Having explored with gravity the situation of those afflicted with emotional problems of darkness and depression we also have to look at other things such as anger; and euphoria. I cannot emphasize enough this point that I am about to make; there is NO love like God's and what His saints will share in heaven and on the new earth for all eternity. Of course Satan will stop at nothing to find ways to circumvent God's laws particularly related to marriage to find a "soulmate" on earth. Without going once again into the subject of what is considered a legitimate marriage; I will leave it at this; a marriage in the Lord is part of God's community and Christ's body on earth. While the struggle with desires of the flesh isn't something unusual; the fact that many who already in theory should be having their needs met are looking to find grass that's greener elsewhere is a peculiar trait to human beings. Somehow we think that we can shortcut God's plan; looking at Abraham and Sarah we see how well that worked when she pushed Hagar on him after the fact. The fact that some seem to find better success finding their future spouse in a bar than even an online "Christian" dating service is telling; and it seems a foreign concept to expect the Lord to provide someone simply by obediently attending church (although the demographics in my church for example are more to old folks like myself).
Looking beyond trying to find love in all the wrong places; we often forget that our other emotions (jealousy; rage; anger and other bad fruits) often get in the way of reaching out to others for a viable friendship so that anything more is snuffed out at the inception. Again; it is our own deception that makes us think we can change someone after we marry them. I would STRONGLY advise premarital counsel in the church to avoid what happened to me (a divorce after 25 years of marriage).
Mathew 18:20 says "For where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them."
A relationship with Christ Is not private, but communal, and the center of a person's relationship with Jesus is in the church. (Not necessarily the local Church but in the presence of other believers.
Read Hebrews 10:16-25.
We are to respond to his invitation and follow Jesus' example of how to live and treat others, giving him first place in your daily life.
A Desciples is someone who follows one's teachings.
In our rebirth Christ gave us his Spirit to guide us out of darkness.
Christ is faithful and said he will never leave you so your faith should be in his work on the cross not your baptism.
We pray to God for strength and wisdom and turn from the things that hinder us.
A Christian can not continue in sin!
God is love but he also is a righteous Judge.
He is rich in mercy forgiving iniquity, transgression and sin, and that will by no means clear the guilty;
Our salvation hangs on God's promise once we have believed on his son, Christ Jesus!
Have you truly trusted him in his finish work on the cross?
If so we are persuaded to love his precepts the Brothern.
PUNISHMENT OF THE ANCIENT AND CORRUPT CHURCH OF ROME FROM NOW ON -THE ANTICHRIST'S CRADLE
Revelation 18:1-5
1And after these things I saw another angel come down from heaven,having great power;and the earth was lightened with his glory.
2And he cried mightily voice,saying,Babylon the great is fallen,is fallen,and is become the habitation of devils,and the hold of every foul spirit,and a cage of every unclean and hateful bird
3For all nations have drunk of the wine of the wrath of her fornication,and the kings of the earth have committed fornication with her and the merchants of the earth are waxed rich through the abundance of her delicacies
4Come out of her,my people,that ye be not partakers of her sins,and that ye receive not of her PLAGUES
5For her sins have reached unto heaven,GOD hath remembered her iniquities
In my foresee,I wrote in another site at April 19,2021-Death of Pope Francis-it must happen soon,until 2024 at the latest,no more.
- The Beast of the earth(of Israel-the clay-Is.64:8)with two horns LIKE A LAMB rises up-Re.13:11
-Election of the a new Pope-his nickname may be Paulus VII(?)
-The Beast of the earth LIKE A LAMB manifests himself as God in Israel;in fact a false messiah,an esoteric,and kabbalistic and spiritist false messiah; John 5:43-47
-The kabbalistic false messiah of the Jews,Beast of the earth, makes great signs and wonders of lie,even makes fire come down to the earth before men;(things of spiritism)
-The Pope(Paulus VII?)will meet the Beast like lamb;
-Both will develop a union between the RCC and Judaism,iron with clay-Dan.2:41-43,but they shall not cleave one to another, as iron is not mixed with clay;
-A religious and universal satanic Empire will be build by both religious leaders;Re.11:1-2;
-The esoteric Beast of the earth will make a deal with the Beast of sea and will give to the Beast of sea his Power,his Throne and great Authority-Re.13:2.The Antichrist's Empire is conceived by both Beasts.Then begins the last week-Dan.9:27
"But after that I am risen, I will go before you into Galilee."
The Spirit presents us a seemingly minor detail but it has a great spiritual importance. For one association of the Son is set there. Fellowship of God was not with any other than his Son. Whosoever believed in him were blessed in his Son (Ep.1:3).As Word become flesh the twelve apostles were men chosen by the Father was recorded in the scriptures. Joseph did not choose Galilee but God the Father chose it for his Son."Being warned of God in a dream, he (Joseph) turned aside into the parts of Galilee:/And he came and dwelt in a city called Nazareth: that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophets, He shall be called a Nazarene." (Matt.2:22-23).
Nazareth is a small town in the hill country of Galilee while Jerusalem belongs to Judea.
Most of his disciples were from Galilee so we have this hint from the Holy Spirit why he went beforehand into Galilee
Secondly Jesus 'shall so come in like manner as you have seen him go' is already mentioned by Prophet Ezekiel."And when the prince shall enter, he shall go in by the way of the porch ofthatgate, and he shall go forth by the way thereof."(Ez.46:8)
"Behold, two men stood by them in white apparel;/Which also said, Ye men of Galilee, why stand ye gazing up into heaven? this same Jesus, which is taken up from you into heaven, shall so come in like manner as ye have seen him go into heaven."(Ac.1:10-11). He however warned his disciples not to leave Jerusalem is for no other reason than setting coordinates of his throne in heaven with 'his body" and the right hand of the most high in heaven is called New Jerusalem. Consequently the city of the great King (Matt.5:35) fits nicely with David from whose loins his humanity took shape. David calls him his Lord , the Lord of lords and King of kings. (Re.19:16)
By literal approach do we really get the role of place names right?
The three points you make are sound. Serving God according to the grace given to me I serve in my 80+years. I work with more zeal because the word of God that I read as child,- and still read as the word meant for our spiritual food; so whatever insights I receive daily I share in this forum. I have a word ministry to which I am equally devoted. Am I looking for readers. No I am not. It is God to whom I am committed my life so I leave what is not in my control alone. Let every one looks to his/her own salvation.
A little leaven leaveneth the whole lump. ( Galatians 5:9).
And he shall turn the heart of the fathers to the children, and the heart of the children to their fathers, lest I come and smite the earth with a curse. ( Malachi 4:6)
The first verse serves as a warning for any so called "revivals"; the last is related to the end times witness of Elijah and probably John the Baptist as a forerunner in his time. A church consists as any other element of society of individuals and a collective group and the sum is greater than its parts at least in the case of a healthy church. If we study the Laodiceans in particular however we could say the opposite; that the power is truly only in the hands of a few that will receive a reward; and/or make the Rapture (at least for those who are deceiving themselves as to having saving faith).
One major concept that needs to be grasped is that we are all as the Body of Christ working for the same goal and should find ways to work with different local and international ministries that are preaching truth. There of course needs to be careful consideration for any signs of associations with those ministries that clearly have spurious doctrines about key theological issues. In general the vision should focus on fulfilling the Great Commission rather than always planning on grandiose and exorbitant construction of new facilities; conferences etc. To help discipleship efforts within and without must be a key priority. Leadership needs to be open to the Spirit's leading in regard to changes and transitions in the future; having competent financial accounting but not making a corporate business structure the chief pursuit. Short term mission trips are great for youth especially; as well as having missionaries come visit home churches and do witnessing in our country as well. Group efforts in sharing the Gospel on a regular basis should be a foundation as well.
God is good. Love my City job. Absolutely. Will never leave Utah again. Well unless God finds me a Godly man in need of a Godly women.! My son isn't speaking to me. He needs prayer. Remember, last year, he said he could no longer deny Christ? Well, he may not be satanic anymore yet his belief system is out of wack. For one, he isn't for Trump, he wants to move to Brazil to get away from 5g towers (what ever that is) & he is a flat earther.! Prayers for sure. If your ever on YTube I go by Texsistwister. Yet only watch Godly sites for most part. Pray all's well w/you.!
Hello Dear Brother it's good to hear from you and to be able to speak to you through this forum . I'm sorry for your present circumstances and hope and pray that they will improve soon . It must be very difficult for you to try to live your life in a way that is acceptable to God in your situation . Keep doing your best and always pray to God to thank Him for what you do have and to ask Him to help you to know the best choices to make to improve your condition . He is always with you and will never leave you so cling to Him tight every day He will get you through this trying time .
Looking over the horizon I am suddenly made aware of the controversy; like today's earthquakes in our part of the country which if were over open water would cause a Tsunami (if they were a lot stronger). It seems necessary to navigate through the seas in regard to what VERSION of scripture we should use; but I will swim out far enough and; as with an undertow attempt to go sideways as not to be dragged under.
Okay; facing it head on; I think most of us agree the KJV is the best study version of scripture to use; and I simply will leave all the aftershocks of the debate a couple months back about those dogmatic that it is the only inspired version of scripture for others to bring up as it seems inevitable that it will. I simply want to repeat that ancient Greek in particular has MORE THAN ONE descriptive adjective that can be used in English to get the full meaning thus it CANNOT be translated word for word without jumping around and causing much confusion. I will also say (risking the uproar) that sometimes other versions may have another word that helps to more clearly describe the original text. Now; if we can get past what I hope to be a 90 second event and move on....
Other sources can be used (commentaries; concordances; history books; sermon readings and interpretations of scripture) but enough can usually be understood in the Bible that we have at least a fair comprehension of God's Word. His commands are not grievous ( 1 John 5:3) and that should also mean they aren't overly complex to understand; cumbersome or voluminous. The concept of loving God and our neighbor as ourself ( Mark 12:30-31) sums up the law and should be the primary motivation; mindset and state of our heart and soul when the love of Christ constrains us ( 2 Cor. 5:14-19).
Starting with concordances; I am probably going to leave it to the audience to recommend the top ones. I have found some Bibles have cross references that are baffling.
Reading scriptures: Part One of main study how NOT to read the Bible
In previous postings I have discussed many different applications to the scripture. In reality an atheist can gain much from an academic exercise in a literary study as anyone else to deduce historical narratives that correspond with archaeology or an English professor can find beauty in the acrostic patterns of poetry in the Psalms and other hidden places in scripture.
Luke 12:48-50 indicates that more is required to those given much (my paraphrasing). If we are searching for truth it is one thing; but if we claim we are Christians and want to play games cherry picking to avoid tough verses related to our conduct; or just seeking "pleasant" scripture snippets then we are doing what one well known media advertises (I'll leave that to the audience to figure that out). I am convinced one of the most dangerous trends are those who are knowingly living in rebellion and yet claiming "authority" to "name and claim; blab and grab; etc". Promises in scripture are conditional; and even those that are UNCONDITIONAL related to promises in the New Covenant are based on HIS accepting us in the beloved ( Ephesians 1:6). However you slice it on terminology related to Predestination or "free will" it is clear that God chooses to reveal His Son to the elect ( Matthew 11:27). Just WHO the elect is; and whether God determines that ahead of time to those who will respond is beyond the scope of this study. The same idea is related to the PLAN of salvation; all those saved come to Christ the same way whether we consider the plan in general or the individual conforming to it. In short we only come to Christ one way through the Son; and as Romans 10:9 states that involves a verbal affirmation and a heart change which truly loves and embraces the Lord. Godly sorrow is associated with repentance; worldly sorrow leads to death ( 2 Cor. 7:10).
Thank you, I made chronological charts years back and I know how hard it is and how much time it takes, considering the different texts like the Hebrew Masoretic, Greek Septuagint, and others.
And other things like the age of Terah when Abram/Abraham was born in Genesis 11:26 he is 70 years old, in Genesis 11:32 Terah was 205 years old when he died. In Genesis 12:1-4 it sounds like Abram/Abraham left Haran after his father died when he was 75 years old. We have to consider did he leave before or after Terah died that would make a 60-year difference. Thanks again.
In vv.13-14 we have Jesus cursing the fig tree. Only Mark gives this piece of information,"and when he came to it, he found nothing but leaves; for the time of figs was not yet." Cf. Matt.21:19. This has raised many eyebrows from the believers for the simple reason that there is an everlasting covenant which has nothing to do with natural laws; neither has it any relevance to the fall of man and the consequential fall out. When God commanded "And every tree, in the which is the fruit of a tree yielding seed; to you it shall be for meat," (Ge.1:29) was vis-a vis his Son. The blessing would have passed on to Adam if he had continued obeying his Will. The fig tree failed to know that the rightful heir. Secondly God gave each man and tree a body so the glory of both are answerable to Him. Here also the fig tree failed.
The Gospel of St Mark is especial for the reason that the life of Jesus is set as the validation of the Messianic prophecies, for instance the divine Will,"Rule thou in the midst of thine enemies,"(Ps.110:1-3). Accordingly God has prepared everything to augur success in his ministry which is to be accomplished both in his humanity but also in heaven. Consequently his entry into Jerusalem is designated as a triumphal entry. At the heart of his ministry is the eternal word. So the evangelist piles up several instances underpinning the assertion of Jesus," Before Abraham was, I am." . We shall study this chapter from this angle.
"And they went their way, and found the colt tied by the door without in a place where two ways met; and they loose him." Jesus sent two disciples to Bethphage and the colt was to be found 'in a place where two ways met,' This resonates in his affirmation "I am the way". The colt has never been tried on and it has been reserved for the master's service. The mention of the door evokes the saying of the Good Shepherd. "I am the door."( John 10:7,9)
St Mark informs us in.v.11 that he went to the temple first time and saw for himself and second visit was to cleanse the temple itself. (vv.15-17) This runs parallel with his own advent and he shall slay the wicked when he appears second time. ("and he shall smite the earth with the rod of his mouth, and with the breath of his lips shall he slay the wicked."-Is.11:3-4;Re.19:15) Only Mark gives two visits to the temple foreshadowing two Advents where the second is as the King of kings and Lord of lords.
In vv.13-14 we have Jesus cursing the fig tree. Only Mark gives this,"and when he came to it, he found nothing but leaves; for the time of figs was not yet." Is it out of sync with rest of the narrative?
God made his Son in charge "And every tree, in the which is the fruit of a tree yielding seed; to you it shall be for meat." (Ge.1:28)
God's uniqueness is related to His being Creator; with the original creation of man and the new creation resulting in a glorified body after sanctification. His characteristics no doubt prove man's uniqueness in creation as well. Only man can act as an architect; craftsman and have a mindset for the future as compared with the animal kingdom.
It seems as though evidences of God in every physical entity from the atom to the entire universe is great enough that no further study is needed. If this is a subject of interest perhaps someone can leave a comment and I will look into the most recent scientific data from a Creationist's perspective.
"And he cometh to Bethsaida; and they bring a blind man unto him, and besought him to touch him./ And he took the blind man by the hand, and led him out of the town"
In Ch.6 :45 we find that after Feeding the Five Thousand Jesus sent his disciples by a ship on the sea of Galilee while he took time out to pray. The miracle of walking on water occurs here. Bethsaida may be the epitome of wicked and adulterous generation Jesus refers to in Ch.8:11-13 "And the Pharisees came forth, and began to question with him, seeking of him a sign from heaven, tempting him./ And he sighed deeply in his spirit, and saith, Why doth this generation seek after a sign? verily I say unto you, There shall no sign be given unto this generation." This also happens about the same lake. St Mark uses the stilling of the boisterous sea by Jesus for a purpose. "And he went up unto them into the ship; and the wind ceased." (6:51) The troubled sea refers to the wicked world and Bethsaida was condemned for their rejection of the Son. For this reason Jesus laid the blind man out of the town.
So what lesson do we take from the healing of the blind? He looks up and saw men walking as trees; isn't this how false teachers declare prosperity and their active faith the means to make them richer? "And he charged them, saying, Take heed, beware of the leaven of the Pharisees, and of the leaven of Herod."(8:15). Man of flesh and blood cannot enter the kingdom of heaven. So Christ lays his hand again upon him,"After that he put his hands again upon his eyes, and made him look up: and he was restored, and saw every man clearly." When we see Christian nationalism and culture wars about us be certain their blindness is no less.
Bethsaida was renamed as Julia as a sop to the Imperial Rome by the grandson of Herod but it's was condemned to be wiped off from the face of the earth. It is just another name for the cities so judged and named in Re.11:8.
This is my THIRD attempt as I keep wiping myself off the screen. I won't place the warning supporting verses here but will leave a short comment instead.
I will state first off that none of us can afford to be glib about this subject. Even God Himself has no pleasure in the death of the wicked (let the reader look that one up in Ezekiel; don't want to lose this page again searching myself....)
We can't comprehend the horror of hell; nor tolerate even the thought. We are; nonetheless according to the end of Isaiah 66 going to find an abhorrance of those in punishment; whether that represents the Millennial viewpoint or that in the eternal lake of fire. Again there are no words to express this state of the wicked upon death; we can only look to Christ and be thankful knowing what we are saved from.
Sin is like a progressive disease; and so is abandonment of correct doctrine such as denying the literal hell and then cherry picking what seems best to us from the Bible and disregarding the rest. That technically makes us a DEIST; much the same as Benjamin Franklin who I believe cut pages out from scripture that didn't suit his mindset. Even as believers we can't ultimately stop physical death; which is a secondary result of our sinful nature; even though we are transformed and in the process of sanctification until receiving new bodies we are only as a vapor in our earthly tabernacle.
Anyway before I forget I am going to say to everyone have a blessed commemoration of Christ's death and celebration of the Resurrection this Sunday.
Continuing on the Revelation 21:8 warnings of those in hell we see this category. This would no doubt encompass ALL types of sexual immorality; whether fornication or adultery which are two categories deliberately separated in many scriptures as different types of sin. I am not going to use this forum to go into in length my viewpoint on adulterous marriages; but will say that unless that is what is referred to it seems a lot harder to categorize a lifestyle of sin as committing adultery than it would to say someone likes to fornicate a lot (sleep around). There may be a few sick folks who deliberately want the thrill of having a fling with a married person but for the sake of their own security and simple convenience they probably will find it easier much of the time having relatinships with unmarried or "available" women. Therefore I have to deduce it is indeed adulterous marriages referred to; and that of a state of continuing sin as long as a relationship isn't a true covenant before God. I'll leave it to the readers to study the verses on the subject and the so called "exception or escape clause"; something I have studied in great detail but don't want to raise friction with on this site. Before moving on; I will note that adultery meant an instant death penalty in the Old Testament according to the law (if proven by witnesses and both parties should be present hence invalidating the presentation of John 8:1-11.) Fornication is a different penalty in O.T. law. Also there can be people who are prostitutes or just generally immoral as related to the term "whoremongers". The end result of LIFESTYLES of any of these sins is hell; which is a warning to someone calling themselves a believer who doesn't turn away from sin when making a verbal confirmation of repentance. Of course ANY sin leads us to hell; hence we are all doomed without His atoning sacrifice. Therefore all lost fit into one or more of these descriptions in Revelation 21:8
Regarding your question: "Is anyone up for discussing God's eternal purpose?" (question mark added):
The use of the word "eternal" is appropriate because everything regarding God is "eternal" and I might add "perfect". Nothing He does is limited by time, due to His omnipresence. He's never done anything in the past or future. Anything He creates always has and always will be exactly as He created it NOW. God did not do anything yesterday, nor tomorrow.
His PURPOSE is always creation NOW, extended and shared always NOW, never wavering, changing, or ceasing. What He creates is fully created and created perfect Now for eternity. He does not acknowledge time, thus not bound by time's laws. He creates in His Own Likeness, i.e. of like quality; and in His Own Image, i.e. His Own Thought. We are the Thought of God, and He retains His extensions of His Thoughts (you, us) in His Mind. And thoughts can never leave their Source.
God created us to extend His Thoughts. As God created us, this is actually our natural God given ability; yet extending God's Love can be put off temporarily, resulting from believing in lies told us by our own self-serving ego.
Only beings of like order can truly communicate, which is why Jesus APPEARED as human flesh. Yet ONLY minds can truly communicate, and communication with the Mind of God Who is SPIRIT (not a body) is life. God created every mind by communicating His mind to it. Again, communication with God is Life.
God created you to create. It is His PURPOSE and WILL. His Will and purpose be done because there is no other will or purpose that can usurp His power. It does not exist in His Mind, but only in the minds of the insane (myself included). Is it difficult to accept the law of creation that you love your creations as your self because they are literally a part of you? If so, we should be joyful Love creates Itself and NOTHING but Itself. We should not perceive ourselves in any other light.
Traditions are practices, customs, or rituals that are passed down from generation to generation.
Truth refers to unbiassed reality, the correct representation of facts, it surpasses personal opinions or feelings.
Easter Sunday is a holiday celebrated by millions of people around the world who honor the resurrection of Jesus Christ. Easter is also the day that many children excitedly wait for the Easter Bunny to arrive and deliver their treats of baskets filled with chocolate, eggs, and stuffed rabbits.
Easter is a holiday that is now chosen to correspond with the first Sunday following the first full moon after the spring equinox unless the full moon falls on a Sunday then it would be the next Sunday. Passover is now not considered in selecting the day. The Jewish feast that was the same day Jesus resurrected that most overlook is the Feast of First Fruits even though Jesus is the First Fruits of them that slept.
There are many myths about Easter, but all come from pagan sun worship and their festivals correspond with the sun's equinoxes. The ascension of Christ and Pentecost has been changed to 40 days from Easter and 50 days from Easter not from the first day after the Sabbath after Passover day.
Easter was originally called Resurrection Morning which was the Feast of First Fruits, the first day after the sabbath day after Passover during the Feast of unleavened bread, this is the first day in counting the days of the seven sabbaths of the Feasts of Weeks, that has been replaced with traditions of Good Friday, two days in the grave, sunrise services, Ezekiel 8:15-16, bunnies, colored eggs, baskets, pretty hats and dresses.
Does the Bible tell us what day Jesus was crucified? Yes, Jesus is our Passover and for Him to fulfill the Feasts it would have to be exactly as the first Passover. The lambs were taken up on the 10th and killed on the evening before the sunset on the 14th of Nisan, Exodus 12:1-6.
In John 12:1-16 this is 6 days before Passover and Jesus rides into Jerusalem the next day which would be the 10th, the day the lambs are taken up five days before Passover day which is called today Palm Sunday.
Each day is recorded in Matthew 21 through Matthew 27:56Mark 11:1 through Mark 15:41Luke 19:28 through Luke 23:49John 12:1 through John 19:37.
On the 1st day of the week, we call Sunday, Jesus rode into Jerusalem and returned to Bethany in the evening to lodge.
The second day shows Jesus going to Jerusalem and returning to Bethany.
The third day is two days before Passover Matthew 26:2Mark 14:1.
On the fourth day, Judas makes the deal to betray Jesus and toward the end of the day, the disciples ask him where he wants them to prepare to eat the Passover. God commanded it to be eaten inside the city walls but they did not eat the Passover, Luke 22:15-16.
When the sun went down the fourth day what we call Wednesday is the beginning of Passover day the 14th of Nisan the day the Passover lambs are killed, Mark 14:12Luke 22:7. What confuses things is then and now Passover day and the Feast of Unleavened Bread is referred to as an eight-day feast. Passover day is a preparation day for the seven-day feast of Unleavened Bread not part of the seven-day feast.
The lambs were killed on the 14th in the evening, the time when the sun starts to go down, any time after noon and before the sun sets. The Passover is eaten the night of the 15th the first day of the seven-day feast which is a holy convocation/Sabbath Exodus 12:8 the same night they went out of Egypt not on Passover day.
The Lord's Supper and the crucifixion were on Passover day the fifth day from when Jesus rode into Jerusalem which would make that the 5th day of the week we call Thursday.
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.
22) And I saw no temple therein: for the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb are the temple of it. 23) And the city had no need of the sun, neither of the moon, to shine in it: for the glory of God did lighten it, and the Lamb is the light thereof. 24)And the nations of them which are saved shall walk in the light of it: and the kings of the earth do bring their glory and honour into it. 25) And the gates of it shall not be shut at all by day: for there shall be no night there. 26) And they shall bring the glory and honour of the nations into it. 27) And there shall in no wise enter into it any thing that defileth, neither whatsoever worketh abomination, or maketh it a lie: but they which are written in the Lamb's book of life.
Revelations: 22: 1-7:
1) And he shewed me a pure river of water of life, clear as crystal, proceeding out of the throne of God and of the Lamb. 2) in the midst of the street of it, and on either side of the river, was there the tree of life, which bare twelve manner of fruits, and yielded her fruit every month: and the leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations. 3) And there shall be no more curse: but the throne of God and of the Lamb shall be in it; and his servants shall serve him: 4) And they shall see His face; and his name shall be in their foreheads. 5) And there shall be no night there; and they need no candle, neither light of the sun; for the Lord God give the them light: and they shall reign for ever and ever. 6) And he said unto me, "These sayings are faithful and true: and the Lord God of the holy prophets sent his angel to shew unto his servants the things which must shortly be done.
(verse 7 is in red) "Behold I come quickly: blessed is he that keepeth the sayings of the prophecy of this book.
In this passage the Spirit is setting two sets of families each representing the world of the Spirit and of the body. In the former world familial relationship is pendent to the covenant between God and Man, The latter is symbolic of heaven but in keeping with the body formed of the dust, it is the union of dust to dust and ashes to ashes. "For when they shall rise from the dead, they neither marry, nor are given in marriage; but are as the angels which are in heaven."(12:25; Matt.22:30). Resurrection of the dead is restoration of the covenant to its former glory where Power and glory of God renders the Man his throne so "and he will dwell with them, and they shall be his people, and God himself shall be with them, and be their God."(Re.21:3)
Thus the saying of Jesus refers to the world of the Spirit,"But be not ye called Rabbi: for one is your Master, even Christ; and all ye are brethren./And call no man your father upon the earth: for one is your Father, which is in heaven."(Matt.23:8-9)
In marriage man and woman leave their parents and they shall be one flesh, "And if ye have not been faithful in that which is another man's, who shall give you that which is your own?"( Luke 16:12; Ge.2:23)
This was provisioned for in the covenant. In Ge.1:28-29 we are shown what our Father in heaven had entrusted them with His creation. "And God blessed them, and God said unto them, Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth, and subdue it: and have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over every living thing that moveth upon the earth." This was entrusted with man in his Son. It is to this God willed and the covenant exists, and as a proof sent his only begotten Son to the world in fulness of time.
As the key verse states there is no gender difference. Only those who do the will of God.
"But he that shall blaspheme against the Holy Ghost hath never forgiveness, but is in danger of eternal damnation./ Because they said, He hath an unclean spirit."
Jesus was in a synagogue when he cast out the man with the unclean spirit. He called Jesus," Let us alone; what have we to do with thee". He was using the spirit of man so uses the plural form and tells "I know thee who thou art, the Holy One of God."(1:24-25). St Paul warned us that no one with indwelling Spirit shall say Jesus is accursed. ("Wherefore I give you to understand, that no man speaking by the Spirit of God calleth Jesus accursed: and that no man can say that Jesus is the Lord, but by the Holy Ghost."-1 Co.12:3). The unclean spirit in the man having taken over his life would not curse Jesus but only want him to leave him in peace. He showed faith in his speech, did he not, testifying,' I know thee who thou art, the Holy one of God'. This is what faith without works mean. In our times some of the so-called believers deny the deity of Jesus while not leaving it altogether, ought to warn not to have any trek with them. They are besides themselves to hold on to their belief. Their heresies and holding on to them, does not remain on a single point but becomes entangled with great many other errors. If one says, resurrection of the body is a lie, he is likely to cover it by the glory of this world. It is what the devil offered Jesus before he would preach the gospel. Christian nationalism, white evangelicalism are similarly are telltale signs of believers who simply appropriate Jesus, and their faith is the truncated tail of a lizard without the body of Christ."And Jesus rebuked him, saying, Hold thy peace, and come out of him."(1:25)
While we groan in this vile body we have a building of God eternal in heavens. So do we live both worlds as one or not? "Even so faith, if it hath not works, is dead, being alone." In thy light we see the light.
You asked this about the Apocrypha: "So if it wasn't "God inspired," how did it manage to remain between the Testaments for 270+ years?" Why the Apocrypha was included in the KJV until 1885 is a kind of mystery but it shouldn't be a cause to believe in this book as Holy Ghost inspired. What matters is this book contains some very serious false doctrines which proves it is not Holy Ghost inspired.
In 2nd Maccabees 12: 40-43 it gives credence in giving prayers and alms so that the dead can be forgiven and eventually go to heaven. After a major battle during the preparation for burial of soldiers who had died, it was discovered that each of them was wearing amulets of devotion to pagan gods under their clothes which was sin: "Then under the tunic of each one of the dead, they found sacred tokens of the idols of Jamnia, which the law forbids the Jews to wear. And it became clear to all that this was the reason these men had fallen. So they all blessed the ways of the Lord, the righteous Judge, who reveals the things that are hidden; and they turned to supplication, praying that the sin that had been committed might be wholly blotted out,"
In Baruch 3:4 it teaches that the dead can pray for themselves to eventually go to heaven. "O Lord Almighty, thou God of Israel, hear now the prayers of the dead Israelites, and of their children, which have sinned before thee, and not hearkened unto the voice of thee their God: for the which cause these plagues cleave unto us.
In Tobit 9:12 it claims that alms can purge away sin. "For alms doth deliver from death, and shall purge away all sin. Those that exercise alms and righteousness shall be filled with life:"
So whether we can give a precise reason why God allowed the Apocrypha to be included in the KJB for a time or not, it is a book to be avoided by true believers. God Bless :)
Luke and Matthew also give the context and the quote, "And he said unto them, That the Son of man is Lord also of the sabbath."( Luke 6:5;12:8) The everlasting covenant is between two equals so the eternal word is the Law backed by the kingdom of the Father. In case of faith we have the basis of these two worlds (He.11:3) which we shall leave aside for the moment. What are the equal entities here? They are Power on the part of God Wisdom on the part of Man. St Paul separates Man as the Lord of heaven, from man who is the earthy. "The first man is of the earth, earthy; the second man is the Lord from heaven."(1 Co.15:47-48)
When Jesus was born of woman his deity was never in jeopardy since he is the Word become flesh and sent with the divine Mandate. ( John 3:16)
When Jesus spoke "My Father worketh hitherto, and I work" it is this Word was God it refers.( John 1:1; 5:17-23)
Speaking of the context Mark 2:24 we have the Pharisees questioning "For the Father judgeth no man, but hath committed all judgment unto the Son:That all men should honour the Son, even as they honour the Father. He that honoureth not the Son honoureth not the Father which hath sent him."
Next point of Sabbath is that the day Seven. God has decree the day which touches his Alpha Omega aspect. " I will declare the decree: the Lord hath said unto me, Thou art my Son; this day have I begotten thee./Ask of me, and I shall give thee the heathen for thine inheritance, and the uttermost parts of the earth for thy possession."(Ps.2:7-8) There is no sanctity for observing Sabbath without the Son element incorporated in our lives. This heresy has arisen because the Christians interpret the word of God literally and assume it is the seventh day of a week. It is an error. It is thus approaching the Bible with out the aid of the Spirit. John's epistle speaks of those who have the Son has also the Father.
"No man also seweth a piece of new cloth on an old garment: else the new piece that filled it up taketh away from the old, and the rent is made worse./ And no man putteth new wine into old bottles: else the new wine doth burst the bottles, and the wine is spilled, and the bottles will be marred: but new wine must be put into new bottles."
The saying of Jesus is mentioned in both versions of Matthew and Luke.
We shall examine it from the specific, in the resistance of the Jews to him. They judged him from their holier-than-thou attitude as the people of the Law. What had the Law of Moses become? It was a treatise collated from the everlasting covenant, which before the advent of the Son in the fulness of time was given to the nation of Israel as the path to righteousness. Garment as in the Parable of the Wedding Guest refers to righteousness. So when Jesus spoke the parable it was in condemnation of what had come up as tradition. It was as unexpected as tares from the Parable. "An enmy hath done this'. From the manner the scribes and the Pharisees held on to the traditions of their fathers which only allowed them to fill up to the measure of their fathers. In his woe to ye tirade he faulted them,"Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye pay tithe of mint and anise and cummin, and have omitted the weightier matters of the law, judgment, mercy, and faith, these ought ye to have done, and not to leave the other undone."(Matt.23:23). Their hypocritical observation of paying tithes and worship rather to be seen of men than any real change in their old selves was new. This mix and match of old with new did not sit well.
In Luke we have " But new wine must be put into new bottles; and both are preserved./No man also having drunk old wine straightway desireth new: for he saith, The old is better."(5:38-39)
New wine in new bottles refer to the new creation.
Here is an issue that can leave us at times with more questions than answers. I may have stated in a past post about a friend of mine in a former church who gladly cleans bathrooms and does other "servile" actions. The definition of that word is interesting because it both encompasses someone who is exuberant about serving others as well as someone often looked down as a low class member of society. Food for thought...
At any event; this friend of mine along with a sizeable group in my current church more than meet the commitment of those who are considered "members" (in fact they seem to exceed them in many ways). In general their explanation of not being a member when I have inquired is that they feel no need to make a formal commitment to something that is a man made sort of concept. Here are a few summary bullet points.
WHY WE SHOULD BE A CHURCH MEMBER
WE MAKE A FORMAL DECLARATION AND ARE HELD TO THE RESPONSIBILITIES OF OUR COMMITMENTS TO SERVICE; PRAYER; SCRIPTURE READING; EVANGELISM AND WHATEVER ELSE IS IN A DENOMINATIONAL "STATEMENT OF FAITH"
WE ARE IN MANY CASES GIVEN ACCESS TO COMMINION AS WELL AS DECISIONS IN CONGREGATIONAL MEETINGS ON FINANCES AND VOTES FOR NEW LEADERSHIP
Now I am going to go through a couple reasons that we should be cautious about becoming a member. Most pressing in my situation is something I was concerned about before I was made a member; that is those who are taking communion unworthily (either in adultery or fornication in particular). I won't go into the subject again as to how I view remarriage when a spouse is still alive as being adultery. In general though if we are a church member we have a responsibility to hold leadership as well as other laypersons accountable which is often uncomfortable. Clearly we should expect our own conduct to be examined carefully as well; exhortation is said to be a spiritual gift but we rarely see it these days.
There is a sharp change of scene between v.45 and v.46.
In one he required his disciples to keep watch in his hour of sorrow with him. They failed at it. Now he says," Sleep on now, and take your rest."
Without their aid he was fortified from above. St Luke mentions that in his agony, of an angel from above being present.( Luke 22:43-44) God makes "his angels spirits; his ministers a flaming fire." When Jesus warns us not to despise 'these little ones' he is referring to their angels. "That in heaven their angels do always behold the face of my Father which is in heaven."(18:10-14). It is not for us to know in what manner but God does not leave those who are least esteemed in the eyes of the world without support. "A father of the fatherless, and a judge of the widows, is God in his holy habitation."(Ps.68:5-6)
They disciples are let to take ease since his hour was at hand. "For even Christ pleased not himself; but, as it is written, The reproaches of them that reproached thee fell on me."(Ro.15:3) He was about to claim his victory.
vv.53-54 "Thinkest thou that I cannot now pray to my Father, and he shall presently give me more than twelve legions of angels?/ But how then shall the scriptures be fulfilled, that thus it must be?" Lucan Gospel as mentioned earlier introduces the angel in strengthening Jesus in his agony.This helps us to understand the Angel of the Lord sees to the fulfilment of the scriptures. All His promises are 'yea' in his Son. Jesus speaks of legions of angels which are saints battle girt and shall do valiantly in battle. We see them in St John's vision,"And the armies which were in heaven followed him upon white horses, clothed in fine linen, white and clean."(Re.19:14). They follow the Word of God which is Person specific. Whether one angel or legions of them what comes to our aid is our Savior Lord, who warned us, "Without me you can do nothing." Jesus Christ the same yesterday, today and forever."
I am one who believes in the hard sayings in particular that those who are living in adultery we should warn of their fate and also that taking communion should not involve those who are living in fornication and adultery or any other unrepentant sin involving a lifestyle of sin in particular. In my mind that involves second or later marriages of those whose first spouse is still living which is an issue I am currently dealing with in my church. I am not here going to debate on this particular posting the meaning of the "exception clause" due to "fornication" in Matthew 5 and 19 which is NOT present in parallel passages in Luke and Mark; and further bolstered by passages in Romans and Corinthians.
My concluding concept here is that ALL doctrines according to 2 Timothy 3:16 are important for teaching; edification; etc.
There are always some things debated; and no church has a perfect understanding or is sinless. Nonetheless the things that are clearly taught should be obeyed whether we like it or not to maintain a place where the Spirit is welcome and we aren't in danger of the "candlestick" going out as we see with the Ephesian church in Revelation who abandoned their "first love." This doesn't leave any room for partiality or pride whether it be for our leadership or church members; traditions; etc. It is God's church; not our own. The Lord disciplines His own; and we are being tested to see if we will be faithful until the end. If the enemy comes into the camp; through our own wickedness or the invasion of others then we are negligent in our duties if we don't try to stop it. We do what we can; God may indeed have determined to let a local church fail to fulfill greater purposes; but we need to be jealous for the truth as long as some truth prevails; at least until God opens a door for us to move on; or we are thrown out. The ten thousand dollar question is whether the Spirit is welcomed or locked out.
Having explored with gravity the situation of those afflicted with emotional problems of darkness and depression we also have to look at other things such as anger; and euphoria. I cannot emphasize enough this point that I am about to make; there is NO love like God's and what His saints will share in heaven and on the new earth for all eternity. Of course Satan will stop at nothing to find ways to circumvent God's laws particularly related to marriage to find a "soulmate" on earth. Without going once again into the subject of what is considered a legitimate marriage; I will leave it at this; a marriage in the Lord is part of God's community and Christ's body on earth. While the struggle with desires of the flesh isn't something unusual; the fact that many who already in theory should be having their needs met are looking to find grass that's greener elsewhere is a peculiar trait to human beings. Somehow we think that we can shortcut God's plan; looking at Abraham and Sarah we see how well that worked when she pushed Hagar on him after the fact. The fact that some seem to find better success finding their future spouse in a bar than even an online "Christian" dating service is telling; and it seems a foreign concept to expect the Lord to provide someone simply by obediently attending church (although the demographics in my church for example are more to old folks like myself).
Looking beyond trying to find love in all the wrong places; we often forget that our other emotions (jealousy; rage; anger and other bad fruits) often get in the way of reaching out to others for a viable friendship so that anything more is snuffed out at the inception. Again; it is our own deception that makes us think we can change someone after we marry them. I would STRONGLY advise premarital counsel in the church to avoid what happened to me (a divorce after 25 years of marriage).
I have seen how uncontrolled rage can destroy.
Mathew 18:20 says "For where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them."
A relationship with Christ Is not private, but communal, and the center of a person's relationship with Jesus is in the church. (Not necessarily the local Church but in the presence of other believers.
Read Hebrews 10:16-25.
We are to respond to his invitation and follow Jesus' example of how to live and treat others, giving him first place in your daily life.
A Desciples is someone who follows one's teachings.
In our rebirth Christ gave us his Spirit to guide us out of darkness.
Christ is faithful and said he will never leave you so your faith should be in his work on the cross not your baptism.
We pray to God for strength and wisdom and turn from the things that hinder us.
A Christian can not continue in sin!
God is love but he also is a righteous Judge.
He is rich in mercy forgiving iniquity, transgression and sin, and that will by no means clear the guilty;
Our salvation hangs on God's promise once we have believed on his son, Christ Jesus!
Have you truly trusted him in his finish work on the cross?
If so we are persuaded to love his precepts the Brothern.
Keep reading his word and obey him.
God bless.
Revelation 18:1-5
1And after these things I saw another angel come down from heaven,having great power;and the earth was lightened with his glory.
2And he cried mightily voice,saying,Babylon the great is fallen,is fallen,and is become the habitation of devils,and the hold of every foul spirit,and a cage of every unclean and hateful bird
3For all nations have drunk of the wine of the wrath of her fornication,and the kings of the earth have committed fornication with her and the merchants of the earth are waxed rich through the abundance of her delicacies
4Come out of her,my people,that ye be not partakers of her sins,and that ye receive not of her PLAGUES
5For her sins have reached unto heaven,GOD hath remembered her iniquities
In my foresee,I wrote in another site at April 19,2021-Death of Pope Francis-it must happen soon,until 2024 at the latest,no more.
- The Beast of the earth(of Israel-the clay-Is.64:8)with two horns LIKE A LAMB rises up-Re.13:11
-Election of the a new Pope-his nickname may be Paulus VII(?)
-The Beast of the earth LIKE A LAMB manifests himself as God in Israel;in fact a false messiah,an esoteric,and kabbalistic and spiritist false messiah; John 5:43-47
-The kabbalistic false messiah of the Jews,Beast of the earth, makes great signs and wonders of lie,even makes fire come down to the earth before men;(things of spiritism)
-The Pope(Paulus VII?)will meet the Beast like lamb;
-Both will develop a union between the RCC and Judaism,iron with clay-Dan.2:41-43,but they shall not cleave one to another, as iron is not mixed with clay;
-A religious and universal satanic Empire will be build by both religious leaders;Re.11:1-2;
-The esoteric Beast of the earth will make a deal with the Beast of sea and will give to the Beast of sea his Power,his Throne and great Authority-Re.13:2.The Antichrist's Empire is conceived by both Beasts.Then begins the last week-Dan.9:27
"But after that I am risen, I will go before you into Galilee."
The Spirit presents us a seemingly minor detail but it has a great spiritual importance. For one association of the Son is set there. Fellowship of God was not with any other than his Son. Whosoever believed in him were blessed in his Son (Ep.1:3).As Word become flesh the twelve apostles were men chosen by the Father was recorded in the scriptures. Joseph did not choose Galilee but God the Father chose it for his Son."Being warned of God in a dream, he (Joseph) turned aside into the parts of Galilee:/And he came and dwelt in a city called Nazareth: that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophets, He shall be called a Nazarene." (Matt.2:22-23).
Nazareth is a small town in the hill country of Galilee while Jerusalem belongs to Judea.
Most of his disciples were from Galilee so we have this hint from the Holy Spirit why he went beforehand into Galilee
Secondly Jesus 'shall so come in like manner as you have seen him go' is already mentioned by Prophet Ezekiel."And when the prince shall enter, he shall go in by the way of the porch ofthatgate, and he shall go forth by the way thereof."(Ez.46:8)
"Behold, two men stood by them in white apparel;/Which also said, Ye men of Galilee, why stand ye gazing up into heaven? this same Jesus, which is taken up from you into heaven, shall so come in like manner as ye have seen him go into heaven."(Ac.1:10-11). He however warned his disciples not to leave Jerusalem is for no other reason than setting coordinates of his throne in heaven with 'his body" and the right hand of the most high in heaven is called New Jerusalem. Consequently the city of the great King (Matt.5:35) fits nicely with David from whose loins his humanity took shape. David calls him his Lord , the Lord of lords and King of kings. (Re.19:16)
By literal approach do we really get the role of place names right?
Joy and peace with Him, greetings
A little leaven leaveneth the whole lump. ( Galatians 5:9).
And he shall turn the heart of the fathers to the children, and the heart of the children to their fathers, lest I come and smite the earth with a curse. ( Malachi 4:6)
The first verse serves as a warning for any so called "revivals"; the last is related to the end times witness of Elijah and probably John the Baptist as a forerunner in his time. A church consists as any other element of society of individuals and a collective group and the sum is greater than its parts at least in the case of a healthy church. If we study the Laodiceans in particular however we could say the opposite; that the power is truly only in the hands of a few that will receive a reward; and/or make the Rapture (at least for those who are deceiving themselves as to having saving faith).
One major concept that needs to be grasped is that we are all as the Body of Christ working for the same goal and should find ways to work with different local and international ministries that are preaching truth. There of course needs to be careful consideration for any signs of associations with those ministries that clearly have spurious doctrines about key theological issues. In general the vision should focus on fulfilling the Great Commission rather than always planning on grandiose and exorbitant construction of new facilities; conferences etc. To help discipleship efforts within and without must be a key priority. Leadership needs to be open to the Spirit's leading in regard to changes and transitions in the future; having competent financial accounting but not making a corporate business structure the chief pursuit. Short term mission trips are great for youth especially; as well as having missionaries come visit home churches and do witnessing in our country as well. Group efforts in sharing the Gospel on a regular basis should be a foundation as well.
Looking over the horizon I am suddenly made aware of the controversy; like today's earthquakes in our part of the country which if were over open water would cause a Tsunami (if they were a lot stronger). It seems necessary to navigate through the seas in regard to what VERSION of scripture we should use; but I will swim out far enough and; as with an undertow attempt to go sideways as not to be dragged under.
Okay; facing it head on; I think most of us agree the KJV is the best study version of scripture to use; and I simply will leave all the aftershocks of the debate a couple months back about those dogmatic that it is the only inspired version of scripture for others to bring up as it seems inevitable that it will. I simply want to repeat that ancient Greek in particular has MORE THAN ONE descriptive adjective that can be used in English to get the full meaning thus it CANNOT be translated word for word without jumping around and causing much confusion. I will also say (risking the uproar) that sometimes other versions may have another word that helps to more clearly describe the original text. Now; if we can get past what I hope to be a 90 second event and move on....
Other sources can be used (commentaries; concordances; history books; sermon readings and interpretations of scripture) but enough can usually be understood in the Bible that we have at least a fair comprehension of God's Word. His commands are not grievous ( 1 John 5:3) and that should also mean they aren't overly complex to understand; cumbersome or voluminous. The concept of loving God and our neighbor as ourself ( Mark 12:30-31) sums up the law and should be the primary motivation; mindset and state of our heart and soul when the love of Christ constrains us ( 2 Cor. 5:14-19).
Starting with concordances; I am probably going to leave it to the audience to recommend the top ones. I have found some Bibles have cross references that are baffling.
In previous postings I have discussed many different applications to the scripture. In reality an atheist can gain much from an academic exercise in a literary study as anyone else to deduce historical narratives that correspond with archaeology or an English professor can find beauty in the acrostic patterns of poetry in the Psalms and other hidden places in scripture.
Luke 12:48-50 indicates that more is required to those given much (my paraphrasing). If we are searching for truth it is one thing; but if we claim we are Christians and want to play games cherry picking to avoid tough verses related to our conduct; or just seeking "pleasant" scripture snippets then we are doing what one well known media advertises (I'll leave that to the audience to figure that out). I am convinced one of the most dangerous trends are those who are knowingly living in rebellion and yet claiming "authority" to "name and claim; blab and grab; etc". Promises in scripture are conditional; and even those that are UNCONDITIONAL related to promises in the New Covenant are based on HIS accepting us in the beloved ( Ephesians 1:6). However you slice it on terminology related to Predestination or "free will" it is clear that God chooses to reveal His Son to the elect ( Matthew 11:27). Just WHO the elect is; and whether God determines that ahead of time to those who will respond is beyond the scope of this study. The same idea is related to the PLAN of salvation; all those saved come to Christ the same way whether we consider the plan in general or the individual conforming to it. In short we only come to Christ one way through the Son; and as Romans 10:9 states that involves a verbal affirmation and a heart change which truly loves and embraces the Lord. Godly sorrow is associated with repentance; worldly sorrow leads to death ( 2 Cor. 7:10).
Thank you, I made chronological charts years back and I know how hard it is and how much time it takes, considering the different texts like the Hebrew Masoretic, Greek Septuagint, and others.
And other things like the age of Terah when Abram/Abraham was born in Genesis 11:26 he is 70 years old, in Genesis 11:32 Terah was 205 years old when he died. In Genesis 12:1-4 it sounds like Abram/Abraham left Haran after his father died when he was 75 years old. We have to consider did he leave before or after Terah died that would make a 60-year difference. Thanks again.
God bless,
RLW
In vv.13-14 we have Jesus cursing the fig tree. Only Mark gives this piece of information,"and when he came to it, he found nothing but leaves; for the time of figs was not yet." Cf. Matt.21:19. This has raised many eyebrows from the believers for the simple reason that there is an everlasting covenant which has nothing to do with natural laws; neither has it any relevance to the fall of man and the consequential fall out. When God commanded "And every tree, in the which is the fruit of a tree yielding seed; to you it shall be for meat," (Ge.1:29) was vis-a vis his Son. The blessing would have passed on to Adam if he had continued obeying his Will. The fig tree failed to know that the rightful heir. Secondly God gave each man and tree a body so the glory of both are answerable to Him. Here also the fig tree failed.
The Gospel of St Mark is especial for the reason that the life of Jesus is set as the validation of the Messianic prophecies, for instance the divine Will,"Rule thou in the midst of thine enemies,"(Ps.110:1-3). Accordingly God has prepared everything to augur success in his ministry which is to be accomplished both in his humanity but also in heaven. Consequently his entry into Jerusalem is designated as a triumphal entry. At the heart of his ministry is the eternal word. So the evangelist piles up several instances underpinning the assertion of Jesus," Before Abraham was, I am." . We shall study this chapter from this angle.
"And they went their way, and found the colt tied by the door without in a place where two ways met; and they loose him." Jesus sent two disciples to Bethphage and the colt was to be found 'in a place where two ways met,' This resonates in his affirmation "I am the way". The colt has never been tried on and it has been reserved for the master's service. The mention of the door evokes the saying of the Good Shepherd. "I am the door."( John 10:7,9)
St Mark informs us in.v.11 that he went to the temple first time and saw for himself and second visit was to cleanse the temple itself. (vv.15-17) This runs parallel with his own advent and he shall slay the wicked when he appears second time. ("and he shall smite the earth with the rod of his mouth, and with the breath of his lips shall he slay the wicked."-Is.11:3-4;Re.19:15) Only Mark gives two visits to the temple foreshadowing two Advents where the second is as the King of kings and Lord of lords.
In vv.13-14 we have Jesus cursing the fig tree. Only Mark gives this,"and when he came to it, he found nothing but leaves; for the time of figs was not yet." Is it out of sync with rest of the narrative?
God made his Son in charge "And every tree, in the which is the fruit of a tree yielding seed; to you it shall be for meat." (Ge.1:28)
God's uniqueness is related to His being Creator; with the original creation of man and the new creation resulting in a glorified body after sanctification. His characteristics no doubt prove man's uniqueness in creation as well. Only man can act as an architect; craftsman and have a mindset for the future as compared with the animal kingdom.
It seems as though evidences of God in every physical entity from the atom to the entire universe is great enough that no further study is needed. If this is a subject of interest perhaps someone can leave a comment and I will look into the most recent scientific data from a Creationist's perspective.
Agape.
"And he cometh to Bethsaida; and they bring a blind man unto him, and besought him to touch him./ And he took the blind man by the hand, and led him out of the town"
In Ch.6 :45 we find that after Feeding the Five Thousand Jesus sent his disciples by a ship on the sea of Galilee while he took time out to pray. The miracle of walking on water occurs here. Bethsaida may be the epitome of wicked and adulterous generation Jesus refers to in Ch.8:11-13 "And the Pharisees came forth, and began to question with him, seeking of him a sign from heaven, tempting him./ And he sighed deeply in his spirit, and saith, Why doth this generation seek after a sign? verily I say unto you, There shall no sign be given unto this generation." This also happens about the same lake. St Mark uses the stilling of the boisterous sea by Jesus for a purpose. "And he went up unto them into the ship; and the wind ceased." (6:51) The troubled sea refers to the wicked world and Bethsaida was condemned for their rejection of the Son. For this reason Jesus laid the blind man out of the town.
So what lesson do we take from the healing of the blind? He looks up and saw men walking as trees; isn't this how false teachers declare prosperity and their active faith the means to make them richer? "And he charged them, saying, Take heed, beware of the leaven of the Pharisees, and of the leaven of Herod."(8:15). Man of flesh and blood cannot enter the kingdom of heaven. So Christ lays his hand again upon him,"After that he put his hands again upon his eyes, and made him look up: and he was restored, and saw every man clearly." When we see Christian nationalism and culture wars about us be certain their blindness is no less.
Bethsaida was renamed as Julia as a sop to the Imperial Rome by the grandson of Herod but it's was condemned to be wiped off from the face of the earth. It is just another name for the cities so judged and named in Re.11:8.
This is my THIRD attempt as I keep wiping myself off the screen. I won't place the warning supporting verses here but will leave a short comment instead.
I will state first off that none of us can afford to be glib about this subject. Even God Himself has no pleasure in the death of the wicked (let the reader look that one up in Ezekiel; don't want to lose this page again searching myself....)
We can't comprehend the horror of hell; nor tolerate even the thought. We are; nonetheless according to the end of Isaiah 66 going to find an abhorrance of those in punishment; whether that represents the Millennial viewpoint or that in the eternal lake of fire. Again there are no words to express this state of the wicked upon death; we can only look to Christ and be thankful knowing what we are saved from.
Sin is like a progressive disease; and so is abandonment of correct doctrine such as denying the literal hell and then cherry picking what seems best to us from the Bible and disregarding the rest. That technically makes us a DEIST; much the same as Benjamin Franklin who I believe cut pages out from scripture that didn't suit his mindset. Even as believers we can't ultimately stop physical death; which is a secondary result of our sinful nature; even though we are transformed and in the process of sanctification until receiving new bodies we are only as a vapor in our earthly tabernacle.
Anyway before I forget I am going to say to everyone have a blessed commemoration of Christ's death and celebration of the Resurrection this Sunday.
Agape; RIch P
Continuing on the Revelation 21:8 warnings of those in hell we see this category. This would no doubt encompass ALL types of sexual immorality; whether fornication or adultery which are two categories deliberately separated in many scriptures as different types of sin. I am not going to use this forum to go into in length my viewpoint on adulterous marriages; but will say that unless that is what is referred to it seems a lot harder to categorize a lifestyle of sin as committing adultery than it would to say someone likes to fornicate a lot (sleep around). There may be a few sick folks who deliberately want the thrill of having a fling with a married person but for the sake of their own security and simple convenience they probably will find it easier much of the time having relatinships with unmarried or "available" women. Therefore I have to deduce it is indeed adulterous marriages referred to; and that of a state of continuing sin as long as a relationship isn't a true covenant before God. I'll leave it to the readers to study the verses on the subject and the so called "exception or escape clause"; something I have studied in great detail but don't want to raise friction with on this site. Before moving on; I will note that adultery meant an instant death penalty in the Old Testament according to the law (if proven by witnesses and both parties should be present hence invalidating the presentation of John 8:1-11.) Fornication is a different penalty in O.T. law. Also there can be people who are prostitutes or just generally immoral as related to the term "whoremongers". The end result of LIFESTYLES of any of these sins is hell; which is a warning to someone calling themselves a believer who doesn't turn away from sin when making a verbal confirmation of repentance. Of course ANY sin leads us to hell; hence we are all doomed without His atoning sacrifice. Therefore all lost fit into one or more of these descriptions in Revelation 21:8
Regarding your question: "Is anyone up for discussing God's eternal purpose?" (question mark added):
The use of the word "eternal" is appropriate because everything regarding God is "eternal" and I might add "perfect". Nothing He does is limited by time, due to His omnipresence. He's never done anything in the past or future. Anything He creates always has and always will be exactly as He created it NOW. God did not do anything yesterday, nor tomorrow.
His PURPOSE is always creation NOW, extended and shared always NOW, never wavering, changing, or ceasing. What He creates is fully created and created perfect Now for eternity. He does not acknowledge time, thus not bound by time's laws. He creates in His Own Likeness, i.e. of like quality; and in His Own Image, i.e. His Own Thought. We are the Thought of God, and He retains His extensions of His Thoughts (you, us) in His Mind. And thoughts can never leave their Source.
God created us to extend His Thoughts. As God created us, this is actually our natural God given ability; yet extending God's Love can be put off temporarily, resulting from believing in lies told us by our own self-serving ego.
Only beings of like order can truly communicate, which is why Jesus APPEARED as human flesh. Yet ONLY minds can truly communicate, and communication with the Mind of God Who is SPIRIT (not a body) is life. God created every mind by communicating His mind to it. Again, communication with God is Life.
God created you to create. It is His PURPOSE and WILL. His Will and purpose be done because there is no other will or purpose that can usurp His power. It does not exist in His Mind, but only in the minds of the insane (myself included). Is it difficult to accept the law of creation that you love your creations as your self because they are literally a part of you? If so, we should be joyful Love creates Itself and NOTHING but Itself. We should not perceive ourselves in any other light.
Peace
Part 1
Traditions are practices, customs, or rituals that are passed down from generation to generation.
Truth refers to unbiassed reality, the correct representation of facts, it surpasses personal opinions or feelings.
Easter Sunday is a holiday celebrated by millions of people around the world who honor the resurrection of Jesus Christ. Easter is also the day that many children excitedly wait for the Easter Bunny to arrive and deliver their treats of baskets filled with chocolate, eggs, and stuffed rabbits.
Easter is a holiday that is now chosen to correspond with the first Sunday following the first full moon after the spring equinox unless the full moon falls on a Sunday then it would be the next Sunday. Passover is now not considered in selecting the day. The Jewish feast that was the same day Jesus resurrected that most overlook is the Feast of First Fruits even though Jesus is the First Fruits of them that slept.
There are many myths about Easter, but all come from pagan sun worship and their festivals correspond with the sun's equinoxes. The ascension of Christ and Pentecost has been changed to 40 days from Easter and 50 days from Easter not from the first day after the Sabbath after Passover day.
Easter was originally called Resurrection Morning which was the Feast of First Fruits, the first day after the sabbath day after Passover during the Feast of unleavened bread, this is the first day in counting the days of the seven sabbaths of the Feasts of Weeks, that has been replaced with traditions of Good Friday, two days in the grave, sunrise services, Ezekiel 8:15-16, bunnies, colored eggs, baskets, pretty hats and dresses.
Does the Bible tell us what day Jesus was crucified? Yes, Jesus is our Passover and for Him to fulfill the Feasts it would have to be exactly as the first Passover. The lambs were taken up on the 10th and killed on the evening before the sunset on the 14th of Nisan, Exodus 12:1-6.
See part 2.
In John 12:1-16 this is 6 days before Passover and Jesus rides into Jerusalem the next day which would be the 10th, the day the lambs are taken up five days before Passover day which is called today Palm Sunday.
Each day is recorded in Matthew 21 through Matthew 27:56 Mark 11:1 through Mark 15:41 Luke 19:28 through Luke 23:49 John 12:1 through John 19:37.
On the 1st day of the week, we call Sunday, Jesus rode into Jerusalem and returned to Bethany in the evening to lodge.
The second day shows Jesus going to Jerusalem and returning to Bethany.
The third day is two days before Passover Matthew 26:2 Mark 14:1.
On the fourth day, Judas makes the deal to betray Jesus and toward the end of the day, the disciples ask him where he wants them to prepare to eat the Passover. God commanded it to be eaten inside the city walls but they did not eat the Passover, Luke 22:15-16.
When the sun went down the fourth day what we call Wednesday is the beginning of Passover day the 14th of Nisan the day the Passover lambs are killed, Mark 14:12 Luke 22:7. What confuses things is then and now Passover day and the Feast of Unleavened Bread is referred to as an eight-day feast. Passover day is a preparation day for the seven-day feast of Unleavened Bread not part of the seven-day feast.
The lambs were killed on the 14th in the evening, the time when the sun starts to go down, any time after noon and before the sun sets. The Passover is eaten the night of the 15th the first day of the seven-day feast which is a holy convocation/Sabbath Exodus 12:8 the same night they went out of Egypt not on Passover day.
The Lord's Supper and the crucifixion were on Passover day the fifth day from when Jesus rode into Jerusalem which would make that the 5th day of the week we call Thursday.
God bless,
RLW
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
22) And I saw no temple therein: for the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb are the temple of it. 23) And the city had no need of the sun, neither of the moon, to shine in it: for the glory of God did lighten it, and the Lamb is the light thereof. 24)And the nations of them which are saved shall walk in the light of it: and the kings of the earth do bring their glory and honour into it. 25) And the gates of it shall not be shut at all by day: for there shall be no night there. 26) And they shall bring the glory and honour of the nations into it. 27) And there shall in no wise enter into it any thing that defileth, neither whatsoever worketh abomination, or maketh it a lie: but they which are written in the Lamb's book of life.
Revelations: 22: 1-7:
1) And he shewed me a pure river of water of life, clear as crystal, proceeding out of the throne of God and of the Lamb. 2) in the midst of the street of it, and on either side of the river, was there the tree of life, which bare twelve manner of fruits, and yielded her fruit every month: and the leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations. 3) And there shall be no more curse: but the throne of God and of the Lamb shall be in it; and his servants shall serve him: 4) And they shall see His face; and his name shall be in their foreheads. 5) And there shall be no night there; and they need no candle, neither light of the sun; for the Lord God give the them light: and they shall reign for ever and ever. 6) And he said unto me, "These sayings are faithful and true: and the Lord God of the holy prophets sent his angel to shew unto his servants the things which must shortly be done.
(verse 7 is in red) "Behold I come quickly: blessed is he that keepeth the sayings of the prophecy of this book.
"Who is my mother, or my brethren?"
In this passage the Spirit is setting two sets of families each representing the world of the Spirit and of the body. In the former world familial relationship is pendent to the covenant between God and Man, The latter is symbolic of heaven but in keeping with the body formed of the dust, it is the union of dust to dust and ashes to ashes. "For when they shall rise from the dead, they neither marry, nor are given in marriage; but are as the angels which are in heaven."(12:25; Matt.22:30). Resurrection of the dead is restoration of the covenant to its former glory where Power and glory of God renders the Man his throne so "and he will dwell with them, and they shall be his people, and God himself shall be with them, and be their God."(Re.21:3)
Thus the saying of Jesus refers to the world of the Spirit,"But be not ye called Rabbi: for one is your Master, even Christ; and all ye are brethren./And call no man your father upon the earth: for one is your Father, which is in heaven."(Matt.23:8-9)
In marriage man and woman leave their parents and they shall be one flesh, "And if ye have not been faithful in that which is another man's, who shall give you that which is your own?"( Luke 16:12; Ge.2:23)
This was provisioned for in the covenant. In Ge.1:28-29 we are shown what our Father in heaven had entrusted them with His creation. "And God blessed them, and God said unto them, Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth, and subdue it: and have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over every living thing that moveth upon the earth." This was entrusted with man in his Son. It is to this God willed and the covenant exists, and as a proof sent his only begotten Son to the world in fulness of time.
As the key verse states there is no gender difference. Only those who do the will of God.
"But he that shall blaspheme against the Holy Ghost hath never forgiveness, but is in danger of eternal damnation./ Because they said, He hath an unclean spirit."
Jesus was in a synagogue when he cast out the man with the unclean spirit. He called Jesus," Let us alone; what have we to do with thee". He was using the spirit of man so uses the plural form and tells "I know thee who thou art, the Holy One of God."(1:24-25). St Paul warned us that no one with indwelling Spirit shall say Jesus is accursed. ("Wherefore I give you to understand, that no man speaking by the Spirit of God calleth Jesus accursed: and that no man can say that Jesus is the Lord, but by the Holy Ghost."-1 Co.12:3). The unclean spirit in the man having taken over his life would not curse Jesus but only want him to leave him in peace. He showed faith in his speech, did he not, testifying,' I know thee who thou art, the Holy one of God'. This is what faith without works mean. In our times some of the so-called believers deny the deity of Jesus while not leaving it altogether, ought to warn not to have any trek with them. They are besides themselves to hold on to their belief. Their heresies and holding on to them, does not remain on a single point but becomes entangled with great many other errors. If one says, resurrection of the body is a lie, he is likely to cover it by the glory of this world. It is what the devil offered Jesus before he would preach the gospel. Christian nationalism, white evangelicalism are similarly are telltale signs of believers who simply appropriate Jesus, and their faith is the truncated tail of a lizard without the body of Christ."And Jesus rebuked him, saying, Hold thy peace, and come out of him."(1:25)
While we groan in this vile body we have a building of God eternal in heavens. So do we live both worlds as one or not? "Even so faith, if it hath not works, is dead, being alone." In thy light we see the light.
You asked this about the Apocrypha: "So if it wasn't "God inspired," how did it manage to remain between the Testaments for 270+ years?" Why the Apocrypha was included in the KJV until 1885 is a kind of mystery but it shouldn't be a cause to believe in this book as Holy Ghost inspired. What matters is this book contains some very serious false doctrines which proves it is not Holy Ghost inspired.
In 2nd Maccabees 12: 40-43 it gives credence in giving prayers and alms so that the dead can be forgiven and eventually go to heaven. After a major battle during the preparation for burial of soldiers who had died, it was discovered that each of them was wearing amulets of devotion to pagan gods under their clothes which was sin: "Then under the tunic of each one of the dead, they found sacred tokens of the idols of Jamnia, which the law forbids the Jews to wear. And it became clear to all that this was the reason these men had fallen. So they all blessed the ways of the Lord, the righteous Judge, who reveals the things that are hidden; and they turned to supplication, praying that the sin that had been committed might be wholly blotted out,"
In Baruch 3:4 it teaches that the dead can pray for themselves to eventually go to heaven. "O Lord Almighty, thou God of Israel, hear now the prayers of the dead Israelites, and of their children, which have sinned before thee, and not hearkened unto the voice of thee their God: for the which cause these plagues cleave unto us.
In Tobit 9:12 it claims that alms can purge away sin. "For alms doth deliver from death, and shall purge away all sin. Those that exercise alms and righteousness shall be filled with life:"
So whether we can give a precise reason why God allowed the Apocrypha to be included in the KJB for a time or not, it is a book to be avoided by true believers. God Bless :)
Luke and Matthew also give the context and the quote, "And he said unto them, That the Son of man is Lord also of the sabbath."( Luke 6:5;12:8) The everlasting covenant is between two equals so the eternal word is the Law backed by the kingdom of the Father. In case of faith we have the basis of these two worlds (He.11:3) which we shall leave aside for the moment. What are the equal entities here? They are Power on the part of God Wisdom on the part of Man. St Paul separates Man as the Lord of heaven, from man who is the earthy. "The first man is of the earth, earthy; the second man is the Lord from heaven."(1 Co.15:47-48)
When Jesus was born of woman his deity was never in jeopardy since he is the Word become flesh and sent with the divine Mandate. ( John 3:16)
When Jesus spoke "My Father worketh hitherto, and I work" it is this Word was God it refers.( John 1:1; 5:17-23)
Speaking of the context Mark 2:24 we have the Pharisees questioning "For the Father judgeth no man, but hath committed all judgment unto the Son:That all men should honour the Son, even as they honour the Father. He that honoureth not the Son honoureth not the Father which hath sent him."
Next point of Sabbath is that the day Seven. God has decree the day which touches his Alpha Omega aspect. " I will declare the decree: the Lord hath said unto me, Thou art my Son; this day have I begotten thee./Ask of me, and I shall give thee the heathen for thine inheritance, and the uttermost parts of the earth for thy possession."(Ps.2:7-8) There is no sanctity for observing Sabbath without the Son element incorporated in our lives. This heresy has arisen because the Christians interpret the word of God literally and assume it is the seventh day of a week. It is an error. It is thus approaching the Bible with out the aid of the Spirit. John's epistle speaks of those who have the Son has also the Father.
"No man also seweth a piece of new cloth on an old garment: else the new piece that filled it up taketh away from the old, and the rent is made worse./ And no man putteth new wine into old bottles: else the new wine doth burst the bottles, and the wine is spilled, and the bottles will be marred: but new wine must be put into new bottles."
The saying of Jesus is mentioned in both versions of Matthew and Luke.
We shall examine it from the specific, in the resistance of the Jews to him. They judged him from their holier-than-thou attitude as the people of the Law. What had the Law of Moses become? It was a treatise collated from the everlasting covenant, which before the advent of the Son in the fulness of time was given to the nation of Israel as the path to righteousness. Garment as in the Parable of the Wedding Guest refers to righteousness. So when Jesus spoke the parable it was in condemnation of what had come up as tradition. It was as unexpected as tares from the Parable. "An enmy hath done this'. From the manner the scribes and the Pharisees held on to the traditions of their fathers which only allowed them to fill up to the measure of their fathers. In his woe to ye tirade he faulted them,"Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye pay tithe of mint and anise and cummin, and have omitted the weightier matters of the law, judgment, mercy, and faith, these ought ye to have done, and not to leave the other undone."(Matt.23:23). Their hypocritical observation of paying tithes and worship rather to be seen of men than any real change in their old selves was new. This mix and match of old with new did not sit well.
In Luke we have " But new wine must be put into new bottles; and both are preserved./No man also having drunk old wine straightway desireth new: for he saith, The old is better."(5:38-39)
New wine in new bottles refer to the new creation.
Here is an issue that can leave us at times with more questions than answers. I may have stated in a past post about a friend of mine in a former church who gladly cleans bathrooms and does other "servile" actions. The definition of that word is interesting because it both encompasses someone who is exuberant about serving others as well as someone often looked down as a low class member of society. Food for thought...
At any event; this friend of mine along with a sizeable group in my current church more than meet the commitment of those who are considered "members" (in fact they seem to exceed them in many ways). In general their explanation of not being a member when I have inquired is that they feel no need to make a formal commitment to something that is a man made sort of concept. Here are a few summary bullet points.
WHY WE SHOULD BE A CHURCH MEMBER
WE MAKE A FORMAL DECLARATION AND ARE HELD TO THE RESPONSIBILITIES OF OUR COMMITMENTS TO SERVICE; PRAYER; SCRIPTURE READING; EVANGELISM AND WHATEVER ELSE IS IN A DENOMINATIONAL "STATEMENT OF FAITH"
WE ARE IN MANY CASES GIVEN ACCESS TO COMMINION AS WELL AS DECISIONS IN CONGREGATIONAL MEETINGS ON FINANCES AND VOTES FOR NEW LEADERSHIP
Now I am going to go through a couple reasons that we should be cautious about becoming a member. Most pressing in my situation is something I was concerned about before I was made a member; that is those who are taking communion unworthily (either in adultery or fornication in particular). I won't go into the subject again as to how I view remarriage when a spouse is still alive as being adultery. In general though if we are a church member we have a responsibility to hold leadership as well as other laypersons accountable which is often uncomfortable. Clearly we should expect our own conduct to be examined carefully as well; exhortation is said to be a spiritual gift but we rarely see it these days.
There is a sharp change of scene between v.45 and v.46.
In one he required his disciples to keep watch in his hour of sorrow with him. They failed at it. Now he says," Sleep on now, and take your rest."
Without their aid he was fortified from above. St Luke mentions that in his agony, of an angel from above being present.( Luke 22:43-44) God makes "his angels spirits; his ministers a flaming fire." When Jesus warns us not to despise 'these little ones' he is referring to their angels. "That in heaven their angels do always behold the face of my Father which is in heaven."(18:10-14). It is not for us to know in what manner but God does not leave those who are least esteemed in the eyes of the world without support. "A father of the fatherless, and a judge of the widows, is God in his holy habitation."(Ps.68:5-6)
They disciples are let to take ease since his hour was at hand. "For even Christ pleased not himself; but, as it is written, The reproaches of them that reproached thee fell on me."(Ro.15:3) He was about to claim his victory.
vv.53-54 "Thinkest thou that I cannot now pray to my Father, and he shall presently give me more than twelve legions of angels?/ But how then shall the scriptures be fulfilled, that thus it must be?" Lucan Gospel as mentioned earlier introduces the angel in strengthening Jesus in his agony.This helps us to understand the Angel of the Lord sees to the fulfilment of the scriptures. All His promises are 'yea' in his Son. Jesus speaks of legions of angels which are saints battle girt and shall do valiantly in battle. We see them in St John's vision,"And the armies which were in heaven followed him upon white horses, clothed in fine linen, white and clean."(Re.19:14). They follow the Word of God which is Person specific. Whether one angel or legions of them what comes to our aid is our Savior Lord, who warned us, "Without me you can do nothing." Jesus Christ the same yesterday, today and forever."
I am one who believes in the hard sayings in particular that those who are living in adultery we should warn of their fate and also that taking communion should not involve those who are living in fornication and adultery or any other unrepentant sin involving a lifestyle of sin in particular. In my mind that involves second or later marriages of those whose first spouse is still living which is an issue I am currently dealing with in my church. I am not here going to debate on this particular posting the meaning of the "exception clause" due to "fornication" in Matthew 5 and 19 which is NOT present in parallel passages in Luke and Mark; and further bolstered by passages in Romans and Corinthians.
My concluding concept here is that ALL doctrines according to 2 Timothy 3:16 are important for teaching; edification; etc.
There are always some things debated; and no church has a perfect understanding or is sinless. Nonetheless the things that are clearly taught should be obeyed whether we like it or not to maintain a place where the Spirit is welcome and we aren't in danger of the "candlestick" going out as we see with the Ephesian church in Revelation who abandoned their "first love." This doesn't leave any room for partiality or pride whether it be for our leadership or church members; traditions; etc. It is God's church; not our own. The Lord disciplines His own; and we are being tested to see if we will be faithful until the end. If the enemy comes into the camp; through our own wickedness or the invasion of others then we are negligent in our duties if we don't try to stop it. We do what we can; God may indeed have determined to let a local church fail to fulfill greater purposes; but we need to be jealous for the truth as long as some truth prevails; at least until God opens a door for us to move on; or we are thrown out. The ten thousand dollar question is whether the Spirit is welcomed or locked out.
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