israel.
Now see,around 2500 years before GOD's commandment Cain had killed Abel.Who commanded Cain do it?It was not GOD,so who? It was the father of Cain,the Devil,a former Cherub,former ruler of Eden,also father of the current atheists and false Christianity and others adherents of devilish religions.
In the other hand,after GOD brought Israel from Egypt and placed the people in the Promised Land,there GOD established the Law and rules to discipline the people and free them from all the SATANIC influence they carried with them from the Gentile, specially from the Egyptians and their satanic idolatries.Desobedience, i.e. witchcraft,it would be punished in the Promised Land,even to the death penalty(Compare: Luke 12:4 and Deuteronomy 32:39.By the way,GOD IS GOD).
This battle started when the Cherub which GOD have placed as a ruler of Eden(now called SON OF PERDITION and MAN OF SIN,the Devil and Satan)planned to USURP GOD's creation and to create a specific world for he himself- Matthew 4:8-9.
The sceptre shall not depart from Judah, nor a lawgiver from between his feet, until Shiloh come; and unto him shall the gathering of the people be. ( Genesis 49:10)
If any man speak, let him speak as the oracles of God; if any man minister, let him do it as of the ability which God giveth: that God in all things may be glorified through Jesus Christ, to whom be praise and dominion for ever and ever. Amen. ( 1 Peter 4:11)
When taking a look at scripture; there are roles women play as Prophetess; prayer; teaching children; or the "virtuous woman" summing up Proverbs 31. When it comes to the 10 Commandments and the laws of the Lord in the Old Testament; or the rules about women remaining silent in the New Testament ( 1 Corinthians 14:34-35) it seems in regard to instruction in law continues as a man's responsibility. That would have further implications in regard to teaching established DOCTRINE related to the law; or the Gospel of Grace which expounds the full meaning of what is concealed in the Old Testament but revealed fully now.
When we try to fully grasp these concepts in human understanding; of course we fall short. An example that gives us insight is in Exodus 15:20 which shows Miriam; the older sister of Moses and Aaron as the first Prophetess in scripture. We could say in some way that Moses acted as the first Prophet in the Bible; at least in predicting what would happen to Israel in the last days in Deuteronomy 4; but Deuteronomy 18 talks about the coming Prophet like Moses who must be heeded (Christ). Technically Abraham was called a Prophet; the first example in the Bible but his predictions were toward his descendants when giving the family blessings at his death.
We see with Miriam that she foolishly spoke out about the second wife of Abraham of African descent and was struck with leprosy temporarily. Her best moment was in the role of the victory song as they crossed the Red Sea.
I have touched on several good devotional sources in posts last year; namely Oswald Chambers "utmost for the Highest" and Daily Bread. This site also is helpful when highlighting a daily Bible verse for the surrounding text to consider.
If I have the terminology correct Expository preaching is systematic reading of a book chapter by chapter. There is another term for topical studies that I am sure someone here knows. For a new believer it is hard to argue with the standard approach of beginning in the Gospels (usually John is picked) and then transitioning to Paul's Epistles. Scripture memory is helpful for two reasons particularly for new believers; one for edification and second to have verses to explain the hope within us in Christ when witnessing. Taking the example of John 3:16 for instance we have the assurance of eternal life but if we read the surrounding text we see in verse 18 that he who does NOT believe in Him is condemned already. This is one danger of "cherry picking" an isolated verse that gives us "positive vibes" and not comprehending God's Word as to repetitive themes; in this case blessings for obedience and faith and cursings for not believing. This contrast between good and bad is throughout scriptures; whether we look at warnings in Deuteronomy as to conditions affecting the entire nation because of disobedience vs obedience; Psalms and Proverbs related to characteristics of righteous and wicked and books of Chronicles and Kings as to righteous and unrighteous kings.
We are to be cautious; therefore with any devotionals that always have "encouraging" verses or if the author is skewed in that direction. The opposite could be said of the Oswald Chambers as some have accused it of being works oriented too much; they certainly are challenging unlike anything I've read. In terms of scripture memory; it is useful but internalizing the Living Word through meditation and application also.
The Bible as a whole gives a systematic and cohesive narrative clearly describing certain truths; at least all necessary for instruction and teaching in righteousness ( 2 Tim. 3:16). The idea of the law of God is intermingled in the Genesis story; with the first covenant of God being established with the marriage of Adam and Eve which was instituted by God Himself. There was apparently the concept of a sacrifice long before the laws that were in Exodus; Leviticus and Deuteronomy as indicated by the offerings brought forth by Abel and Cain. And we also have the mysterious Melchizedek who was a true priest of God but not under known lineage in the line of the Jews.
The law; of course comes in Exodus and Deuteronomy with the basic 10 Commandments; as well as the 600 odd other laws releting to various national laws; moral laws and ceremonial laws specific to Israel as well as to mankind in whole. Those who would question that need to carefully read the Old Testament where we see passages such as God describing the Amorites ( Gen. 15:16); as well as the destruction of other nations; even Nineveh after God spared it due to repentance for a time in the time of Jonah. Verses about marriage in regard to Abraham and Isaac as well as John the Baptist clearly indicate the law was recognized by the Egyptians as well as with Herod having his brother's wife ( Mark 6:18) which led to his beheading indirectly after imprisonment. We see in Amos 1:13-14 scripture where Ammon was to be destroyed for what is described as mutilating pregnant women (a nice way to say it). There are other verses as well where people are given back punishment based on what they've done similar to this; it fits in basically to an "eye for an eye". We even see special healing given to a Gentile (Naaman the Syrian) in the Old Testament.
This concept of the law shows exceptions to basic principles of God's actions in the O.T and N.T.
Anyone with access to a concordance; even a basic list in small print of corresponding verses shows the integrity and cohesiveness of all of the Bible; both Old and New Testaments. This dwarfs the historical references in the Apocrypha; in which many of the details that are verifiable are in Maccabees; 1 and 2. The feast of Dedication is found in the N.T. but not mentioned specifically in the Old; hence Maccabees is helpful describing this as well. These facts are important for archaeological and historical accuracy as well as the veracity of the teachings in the Bible; whether in the old covenant of the law or the New Covenant. When we compare information in scripture to other secular teachings and those of other faiths; we see elemental truths as well as the same events clearly indicated in many cases; or closely paralleled.
In the case of the law; for example there are repetitive passages in the Pentateuch in regard; for instance to the 10 commandments found in Exodus and Deuteronomy; then Jesus quotes many of the same passages when contenting with the Pharisees to expound the deeper meanings of intentions of the heart when it comes to marriage and divorce; hatred for someone; and lustful thoughts. Love your neighbor as yourself comes from Leviticus 19:18 which I wasn't even aware of until recently.
The empires of history are in Daniel as well as the final world government summarized in Daniel 7:4-6 and Revelation 13:2.
We see the same cross references relating to most of the major events of the Tribulation especially found in the endo of chapter 11 and all of 12 in Daniel. Jesus Himself in Matthew 24:15 stated the importance of Daniel's visions from Daniel 12:11. This also was foreshadowed in the story in Maccabees about Antiochus Epiphanes which time frame is alluded to in parts of Daniel 11 that seem to shift into the time of the end in verse 40.
We do well to study the Word as the Bereans did ( 2 Tim. 2:15).
If I may say when we open our Bible to read and study, if we are not willing to leave the baggage of traditions at the door and what we think we know, and in prayer with the mindset that we do not know anything our eyes and ears will be closed to the Spirit of truth. Until we are willing to humble ourselves the truth will be hidden.
Deuteronomy 29:4 Yet the Lord hath not given you an heart to perceive, and eyes to see, and ears to hear, unto this day.
The Bible if we accept what it says is true is said to be totally inspired by God and is profitable for teaching; rebuke; etc. ( 2 Tim. 3:16). That being said; we need to have time in our devotions to study the Living Word ( Heb. 4:12) for our edification. It is clear; however especially in time past such as the 19th Century the Bible as literature was standard curriculum in American schools; and still is utilized in developing nations to ostensively teach English as a second language and oftentimes with the motivation of fulfilling the Great Commission. There are also historical and archaelogical sources of information in scripture which help to back up scientific finds; including the account of Creation. Finally; of course we have the other types of literary study that focus on the poetry including hidden acrostic patterns in the original language.
Going beyond these standard methodologies; we have what is known as the Bible Code originally pursued in depth by Michael Drosnin which in the 1990s apparently found equidistant patterns that allowed him to warn Rabin in Israel that he would be assassinated which later proved to be true. We see in that book and more recent literature what seems pretty solid proof of patterns of other things seen in a rear view lens quite often. The original books of the Bible at least with the Pantateuch had to be copied with the end result being the EXACT number of letters of the original manuscript in a copy or else the entire copy would be destroyed and would have to be started AGAIN. Such painstaking translation allows for accuracy to be something we can have great confidence in and any patterns that do exist maintained. Basically; however I would appeal to Deuteronomy 29:29 that some things in the hidden counsel of God shouldn't be pursued. We can study patterns or even have much head knowledge of the Word but without the Spirit at work and salvation message preached it is in vain
Do you believe that the will of the Father and the will of the Son are always the same or different?
Jesus was obedient to the Father, Jesus said many times it is not His will but the will of the Father who sent Him, the same as we are to do, John 4:34John 5:30Mark 3:35.
Do you believe that a human being can truly save all men from sin and death by a perfect life in their own will?
First, I will have to say it was the will of the Father, Jesus at the end even asked His father if there was another way but not Jesus's will but the will of His Father, Matthew 26:39Luke 22:42. We are told this is the foundation of our faith, Jesus' sacrificial death. God cannot die God is Spirit He has no blood to shed for sin it had to be a man, His Son, born of a woman.
John 3:16 God gave His Son not Himself 1 John 2:221 John 4:32 John 1:7Romans 5:82 Corinthians 5:21, God cannot be made sin, 1 Corinthians 15:17 Jesus died, and God raised Him from the dead, the first man to live a perfect life, the first fruits of those who sleep in death. 1 Corinthians 15:14 as said if Jesus was not a man who lived a perfect life and died and was raised from the dead all is vain.
The first Adam was the first man Jesus was the last Adam and the second man, 1 Corinthians 15:45-47. 1 Corinthians 15:21 For since by man came death, by man came also the resurrection of the dead. The law had to be fulfilled by a man.
How would a human being know that they are the Messiah from birth and thus know not to ever sin?
As we see Luke 2:51-52 Jesus grew up increasing in wisdom and stature in favor with God and man. Jesus was twelve years old and He knew His father was God, but it doesn't say Jesus knew then He was to be the Messiah. God also said He would raise up unto thee a Prophet from the midst of thee, Deuteronomy 18:15, Isaiah 11:1-5Isaiah 61:1-2 confirmed in Luke 4:18-21. Romans 1:1-42 Timothy 2:8.
Just me, seems there are fewer discussions lately on this site and Momsage's post suggested discussion. My understanding of discussions is brothers and sisters sharing their understanding of a subject not to belittle or to prove one as being wrong, but by sharing our understanding of a subject that will encourage each other to study in prayer for the truth.
What is faith? We see in Hebrews 11:1,6 We also have Romans 10:17 So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.
We are to have faith but our faith cannot be based on the word of man where we can be deceived and taken out of the way. Our faith must come from the word of God guided by His Spirit and His word is the Holy Scripture, He has given us.
This one subject is based on the word of man, nowhere in Scripture does it tell us we must believe or have faith in a triune God, but the opposite, Deuteronomy 6:4 Mark 12:291 Timothy 2:5, and many more. "God made us a living soul" Soul is the Hebrew word nephesh, a living being, any living being, every air-breathing creature is a nephesh, a living being/soul.
Genesis 1:26 many apply the Trinity to this verse but then we must ignore verse 27 So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them. This could also easily be first-person plural, like mom says, let us make tacos and then she is the one who makes the tacos. If we lived before 489 AD, before the Trinity doctrine was made the foundational belief of Christianity, and the punishment of heresy, how would we take this verse?
If we walk in the world we will perish, if we walk in the Spirit our faith is in Jesus and our hope is as Jesus was resurrected in His glorified body so we shall also be resurrected in our glorified body into eternal life with Him.
Christ's ultimate sacrifice: Primary purpose was to do God's will.
In studying Christ's death on the cross and the resulting salvation of our souls it is no small thing to focus attention and time on such a matter on a regular basis. At least from our perspective the meaning to us personally must be considered with all due reverence for how He took us from death to life. John 17:6-8 makes clear that God was the one who gave Christ all the ones who were to be saved. The following verses ask for unity among them all; and to be in the world but not of it (in general). These verses prayed during His agony in Gethsemane are the summation of much of the earlier chapters in John clearly showing that God was the one who predetermined (predestined) all those who would be saved and hear His voice as His sheep.
However you slice it; there are some who will and will not come to Christ. Also God knows ahead of time who these people are so therefore certainly could have designated ahead of time who would be sheep and who would be a goat; who would be wheat and who a tare; etc. In other words; it wasn't up to Christ to give out any information that could lead someone to the truth in a merely intellectual manner and therefore much of His ministry was spent teaching in parables. Compare Mark 4:12 with Luke 8:12. The lack of insight given so that people can be saved is clear from the first passage; but Satan is used as the agent to blind men's hearts in the second example in Luke of the seed by the wayside.
There are as Deuteronomy 29:29 states some things in the Divine counsel which men are not privy to. Certain things can be searched out; however ( Proverbs 25:2). John 3:16 states that God so loved the world and sent His Son. We should keep in mind here that Christ came first and foremost to do the Father's will. All those called and chosen would be saved EXCEPT for the prophesied son of perdition (see Psalm 69:25; Psalm 41:9; Psalm 109).
Thank you for continuing the discussion, I also tremble at His word we are just a spec compared to our God. Deuteronomy 18:15-19 This to me is fulfilled in John 1:1 the word of God in Jesus the Messiah. When Jesus was anointed the Messiah every word that Jesus said was the word of God the word of God in the flesh of His Son. Everything that was created was created by the word of God, not His Son. God said let there be, and it was.
If we read Isaiah 66:1 we cannot imagine how large God can be. He can overwhelm all of what we can imagine. In my human mind, I see His Spirit cover the earth like a dome, omnipresent, it is like an electrical grid that believers plug into, I know that may sound weird.
John 17 I will do my best to show my understanding, this is just before Jesus was going to be nailed to the cross. Verses 1-5 Jesus is praying to the Father about Himself, the Father is God, when we pray, we pray to our Father, and we relate to God as Father, through the Bible Father means God and Jesus said to His Father He is the only true God. In and through Jesus Christ we become sons and daughters of God, so we cry out Abba, Father, Galatians 4:6.
Jesus said He had finished the work the Father had given to Him and Jesus glorified His Father on earth. Jesus is now ready to face death on the cross and fulfilling the law and the prophet's, all of what Scripture had said what He would become, and Jesus was ready to take His place on the right hand of His Father, Isaiah 53:12Jeremiah 23:5-62 Samuel 7:12-13Psalm 110:4Psalm 16:10, these are just a few verses that Jesus would have known about Himself.
In Daniel 7:13-14 Daniel had a prophetic vision of Jesus's ascension and God the Father giving His Son Jesus dominion and glory overall and giving Him the kingdom. God showed Daniel this was with God in the beginning, in God's plan but did not come to fruition until Jesus ascended in Acts 1:9.
Paul Washer has brought up a point often said that we should always reflect on regarding the crucifixion. Namely; the Lord's suffering was primarily because He had to take on the sins of all His elect which was far greater agony than the crucifixion. I don't have the date of the sermon I saw the other day but he also mentioned how many saints have died and rejoiced during martyrdom so that clearly Christ had a burden none of us who are believers ever will have to endure. Having the Father turn away after eternal fellowship beforehand is incomprehensible; this explains why it was a done deal when He said "it is finished". For all eternity in the future He will be exalted and no longer suffer as He did for that brief moment in history.
This situation is the ultimate mind bender to comprehend. How could God be angry with His Son who was also fully God? This was due; of course to the counsel of God or as Deuteronomy 29:29 states part of the "hidden counsel of God" which we mortals cannot peer into at least in full. He took on what we deserved; and if it weren't for this; we all would spend eternity separated from God in hell with all unregenerate sinners. To be more precise; God directed His wrath at Christ who was the sin bearer for us. In His omnipotence He surely knew that in the future His Son would be restored; resurrected and once again rule with Him.
There are no words to describe what was done in our behalf as our Redeemer.
With this in mind; when we see the incident mentioned with Ananias and Sapphira; or here admonitions that some die taking communion unworthily we certainly don't have any room for anything but humble adoration and fear of the Lord. Greiving the Spirit is something a believer can relate to; whereas the world at large has no appetite for the Lord; His love or His righteousness no matter how carefully they try to bend it to their own imaginations of a humanistic or idyllic world.
When examining this covenant promising the land to Abraham (actually to his descendants eventually who would actually own the land) starting in Genesis 15; we notice that what this had in common with Adam's covenant was the fact that the recipient was put into a deep sleep; in neither case did either party have anything to do with it; it was therefore God swearing by Himself (again showing in the Trinity there was more than one witness involved; perhaps alluded to in Deut. 19:15; Heb. 6:13).
Genesis 16:18-33 we have the famous interchange between Abraham and the Lord over the matter of preserving Lot if there were 50 righteous men; down to the total of 10 where Abraham finally stopped nagging God on the subject for the lack of a better description. Here we have a perfect example of chastisement of Lot during the ensuing judgment where he later escapes as through through the skin of his teeth. Abraham no doubt was considering this situation as it is unlikely anyone else in that wicked place would be on his mind. We also see through the two angels that went on to see if things were as reported to God the idea of authority; and the fact that God cannot look onto sin.
In the situation of Moses pleading with God not to destroy everyone in the wilderness and start a new nation through Moses
in Deuteronomy 9:14 the Lord actually says to leave Him alone to do this. We can take this as rhetoric to initiate a response; but this apparent conflict with sovereignty is our problem not God's: we haven't the right to bend scripture around things that seem out of character in our minds. This should give us insight into how the Godhead operates; again Christ's sacrifice keeps us from the wrath of God and His role in the Godhead was clearly distinct from the Father. It shows clearly that God wants us to remind Him of His covenant; that is good application to a marriage struggle when praying for healing and restoration.
Could someone tell me what is going on when the Pope himself has condone same sex marriage and God himself said no to it and there are several books that state this fact. 1) Leviticus 18:22, 2) Leviticus 20:13 and 3) Deuteronomy 22:5. I feel that since the Pope has done this the religion he represents doesn't represent Jehovah God and he has brought inequity into the fold and those that wish to follow him will condemn there selves.
Hello Adam. I consider your question through two separate perspectives: one, before the incarnation of the Word of God and the other, after it. From my readings of the whole Word of God, I don't believe that the writers of the OT nor their hearers would have understood any other concept or acceptance of the God's Nature other than 'He is One & there is none beside Him' (e.g. Isaiah 45:5.6).
Even the "Shema Yisrael" (Deuteronomy 6:4,5) is Israel's central belief & affirmation on the singularity of God's Person, & any suggestion of a 'compound' Nature of God would be anathema. Also Isaiah 53:1-12 and Isaiah 9:6,7 references to a coming Messiah, which should clearly reveal the Divine Nature of a Coming One, is discarded by them, then & now. So, anything of a Triune God must be rejected by the Jew, & only the operation of God by His Spirit (i.e. God revealing Himself & working before them) should be acceptable to them (e.g. Psalm 51:10,11; Isaiah 11:2; & many others). As believers though, we can see the Triune God in operation in the whole Bible, but Israel is blinded to this Truth & their hearts hardened.
When Jesus came & spoke (e.g. John 16:27,28; John 17:5), He declared His Divine Nature, that which was not revealed before. So your reference ( Matthew 22:32), speaks primarily of the One Nature of God; but to those who believe, having received salvation through Jesus Christ, know that the God of Abraham, Isaac, & Jacob was always the Triune God, Who would one day manifest Himself fully to a needy world: God's Word first by the prophets, now given through His Word made flesh ( Hebrews 1:1-3) . What Israel knew of the One God then, should have revealed the full Nature of a Triune God at the appearance of their Messiah. But their eyes were blinded & hearts hardened. Therefore, as Christians, I believe that we should see God (in the OT & NT) as a Triune God, manifesting Himself also as His Word and His Spirit going forth to accomplish His Will over His creation.
Is worshipping God on any given day breaking the Sabbath?
Part 3.
WHAT MADE SABBATH "HOLY "
The essence of Sabbath-keeping was physical rest. In Exodus 20:8-11 and Deuteronomy 5:12-15, the Sabbath command specifies rest from labor as the way to keep the day "holy." There is no mention of going to a worship service each Sabbath. Other passages in the Old Testament also define the Sabbath by rest, not by attendance at worship services. See Exodus 31:12-17, Numbers 15:32, Nehemiah 13:15-22 and Jeremiah 17:19-27. The latter two passages, though they refer to Jerusalem, do not mention anything about failure to attend worship services or "sacred assemblies," but only work on the Sabbath as a desecration of this day.
An interesting study is to look up the word "Sabbath" in a concordance, find all the Old Testament references and then read those passages to see how this day was kept "holy." The conclusion will be that rest from labor is what made the Sabbath sacred time, not attendance at a worship service. Most Israelites lived too far from the tabernacle to attend a worship service every Sabbath - and there is no evidence in the Old Testament that they did. And the law did not allow them to assemble anywhere else for worship. Nor do we find commands even for people near the Tabernacle that they had to gather for worship. The Sabbath was kept at home, by resting.
There is no mention in Old Testament passages that attending a worship service on the Sabbath is a way of keeping this day holy. The way the Sabbath was sanctified, made holy or set apart as sacred was through physical rest from labor. All the Old Testament references to Sabbath observance in Israel speak to this point. There is no Old Testament theology of weekly Sabbath holiness that centers around attendance at "holy convocations."
Is worshipping God on any given day breaking the Sabbath?
Part 2.
Let us look at whether Christians must attend "holy convocations" on the Sabbath. If we are to understand what Leviticus 23:3 might mean in its context, we have to know something about the manner of communal worship in Israel under the old covenant. The national corporate worship had to occur in the place that God designated as a central worship site. Originally, this was at the Tabernacle, and after Solomon's time, at the Temple in Jerusalem.
We can see an explicit instruction about the place to worship in Deuteronomy: "You are to seek the place the Lord your God will choose from among all your tribes to put his Name there for his dwelling. To that place you must go" (12:4). See also verses 11, 14, 17-18, and 26. This command to worship only at a designated location is also seen in Deuteronomy 16, which lists the annual festivals. See verses 5, 7, 11, and 16, among others.
The reasons for this were numerous. One consideration was that Israel should not alter the worship format and purpose that God had given the nation; otherwise they would easily lapse into worship that was directed to pagan deities. We can see how this happened in the wilderness when Moses left the people to receive the stone tablets ( Exodus 32), and when Israel broke politically from Judah and set up its own religious system, including new worship formats, places and times ( 1 Kings 12:25-33).
Bible study and scripture devotions: Different themes of scripture
There is a time and place for starting in Genesis and working our way to Revelation (even if not always strictly chronological books in the 66 books of the Bible). We can look at the varous "dispensations" (ignoring the controversy on the subject) when we see the time of innocence at Creation; the time of the law (from written in men's hearts and early sacrifices to the full delivery of the formal written commandments in Deuteronomy) to the age of grace (or church age which we are currently in) to the Millennium (again ignoring the Post Mil adherants and others to that persuasion) and finally of course eternity itself. Another way of looking at this process is through the lens of Covenant theology which I would argue isn't necessarily mutually exclusive to dispensations.
The next thing we can do is study the history involved with scripture. This is enhanced by studying other literature and archaeological accounts as well as other texts referred to in the Bible that aren't in the KJV Bible today. Some include the book of Enoch which have quotations in the book of Jude but we don't have a correct version of today that doesn't clash with the rest of the Bible in some way. We also have other books mentioned which clearly contained further wisdom literature such as Proverbs; and even a secular writing Paul referred to during his sermon on Mars Hill in the book of Acts. World archaeology and geologic evidence is particularly convincing with the story of Sodom and Gomorrah (with pure sufer balls found in the area by Ron Wyatt and others more recently in that area of the world); as well as the flood of Noah (which are mentioned in books such as the Epic of Gilgamesh and throughout legends of tribes in all continents of the world.) We also have the many giant structures that cannot be explained with high technology (Pyramids) and all over the world as well. That proves the story of Genesis 6.
Acts 20:7 makes clear that gathering of the saints occurred on the first day of the week to bolster the collection made according to 1 Corinthians 16:2. The prescident is really from the fact that Christ fulfilled Pentacost which was the 8th day of the week (or Sunday) in the O.T. times was celebrated 50 days after the Passover.
Since we are not to have certain days to be held above others as Romans 14:5-6 indicates; we have no right to dictate either Saturday or Sunday for worship as I see it. Again; the Old Testament command was for Israel specifically as anyone in the land who disrespected the Sabbath was severely punished (see Deuteronomy 5:14). Other laws in the Old Testament such as marriage were clearly upheld even with pagan societies (as we see with the case of John the Baptist when he was imprisoned for contesting with the marriage status of a secular leader married to his brother's wife). Murder was evident with Cain well before the law came out. The fact is that Saturday worship can no longer be as it was without the sacrifices and other ordinances of the O.T. times which have been gone since the temple was destroyed in 70 AD. Christ is our Passover now ( 1 Corinthians 5:7) and the Son of Man is Lord of the Sabbath ( Matthew 12:8).
We also need to consider what Paul stated to those who were coming from pagan societies. He said in Acts 15:29 to avoid eating blood; or strangled animals (often done in pagan rituals) as well as sexual immorality. If Saturday worship was required you would expect something would be mentioned as all other things in the Commandments which are throughout the New Testament in the Gospels and Epistles.
There are further concerns with Adventist doctrines and Ellen White which I am not going to get into detail here; but this often is an added reason for this and other issues of contention. I agree that the edict of Milan enforcing Sunday worship is wrong also.
9. Six days shalt thou labour, and do all thy work:
10. But the seventh day is the sabbath of the LORD thy God: in it thou shalt not do any work, thou, nor thy son, nor thy daughter, thy manservant, nor thy maidservant, nor thy cattle, nor thy stranger that is within thy gates:
11. For in six days the LORD made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that in them is, and rested the seventh day: wherefore the LORD blessed the sabbath day, and hallowed it. (The original Greek word for hallowed is "qadash" meaning to set apart or consecrate.)
As you can see, there is nothing here about drinking wine, although you can. But this day was given specifically
for rest, not food and fellowship. But doing it that way is good. To me it is a given for us to worship God and fellowship on our day of rest.
I do whole heartly agree with this that you said: "As He is with us every day without exception , so should we be aware of Him every day and always be trying to do only those things that we know are pleasing to Him ." Being a true Christian means a 100% commitment to our Lord - including obeying ALL his commandments because the 4th is for our physical, mental and spiritual good; to rest every week on the seventh day. The church has somehow abandoned this command of God and seems to think He doesn't care, but how can we justify keeping the other's and discarding this one? Even if the early church did start worshipping on the first day of the week after the crucifixion of Jesus (they didn't) they were also being disobedient to God's commandment and at that time in history would have been severely punished by the Jews because they would have been breaking the sabbath. God Bless:)
The only offensive weapon in Ephesians 6 is the sword of the Spirit. Today's megachurches have tended to make things into a sideshow by defining success as someone with a lot of possessions. Indeed God CAN honor a prayer regarding material things but it is unwise and naive to ignore verses such as Deuteronomy 17:17; for it can lead to total apostasy later when greed takes over.
Playing games to underestimate the intensity of the evil we face does no one any favors either. Those who would be hesitant to warn sinners of their grievous state and need of repentance so as not to "offend" anyone are probably the same ones who downplay how serious the conflict is with the demonic horde under Satan that have pretty well taken over society; and worse the church in a large part making those who want to engage in serious battle seem like they are outcasts. Worse still there are many who look at Satan as somehow ruling over hell (as opposed to perhaps guarding Hades in the past as seen in those held captive described in Psalm 68:18). Men are blinded because of their own sin but 2 Corinthians 4:4 shows how Satan is the agent the Lord allows to keep men in this state. Part of praying for someone may indeed be for the enemy to cause enough misery for them to cry out to the Lord; this seems commonplace for those who are Prodigal type individuals.
We see when multiple people in particular persevere in prayer for someone things often eventually happen. For those who won't respond; often they are taken away and we never have contact with them again. We don't have the luxury of knowing if anyone has another day on this earth; but we do know the Lord will save all of His elect.
Also; of course the praiseworthy attributes of God's Holiness; power; might; honor and glory should be acclaimed with conviction. This comes from TRUE worship in song and scripture reading. It also comes from a broken and contrite heart ( Ps 51
Thank you for sharing your thoughts GiGi as you progress on the Attributes of God using the alphabet - very interesting & edifying as also the great submissions from Richard. As I read yours, and you quoted Deuteronomy 4:7, my thoughts went to the very Name of God in respect to this.
The Israelites were indeed reminded that the LORD God was always near to them - with them; and yet they should have known (or, maybe it wasn't revealed to them at that stage), that this God is also known by His compound Name, YHWH-Shammah: "The LORD Who is Present". And this we see in Ezekiel 48:35, the very last statement in the very last verse of Ezekiel's prophecy (which is generally understood to refer to Israel's existence in the Millennial Kingdom; Ezekiel chapters 40 to 48).
In that verse, the Hebrew reads, "wasem ha-ir mi-yowm Yahweh sammah" ('and the name of the city from (that) day (shall be) YAHWEH (is) THERE'). Israel of old knew that God was with them by all His marvelous Works yet they still resorted to the flesh & idolatry. But the day will come when they will truly know Him as Yahweh Shammah, the LORD Who is present, with them, very near to them, for Christ Jesus their Messiah will be the Lord Whom they will know & Who will rule over them (also speaks of Christ's indivisible Deity). And what we, as those who have now received Christ's Spirit in our hearts, know Him in a personal way & a powerful Presence in our lives, still remain to them as a distant hope & a vain search, all the while clouded in disbelief, darkness, & rejection of their Messiah's first coming. Thank you for reminding us that the LORD has never left us - He has constantly been involved in all our affairs, even though at times in our personal & global existence, He might appear absent. But unto 'us who believe, He is precious' & we ought to live in such a manner befitting His Name, 'the LORD Who is Present with(in) us'.
John 10:34- seems to be a popular verse here. People want to believe they are a god, is that what's happening here? That would be a gross misinterpretation. You know this is a quote with a question mark at the end, right? Let's be honest about it. Here's the commentary for that:
Christ's argument is: If your law calls judges gods, why should I be held guilty of blasphemy for saying that I am the Son of God?
As per the other argument trying to discredit the word "one" sounds like your argument is that one doesn't really mean one, because Jesus used it to describe believers being one. I don't see how being one in unity as Christ's body somehow means that all the Bible verses about Jesus being God and divine suddenly don't apply? The verse about the Father and Son being one is only one of MANY verses competing the picture. The Bible already says Jesus the Word is God so how can you disregard that?
God: "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God." John 1:1 KJV
You: Word was "NOT" God?
"Then said they unto him, Where is thy Father? Jesus answered, Ye neither know me, nor my Father: if ye had known me, ye should have known my Father also." John 8:19 KJV
Have you thought about how your belief reconciles with verses like this above?
Isaiah 7:14 -
Yes, Jesus is called Immanuel which means "God with us". People called Jesus "God". He's King of King and Lord of Lords. Alpha and Omega, first and last. Do you believe Jesus is Lord? I believe that is a requirement for even being a Christian. A Christ follower should know who Christ is.
1 John 5:7-8
John 10:30
John 8:19
Genesis 1:26
Genesis 11:6-7 (plural "us" which includes Jesus, as per John 1:1)
What I have been taught is that the books of the OT are arranged with : Pentateuch (Books written by Moses)Genesis-Deuteronomy; then the books of the history of Israel from entering the Promised land under Joshua to the reign of the kings of Israel and Judah (Joshua-2 Chronicles); Ezra and Nehemiah are historical books covering the time of the return from Babylonian exile of Judah; Esther is somewhat of an anomaly since it doesn't have a very clear time frame as far as placement in Israel's history; Job is an ancient wisdom book (Job lived between the time of the flood and Abraham, being a distant cousin of Abraham)
Psalms is poetic musical writing; Proverbs and Ecclesiastes is also wisdom books; and Song of Solomon is allegorical.
As far as the remainder of the OT, the books of the prophets are arranged from longest to shortest.
In the NT; first is the 4 Gospels Then Acts is the history of the early church; the epistles are listed, (again), from longest to shortest. And Revelation is what is called apocalyptic writing (which usually contains much allegory, symbolism, and sensational representations of future events.
INTRODUCTION
I am going to continue with the second through the fourth seal of Revelation here. My purpose is not to nit pick about every time death occurs because of man's weapons of war or whether it is by other means. The overall emphasis is to show how all the future events are ultimately controlled by the Lord and in a sense "choreographed" that way. Indeed; whatever the means surely the time of Jacob's trouble will be like no other in terms of the level of destruction on the earth. ( Jeremiah 30:7; Matt. 24:21).
Since this is the case; we can't just look at statistics here to determine how awful things will be. That is clear from seeing that just EIGHT souls were saved on Noah's ark. Clearly there are many more than that; albeit a small percent of the earth at large that survives to repopulate in the Millennium. The demonic release "en masse" from the bottomless pit and probably other places in the underworld is what makes it so horrible as they will clearly be tormenting men by the 5th Trumpet. The giant hybrids of Noah's day were destroyed but we never saw a time of such horrible devastation by agents of evil as is to come.
War famine and pestilence
Deuteronomy 32:24-25 states: I will send wasting famine against them, consuming pestilence and deadly plague;
I will send against them the fangs of wild beasts, the venom of vipers that glide in the dust.
25 In the street the sword will make them childless; in their homes terror will reign.
These themes of war; famine and pestilence are rife throughout the Old Testament in Ezekiel; and several passages in Jeremiah along with the solemn warnings of Matthew 24 and of course Revelation which we are discussing now. (also see Luke 21:11).
God has judged this way as we see from the passages in Jeremiah in the past in order to take vengeance on the idolatry of Israel. The same thing will happen again.
[14] And this is the confidence that we have in him, that, if we ask any thing according to his will, he heareth us: [15] and if we know that he hear us, whatsoever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we desired of him.
Answer:
Deuteronomy 31:8 KJV
[8] And the LORD, he it is that doth go before thee; he will be with thee, he will not fail thee, neither forsake thee: fear not, neither be dismayed.
Referenced from Pastor Charles Blake II Sunday January 8, 2024
My answer: Prayer and requests will prevail for me and West Angeles Church Cogic Cathedral
Man is incapable of knowing how Holy and Just God is and we're also incapable of knowing how evil man is apart from the restrainer.
We see a picture of the evil of man in Revelation when the nations take up war against the Lord.
Also look at the evil condition of their heart here in Revelation 16:9-11 while being tormented.
Also see Psalms 2:1-12.
Romans 11:33 states. "O the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! how unsearchable are his judgments, and his ways past finding out!
God gives life and he can take it!
The trouble with atheist is that they don't believe God gave life!
They have no understanding of deity.
See now that I, even I, am he, and there is no god with me: I kill, and I make alive; I wound, and I heal: neither is there any that can deliver out of my hand.
For I lift up my hand to heaven, and say, I live for ever.
If I whet my glittering sword, and mine hand take hold on judgment; I will render vengeance to mine enemies, and will reward them that hate me. Deuteronomy 32:39.
God gives and he takes away.
God bless.
We know that nothing at all would even be alive if it wasn't for the grace of God , we know that God is kind to atheists every day . Life is God's gift , He is the source and sustainer of it and He can give and He can take away as Job says .
God puts a difference between His children and the atheists . We are in a covenant relationship with Him , they are outside of that . Christ is the door . As long as we are in Christ we need not fear the death of our bodies . Atheists live in faithless fear , insecurity and misery . Desperately trying to fill the void that can only be filled by the Truth . Here are some references that illustrate what I'm trying to say . Exodus chapter 23 v 31-33 , Ex Ch 34 v 10-17 , Lev Ch 20 v 22-26 , Deut Ch 10 v 17-19 , Deut Ch 20 v 10-18 , Deut Ch 32 v 39. Ezekiel Ch 18 v 32 , Eze Ch 33 v 11, Luke Ch 13 v 1-5 . John Ch 17 , Jesus's prayer and finally , what does God want for all of us ? Deuteronomy Ch 5 v 29 . Atheists do not accept God's Sovereignty , they think that they have ' rights' . They don't realise that anything and everything that they have had in the past , have today and will have tomorrow , is only because of God's mercy and kindness . They think they do things themselves and can create their own lives and destinies etc .
Romans 5:12 says Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned:
The fact is that we are all born with Adam's sin and hence at enmity with God. Our hearts are as Jeremiah 17:9 says "desperately wicked." No one does good ( Romans 3:10-12 and in Psalms); and we are estranged from the womb ( Psalm 58:3). So the first issue is the thought that anyone is "good" which inevitably comes from comparing ourselves to another "worse" person like Hitler (unless we are that bad ourselves and we can't appeal to anyone worse; in that case we probably wouldn't want to concern ourselves with doing good deeds. Our deeds also; BTW are evil; even our best deeds as "filthy rags". ( Isaiah 64:6). This "grace Gospel" as it is known is obviously taken from Romans as a primary source but reflects many scripture verses. Or as someone once said "a hundred percent sinner needs a hundred percent savior" (can't seem to find this entire phrase quoted by anyone).
Now death; of course in the law comes in two ways; MURDER or justifiable killing whether to exact a punishment "a life for a life" (part of Deuteronomy 19:21). It also is involved with the wars and conquests of Israel with the admittedly hard verses about exterminating entire peoples including women and children in certain circumstances. The understandable aspect of this is when the descendents of the Nephilim (or angels with women producing giant hybrid offspring) were exterminated; being an aberrant being without and eternal soul perhaps the proper interpretation of Isaiah 26:14. That is a deep study; but no doubt this is easier than explaining extermination of human beings. Those nations which were conquered had common practices of child sacrifice with idol worship; therefore it could have saved the children from a worse death. Genesis 15:16 shows how God waits until iniquity is full before utter destruction.
First I must say that questions as such"why God kills or asks others to kill, despite "do not kill",are made by many atheists that were members of the SDA,but now turned demonic atheists.
They well know the letter of the Bible and now use it in their demonic posts to deny GOD and to contradict His Word.In fact they are killers,killers of souls.
They know that when GOD said to the people of Israel through Moses," do not kill", it had already passed around 2500 years(two days and half of GOD's work),and the commandment was exclusively for the people of GOD,Israel. It was given in the OT, not in the NT,very different of the OT. See, GOD was creating a new environment for His seed, descendants of Abraham, when He brought His people out of Egypt. GOD separated His people Israel from the midst of the Gentilic peoples, from the midst of the idolaters and murderers peoples, actually He divided waters from the waters- Genesis 1:6-10-and then appeared the dry land-Israel.
Now see,around 2500 years before GOD's commandment Cain had killed Abel.Who commanded Cain do it?It was not GOD,so who? It was the father of Cain,the Devil,a former Cherub,former ruler of Eden,also father of the current atheists and false Christianity and others adherents of devilish religions.
In the other hand,after GOD brought Israel from Egypt and placed the people in the Promised Land,there GOD established the Law and rules to discipline the people and free them from all the SATANIC influence they carried with them from the Gentile, specially from the Egyptians and their satanic idolatries.Desobedience, i.e. witchcraft,it would be punished in the Promised Land,even to the death penalty(Compare: Luke 12:4 and Deuteronomy 32:39.By the way,GOD IS GOD).
This battle started when the Cherub which GOD have placed as a ruler of Eden(now called SON OF PERDITION and MAN OF SIN,the Devil and Satan)planned to USURP GOD's creation and to create a specific world for he himself- Matthew 4:8-9.
GOD BLESs
The sceptre shall not depart from Judah, nor a lawgiver from between his feet, until Shiloh come; and unto him shall the gathering of the people be. ( Genesis 49:10)
If any man speak, let him speak as the oracles of God; if any man minister, let him do it as of the ability which God giveth: that God in all things may be glorified through Jesus Christ, to whom be praise and dominion for ever and ever. Amen. ( 1 Peter 4:11)
When taking a look at scripture; there are roles women play as Prophetess; prayer; teaching children; or the "virtuous woman" summing up Proverbs 31. When it comes to the 10 Commandments and the laws of the Lord in the Old Testament; or the rules about women remaining silent in the New Testament ( 1 Corinthians 14:34-35) it seems in regard to instruction in law continues as a man's responsibility. That would have further implications in regard to teaching established DOCTRINE related to the law; or the Gospel of Grace which expounds the full meaning of what is concealed in the Old Testament but revealed fully now.
When we try to fully grasp these concepts in human understanding; of course we fall short. An example that gives us insight is in Exodus 15:20 which shows Miriam; the older sister of Moses and Aaron as the first Prophetess in scripture. We could say in some way that Moses acted as the first Prophet in the Bible; at least in predicting what would happen to Israel in the last days in Deuteronomy 4; but Deuteronomy 18 talks about the coming Prophet like Moses who must be heeded (Christ). Technically Abraham was called a Prophet; the first example in the Bible but his predictions were toward his descendants when giving the family blessings at his death.
We see with Miriam that she foolishly spoke out about the second wife of Abraham of African descent and was struck with leprosy temporarily. Her best moment was in the role of the victory song as they crossed the Red Sea.
I have touched on several good devotional sources in posts last year; namely Oswald Chambers "utmost for the Highest" and Daily Bread. This site also is helpful when highlighting a daily Bible verse for the surrounding text to consider.
If I have the terminology correct Expository preaching is systematic reading of a book chapter by chapter. There is another term for topical studies that I am sure someone here knows. For a new believer it is hard to argue with the standard approach of beginning in the Gospels (usually John is picked) and then transitioning to Paul's Epistles. Scripture memory is helpful for two reasons particularly for new believers; one for edification and second to have verses to explain the hope within us in Christ when witnessing. Taking the example of John 3:16 for instance we have the assurance of eternal life but if we read the surrounding text we see in verse 18 that he who does NOT believe in Him is condemned already. This is one danger of "cherry picking" an isolated verse that gives us "positive vibes" and not comprehending God's Word as to repetitive themes; in this case blessings for obedience and faith and cursings for not believing. This contrast between good and bad is throughout scriptures; whether we look at warnings in Deuteronomy as to conditions affecting the entire nation because of disobedience vs obedience; Psalms and Proverbs related to characteristics of righteous and wicked and books of Chronicles and Kings as to righteous and unrighteous kings.
We are to be cautious; therefore with any devotionals that always have "encouraging" verses or if the author is skewed in that direction. The opposite could be said of the Oswald Chambers as some have accused it of being works oriented too much; they certainly are challenging unlike anything I've read. In terms of scripture memory; it is useful but internalizing the Living Word through meditation and application also.
The Bible as a whole gives a systematic and cohesive narrative clearly describing certain truths; at least all necessary for instruction and teaching in righteousness ( 2 Tim. 3:16). The idea of the law of God is intermingled in the Genesis story; with the first covenant of God being established with the marriage of Adam and Eve which was instituted by God Himself. There was apparently the concept of a sacrifice long before the laws that were in Exodus; Leviticus and Deuteronomy as indicated by the offerings brought forth by Abel and Cain. And we also have the mysterious Melchizedek who was a true priest of God but not under known lineage in the line of the Jews.
The law; of course comes in Exodus and Deuteronomy with the basic 10 Commandments; as well as the 600 odd other laws releting to various national laws; moral laws and ceremonial laws specific to Israel as well as to mankind in whole. Those who would question that need to carefully read the Old Testament where we see passages such as God describing the Amorites ( Gen. 15:16); as well as the destruction of other nations; even Nineveh after God spared it due to repentance for a time in the time of Jonah. Verses about marriage in regard to Abraham and Isaac as well as John the Baptist clearly indicate the law was recognized by the Egyptians as well as with Herod having his brother's wife ( Mark 6:18) which led to his beheading indirectly after imprisonment. We see in Amos 1:13-14 scripture where Ammon was to be destroyed for what is described as mutilating pregnant women (a nice way to say it). There are other verses as well where people are given back punishment based on what they've done similar to this; it fits in basically to an "eye for an eye". We even see special healing given to a Gentile (Naaman the Syrian) in the Old Testament.
This concept of the law shows exceptions to basic principles of God's actions in the O.T and N.T.
Anyone with access to a concordance; even a basic list in small print of corresponding verses shows the integrity and cohesiveness of all of the Bible; both Old and New Testaments. This dwarfs the historical references in the Apocrypha; in which many of the details that are verifiable are in Maccabees; 1 and 2. The feast of Dedication is found in the N.T. but not mentioned specifically in the Old; hence Maccabees is helpful describing this as well. These facts are important for archaeological and historical accuracy as well as the veracity of the teachings in the Bible; whether in the old covenant of the law or the New Covenant. When we compare information in scripture to other secular teachings and those of other faiths; we see elemental truths as well as the same events clearly indicated in many cases; or closely paralleled.
In the case of the law; for example there are repetitive passages in the Pentateuch in regard; for instance to the 10 commandments found in Exodus and Deuteronomy; then Jesus quotes many of the same passages when contenting with the Pharisees to expound the deeper meanings of intentions of the heart when it comes to marriage and divorce; hatred for someone; and lustful thoughts. Love your neighbor as yourself comes from Leviticus 19:18 which I wasn't even aware of until recently.
The empires of history are in Daniel as well as the final world government summarized in Daniel 7:4-6 and Revelation 13:2.
We see the same cross references relating to most of the major events of the Tribulation especially found in the endo of chapter 11 and all of 12 in Daniel. Jesus Himself in Matthew 24:15 stated the importance of Daniel's visions from Daniel 12:11. This also was foreshadowed in the story in Maccabees about Antiochus Epiphanes which time frame is alluded to in parts of Daniel 11 that seem to shift into the time of the end in verse 40.
We do well to study the Word as the Bereans did ( 2 Tim. 2:15).
" Be strong, be of good courage, for the Lord, he will not fail thee nor forsake
thee. I shall meditate on this today. Thank
!
If I may say when we open our Bible to read and study, if we are not willing to leave the baggage of traditions at the door and what we think we know, and in prayer with the mindset that we do not know anything our eyes and ears will be closed to the Spirit of truth. Until we are willing to humble ourselves the truth will be hidden.
Deuteronomy 29:4 Yet the Lord hath not given you an heart to perceive, and eyes to see, and ears to hear, unto this day.
God bless,
RLW
The Bible if we accept what it says is true is said to be totally inspired by God and is profitable for teaching; rebuke; etc. ( 2 Tim. 3:16). That being said; we need to have time in our devotions to study the Living Word ( Heb. 4:12) for our edification. It is clear; however especially in time past such as the 19th Century the Bible as literature was standard curriculum in American schools; and still is utilized in developing nations to ostensively teach English as a second language and oftentimes with the motivation of fulfilling the Great Commission. There are also historical and archaelogical sources of information in scripture which help to back up scientific finds; including the account of Creation. Finally; of course we have the other types of literary study that focus on the poetry including hidden acrostic patterns in the original language.
Going beyond these standard methodologies; we have what is known as the Bible Code originally pursued in depth by Michael Drosnin which in the 1990s apparently found equidistant patterns that allowed him to warn Rabin in Israel that he would be assassinated which later proved to be true. We see in that book and more recent literature what seems pretty solid proof of patterns of other things seen in a rear view lens quite often. The original books of the Bible at least with the Pantateuch had to be copied with the end result being the EXACT number of letters of the original manuscript in a copy or else the entire copy would be destroyed and would have to be started AGAIN. Such painstaking translation allows for accuracy to be something we can have great confidence in and any patterns that do exist maintained. Basically; however I would appeal to Deuteronomy 29:29 that some things in the hidden counsel of God shouldn't be pursued. We can study patterns or even have much head knowledge of the Word but without the Spirit at work and salvation message preached it is in vain
Part 4 Trinity discussion.
Do you believe that the will of the Father and the will of the Son are always the same or different?
Jesus was obedient to the Father, Jesus said many times it is not His will but the will of the Father who sent Him, the same as we are to do, John 4:34 John 5:30 Mark 3:35.
Do you believe that a human being can truly save all men from sin and death by a perfect life in their own will?
First, I will have to say it was the will of the Father, Jesus at the end even asked His father if there was another way but not Jesus's will but the will of His Father, Matthew 26:39 Luke 22:42. We are told this is the foundation of our faith, Jesus' sacrificial death. God cannot die God is Spirit He has no blood to shed for sin it had to be a man, His Son, born of a woman.
John 3:16 God gave His Son not Himself 1 John 2:22 1 John 4:3 2 John 1:7 Romans 5:8 2 Corinthians 5:21, God cannot be made sin, 1 Corinthians 15:17 Jesus died, and God raised Him from the dead, the first man to live a perfect life, the first fruits of those who sleep in death. 1 Corinthians 15:14 as said if Jesus was not a man who lived a perfect life and died and was raised from the dead all is vain.
The first Adam was the first man Jesus was the last Adam and the second man, 1 Corinthians 15:45-47. 1 Corinthians 15:21 For since by man came death, by man came also the resurrection of the dead. The law had to be fulfilled by a man.
How would a human being know that they are the Messiah from birth and thus know not to ever sin?
As we see Luke 2:51-52 Jesus grew up increasing in wisdom and stature in favor with God and man. Jesus was twelve years old and He knew His father was God, but it doesn't say Jesus knew then He was to be the Messiah. God also said He would raise up unto thee a Prophet from the midst of thee, Deuteronomy 18:15, Isaiah 11:1-5 Isaiah 61:1-2 confirmed in Luke 4:18-21. Romans 1:1-4 2 Timothy 2:8.
See part 5
Just me, seems there are fewer discussions lately on this site and Momsage's post suggested discussion. My understanding of discussions is brothers and sisters sharing their understanding of a subject not to belittle or to prove one as being wrong, but by sharing our understanding of a subject that will encourage each other to study in prayer for the truth.
What is faith? We see in Hebrews 11:1,6 We also have Romans 10:17 So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.
We are to have faith but our faith cannot be based on the word of man where we can be deceived and taken out of the way. Our faith must come from the word of God guided by His Spirit and His word is the Holy Scripture, He has given us.
This one subject is based on the word of man, nowhere in Scripture does it tell us we must believe or have faith in a triune God, but the opposite, Deuteronomy 6:4 Mark 12:29 1 Timothy 2:5, and many more. "God made us a living soul" Soul is the Hebrew word nephesh, a living being, any living being, every air-breathing creature is a nephesh, a living being/soul.
Genesis 1:26 many apply the Trinity to this verse but then we must ignore verse 27 So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them. This could also easily be first-person plural, like mom says, let us make tacos and then she is the one who makes the tacos. If we lived before 489 AD, before the Trinity doctrine was made the foundational belief of Christianity, and the punishment of heresy, how would we take this verse?
If we walk in the world we will perish, if we walk in the Spirit our faith is in Jesus and our hope is as Jesus was resurrected in His glorified body so we shall also be resurrected in our glorified body into eternal life with Him.
God bless,
RLW
In studying Christ's death on the cross and the resulting salvation of our souls it is no small thing to focus attention and time on such a matter on a regular basis. At least from our perspective the meaning to us personally must be considered with all due reverence for how He took us from death to life. John 17:6-8 makes clear that God was the one who gave Christ all the ones who were to be saved. The following verses ask for unity among them all; and to be in the world but not of it (in general). These verses prayed during His agony in Gethsemane are the summation of much of the earlier chapters in John clearly showing that God was the one who predetermined (predestined) all those who would be saved and hear His voice as His sheep.
However you slice it; there are some who will and will not come to Christ. Also God knows ahead of time who these people are so therefore certainly could have designated ahead of time who would be sheep and who would be a goat; who would be wheat and who a tare; etc. In other words; it wasn't up to Christ to give out any information that could lead someone to the truth in a merely intellectual manner and therefore much of His ministry was spent teaching in parables. Compare Mark 4:12 with Luke 8:12. The lack of insight given so that people can be saved is clear from the first passage; but Satan is used as the agent to blind men's hearts in the second example in Luke of the seed by the wayside.
There are as Deuteronomy 29:29 states some things in the Divine counsel which men are not privy to. Certain things can be searched out; however ( Proverbs 25:2). John 3:16 states that God so loved the world and sent His Son. We should keep in mind here that Christ came first and foremost to do the Father's will. All those called and chosen would be saved EXCEPT for the prophesied son of perdition (see Psalm 69:25; Psalm 41:9; Psalm 109).
Part one.
Thank you for continuing the discussion, I also tremble at His word we are just a spec compared to our God. Deuteronomy 18:15-19 This to me is fulfilled in John 1:1 the word of God in Jesus the Messiah. When Jesus was anointed the Messiah every word that Jesus said was the word of God the word of God in the flesh of His Son. Everything that was created was created by the word of God, not His Son. God said let there be, and it was.
If we read Isaiah 66:1 we cannot imagine how large God can be. He can overwhelm all of what we can imagine. In my human mind, I see His Spirit cover the earth like a dome, omnipresent, it is like an electrical grid that believers plug into, I know that may sound weird.
John 17 I will do my best to show my understanding, this is just before Jesus was going to be nailed to the cross. Verses 1-5 Jesus is praying to the Father about Himself, the Father is God, when we pray, we pray to our Father, and we relate to God as Father, through the Bible Father means God and Jesus said to His Father He is the only true God. In and through Jesus Christ we become sons and daughters of God, so we cry out Abba, Father, Galatians 4:6.
Jesus said He had finished the work the Father had given to Him and Jesus glorified His Father on earth. Jesus is now ready to face death on the cross and fulfilling the law and the prophet's, all of what Scripture had said what He would become, and Jesus was ready to take His place on the right hand of His Father, Isaiah 53:12 Jeremiah 23:5-6 2 Samuel 7:12-13 Psalm 110:4 Psalm 16:10, these are just a few verses that Jesus would have known about Himself.
In Daniel 7:13-14 Daniel had a prophetic vision of Jesus's ascension and God the Father giving His Son Jesus dominion and glory overall and giving Him the kingdom. God showed Daniel this was with God in the beginning, in God's plan but did not come to fruition until Jesus ascended in Acts 1:9.
See part 2.
Paul Washer has brought up a point often said that we should always reflect on regarding the crucifixion. Namely; the Lord's suffering was primarily because He had to take on the sins of all His elect which was far greater agony than the crucifixion. I don't have the date of the sermon I saw the other day but he also mentioned how many saints have died and rejoiced during martyrdom so that clearly Christ had a burden none of us who are believers ever will have to endure. Having the Father turn away after eternal fellowship beforehand is incomprehensible; this explains why it was a done deal when He said "it is finished". For all eternity in the future He will be exalted and no longer suffer as He did for that brief moment in history.
This situation is the ultimate mind bender to comprehend. How could God be angry with His Son who was also fully God? This was due; of course to the counsel of God or as Deuteronomy 29:29 states part of the "hidden counsel of God" which we mortals cannot peer into at least in full. He took on what we deserved; and if it weren't for this; we all would spend eternity separated from God in hell with all unregenerate sinners. To be more precise; God directed His wrath at Christ who was the sin bearer for us. In His omnipotence He surely knew that in the future His Son would be restored; resurrected and once again rule with Him.
There are no words to describe what was done in our behalf as our Redeemer.
With this in mind; when we see the incident mentioned with Ananias and Sapphira; or here admonitions that some die taking communion unworthily we certainly don't have any room for anything but humble adoration and fear of the Lord. Greiving the Spirit is something a believer can relate to; whereas the world at large has no appetite for the Lord; His love or His righteousness no matter how carefully they try to bend it to their own imaginations of a humanistic or idyllic world.
When examining this covenant promising the land to Abraham (actually to his descendants eventually who would actually own the land) starting in Genesis 15; we notice that what this had in common with Adam's covenant was the fact that the recipient was put into a deep sleep; in neither case did either party have anything to do with it; it was therefore God swearing by Himself (again showing in the Trinity there was more than one witness involved; perhaps alluded to in Deut. 19:15; Heb. 6:13).
Genesis 16:18-33 we have the famous interchange between Abraham and the Lord over the matter of preserving Lot if there were 50 righteous men; down to the total of 10 where Abraham finally stopped nagging God on the subject for the lack of a better description. Here we have a perfect example of chastisement of Lot during the ensuing judgment where he later escapes as through through the skin of his teeth. Abraham no doubt was considering this situation as it is unlikely anyone else in that wicked place would be on his mind. We also see through the two angels that went on to see if things were as reported to God the idea of authority; and the fact that God cannot look onto sin.
In the situation of Moses pleading with God not to destroy everyone in the wilderness and start a new nation through Moses
in Deuteronomy 9:14 the Lord actually says to leave Him alone to do this. We can take this as rhetoric to initiate a response; but this apparent conflict with sovereignty is our problem not God's: we haven't the right to bend scripture around things that seem out of character in our minds. This should give us insight into how the Godhead operates; again Christ's sacrifice keeps us from the wrath of God and His role in the Godhead was clearly distinct from the Father. It shows clearly that God wants us to remind Him of His covenant; that is good application to a marriage struggle when praying for healing and restoration.
Even the "Shema Yisrael" (Deuteronomy 6:4,5) is Israel's central belief & affirmation on the singularity of God's Person, & any suggestion of a 'compound' Nature of God would be anathema. Also Isaiah 53:1-12 and Isaiah 9:6,7 references to a coming Messiah, which should clearly reveal the Divine Nature of a Coming One, is discarded by them, then & now. So, anything of a Triune God must be rejected by the Jew, & only the operation of God by His Spirit (i.e. God revealing Himself & working before them) should be acceptable to them (e.g. Psalm 51:10,11; Isaiah 11:2; & many others). As believers though, we can see the Triune God in operation in the whole Bible, but Israel is blinded to this Truth & their hearts hardened.
When Jesus came & spoke (e.g. John 16:27,28; John 17:5), He declared His Divine Nature, that which was not revealed before. So your reference ( Matthew 22:32), speaks primarily of the One Nature of God; but to those who believe, having received salvation through Jesus Christ, know that the God of Abraham, Isaac, & Jacob was always the Triune God, Who would one day manifest Himself fully to a needy world: God's Word first by the prophets, now given through His Word made flesh ( Hebrews 1:1-3) . What Israel knew of the One God then, should have revealed the full Nature of a Triune God at the appearance of their Messiah. But their eyes were blinded & hearts hardened. Therefore, as Christians, I believe that we should see God (in the OT & NT) as a Triune God, manifesting Himself also as His Word and His Spirit going forth to accomplish His Will over His creation.
Part 3.
WHAT MADE SABBATH "HOLY "
The essence of Sabbath-keeping was physical rest. In Exodus 20:8-11 and Deuteronomy 5:12-15, the Sabbath command specifies rest from labor as the way to keep the day "holy." There is no mention of going to a worship service each Sabbath. Other passages in the Old Testament also define the Sabbath by rest, not by attendance at worship services. See Exodus 31:12-17, Numbers 15:32, Nehemiah 13:15-22 and Jeremiah 17:19-27. The latter two passages, though they refer to Jerusalem, do not mention anything about failure to attend worship services or "sacred assemblies," but only work on the Sabbath as a desecration of this day.
An interesting study is to look up the word "Sabbath" in a concordance, find all the Old Testament references and then read those passages to see how this day was kept "holy." The conclusion will be that rest from labor is what made the Sabbath sacred time, not attendance at a worship service. Most Israelites lived too far from the tabernacle to attend a worship service every Sabbath - and there is no evidence in the Old Testament that they did. And the law did not allow them to assemble anywhere else for worship. Nor do we find commands even for people near the Tabernacle that they had to gather for worship. The Sabbath was kept at home, by resting.
There is no mention in Old Testament passages that attending a worship service on the Sabbath is a way of keeping this day holy. The way the Sabbath was sanctified, made holy or set apart as sacred was through physical rest from labor. All the Old Testament references to Sabbath observance in Israel speak to this point. There is no Old Testament theology of weekly Sabbath holiness that centers around attendance at "holy convocations."
See Part 4.
Part 2.
Let us look at whether Christians must attend "holy convocations" on the Sabbath. If we are to understand what Leviticus 23:3 might mean in its context, we have to know something about the manner of communal worship in Israel under the old covenant. The national corporate worship had to occur in the place that God designated as a central worship site. Originally, this was at the Tabernacle, and after Solomon's time, at the Temple in Jerusalem.
We can see an explicit instruction about the place to worship in Deuteronomy: "You are to seek the place the Lord your God will choose from among all your tribes to put his Name there for his dwelling. To that place you must go" (12:4). See also verses 11, 14, 17-18, and 26. This command to worship only at a designated location is also seen in Deuteronomy 16, which lists the annual festivals. See verses 5, 7, 11, and 16, among others.
The reasons for this were numerous. One consideration was that Israel should not alter the worship format and purpose that God had given the nation; otherwise they would easily lapse into worship that was directed to pagan deities. We can see how this happened in the wilderness when Moses left the people to receive the stone tablets ( Exodus 32), and when Israel broke politically from Judah and set up its own religious system, including new worship formats, places and times ( 1 Kings 12:25-33).
See Part 3.
There is a time and place for starting in Genesis and working our way to Revelation (even if not always strictly chronological books in the 66 books of the Bible). We can look at the varous "dispensations" (ignoring the controversy on the subject) when we see the time of innocence at Creation; the time of the law (from written in men's hearts and early sacrifices to the full delivery of the formal written commandments in Deuteronomy) to the age of grace (or church age which we are currently in) to the Millennium (again ignoring the Post Mil adherants and others to that persuasion) and finally of course eternity itself. Another way of looking at this process is through the lens of Covenant theology which I would argue isn't necessarily mutually exclusive to dispensations.
The next thing we can do is study the history involved with scripture. This is enhanced by studying other literature and archaeological accounts as well as other texts referred to in the Bible that aren't in the KJV Bible today. Some include the book of Enoch which have quotations in the book of Jude but we don't have a correct version of today that doesn't clash with the rest of the Bible in some way. We also have other books mentioned which clearly contained further wisdom literature such as Proverbs; and even a secular writing Paul referred to during his sermon on Mars Hill in the book of Acts. World archaeology and geologic evidence is particularly convincing with the story of Sodom and Gomorrah (with pure sufer balls found in the area by Ron Wyatt and others more recently in that area of the world); as well as the flood of Noah (which are mentioned in books such as the Epic of Gilgamesh and throughout legends of tribes in all continents of the world.) We also have the many giant structures that cannot be explained with high technology (Pyramids) and all over the world as well. That proves the story of Genesis 6.
Acts 20:7 makes clear that gathering of the saints occurred on the first day of the week to bolster the collection made according to 1 Corinthians 16:2. The prescident is really from the fact that Christ fulfilled Pentacost which was the 8th day of the week (or Sunday) in the O.T. times was celebrated 50 days after the Passover.
Since we are not to have certain days to be held above others as Romans 14:5-6 indicates; we have no right to dictate either Saturday or Sunday for worship as I see it. Again; the Old Testament command was for Israel specifically as anyone in the land who disrespected the Sabbath was severely punished (see Deuteronomy 5:14). Other laws in the Old Testament such as marriage were clearly upheld even with pagan societies (as we see with the case of John the Baptist when he was imprisoned for contesting with the marriage status of a secular leader married to his brother's wife). Murder was evident with Cain well before the law came out. The fact is that Saturday worship can no longer be as it was without the sacrifices and other ordinances of the O.T. times which have been gone since the temple was destroyed in 70 AD. Christ is our Passover now ( 1 Corinthians 5:7) and the Son of Man is Lord of the Sabbath ( Matthew 12:8).
We also need to consider what Paul stated to those who were coming from pagan societies. He said in Acts 15:29 to avoid eating blood; or strangled animals (often done in pagan rituals) as well as sexual immorality. If Saturday worship was required you would expect something would be mentioned as all other things in the Commandments which are throughout the New Testament in the Gospels and Epistles.
There are further concerns with Adventist doctrines and Ellen White which I am not going to get into detail here; but this often is an added reason for this and other issues of contention. I agree that the edict of Milan enforcing Sunday worship is wrong also.
8. Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy.
9. Six days shalt thou labour, and do all thy work:
10. But the seventh day is the sabbath of the LORD thy God: in it thou shalt not do any work, thou, nor thy son, nor thy daughter, thy manservant, nor thy maidservant, nor thy cattle, nor thy stranger that is within thy gates:
11. For in six days the LORD made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that in them is, and rested the seventh day: wherefore the LORD blessed the sabbath day, and hallowed it. (The original Greek word for hallowed is "qadash" meaning to set apart or consecrate.)
As you can see, there is nothing here about drinking wine, although you can. But this day was given specifically
for rest, not food and fellowship. But doing it that way is good. To me it is a given for us to worship God and fellowship on our day of rest.
I do whole heartly agree with this that you said: "As He is with us every day without exception , so should we be aware of Him every day and always be trying to do only those things that we know are pleasing to Him ." Being a true Christian means a 100% commitment to our Lord - including obeying ALL his commandments because the 4th is for our physical, mental and spiritual good; to rest every week on the seventh day. The church has somehow abandoned this command of God and seems to think He doesn't care, but how can we justify keeping the other's and discarding this one? Even if the early church did start worshipping on the first day of the week after the crucifixion of Jesus (they didn't) they were also being disobedient to God's commandment and at that time in history would have been severely punished by the Jews because they would have been breaking the sabbath. God Bless:)
The only offensive weapon in Ephesians 6 is the sword of the Spirit. Today's megachurches have tended to make things into a sideshow by defining success as someone with a lot of possessions. Indeed God CAN honor a prayer regarding material things but it is unwise and naive to ignore verses such as Deuteronomy 17:17; for it can lead to total apostasy later when greed takes over.
Playing games to underestimate the intensity of the evil we face does no one any favors either. Those who would be hesitant to warn sinners of their grievous state and need of repentance so as not to "offend" anyone are probably the same ones who downplay how serious the conflict is with the demonic horde under Satan that have pretty well taken over society; and worse the church in a large part making those who want to engage in serious battle seem like they are outcasts. Worse still there are many who look at Satan as somehow ruling over hell (as opposed to perhaps guarding Hades in the past as seen in those held captive described in Psalm 68:18). Men are blinded because of their own sin but 2 Corinthians 4:4 shows how Satan is the agent the Lord allows to keep men in this state. Part of praying for someone may indeed be for the enemy to cause enough misery for them to cry out to the Lord; this seems commonplace for those who are Prodigal type individuals.
We see when multiple people in particular persevere in prayer for someone things often eventually happen. For those who won't respond; often they are taken away and we never have contact with them again. We don't have the luxury of knowing if anyone has another day on this earth; but we do know the Lord will save all of His elect.
Also; of course the praiseworthy attributes of God's Holiness; power; might; honor and glory should be acclaimed with conviction. This comes from TRUE worship in song and scripture reading. It also comes from a broken and contrite heart ( Ps 51
The Israelites were indeed reminded that the LORD God was always near to them - with them; and yet they should have known (or, maybe it wasn't revealed to them at that stage), that this God is also known by His compound Name, YHWH-Shammah: "The LORD Who is Present". And this we see in Ezekiel 48:35, the very last statement in the very last verse of Ezekiel's prophecy (which is generally understood to refer to Israel's existence in the Millennial Kingdom; Ezekiel chapters 40 to 48).
In that verse, the Hebrew reads, "wasem ha-ir mi-yowm Yahweh sammah" ('and the name of the city from (that) day (shall be) YAHWEH (is) THERE'). Israel of old knew that God was with them by all His marvelous Works yet they still resorted to the flesh & idolatry. But the day will come when they will truly know Him as Yahweh Shammah, the LORD Who is present, with them, very near to them, for Christ Jesus their Messiah will be the Lord Whom they will know & Who will rule over them (also speaks of Christ's indivisible Deity). And what we, as those who have now received Christ's Spirit in our hearts, know Him in a personal way & a powerful Presence in our lives, still remain to them as a distant hope & a vain search, all the while clouded in disbelief, darkness, & rejection of their Messiah's first coming. Thank you for reminding us that the LORD has never left us - He has constantly been involved in all our affairs, even though at times in our personal & global existence, He might appear absent. But unto 'us who believe, He is precious' & we ought to live in such a manner befitting His Name, 'the LORD Who is Present with(in) us'.
Christ's argument is: If your law calls judges gods, why should I be held guilty of blasphemy for saying that I am the Son of God?
As per the other argument trying to discredit the word "one" sounds like your argument is that one doesn't really mean one, because Jesus used it to describe believers being one. I don't see how being one in unity as Christ's body somehow means that all the Bible verses about Jesus being God and divine suddenly don't apply? The verse about the Father and Son being one is only one of MANY verses competing the picture. The Bible already says Jesus the Word is God so how can you disregard that?
God: "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God." John 1:1 KJV
You: Word was "NOT" God?
"Then said they unto him, Where is thy Father? Jesus answered, Ye neither know me, nor my Father: if ye had known me, ye should have known my Father also." John 8:19 KJV
Have you thought about how your belief reconciles with verses like this above?
Isaiah 7:14 -
Yes, Jesus is called Immanuel which means "God with us". People called Jesus "God". He's King of King and Lord of Lords. Alpha and Omega, first and last. Do you believe Jesus is Lord? I believe that is a requirement for even being a Christian. A Christ follower should know who Christ is.
1 John 5:7-8
John 10:30
John 8:19
Genesis 1:26
Genesis 11:6-7 (plural "us" which includes Jesus, as per John 1:1)
Philippians 2:5-8
2 Corinthians 5:19
John 1:3
Matthew 28:19
1 Peter 1:2
2 Corinthians 13:14
Deuteronomy 6:4
John 14:10
John 20:28
1 John 2:22-24
Matthew 1:23-25
Colossians 2:9
Acts 17:29
Romans 1:20
Isaiah 7:14
Hebrews 1:8
Isaiah 44:6
Isaiah 43:11
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