Bible Discussion Replies PAGE 91

Heb.12.1-2 "Looking unto Jesus" (1 of 2)

"and let us run with patience the race that is set before us,/ Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him" (Gen.30.39-40)

Entering into the rest of God does not mean a laidback Christian idleness but abiding in Christ through thick and thin and producing fruits as the flock of Laban did under the guidance of Jacob who is the stand-in for the Son. "And the flocks conceived before the rods, and brought forth cattle ringstraked, speckled, and spotted." (Gen.30.39-41) What do the the rods from the three trees,poplar,hazel and chestnut represent? Doctrine of Christ and it made up the substance or the body God has prepared for us in him. ""But as it is written, Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love him."(1 Cor.2.9) In an earlier post we had discussed the substance at the molecular level. Two atoms of hydrogen and one atom of Oxygen creates water entirely different. Physical eyes cannot explain what God does. (Eccle.3.11)

And it came to pass, whensoever the stronger cattle did conceive, that Jacob laid the rods before the eyes of the cattle in the gutters, that they might conceive among the rods. God revealed to Jacob how and in the world of the Spirit we are blessed: heavenly blessing under the Covenant gives us volume 144 which is made up of blessings from both Father and Son. It is the secret that the Psalmist referred to. "My substance was not hid from thee, when I was made in secret, and curiously wrought in the lowest parts of the earth."(130.15) He who has the Son has the Father as well. There are clouds of witnesses. So when we are complete in Jesus Christ these witnesses make a great congregation.. We witness before them as they are witnesses to us. " I have preached righteousness in the great congregation: lo, I have not refrained my lips, O Lord, thou knowest."

Apart from any spiritual understanding a person might have I don't think a persons 'culture' etc is of much importance for is it not all of the world? We or man might give his culture importance but in truth is not where a person is at ; a sinner? And if there is any culture are they not of " this world"? Wherever it is they have come from .

In that regard be we Jew or gentile we are or were in bondage in Egypt and subject to Pharaoh and born in sin and shapen in iniquity ".

I don't see any difference at all in their messages.

Paul's letter to the Hebrews is different and uses a different 'argument' to them than from the Romans . The Jews needed to be convinced that Jesus fulfilled the word of the Prophets and of another priesthood etc .

The Romans needed to understand ( as also the Jews that all were " sold I E to sin etc .

The answer to both was The Lord and his all sufficient sacrifice .

Romans showed us two different laws and how one replaced the other . The law of sin and death and the law of Christ . Hebrews shows also by an argument how the old priesthood was to be replaced by an ever lasting one and was long taught it in the scriptures . Thus to the Jews he sought to remove the stumbling block to the gentiles proved the reasoning of God was not as foolish as supposed .

Are we not therefore translated from the 'culture' of this world so to speak to the culture of heaven? And every true church if God in some measure an embassy of heaven or kingdom of God and every true born child of God an ambassador of the King of that kingdom ?

" A body hast thou prepared for Me" In the garden of Eden it is written that " The voice of thecLord God walked in the cool of the evening"

Q: How does a ' voice' walk?

I don't know ,but then what is a " voice" ? If not a Word without a body .

The Voice of the Lord God had a body prepared for Him . A body to suffer in . He now has a preparing a body to be glorified in .

The Church which is His body the fullness of Him that filleth.."

We have now in Christ a redeemed body " yet to be revealed" which will be a glorified body even like unto His .

God saves the soul ,redeems the body and renews the mind .

A person outside of Christ their body perishes .

There is also the body of truth which is the Scriptures and the Spirit of Truth which is the Holy Spirit .

And the eternal resting place of the Holy Spirit is the Word of God .

Heb.10.5 "Substance"

"but a body hast thou prepared me."

The body is the substance to which all my parts entered in the book continually gravitate to: "Thine eyes did see my substance, yet being unperfect; and in thy book all my members were written, which in continuance were fashioned, when as yet there was none of them."(Ps.139.16) This is a continuous action so in the day of Judgment,'Thy book is called the book of the Lamb. Either you are in it or you are blotted out of it. In other words Jesus as the true Light 'which lighteth every man that cometh into the world.' Thus children of light shall be known as part of the Light of the Lamb and as promised by the risen Christ shall have a new name. This is outside our will but what we become transformed by abiding in Christ. This is how the day Seven blesses a 'true' believer: he entered into the rest of God and stayed therein. So what is the substance of a believer or rather his volume and his works?

In seven days of the Covenant the Law of the Spirit has promised both blessings from heaven and from earth alike. The Holy Spirit has given a clear instruction in the manner Jacob acquired great abundance in the house of Laban. Jacob himself testified to it. That is only one part. In his body he could work with what the Lord revealed to him. That is heavenly blessing.

Gen.31.8-13)" Thus God hath taken away the cattle of your father, and given them to me." Same way God made the Egyptians pay the backwages to the Israelites. God compensated Jacob who was exploited by Laban "Except the God of my father, the God of Abraham, and the fear of Isaac, had been with me, surely thou hadst sent me away now empty. God hath seen mine affliction and the labour of my hands, and rebuked thee yesternight."(31.41-42)

There is no holdiay from holiness of God. You cannot serve God and mammon. Faith is the substance of things hoped for " No man, having put his hand to the plough, and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God."(Lk.9.62

Page 2.

And did Peter ever require that Gentile converts obey the OT Laws or be circumcised, even though that matter came up for consideration ( Acts 15:5-11)? So, neither the need for coming under the Law was preached by Peter: that salvation was only by grace through faith.

c) The Gospel of the Kingdom was only given by the Lord Himself (as in Matthew 24:14), which seemed specific to Jesus' teaching and acts pertaining to God's requirements for His people.

When I consider the ministry of Jesus, Peter and Paul, I understand that all of them direct us to consider God's Love and His Provision for the salvation of both Jew & Gentile. Both Peter & Paul saw in the Gospel that the Jew & Gentile could be saved, but Paul expanded that further (at least from what is declared to us), that we will be one Body, which is Christ, and exercising the blessings of the Holy Spirit within His Church and beyond to the unreached.

Yes, there are some differences in their messages, but at the core, they are exactly the same, for neither of them brought in any teaching contrary to what Christ's Sacrifice provided and demanded. If the Jews needed to turn from trusting in the Law & their election - if the Gentiles needed to turn from their idols and false gods - both Jew and Gentile could only be accepted by God by turning away (repentance) and faith (in Christ alone & nothing else) for their salvation. I believe the apostles, including Paul, knew this and preached this, but how they presented it would vary according to where the people were at in their culture, belief system and questions raised. And it would be the same today, whether preaching to our local folk or going into another culture: the message core will always be the same, but the message body will give answer to where the people are at.

Page 1.

Hi again Lbooth1955. Clearly, you are passionate about getting this point across to us, about the difference between Paul's Gospel, as opposed to any other presentation. The main points you raised: a) Paul's (or my) Gospel; b) revelation of this Mystery; and c) Gospel of the Kingdom.

a) Paul not only received his salvation by direct revelation from Heaven ( Acts 9:3-9), but also was taught, exercised in faith, & had revelations as to his ministry separate from any outside influence ( Galatians 1:11-18). Thus what he learned became what he often spoke of as "my Gospel", which implies that he received it directly from the Lord and was charged to make it known chiefly to the Gentiles.

So the question, how was this Gospel any different to say what the other apostles preached? The only other apostle's preaching, that is often recorded is that of Peter. And when I consider his presentations (found in Acts 2:14-41; Acts 3:11-19; Acts 4:6-12; Acts 10:34-48), I find that the same Gospel was preached by Peter (i.e. nothing extra or different to Paul's Gospel, apart from the specifics relating to his audience: their knowledge of the Scriptures & events surrounding Jesus' Life on Earth). His Gospel was the same as Paul's: the need for repentance, faith, calling upon Jesus for salvation.

b) the Mystery. Paul does speak of this revelation given to him, but did not the others know about Gentiles also receiving this blessing of salvation after hearing the Gospel? Peter spoke about him being sent to the Gentiles ( Acts 15:7; Acts chap 10 (Cornelius, a Gentile). And Peter, through the vision of the unclean animals given for him to eat ( Acts 10:9-17), understood that this Mystery that Paul spoke about, was also given to him to understand. Even Paul spoke of this ( Ephesians 3:3-6) that the present apostles and prophets were made aware of this mystery, that the Gentiles would be fellow-heirs, or the same Body, and partakers of the promises. Onto Page 2.

Brother Ronald,

You've always demonstrated brotherly love so it would be hard for me to believe that you would ever do or say anything that would harm our fellowship. The answer you gave was "no," which brought joy to my heart. Please correct me if I am mistaken, but I believe the point you are making is that a person might choose to walk away or deny the Lord if they are faced with a life-or-death situation, or perhaps one of the things you just listed?

I'm reminded of Peter who followed Jesus, but Jesus told Peter that he would deny Him. Peter says, "Oh no, I will never deny you (my paraphrase). In Matthew Chapter 26, we find that Peter witnessed Jesus being taken away. What I notice is that Peter didn't try to intervene. We see in Verse 58 that he followed from a distance. Peter saw the clubs and swords as they were taking Jesus.

He must have known that if He tried to intervene or identify with Jesus, he might end up dead. Something else that may have been going through his mind, and this is only a guess on my part, not scripture, but Peter saw Jesus perform many miracles and perhaps believed no one had the power to take Him. But when he saw them take Jesus away, his hopes may have been dashed.

Peter denied Jesus. I suppose in that particular predicament that Peter was put it, it's like do I identify with Jesus and perhaps face the same fate, or do I deny Him to save my myself?

I have to wonder that if Peter would have had the Holy Spirit dwelling within his spirit, would he have walked away from Jesus or denied Him? Peter denied Jesus but Jesus never denied Peter. We are blessed to have been given God's Spirit, and I trust that it is His Spirit that will keep us from ever denying Christ.

Brother, you owe no apology. I do cherish our fellowship together. I pray that the Lord might bless us as we come and study His word together, and that we might experience all of the fullness of Christ as He reveals to us Himself and His truth.

God Bless!!!

Being a willing vessel

On the subject of falling on our faces; we see Isaiah after He is undone in that manner say "Lord send me" ( Isaiah 6:8).

A similar scene occurs with Ezekiel and Jeremiah to some extent challenged to go to an obstinate generation. The fact that they were rebellious is repeated again and again. Thus; the validity of the messenger is attributed to the experience of their commission. God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble ( James 4:6). He had to break Saul of Tarsus of course

and show him how much he would have to suffer for His Name's sake ( Acts 9:16). This certainly could be a side effect of his earlier murderous ways which were forgiven; and God used a determined individual who was totally sold out; obsessive as he was to do God's will. Paul certainly could never be faulted for lukewarmness.

There are some of us; as I have indicated in recent posts who need to take a step forward with boldness and avoid false humility in being polite and silent. It isn't easy on my part either and I prefer to hang out with those more gifted in evangelism; something I recommend for others as well. If we can't speak we can pray; for those witnessing with us; and for the needs we see everywhere with broken people. The best way to start is make every day an opportunity as we interact with people and ask God for those situations where we can share. I know it is hard especially when people are nasty these days.

We need to be obsessive to a certain extent; as we meditate on the Word. After a certain point of saturation we can hold steadfast during our routines until the next opportunity to end our work or other things needing to get done. We start to sense His protection around us and eventually that becomes unnerving to those who are observing us from the world because they sense who is in us and begin to fear themselves if we have that input of His Spirit. If we don't start off right in prayer our words seem shallow and empty.

A healthy fear of the Lord

Open bible information had 100 verses on their site about the fear of the Lord; here are the first 5.

Proverbs 1:7 ESV / 1,746 helpful votes

The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge; fools despise wisdom and instruction.

Proverbs 8:13 ESV / 1,376 helpful votes

The fear of the Lord is hatred of evil. Pride and arrogance and the way of evil and perverted speech I hate.

Job 28:28 ESV / 1,228 helpful votes

And he said to man, 'Behold, the fear of the Lord, that is wisdom, and to turn away from evil is understanding.'"

Matthew 10:28 ESV / 1,175 helpful votes

And do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather fear him who can destroy both soul and body in hell.

Psalm 111:10 ESV / 1,154 helpful votes Helpful Not Helpful

The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom; all those who practice it have a good understanding. His praise endures forever!

This is probably the biggest problem in today's characteristic lukewarm church a lack of the proper fear of God. As we know if we "spare the rod we spoil the child" ( Proverbs 13:24) in fact it indicates we HATE our child if we don't discipline. Case exhibit 1 is the state of society today with kids by and large running all around their parents and anyone that has legitimate authority.

To fear someone we love is what is lacking in today's mushy sentiments we hear so often about God.

If we see John the Revelator in Revelation 1 flat on his face; the man closest to Christ in His earthly mission of several years we understand in His fullness we ALL are on our faces. How things could change in sharing the Word if we tremble in His presence! That is true Holy Spirit filling not so much of today's nonsense because that doesn't do anything to bring the fear of the Lord in the streets; hence we don't see much evangelism but with a few from those congregations. Swishing around a suit jacket and making people fall on the street would show the circus that it is.

I am into buying and selling coins under silver value as a hobby or semi part time job. i'm probably going to taper that off for now.

I am still deciding whether to move up to New York once the power is on in the next week or two and come here occasionally or stay here and go up there once in a while. I am sure you will be praying for me.

It is interesting as a sidenote that I found a wild olive tree in my yard near what is toxic honeysuckle apparently they often grow together. Once I determined from the aromatic scent I bit into one and it seemed to clear my airways and help digestion a bit something I need to do. It could be quite useful when it ripens in food as there seems to be a lot. Of course that is also part of my survival strategy finding things that are edible and I would say I have a moderate knowledge. For instance if a person knows what the heck they are doing you could take poke plants and cook the water and drain several times and it is edible. Some swear by it that they never get sick again it is toxic like many things that have some value.

I will admit for the last time I am sad you don't believe in the Rapture; not that I want to argue about it. I am sure if it happens you won't be mad at God and I won't tell you I told you so. I hope you know me well enough that I am not looking for easy escapism here. I am glad we can be buddies even if we have a different opinion on the matter; and since you are smarter than me I know better than to get into it anyway.

I hope some of the stuff I'm writing is of some edification or interest to you as well. Some of the concepts today may or may not be off. My main point I suppose other than not fearing death is that we should all have a healthy fear of God. The difference for us is we know when the fire comes on us from above we are changed and the rest of the dross of our old self is burned up. For the world the sin remains so judgment is eternal fire. Same God different fate.

Hello Richard,

it s so true that we become like the one who is master over us. Thankfully, we are in Christ and the Holy Spirit is continually at work in us conforming us to Christ's image of perfect humanity! We can rejoice that this is happening moment by moment and look forward to what we will be like in glory. And one of the good aspects of this is that we have fellowship with each other and in doing so we are witnessing this work of God in other believers. We can appreciate that this is true of those we know love the Lord because this world is full of those who curse Him and would rather perish that be like Him.

Look up, Richard, we are in good hands and have each other in this life to spur one another on to maturity in Christ.

I will pray that God will bring someone to you who can help you learn to use technology better. I, too, am not too savvy at it either, but we have family that are very good with it and patiently teach me what I ask to learn to do. Some people want to teach us so much more than what we would normally use and also this is confusing when we are trying to remember steps in a process of accessing what technology offers. Also, when we have information given to us that is not useful to us at the present time and level we are operating on, this info is just "static" for use, interfering with what we really want to become proficient at doing. I have found that people who are constantly using technology and social media are the ones who usually try to push unnecessary application on me, especially if they do not know me well. They seemed somewhat stunned that I do not wish to "play" with technology like they do. To me, it is a tool, not a game device, hobby, nor do I need to be "up to date" on the latest fad going around.

Anyway, I don't know if you have any hobbies. Mine at this time is gardening and it is very therapeutic for me. It is a quiet activity that I can do alone for long periods of time. It gives me solace in a busy world.

Not sure where you are in the night in the north as to the nation.

At any rate I am writing stuff in some ways to keep my own sanity; and in desperation really seeing the way things are.

My dad had some writing ability before his dementia advanced and thankfully still can read fairly well so letters seem to work as I attempt once more to share about the Lord with him.

It is nice to know someone is reading this and encouraging there is some reaction; altough if the Spirit isn't at work and it is just emotion I am saddened. I am not gifted apparently in teaching although recently have had a few evening services that I was allowed to speak at. It isn't easy as some things in our church are keeping things from being what it could be.

I am not technologically advanced; a friend of mine has a book actually and is somewhat savvy. Unfortunately the financial help he expects of me is going to have to end; sooner or later unless I see more effort on his part to get the help he needs. I prefer to spread things out to missions as well as in his situation I would eventually spend tens of thousands of dollars to keep him afloat. My other friend who was good at it had a dispute with me over divorce and remarriage and we don't talk anymore basically; that is his choice. I don't believe in it with people who have a spouse living and he comments on how miserable I am.

Since this site no doubt has varying views I don't push it. I hope you aren't in that situation.

I am trying to get into tough matters and delve into all scriptures as to God's heart in difficult matters. I am also trying to follow what I sense the Spirit is showing me; and of course any feedback is good.

Seeing the news lately all we can do is realize when the Tribulation begins truly the prayers of centuries will all pile up and the wrath of GOd stored up come upon mankind. I can't say which is worse evil men's hearts or demons; it is 2 sides of the same coin; we become like our master.

Dear friend in Jesus. You can wright! Thank you i'l take this with me in to the night here in the north. I dont know if i need to cry or smile of all wrighting from you this time, werry good! Do you consider talk show? I really mean it. God bless, love u.

Joh 7:37-39

Mark 1:15

"And saying, The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand: repent ye, and believe the gospel."

Matthew 24:14

"And this gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in all the world for a witness unto all nations; and then shall the end come."

Matthew 19:17

"And he said unto him, Why callest thou me good? there is none good but one, that is, God: but if thou wilt enter into life, keep the commandments."

Revelation 22:14

"Blessed are they that do his commandments, that they may have right to the tree of life, and may enter in through the gates into the city."

Matthew 24:35

"Heaven and earth shall pass away, but my words shall not pass away."

Blessings

Fear of death: Persecution

It has been some time since I have been in the thick of it with street evangelism where people were cursing me out; or occasional fights would be broken up by my friend who spent time on the streets himself and was in a better position to break them up.

I often referred to those tenaciously witnessing as the "hounds of heaven" as persistance pays off. People would be reached sometimes in other cities; apparently although I wasn't present to see that as my efforts were in Pittsburgh at the time.

God is truly everywhere and no doubt many times I have escaped injury along with others; but as we well know death and martyrdom to come particularly in certain African countries at present for believers. I won't entirely rule out wisdom at times warning people to flee that is unheeded; but again when our time comes it is in His hands. I heard today a girl flew out of a window in the Ukraine war and was on a mattress and just broke her leg; sadly the only survivor of her family apparently.

Of course in the spiritual dimension are all those who are in authority and controlling things as allowed by the Lord. God is never surprised of course no matter what happens. I will say that it you can't have one without the other; all those Godly in Christ suffer persecution however I would say that we also see evidence of escaping events is commonplace among the saints including our Lord before our time comes. But of course our aim shouldn't be our physical lives as primary concern except for the idea Paul had in it being more useful for the time and the church He was ministering to live as clearly death would have been an end to his sufferings and great glory which was better ultimately in His timing.

This is why those on the front lines aren't that worried about luxuries of life or even basic needs; their focus is daily trust in God that He will provide their needs and of course close fellowship especially as the Day comes near is vital.

More on death

For the believer; worst case scenario as I discussed in several posts already if we suddenly pass away because of God's dealing with sin there is no doubt we would say once all was said and done that "yes; He took me out because I was disobedient" and go on with our heavenly existence not missing this world one iota. Maybe God puts some who were lazy now on heavy prayer duty for others. Anyway I try to not deviate from scripture in my interpretations here. Someone gaining reward; great or small of course casts it at Jesus' feet (not sure the exact timing when crowns come but by the Rapture they are handed out and then cast at His feet). As I said before there will ba a knowing; others will recognize and NOT jealously follow suit in their designated roles as God is fair in all things. We shall know Him as we are known; a rough interpretation of 1 Corinthians 13:12.

What we fear other than the accusations regarding sin and Satan giving us a general feeling of dread is losing control; whatever keeps us in our comfort zones; so to speak. I for one am particularly prone to addiction to certain routines; or how I design my day with a sort of attention deficit behavior that I was diagnosed with many decades ago in the stone ages when I was in High School. The enemy has many tricks; if one tactic doesn't work he'll switch to another; whether it is having people try to take advantage of us; seduction; persecution; doubts; failures where we are tempted to be angry; fleshly passions; etc. Need I go on? That is definitely an advantage of those who have the persuasion as I do of the "total depravity" concept; but I will simply use Jeremiah 17:9. Many people sadly don't get it when they say how nice I am and in fact probably are insulted when I say that I have no good in me. Too bad; although I should gratefully accept compliments as it helps to bolster friendships in all honesty most of what I do involves a half hearted effort. I'm very bad.

More on fear of death as Satan's ultimate goal

I am not an expert on hell; and thankfully won't have to experience it to gain further insight on the subject. The world has its own version of course which is basically a replication of Gothic horror; famous entertainers and the devil ruling over it with a pitchfork. God of course has no pleasure in the death of the wicked and as we see with the destruction of Sodom it was a quick event. Ezekiel even seems to hint that some may have been saved "'However, I will restore the fortunes of Sodom and her daughters and of Samaria and her daughters, and your fortunes along with them, ( Ezekiel 16:53); this could be symbolic although Christ clearly taught that punishment for cities that rejected Him would be greater than that of Sodom. In fact Matthew 11:21-24 we see how Jesus taught that Sodom would have repented if they had seen what they did in the time of His ministry. Again I won't dogmatically say that some came to last minute repentance but will state that it shows Lot's sin not only resulted in making it out as though through the fire but he could have had a Jonah experience that he missed. This is some deep stuff!

Anyway I keep skirting around the main point but a big purpose here is to allow the Lord to take our fear from things we as children of God shouldn't have over our lives. I need to hear this at any rate. If we don't lose sight of the captain of the ship or shall we say of our souls ( Heb. 2:10) we can cointinue to walk on the water; so to speak. We can extend our own worries to those we have for family members and friends in the same concept; many are constantly worried. I can speak with some past experience dealing with my mom at home last year and when she was on Hospice before death this year; all in all the last day of her life when the Chaplain sang Amazing Grace to her and read scripture was the most important thing as I didn't want her dying as a lost soul without this happening.

More on the accuser of our souls

Revelation 12:9-11

9 And the great dragon was cast out, that old serpent, called the Devil, and Satan, which deceiveth the whole world: he was cast out into the earth, and his angels were cast out with him.

10 And I heard a loud voice saying in heaven, Now is come salvation, and strength, and the kingdom of our God, and the power of his Christ: for the accuser of our brethren is cast down, which accused them before our God day and night.

11 And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb, and by the word of their testimony; and they loved not their lives unto the death.

WHEW. Let's meditate on this for a bit. The focus here seems primarily on the Tribulation saints; I cannot say for sure if the first few years in heaven he is constantly accusing us; or focusing on those on earth but I would tend to say both and possibly even more on the former since he will no doubt not be gleeful that mortal man is glorified and waiting to rule and reign on the earth. No doubt it will be a great moment when he finally gets the boot. Some would say this speaks of the past and Satan is already bound; then I would have to say much of what I'm going through is my own insanity but to avoid being untoward with my audience I'll let the readers decide the matter for themselves.

A lot of people like to debate why Satan had to fall and is unredeemable; etc. After going through this crap for a few years (and possibly some up there in heaven have had thousands of years of this) no doubt this won't be something we ponder. I don't think anyone can add any words to describe this level of evil.

It is essential especially in this hour to have the full armor of God on. I would ask the readers especially those struggling to see if indeed the enemy has pierced your spiritual armor and if you are walking around looking like you've been in a swordfight in your soul. Again only His children can be strengthened in this way and assist others who struggle

More on fear of death and Satan's strongholds...

In walking with God Jesus allows the enemy to gain strongholds on us because of unrepentant sin. This seems like a no brainer and a concept we all should understand but there is much to be learned about the enemy's tactics.

Again; I am absolutely convinced that this is one of the Lord's chief ways of sanctifying us. On one hand we are instructed in general as the woman caught in adultery to "go and sin no more" ( John 8:11). Now this was a case specific LIFESTYLE sin where she came within the brink of death; it reminds us of the man killed who had been a paralytic for decades not to sin anymore lest something "worse" happen to him. ( John 5:14). In this case we see a man healed although we don't know if he was saved; as with many other individuals. For a believer as I stated in an earlier post today an early demise isn't outside of the realm of possibility for us. The idea here is that it is a chastisement; for instance in 1 Corinthians 5:5.

Now we don't know necessarily if someone is a false convert to begin with (a tare) or a believer in Christ. God could take out a tare as well but in general when we see those in lifestyles of sin who likely are tares they don't have any conviction from the Spirit except to avoid being caught and God lets them build up wrath until fully ripe; as it were in their sins. The basic point here is that a TRUE BELIEVER IS God's child; whether making it into heaven with great reward or as through the fire. It is a pathetic thing when the latter happens but often ignored is the idea of spiritual maturity and the loss of those who will forfeit eternal rewards ( Rev. 3:11). What there won't be is any desire to argue with God or those who will rule as kings and priests; at least during the Millennium. Don't get me wrong ALL of us will be ever grateful to be with the Lord but nonethess ( Heb. 11:6) shows we must believe He is a rewarder which implies crowns in heaven.

Proverbs 30:11-14

11There is a generation of those who curse their fathers

and do not bless their mothers.

12There is a generation of those who are pure in their own eyes

and yet unwashed of their filth.

13There is a generation-how haughty are their eyes

and pretentious are their glances-

14there is a generation whose teeth are swords

and whose jaws are knives,

devouring the oppressed from the earth

and the needy from among men.

Pretty fair summation of today; I would say.

I have spent a fair amount of time recently in discussing judgment in the house of God; not so much in general of those who are unbelievers. OF couse we have to stop and think about behaviors that are uncomely to God's people. James 3:10 states:

Out of the same mouth come praise and cursing. My brothers and sisters, this should not be. The world holds the church up to the standard it professes; while the world is expected; more or less to behave badly. Such an assumption is naive at best; and can keep us from reaching very kind individuals assuming they aren't in spiritual danger and focus on opposition with this logic.

More precisely; it is the master who is the conductor of our lives and as Jesus stated we cannot serve two masters. Jesus Himself said "forgive them because they know not what they're doing" in Luke 23:34 as well as Acts 7:60 when Stephen was being stoned after his heavenly vision of Christ standing on the throne. It may well have been a reminder from Christ Himself as his spirit departed to do the same. At any rate; the world is under bondage from the enemy but a truly saved individual isn't. Despite this; of course the enemy will try to accuse and convince someone that they are useless for the Lord and indeed if there is a stronghold of sin it is sufficient for him to maintain; with glee no doubt whatever power the particular minion has over a person.

So unconditional love helps us to overcome evil with good ( Romans 12:21). Otherwise we're toast.

John - Christian Discernment

John 3:29

"This joy is now mine, it is complete."

John the Baptist describes himself as "the friend of the bridegroom" (Jesus). This kind of friendship is marked by joy in seeing the other shine. A true friend celebrates when Christ takes the spotlight.

John 11:11

Why is it important?

Jesus calls Lazarus "friend", showing that Christ's friendship includes empathy and compassionate action - He moves to restore the life of His friend.

John 19:12

Why is it important?

Even though it's in a negative context, it shows that "being a friend" meant public loyalty. This becomes a contrast: true loyalty must belong first to Christ, not to earthly power.

Verses 26-27 - (At the cross, Jesus entrusts Mary to "the disciple whom He loved".)

This shows mutual care among those who follow Him.

After he resurrection the dis piles asked the Lord if at this time God will establish the kingdom of God ( earthly) to reestablish the Kingdom of Isreal . He replied this matter is in the fathers hands and by inference it was not going to be yet but rather they were too go and preach the kingdom of God ( spiritual) and make disciples of all men etc .

When Jesus saud " I am the way the truth and the life" that statement refers to much more than being BORNagain .

Jesus is Gods way ,the way of righteousness the way of life . He did not come to establish an earthly kingdom for if He had his disciples wouod have fought to defend him he said to Pilate .

" If any man shall follow me let him deny himself take up,his cross and follow me"

If you are taking up a cross you are in truth going to a crucifixion.

Yet we have some who are promoting the idea that the church is going to establish Gods kingdom on earth etc.

There is no doubt at all there is a day coming when the Lord will stand on the mount of Olives (even as he left it ) and will sit on His fathers (David) throne and Gods kingdom will be established over all the earth and the kingdoms of this world will become the kingdoms of God and of His Christ ,but it is not now .

What needs to happen is a body of Gods people will rise and shine in the power and authority of Jesus Christ and show forth the goods of the kingdom of God but will suffer persecution and rejection and some of her enemies will be if her own household .

" For all who live Godly will suffer persecution"

The victory and being more than conquerors does not mean we will be kings o in this world but will be in the one to come .

We are to be witnesses of Christ ,of his death and above all of His resurrection whos have come to understand " the exceeding greatness ofHis pioneer thatbis towards us." (Ephesians).

A body of people " coming out of the wilderness terrible as an army with banners leaning (not upon their own understanding) upon her bel

Dear !DLHenri-2025

I do remember you and your sons. I am glad to hear from you as I was hoping and praying for you to post again.

I am glad that Arthur was being treated for his wounds and hopefully the Oregon Health and Human Services will be able to help him further, especially with his drug addiction.

I have continued to pray you and him and his brother. I will keep on praying. Keep me posted on how things are going. I am sorry that you are suffering on account of his treatment of you and in doing so much care for him daily. May the Lord bring you blessings soon.

Hello friends,

In scripture they're only a two class of people that will ever be judged and saved.

One is the body of Christ and the other is the 12 tribes of Israel.

According to scripture which one are you?

More on death and the separation from this world

When we consider that sin is the sting of death as it leads inevitably to that fate then we are able to understand what our fear of death truly is. Of course I have not considered the matter of physical suffering here before death; especially with this concept of sudden death. That is to be human; not that it isn't an important matter but the enemy puts fear of what happens after death in the mind of the saints. He is the accuser of the brethren as we know from scripture.

Now if we look at the Tribulation saints in light of this concept we see how their martyrdom indeed is a quickened process of sanctification; bearing fruit and a final divorce as it were from the love of the world. It would be nice to see more young people come to faith today but clearly the innumerable souls mentioned in Revelation 7:9 show that God designs this time of trouble for the final great world revival in His wisdom. For a generation that seems without purpose will suddenly be given a mission; a charge in taking a stand for God. What's going down in a large part hasn't been warned about as of late from their parents and earlier generations; in many cases. What is valued now as to endless distractions of entertainment; materialism; status symbols (music and movie icons) sadly has been something largely supported by their parents. Many are without fathers and homeless; abusing drugs; etc. God of course is our father; Psalm 27:10 says Though my father and mother forsake me,

the Lord will receive me.

Too many today have to be "spoon fed" things who aren't saved or very immature in their walk. WIthout a vision the people perish. The Lord will gather His people and full harvest of souls according to His plans and purpose. Some will harden their hearts further once the Tribulation starts Many shall be purified, and made white, and tried; but the wicked shall do wickedly: and none of the wicked shall understand

Why this subject is so important

Psalm 116:15 states Precious in the sight of the LORD is the death of his saints.

Now there are several meanings here; the general concept is that anyone who is a believer is highly valued; and is escourted to heaven immediately upon death as Paul also states "to be absent from the body is to be present with the Lord" ( 2 Cor. 5:8).

This of course would encompass those who die from natural causes; those martyred or otherwise perish before they would otherwise due to human cruelty; accident; etc. We also see how some in the church of Corinth itself died because they weren't taking communion worthily ( 1 Cor. 11:30-32). Annias and Sapphira also met an early death due to sin ( Acts 5:1-11).

We also see some carrying the ark of the covenant wrong who were smitten in 2 Samuel 6:6-7 6 And when they came to Nachon's threshingfloor, Uzzah put forth his hand to the ark of God, and took hold of it; for the oxen shook it.

7 And the anger of the LORD was kindled against Uzzah; and God smote him there for his error; and there he died by the ark of God.

I sense the Lord would want me to elaborate here. My point here is that sometimes death; particularly a sudden one can be tied into God "taking us out" as it were but that doesn't mean someone isn't going to make it to heaven. God wants us to die to selves; and many times He is patient with us taking time for us to bear fruit. Again; this is only some who are truly His I am mentioning here but sometimes they may be taken out for their own good. There are clearly times when such as with the Ark someone steps out of line inadvertantly. The fear of the Lord here is a good thing; and only a blood bought believer can understand the difference between being taken out this way and a nonbeliever having a similar fate. If we can look at God in this light we can compare this concept to the Rapture where we are suddenly transformed and the dead raised. Thus His glory wipes out our old self

A study of death and the proper approach to this subject.

Death is an enemy ( 1 Corinthians 15:26); but God aso states that He is the God of the living not the dead ( Matthew 22:32).

We read in 1 Corinthians 15:55-57

55 O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory?

56 The sting of death is sin; and the strength of sin is the law.

57 But thanks be to God, which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.

It may seem like overstating the obvious here; but death for a believer; TRULY BORN AGAIN is a victory while for the unsaved is anything but. It may be true at funerals that relatives claim that their loved one is with the Lord; but for someone who is clearly saved should have a more demonstrative rejoicing in that regard than the world in their feigned attempt to convince everyone of the same fact when it is likely the person is suffering in hades.

I state this after seeing a reaction at a funeral for someone in our church the other week; apparently someone there was very uncomfortable hearing scriptures related to where we go as a believer after death. This is probably why many dumb down what should in reality be an atmosphere of joy. I am not saying that grief shouldn't occur but as Paul stated in 1 Thessalonians 4:13-15

13 Brothers and sisters, we do not want you to be uninformed about those who sleep in death, so that you do not grieve like the rest of mankind, who have no hope. 14 For we believe that Jesus died and rose again, and so we believe that God will bring with Jesus those who have fallen asleep in him. 15 According to the Lord's word, we tell you that we who are still alive, who are left until the coming of the Lord, will certainly not precede those who have fallen asleep.

(Whew thought I lost all this work)...

All this discussion at the funeral led to this particular concept of sleep; but our Pastor does NOT believe in "soul sleep". We certainly rest from our works and for a while in His presence ( Rev. 6:11)

Brother Jesse,

I failed; I apologize to you and everyone else who has been part of this discussion, and I don't want to do anything that might harm our fellowship. I appreciate your question. Would you ever walk away from Christ? I gave you the wrong answer, just off the top of my head. It's what we all think we wouldn't do until we're faced with death, or what we'd do to save a loved one. Or what would we do if we are still here when the beast rises?

Your question opened my eyes, showing me I need to study more before I reply, not to lead anyone astray, 2 Timothy 2:15.

God bless,

RLW

When thou art in tribulation, and all these things are come upon thee, even in the latter days, if thou turn to the LORD thy God, and shalt be obedient unto his voice; ( Deut. 4:30).

The preceding versions discuss the diaspora among all nations; and this verse is followed with verse 31

31 (For the Lord thy God is a merciful God;) he will not forsake thee, neither destroy thee, nor forget the covenant of thy fathers which he sware unto them.

At the end of the Tribulation we read this in Ezekiel 20:37-38

37 And I will cause you to pass under the rod, and I will bring you into the bond of the covenant:

38 And I will purge out from among you the rebels, and them that transgress against me: I will bring them forth out of the country where they sojourn, and they shall not enter into the land of Israel: and ye shall know that I am the Lord.

Thus we see the final fulfillment of this in Zechariah 13:8 And it shall come to pass, that in all the land, saith the LORD, two parts therein shall be cut off and die; but the third shall be left therein. The time of "Jacob's trouble" will accomplish this

as Jeremiah 30:7 states

"Alas! for that day is great, so that none is like it: it is even the time of Jacob's trouble; but he shall be saved out of it."

There are going to be some physical survivors of that time as illustrated in other scriptures. Mark 13:14 "When you see 'the abomination that causes desolation'[a] standing where it[b] does not belong-let the reader understand-then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains.

We need to familiarize ourselves with the Word as there are hundreds of relevant scriptures whose ultimate fulfillment is nigh.

God will fulfill His ultimate plans; but it is hard to say what twists and turns will occur; and what the state of our nation will be once the Tribulation begins. I would argue a lot depends on whether we are Babylon the Great.

There is always a remnant saved; we see this here; in Exodus and Revelation 2 and 3.

James 2:26

"For as the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without works is dead also."

Blessings