15...The kingdoms OF THIS WORLD are become the Kingdoms of our Lord, and of His Christ; and He shall reign for ever and ever.
18 And the nations were(WILL BE) angry, and GOD's WRATH is come ... and should destroy them which destroy the earth.
The message above was written around 95AD to be LITERALLY fulfilled in the future( Revelation 1:1) , and now, even now, from now on, the prophecy will LITERALLY be executed, for GOD is wrathed against all nations and they will be destroyed, include the current Israel, and only and only will be saved a remnant of Israel- Micah 7:18-20, in fact only 144K will be saved- Revelation 7:1-8. And the others?
The others? Matthew 23:33-35
33 Ye serpents, ye generation of vipers (why serpents? why generation of vipers? The answer is in John 8:44.Take a look), how can ye escape the damnation of hell?
34 Wherefore, behold, I send unto you prophets, and wise men, and scribes: and some of them ye shall kill and crucify; and some of them shall ye scourge in your synagogues, and persecute them from city to city:
35 That upon you may come all the righteous blood shed upon the earth, from the blood of righteous Abel unto the blood of Zacharias son of Barachias, whom ye slew between the temple and the altar.
The Word is GOD, GOD Himself, self-executing, understand?
And I turned to see the voice that spake with me. And being turned, I saw seven golden candlesticks.
And in the midst of the seven candlesticks one like unto the Son of man, clothed with a garment down to the foot, and girt about the paps with a golden girdle.
Here in Revelation, chapters 1,2, and 3 the Lord is addressing his Church.
In this thread I want to focus on the candle stick. (Which is actually a lamp stand.) "Light barer".
The Lord identifies the Lamp stand in verse 20) the seven candlesticks which thou sawest are the seven churches.
Revelation 1:20.
Also, what's important to see is Jesus's placement in the picture drawn. He is in the midst of the lampstand.
This is a picture of the Menorah.
It is to be oiled filled and never burn out.
WITH THAT IN MIND LETS GO TO THE GOSPELS.
John 9:4.
I must work the works of him that sent me, while it is day: the night cometh, when no man can work.
As long as I am in the world, I am the light of the world.
John 1:4-12.
In him was life; and the life was the light of men.
And the light shineth in darkness; and the darkness comprehended it not.
There was a man sent from God, whose name was John.
The same came for a witness, to bear witness of the Light, that all men through him might believe.
He was not that Light, but was sent to bear witness of that Light.
That was the true Light, which lighteth every man that cometh into the world.
He was in the world, and the world was made by him, and the world knew him not.
He came unto his own, and his own received him not.
But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name:
It is clear Jesus came into the world to give light to a dark world and testifies to the world that its works is evil.
1And AFTER these things I heard a great voice of much people in heaven,saying,Alleluia;Salvation,and Glory,and Honour,and Power,unto the Lord our GOD:
2For true and righteous are His Judgments:for He hath Judged the Great Whore,which did corrupt the earth with her fornication, and hath avenged the blood of His servants at her hand.
3And again they said, Alleluia And her smoke rose up for ever and ever.
4And the four and twenty elders and the four beasts fell down and worshipped GOD that sat on the throne, saying, Amen; Alleluia. ( Revelation 11:15-18 also describe this celestial Event)
5And a voice came out of the throne,saying,Praise our God,all ye His servants,and ye that fear Him,both small and great.
6And I heard as it were the voice of a great multitude,and as the voice of many waters,and as the voice of mighty thunderings, saying,Alleluia:for the Lord GOD Omnipotent reigneth.
7Let us be glad and rejoice,and give honour to Him:for the marriage of the Lamb is come,and His wife hath made herself ready.
8And to her was granted that she should be arrayed in fine linen,clean and white:for the fine linen is the righteousness of saints.
9And he saith unto me,Write,Blessed are they which are called unto the marriage supper of the Lamb.And he saith unto me, These are the true sayings of GOD.
10And I fell at his feet to worship him.And he said unto me,See thou do it not:I am thy fellowservant,and of thy brethren that have the testimony of Jesus:worship GOD:for the testimony of JESUS is the spirit of prophecy.
REVELATION 1:7-8
7Behold,He cometh with clouds{See exemple in Exodus 19:14-17,and understand the biblical chronology:we are in the 3rd Day};and every eye shall see Him,and they also which pierced Him(around 2000 years ago,or two Days):and all kindreds of the earth shall wail because of Him.Even so,Amen.
8I am Alpha and Omega,the beginning and the ending,saith the Lord,which is,and which was,and which is to come,the Almighty.
Thank you bro S. Spencer for that excellent collection of pertinent Scriptures & thoughts regarding the position of Israel, present and future. Even after reading & considering your recent discussions on this matter with others, I can't overlook the fact that even the Apostle Paul (Romans chap 11), still believed that God had not 'cast away His people' (v1) & God's Covenant with Israel remains firm ( Romans 11:26,27). This wasn't the Pharisee Saul who was still hoping that God would one day reveal His Savior to defeat Israel's enemies & that their security & happiness will be assured in that great day of His Return. This was now the saved & enlightened Paul who was directed by His vision of the Lord & the ministry of the Holy Spirit to believe that there was yet hope for his people.
What I perceive from the belief of many now, that Israel ought to be considered a refused & cast-off people because of their rejection of their Messiah, is based wholly upon who the Church is now, those of believing Jews & Gentiles; that unbelieving Israel can have no part in this position & hope. To this point, I find agreement, that all who are unbelieving presently, whether Jew or Gentile, are judged with the same judgement.
But what of the Scriptures that point to the time when those of Israel still alive, see the 'One Whom they pierced' ( Revelation 1:7), that if Israel 'will no longer abide in unbelief, will be re-grafted in (along with other believers) ( Romans 11:23), & that 'salvation will still come to them in that future day as out of Sion shall come the Deliverer Who shall turn all ungodliness from Jacob' ( Romans 11:26)? This is still future and all about believing Israel & not Gentiles.
We shouldn't look at Israel now as a defeated, rejected people - sure, there still remains great hardship & tribulation ahead of them, and many will die an eternal death. But God has not forgotten His Covenant people & the time will come when those living will bend their knee to Jesus.
Hello EPAB. In this chapter of giving wise counsel in view of life's uncertainties, we see in Ecclesiastes 10:2, that the "right hand" is equated to 'wisdom', as the "left (hand)" to foolishness. When we look at the Scriptures, we often see the emphasis of the 'right hand' as it applies to action taken as a result of one's decision ( Matthew 5:30, Matthew 6:3); of being in the place of God's Approval ( Matthew 25:33,34); and of Power & Authority ( Matthew 26:64, Acts 2:33; Revelation 1:16).
So here in Ecclesiastes, to say that "a wise man's heart is at his right hand", implies that a wise, prudent person will always have his heart direct his thoughts, & then his actions towards his 'right hand' (and this is seen as the place of wise & correct action based on sound knowledge & judgement). Are there any then wise in their actions (i.e. always towards the right), or having hearts that are foolish, going to the opposite place (the left) of risk, speculation, with error & regret following?
Yet, as Christians, we are blessed above all, not relying (or, leaning) only on our own understanding as we fully trust in the LORD, only acknowledging Him in all that we do, and we will know how perfectly He directs our paths ( Proverbs 3:5,6).
And now we get to that great first woe. Let us examine the verses one at a time. And the fifth angel sounded, and I saw a star fall from heaven unto the earth: and to him was given the key of the bottomless pit. ( Rev. 9:1)
There has been some contention as to the identity of this angel being Satan himself; because this would give him authority over the bottomless pit even AFTER these five months and it would render Revelation 20:3 illogical which states
"And cast him into the bottomless pit, and shut him up, and set a seal upon him, that he should deceive the nations no more, till the thousand years should be fulfilled: and after that he must be loosed a little season."
This would seem to identify this angel as the same who seals Satan himself in later. Ultimately; Jesus Himself has the keys of death and hell (actually Hades) as stated in Revelation 1:18.
It is easy to glibly identify these creatures as demonic hordes. They certainly appear to be different than the mutated genetic offspring of men and angels mentioned in Genesis 6. Nonetheless they are confined in the underworld where other demons will also be imprisoned in due season; which would appear to be the same time Satan is under the earth. ( Isaiah 24:21).
Apollyon is known as the destroyer who is king over these creatures and gives "marching orders". They are NOT allowed to kill however and perhaps there is some sort of immortality in suffering during the prescribed 5 month period.
Revelation 9:4 states And it was commanded them that they should not hurt the grass of the earth, neither any green thing, neither any tree; but only those men which have not the seal of God in their foreheads.
This passage indicates the "sealing" of the 144,000 and the fact that they are still on the earth at that time. This will be the ultimate protection and obvious to the rest of the world who suffers the punishment of these tormentors. It is no wonder that they are ready for the Mark after
Here's below is what JESUS said to John in Patmos through His angel (in fact an Archangel- Revelation 1:12-13)
Revelation 21:3-8
3 And I heard a great voice out of heaven(heaven? Ephesians 1:3-8 and Philippians 3:20-21) saying, Behold, the TABERNACLE of GOD is with MEN( Revelation 11:15-18), and He will dwell with them, and they shall be His people, and GOD Himself shall be with them, and be their GOD.
4 And GOD shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away. --> Come up hither,
5 And he that sat upon the throne said, Behold, I make all things new. And he said unto me, Write: for these words are true and faithful.
6 And he said unto me, It is done. I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end. I will give unto him that is athirst of the fountain of the water of life freely.
7 He that overcometh shall inherit all things; and I will be his GOD, and he shall be my son.
8 But the fearful, and unbelieving, and the abominable, and murderers, and whoremongers, and sorcerers, and idolaters, and all liars, shall have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone: which is the second death.
1The Revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave unto him, to shew unto his servants things which must shortly come to pass; and he SENT and SIGNIFIED it by His angel unto His servant John:
16 And he had in his right hand seven stars: and out of his mouth went a sharp twoedged sword: and his countenance was as the sun shineth in his strength.
17 And when I saw him, I fell at his feet as dead. And he laid his right hand upon me, saying unto me, Fear not; I am the first and the last:
18 I am he that liveth, and was dead; and, behold, I am alive for evermore, Amen; and have the keys of hell and of death.
19 Write the things which thou hast seen, and the things which are, and the things which shall be hereafter;
20 The mystery of the seven stars which thou sawest in my right hand, and the seven golden candlesticks. The seven stars are the angels of the seven churches: and the seven candlesticks which thou sawest are the seven churches.
My post yesterday discussed Christ as firstfruits; specifically that raised from the dead. HIs uniqueness includes the following:
Being God in the flesh. This makes Him superior to all of His creation whether man or angels. Yet He had to be made a little lower than the angels to live vicariously that is in our place yet suffer all things as we do without sin. Hebrews enlightens us on this subject in many places and I would suggest studying the entire book as I did a few years back with a small group.
Besides His sinless life; we have His death and resurrection; which demonstrated His victory over the grave and sin and His atonement for God's chosen sons and daughters.
He has a name only He knows .( Revelation 19:12)
He has been given all authority over heaven and earth ( Matthew 28:18)
He has the keys to the gates of hell ( Revelation 1:18)
He will rule forever ( Isaiah 9:7; Luke 1:33)
One aspect that is sometimes glossed over is that God can be jealous; and for HIs own Name's sake and also desire worship and be sinless. This is something that for any created being; man or angel that leads to destruction. This is why any image man creates of his conception of God is so dangerous and warned against in verses such as Exodus 20:4. That verse doesn't specifically mention God but it states anything in heaven above or earth below thus the Godhead would also be included. God can't be seen by human eyes ( John 1:18). Christ is by far the most represented in paintings and sculpture of the members of the Godhead; but with man's idolatrous heart he is led to worship these images much as he does with Mary and the "saints" whether real or imaginary ones in terms of their earthly ministry. The image of the cross is only beneficial as an offense and a curse; and is only beneficial to remind us of Christ's sufferings but also we need to look beyond that to His Resurrection and current ministry ( Heb. 7:25).
GOD bless everyone on this forum during our worship of the LORD JESUS CHRIST'S Resurrection Sunday. GOD to shine HIS face and gloriously bless everyone who look forward to HIS soon return. March 30, 2024
Book of Revelation is in three parts (past, past/present, future)
Revelation 1:19 ''write down the things which thou hast seen(past Rev 1:1-18), the things which are (past/present Chapters 2,3 letters to the churches in Johns time and for us today to know) and the things that shall be hereafter' (Future Rev 4:1 - Rev 19:11-21;Chapter 20,21,22)
Rev 4:1 (start of tribulation) - Rev 11:3;11:7/ Rev 13:5; Rev 13:7 (middle) - Rev 19:11-21 (end of Trib)
Matthew 24:3-14 tells us signs of the end before Tribulation.
End: From a primary tello (to set out for a definite point or goal); properly, the point aimed at as a limit, i.e. (by implication) the conclusion of an act or state (termination (literally, figuratively or indefinitely), result (immediate, ultimate or prophetic), purpose); specially, an impost or levy (as paid) -- + continual, custom, end(-ing), finally, uttermost. a. termination, the limit at which a thing ceases to be, (in the Greek writings always of the end of some act or state, but not of the end of a period of time
Matthew 24:15-16 is speaking to those in judea near the end of Tribulation. Mark 13:14
Matthew 24:15 When ye (who read this during trib) therefore shall see the abomination of desolation, spoken of by Daniel the prophet, stand in the holy place, (whoso readeth, let him understand:)"
Matthew 24:16 Then let them which be in Judaea flee into the mountains:" (THOSE IN JUDAEA DURING TRIBULATION)
Mark 13:14 But when ye shall see the abomination of desolation, spoken of by Daniel the prophet, standing where it ought not, (let him that readeth understand,) then let them that be in Judaea flee to the mountains (mountains of Moab, Southern Jordan)
You posted that ''when Abram was ninety years old and nine, the LORD appeared to Abram, and said unto him, I am the ALMIGHTY GOD (El Shaddai); walk before me, and be thou perfect".
Who is the Almight GOD? My Lord JESUS said: I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the ending, saith the Lord, which is, and which was, and which is to come, the Almighty- Revelation 1:8.
JESUS is the Lord, understand? JESUS is the Almighty, not other name except JESUS is the Almighty- Matthew 28:18
My Lord JESUS and GOD the Father are One. The Word is GOD, GOD Himself, when He was made flesh around 2000 years ago, GOD called Himself of JESUS, don't you know? JESUS /JOSHUA is the true NAME of GOD.
If you believe the name of the I AM is El Shaddai you are believing the Devil.
Cris, be careful and don't fall in the Devil traps.
Thanks again, I feel I am among the minority on this and I am grateful that people on this site are willing to discuss it. As I said to Chris "in the beginning" what John is referring to makes a big difference in understanding. If it is the Genesis creation or if it is the beginning of Jesus's ministry when He was anointed with the Holy Spirit. I agree with you the Spirit of God the Holy Spirit is eternal. God is Spirit and the Holy Spirit is God's Spirit and has always been.
If we look at 1 John 1:1 this is clearly the beginning of Jesus ministry, John says they have heard, they have seen with their eyes, they saw and touch Him with their hands, this is clearly not the Genesis creation beginning but Jesus's ministry. To me 1 John 1:1 does not show a trinity.
The word of God that is applied to Jesus is only once in the Bible and it was in Revelation 19:3 it was his name was called; Jesus was the word of God in the flesh God was manifested in Jesus but that does not mean Jesus preexisted His birth. I am still praying and studying for the truth, I to once believed Jesus preexisted but to many Scriptures do not agree.
Like Revelation 1:2 Who bare record of the word of God, and of the testimony of Jesus Christ, and of all things that he saw. Why are they two different things here?
I hope even though you may not agree, you can make sense of my replies. I would like to tell you I do not Have anything in common with JW or their translation of the bible.
My understanding we are mortal beings and no part of us is immortal. I see the spirit as our breath/life that goes back to God when we die, Ecclesiastes 11:7 and Scripture tell us the soul can die, Ezekiel 18:4Matthew 10:28 Hebrew 9:27. Like Paul said of David being dead in the tomb and has not ascended to heaven, Acts 2:34. We do not put on immortality until the resurrection, 1 Corinthians 15:53-54.
Bear with me my Greek is kindergarten level, arche the beginning or origin I see it maybe a little differently I understand God the Father as the Creator as in Genesis 1:1 and Psalm 19:1. I believe in the plan of God Jesus was first and as in Romans 4:17 Jesus was in Gods eyes in the womb of Mary and then the angels and all the counsel of heaven then the earth and all that was to be.
In Genesis 17:5 when God renamed Abram to Abraham God said, "for the father of many nations I have made thee". It was not Abraham will become a father of many nations it was already done in the plan of God.
"Firstborn of every creature and the firstborn from the dead" Jesus was the firstborn, Jesus being the first in God's plan would make Him the firstborn, and Jesus is the firstborn of the dead. There were people brought back from the dead like in 2 Kings 13:21 the guy was thrown into Elisha's tomb and when his body touched Elisha's bone he came back to life and stood up, and we see the ones in the New Testament. No one who died before Jesus who came back to life died again Jesus was the first to overcome death.
Jesus is the firstborn of the dead because He had no sin and death could not hold Him and when Jesus rose He rose in a glorified body never to die again, Revelation 1:18. That is what we look forward to when we are resurrected.
John 17:5 I may not be able to answer this satisfactorily, but I do not think Jesus was in heaven other than in God's plan in God's thoughts as the word logos is the expression of a thought. When Jesus was baptized, He was anointed without measure by the Holy Spirit/Ghost, John 3:34 at that point Jesus was given power and authority John 5:26-27 and then Matthew 28:18.
All through the New Testament Jesus said what He said, what He did, and the works that were done was God His Father and not Him, John 14:10, it was the word of God, God was manifested in Jesus everything was given to Jesus, He did not have it before God the Father gave it to Him.
God dwelt in Jesus and Jesus in Him, I feel Jesus became the Tabernacle of God, as His name shall be called Emmanuel God with us, same as Jesus told Peter, John 14:9. Jesus had the full measure of the Holy Spirit/Ghost this is why He said what He said in John 14:17 they saw the Holy Spirit/Ghost because it was with them in Him that gave Jesus the power for God to do the works/miracles.
This was in the prayer Jesus was praying to His Father just before He went to the cross, Jesus was asking His Father to glorify Him so that He may glorify God so that we might know the only true God. John17:1-3 Mark 12:29.
Colossians 1:15-17 I will try on this one, "in the image" is a mirror-like representation that Jesus was, like He said to Peter if you have seen me, you have seen God. Man cannot see God nor look on Him, John 1:18 Jesus was the faithful witness Revelation 1:5 and a witness tells or reveals the truth, and Jesus showed us the truth of who God is the only true God.
Jesus was the first and everything in God's thoughts and mind, Jesus was there in God's mind but was not sent until the fullness of time, Ephesians 1:10. I feel that is why Jesus said over and over it is not me but He who sent me.
I know we may differ, but I hope I am showing honestly my understanding.
I'm sure you know this went off topic of my original question, but am happy to discuss as long as this is genuine and respectful.
I did some searching online and couldn't yet find any church that believes what you said. A website for Orthodox Christians also said you don't have to believe in trinity to be saved, so I question the validity of this belief.
Is the goal of this is to demean Christians who believe what the Bible says about God in John 1:1, 1 John 5:7? Believing what the Bible says is not a doctrine, but denying it or twisting it can be considered a manmade doctrine.
"I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the ending, saith the Lord, which is, and which was, and which is to come, the Almighty." Revelation 1:8 KJV
The Alpha and Omega is the Lord Jesus.
"And he said unto me, It is done. I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end. I will give unto him that is athirst of the fountain of the water of life freely. He that overcometh shall inherit all things; and I will be his God, and he shall be my son."
Revelation 21:6-7
This says the Alpha and Omega "will be his God". Do you agree?
Does this not plainly say that the Lord Jesus is God?
If Jesus was not God, then why would the Bible say so many times that He IS God, like in John 1:1, 1 Timothy 3:16, Isaiah 9:6, and His own name Immanuel means "God with us". One would think if God wrote a Bible to convince us that Him dying for us was not Him but someone else and to tell us that salvation is from someone else and not through Him, then why would it say so many times Jesus is God. People called Him God, His name was God, He has the power of God, and the Bible says He is God. But I'm supposed to believe that He isn't though?
Thanks for your reply Momsage. I couldn't detect the Church ever coming together to worship the LORD on the Sabbath from the references you gave. So it seems that neither we nor yourself can scripturally prove that the Church met on either the Sabbath or the Sunday (what is otherwise called the Lord's Day: Revelation 1:10). Therefore, we cannot appeal to the Word to resolve the matter, but to what was understood & practised in the years that followed the closing of the Scriptures. I won't go into that as both Giannis & GiGi have given sufficient evidence from the writings of those post-apostolic Church saints that the Church met together on the Lord's Day (Sunday), well before the Roman Catholic Church came into existence. And if we, as the Church, choose to worship on a Sunday, do so because of what we learn from early Church practise and not from some papal or council edict.
So, the question remains: if this be the case, why did the Church reject the Sabbath (also being the day set aside by the Jews to attend the synagogue), to meet together to break bread & worship the Lord on the first day of the week? Could it be that the Church (founded on apostolic teaching) no longer identified with the Law given by God to Israel, from which no salvation or release from sin's grip could be found, but rather attended to the Law given by the Spirit of God, which now gave both understanding & power to serve God acceptably? Maybe, what the Apostle Paul believed & preached, was also adhered to by the Church: in Romans 7:4-6 Paul stated, 'we are dead to the Law by the Body of Christ - now being delivered from the Law in which we remained dead, but now serve God in newness of spirit and not the oldness of the letter'. And this was written to remind Jewish believers that they (not Gentiles) were once under the (whole) Law, but now freed from its intended purpose & punishment as its goal, to serve God by the Spirit covered by Christ's Blood, which the Law could never do.
It will be awesome but there will be horrible times before He returns. If we are still living, we must be strong in our faith to resist the hour of temptation that is coming. When He returns it will not be some silent secret event, Revelation 1:7 and Matthew 23:39. He will return to the same place from where He ascended, Acts 1:10-11. When He touches His feet back on earth on the Mount of Olives the earth will split with the power and glory that has been given Him by God, Zechariah 14:4.
There will be the chosen and faithful, Revelation 17:14 who have been grafted into the vine in the first resurrection, Revelation 20:5-6 that will be a part of this kingdom and reign for one thousand years.
Very well said. I like that you included Revelation 1:8. These are the words of the Lord Jesus Christ. He says, "I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the ending." Alpha and Omega are the first and last letters of the Greek alphabet. As it says here, it is the beginning of the alphabet, and the end of the alphabet.
It is interesting that if you've ever studied the Hebrew sages and their interest in the beginning and end of the alphabet, in between those two, you have all the letters you need to express and put things into words and communicate with. So, they put a lot of emphasis on the alphabet. God is said to be the Alpha and Omega. He is the beginning of everything, and He is the end of everything.
But that's only one meaning. By using the first and last letters of the alphabet, it's also saying He's everything else in between. He's everything that you can put into words about creation and God. He's everything. He's at the beginning of everything, at the end of everything, and He's everything in between!
But then He repeats. After He says I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the ending saith the Lord, which is, and which was, and which is to come, He adds the phrase the Almighty. Wait a minute. That's from God the Father up in Revelation 1:4. Now Jesus is saying it. Very interesting!
Jesus says I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the ending, the one who is, and was, and is to come. I am the almighty. Literally in the Greek text, it's the one who is, the one who was, and the one who is coming. It's all one person!
To the Jews, that's a designation of God. It's an expanded paraphrase of the name of God that God gave to Moses back in Exodus 3:14. And so that's why when we go through the gospels, whenever Jesus would say to people I AM, and of course the translators of the bible put "he" in italics to complete the sentence, only Jesus wasn't saying a sentence. He wasn't saying I am He. He was saying the name of God, I AM!
Re.11:4 - These are the two olive trees, and the two candlesticks standing before the God of the earth. (Whatsoever is more than these or is added comes of evil).
The two olive trees
are to produce oil for the two candlesticks.
They are the Old and the New Testaments-i.e. the Word of GOD-, the Word is GOD, understand? John 1:1
The two candlesticks
are two Churches: The Jewish Church - Hebrews 12:23; and Gentile Church: John 10:16
For example: Revelation 1:20 - ... the seven candlesticks which thou sawest are the seven churches (of Asia).
Who will be in the scenary from now on or in this end of the time is Michael, a prince of the LORD sent by JESUS as the God of the earth (as Moses was sent as the God of Pharaoh), he appeared to John in the midst of the seven candlesticks as one like unto the Son of man. Now he will be in the midst of the two Churches -TWO CANDLESTICKS as above cited- and to the TWO OLIVE TREES above cited WILL BE(IS)given Power to shut heaven that it rain not in these days of THEIR prophecy: and have Power over waters (OVER PEOPLES, AND NATIONS, AND MULTITUDES OF ALL TONGUES-FOR HE THAT IS ABOVE IS ABOVE ALL- John 3:31-36) to turn them to blood, and to smite the earth with all plagues, as often as they will. The Word is GOD, self-executing, understand?
Revelation of JESUS Christ,which GOD gave unto Him,to shew unto His servants things which must shortly come to pass;
Three angels proclaim the righteous Judgment of GOD
Revelation 14:6-13 (Compare with Gen.18 -Three angels visited Abraham before destruction of Sodoma)
6 And I saw another angel fly in the midst of heaven,having the everlasting gospel to preach unto them that dwell on the earth,and to every nation,and kindred,and tongue,and people,
7 Saying with a loud voice,Fear GOD and give glory to Him;for the hour of His Judgment is come:and worship Him that made heaven, and earth,and the sea,and the fountains of waters.
8 And there followed another angel,saying,Babylon is fallen,is fallen, that great city,because she made all nations drink of the wine of the wrath of her fornication.
9 And the third angel followed them,saying with a loud voice,If any man worship the Beast and His image,and receive his mark in his forehead,or in his hand,
10 The same shall drink of the wine of the WRATH of GOD,which is poured out without mixture into the cup of his indignation;and he shall be tormented with fire and brimstone in the presence of the holy angels,and in the presence of the Lamb:
Genesis 18:1-33&19:12-17&27-29
- First,the Lord appeared unto Abraham in the plains of Mamre:and he sat in the tent door in the heat of the day;And he lift up his eyes and looked,and,lo, three MEN stood by him:and when he saw them, he ran to meet them from the tent door,and bowed himself toward the ground,
- Soon after,Abraham offered the three MEN a delicious lunch,in fact a banquet,and stood by them under the tree,and they did eat.
- And they asked unto Abraham:Where is Sarah thy wife?I will certainly return unto thee according to the time of life;and,lo,Sarah thy wife shall have a son
- The Lord also said:Shall I hide from Abraham that thing which I do? they rose up from thence and looked toward Sodom:Abraham asked: Wilt thou also destroy the righteous with the wicked?
Hello Rjgil4769. There are many portions in the Bible, where we find that God promises to protect His people Israel. However, Israel, in their often disobedience & idolatry suffered much under God's Hand & were punished & given into the hands of their enemies. Yet, God's harsh dealings with them were to bring them back to Him, that they would reject all other gods & cleave only to Him. But suffer they did, but how long will it take for Israel to realize that they still spurn God's Love by rejecting Him & His Messiah Who came to redeem them? For this, Israel still suffers & will continue to do so until their eyes are opened & they shall see Him come in the clouds, "they also which pierced Him" ( Revelation 1:7)
Here are some Scriptures of God's care & promise to Israel: Genesis 12:1-3; Joshua 1:1-6; Psalm 83:1-18 (noting Asaph's appeal to God against those nations confederate against Israel. That all men might know the LORD' Name is Yahweh - not Allah); Psalm 122:6,7; Isaiah 41:8-16; Ezekiel chaps 38 & 39 (still future); Zechariah 2:8,9; Zechariah 12:2-9 (still future).
And we also see God's protection over Israel even after the birth of the Jewish State in May 1948: soon after this, five Arab armies (Egypt, Syria, Jordan, Lebanon & Iraq) came against a small Israeli opposition & were resoundly defeated. 1967 (six-day war) where Egypt, Jordan, Syria & Lebanon) attacked Israel to wipe them off the map. They were not only defeated by Israel but Israel captured the Sinai, Golan Heights, Gaza & the West Bank. 1973 (on Yom-Kippur), Egyptian & Syrian forces attacked Israel on this holy day (Day of Atonement). Once again Israel was able to defeat this surprise attack against them with the help of U.S. forces. And 2016, in December, a mysterious storm cloud (of dust and rain) put a barrier between Israel and ISIS. Reports say the storm stopped on the border of Syria and ISIS was 'unable' to enter Israel's Golan Heights area. God has not forgotten Israel.
My recommendation to all the Christian who believe in the Lord Jesus Christ, those using this online tool. Get yourself familiarise with the Hebrew and Greek languages of scripture (interlinear bible) and if By the grace of God Study both Languages
-In the Hebrew the word God and Heaven is revealed to us (Human-Beings) in Plural
-Elohim =GOD which singular Eloah and in Plural ELOHIM.
-Heaven= eshmim which is the heavens in Plural .
-Therefore, when you Read in Genesis 1:20 you will be confronted with this fact God says Let us which is in Plural Indicting One Yet Three in the Scriptures.
-Mind you this Fact is found All over the Scripture and it is written in 1 John 5:7, KJV
7.For there are three that bear record in heaven,
the Father, the Word, and
the Holy Ghost: and these three are one.
(Time is at Hand we are living at the end of days.)
Repent of your sins and do not be deceive Amen.
ACT 2:38, KJV
Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost.
the "clouds" that is referred to in Rev.1:7, I am beginning to think it is an army/cavalry like I 1st suggested.
( Revelation 1:7) "Behold, he ((cometh WITH clouds)); and every eye shall see him, and they also which pierced him: and all kindreds of the earth shall wail because of him. Even so, Amen."
( Zephaniah 1:14-15 KJV) "That day is a day of wrath, a day of trouble and distress, a day of wasteness and desolation, a day of darkness and gloominess, a day of ((clouds)) and thick darkness,"
( 2 Thessalonians 1:7) "And to you who are troubled rest with us, when the Lord Jesus shall be revealed from heaven ((WITH his mighty angels)),"
( Revelation 19:14 KJV) "And the ((armies)) which were in heaven followed him upon ((white horses)), clothed in fine linen, white and clean."
You said "'Lord of the hosts" means "the Almighty God", and He is the most powerful being in the universe'"; Yes, but the person you refer to be Him is not the true GOD, the Word, Father of the Lord JESUS Christ, and the name of Him you cited -"YAHWEH" - is wrong; In fact, it is the name of the father of the Jews- John 8:44-45-, Paul Apostle spoke about him: 2Thes.2:3-4:
3 Let no man deceive you by any means: for that day shall not come, except there come a falling away first, and that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition;
4 Who opposeth and exalteth himself above all that is called God, or that is worshipped; so that he as God sitteth in the temple of God(Jerusalem), shewing himself that he is God. Actually, YAHWEH is one of the several names of the father of the Jews, the Devil. I can listed them all.
The Word made flesh-JESUS-, said: I and my Father are One. I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the ending, saith the Lord, which is, and which was, and which is to come, THE ALMIGHTY- Revelation 1:8. In fact, my Lord JESUS is the LORD of the lords. And He said: All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth- Matthew 28:18.
The "I Am" is Yeshua - JESUS - not YAHWEH, this is one of the names(or nicknames)of Devil.
It seems that you did not understand that GOD gave the sealed book of Revelation unto JESUS,and JESUS called an angel(different of the translation,in fact an Archangel,as an ambassador of the Lord),and delivered the message unto Him to reveal the content of the book to the apostle John who was in Patmos because of the Word of GOD,and for the testimony of Jesus Christ.
Being on Patmos,the archangel presents himself to John being behind Him as recommended by the Word( Isaiah 30:21),not in front,in front only JESUS must be,do you understand?And John heard behind him a great voice, as of a trumpet, so John turned to see the voice that spake with him, and being turned he saw seven golden candlesticks (the 7 Churches of Asia, whose spiritual conditions reflect the spiritual conditions of the Churches in this current time of the END, time of Apocalipse, by the way reflect a very terrible condition);
John saw in the midst of the seven candlesticks ONE LIKE UNTO THE SON OF MAN. How was him? Revelation 1:13-16:
13 He presents himself "clothed with a garment down to the foot, and girt about the paps with a golden girdle".(This picture or scenary remembers Joseph in Egypt- Exodus 41:38-45)
14 His head and his hairs were white like wool, as white as snow; and his eyes were as a flame of fire;
15 And his feet like unto fine brass, as if they burned in a furnace; and his voice as the sound of many waters.
16 And he had in his right hand seven stars:and out of his mouth went a sharp twoedged Sword:and his countenance was as the sun shineth in his strength.(By the way, he was also with Joshua in the Old Testament- Joshua 5:13-15)
Paul Apostle spoke about him in 1Thes.4:16 and 1Cor.15:51-52.Take a look.
JESUS warned:At midnight there was a cry made,Behold, the bridegroom cometh;go ye out TO MEET him-Mat.25:6.Who's going?
See,IT'S NOT ENOUGH to just have lamp-the Word of GOD-a lamp for the feet-Ps.119:105;It's necessary also to have oil,otherwise the lamp will go out.
I see that according to the your theory, the """Principle of Similitude explains the basis of comparing the like with like; So the heaven is compared with the earth."""
Along the same line as your theory above or interpretation saying "the heaven is compared with the earth" by the Principle of Similitude,
so I took your example to compare the Similitude between the Son of GOD and the angel who was sent by Him to the isle of Patmos- Revelation 1:1-Revelation of JESUS Christ, which GOD gave unto Him, to shew unto His servants things which must shortly come to pass; and He sent and signified it by His ANGEL unto His servant John. (Different of the translation, In my vision an Archangel). But what is the Similitude between the Son of GOD and the archangel sent by JESUS to speak with John?
Here goes the Similitude: Revelation 1:13-16. (By the way, JESUS was in heaven when He sent the archangel to meet John , He was sitting on the right hand of the Father).
Verse 13 - And in the midst of the seven candlesticks (7 Churches of Asia) one like unto the Son of man, clothed with a garment down to the foot, and girt about the paps with a golden girdle.
14 His head and his hairs were white like wool, as white as snow; and his eyes were as a flame of fire;
15 And his feet like unto fine brass, as if they burned in a furnace; and his voice as the sound of many waters.
16 And he had in his right hand seven stars: and out of his mouth went a sharp twoedged Sword: and his countenance was as the sun shineth in his strength.
Revelation 22:8-9
8 And I John saw these things, and heard them. And when I had heard and seen, I fell down to worship before the feet of the angel which shewed me these things.
9 Then saith he unto me, See thou do it not: for I am thy fellowservant, and of thy brethren the prophets, and of them which keep the sayings of this book: worship GOD.
Rapture and Tribulation does not change Salvation and Grace, it just takes those who are ready. Tribulation is for God to get His people to turn back to Him and never want to turn again. Gentiles will be there too. The Anti-christ is the King of the North (from the tribe of Dan, Jewish decent)
Raptured before Tribulation are in Rev 5:9-10 in Heaven before Chapter 6,and so on.
9 And they sung a new song, saying, Thou art worthy to take the book, and to open the seals thereof: for thou wast slain, and hast redeemed us to God by thy blood out of every kindred, and tongue, and people, and nation;
10And hast made us unto our God kings and priests: and we shall reign on the earth.
15...The kingdoms OF THIS WORLD are become the Kingdoms of our Lord, and of His Christ; and He shall reign for ever and ever.
18 And the nations were(WILL BE) angry, and GOD's WRATH is come ... and should destroy them which destroy the earth.
The message above was written around 95AD to be LITERALLY fulfilled in the future( Revelation 1:1) , and now, even now, from now on, the prophecy will LITERALLY be executed, for GOD is wrathed against all nations and they will be destroyed, include the current Israel, and only and only will be saved a remnant of Israel- Micah 7:18-20, in fact only 144K will be saved- Revelation 7:1-8. And the others?
The others? Matthew 23:33-35
33 Ye serpents, ye generation of vipers (why serpents? why generation of vipers? The answer is in John 8:44.Take a look), how can ye escape the damnation of hell?
34 Wherefore, behold, I send unto you prophets, and wise men, and scribes: and some of them ye shall kill and crucify; and some of them shall ye scourge in your synagogues, and persecute them from city to city:
35 That upon you may come all the righteous blood shed upon the earth, from the blood of righteous Abel unto the blood of Zacharias son of Barachias, whom ye slew between the temple and the altar.
The Word is GOD, GOD Himself, self-executing, understand?
Get ready
Part 1.
Revelation 1:12-13.
And I turned to see the voice that spake with me. And being turned, I saw seven golden candlesticks.
And in the midst of the seven candlesticks one like unto the Son of man, clothed with a garment down to the foot, and girt about the paps with a golden girdle.
Here in Revelation, chapters 1,2, and 3 the Lord is addressing his Church.
In this thread I want to focus on the candle stick. (Which is actually a lamp stand.) "Light barer".
The Lord identifies the Lamp stand in verse 20) the seven candlesticks which thou sawest are the seven churches.
Revelation 1:20.
Also, what's important to see is Jesus's placement in the picture drawn. He is in the midst of the lampstand.
This is a picture of the Menorah.
It is to be oiled filled and never burn out.
WITH THAT IN MIND LETS GO TO THE GOSPELS.
John 9:4.
I must work the works of him that sent me, while it is day: the night cometh, when no man can work.
As long as I am in the world, I am the light of the world.
John 1:4-12.
In him was life; and the life was the light of men.
And the light shineth in darkness; and the darkness comprehended it not.
There was a man sent from God, whose name was John.
The same came for a witness, to bear witness of the Light, that all men through him might believe.
He was not that Light, but was sent to bear witness of that Light.
That was the true Light, which lighteth every man that cometh into the world.
He was in the world, and the world was made by him, and the world knew him not.
He came unto his own, and his own received him not.
But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name:
It is clear Jesus came into the world to give light to a dark world and testifies to the world that its works is evil.
John 7:7.
On to page 2.
Re.19:1-10
1And AFTER these things I heard a great voice of much people in heaven,saying,Alleluia;Salvation,and Glory,and Honour,and Power,unto the Lord our GOD:
2For true and righteous are His Judgments:for He hath Judged the Great Whore,which did corrupt the earth with her fornication, and hath avenged the blood of His servants at her hand.
3And again they said, Alleluia And her smoke rose up for ever and ever.
4And the four and twenty elders and the four beasts fell down and worshipped GOD that sat on the throne, saying, Amen; Alleluia. ( Revelation 11:15-18 also describe this celestial Event)
5And a voice came out of the throne,saying,Praise our God,all ye His servants,and ye that fear Him,both small and great.
6And I heard as it were the voice of a great multitude,and as the voice of many waters,and as the voice of mighty thunderings, saying,Alleluia:for the Lord GOD Omnipotent reigneth.
7Let us be glad and rejoice,and give honour to Him:for the marriage of the Lamb is come,and His wife hath made herself ready.
8And to her was granted that she should be arrayed in fine linen,clean and white:for the fine linen is the righteousness of saints.
9And he saith unto me,Write,Blessed are they which are called unto the marriage supper of the Lamb.And he saith unto me, These are the true sayings of GOD.
10And I fell at his feet to worship him.And he said unto me,See thou do it not:I am thy fellowservant,and of thy brethren that have the testimony of Jesus:worship GOD:for the testimony of JESUS is the spirit of prophecy.
REVELATION 1:7-8
7Behold,He cometh with clouds{See exemple in Exodus 19:14-17,and understand the biblical chronology:we are in the 3rd Day};and every eye shall see Him,and they also which pierced Him(around 2000 years ago,or two Days):and all kindreds of the earth shall wail because of Him.Even so,Amen.
8I am Alpha and Omega,the beginning and the ending,saith the Lord,which is,and which was,and which is to come,the Almighty.
What I perceive from the belief of many now, that Israel ought to be considered a refused & cast-off people because of their rejection of their Messiah, is based wholly upon who the Church is now, those of believing Jews & Gentiles; that unbelieving Israel can have no part in this position & hope. To this point, I find agreement, that all who are unbelieving presently, whether Jew or Gentile, are judged with the same judgement.
But what of the Scriptures that point to the time when those of Israel still alive, see the 'One Whom they pierced' ( Revelation 1:7), that if Israel 'will no longer abide in unbelief, will be re-grafted in (along with other believers) ( Romans 11:23), & that 'salvation will still come to them in that future day as out of Sion shall come the Deliverer Who shall turn all ungodliness from Jacob' ( Romans 11:26)? This is still future and all about believing Israel & not Gentiles.
We shouldn't look at Israel now as a defeated, rejected people - sure, there still remains great hardship & tribulation ahead of them, and many will die an eternal death. But God has not forgotten His Covenant people & the time will come when those living will bend their knee to Jesus.
So here in Ecclesiastes, to say that "a wise man's heart is at his right hand", implies that a wise, prudent person will always have his heart direct his thoughts, & then his actions towards his 'right hand' (and this is seen as the place of wise & correct action based on sound knowledge & judgement). Are there any then wise in their actions (i.e. always towards the right), or having hearts that are foolish, going to the opposite place (the left) of risk, speculation, with error & regret following?
Yet, as Christians, we are blessed above all, not relying (or, leaning) only on our own understanding as we fully trust in the LORD, only acknowledging Him in all that we do, and we will know how perfectly He directs our paths ( Proverbs 3:5,6).
And now we get to that great first woe. Let us examine the verses one at a time. And the fifth angel sounded, and I saw a star fall from heaven unto the earth: and to him was given the key of the bottomless pit. ( Rev. 9:1)
There has been some contention as to the identity of this angel being Satan himself; because this would give him authority over the bottomless pit even AFTER these five months and it would render Revelation 20:3 illogical which states
"And cast him into the bottomless pit, and shut him up, and set a seal upon him, that he should deceive the nations no more, till the thousand years should be fulfilled: and after that he must be loosed a little season."
This would seem to identify this angel as the same who seals Satan himself in later. Ultimately; Jesus Himself has the keys of death and hell (actually Hades) as stated in Revelation 1:18.
It is easy to glibly identify these creatures as demonic hordes. They certainly appear to be different than the mutated genetic offspring of men and angels mentioned in Genesis 6. Nonetheless they are confined in the underworld where other demons will also be imprisoned in due season; which would appear to be the same time Satan is under the earth. ( Isaiah 24:21).
Apollyon is known as the destroyer who is king over these creatures and gives "marching orders". They are NOT allowed to kill however and perhaps there is some sort of immortality in suffering during the prescribed 5 month period.
Revelation 9:4 states And it was commanded them that they should not hurt the grass of the earth, neither any green thing, neither any tree; but only those men which have not the seal of God in their foreheads.
This passage indicates the "sealing" of the 144,000 and the fact that they are still on the earth at that time. This will be the ultimate protection and obvious to the rest of the world who suffers the punishment of these tormentors. It is no wonder that they are ready for the Mark after
Greetings in Christ JESUS our Lord and Saviour
Here's below is what JESUS said to John in Patmos through His angel (in fact an Archangel- Revelation 1:12-13)
Revelation 21:3-8
3 And I heard a great voice out of heaven(heaven? Ephesians 1:3-8 and Philippians 3:20-21) saying, Behold, the TABERNACLE of GOD is with MEN( Revelation 11:15-18), and He will dwell with them, and they shall be His people, and GOD Himself shall be with them, and be their GOD.
4 And GOD shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away. --> Come up hither,
5 And he that sat upon the throne said, Behold, I make all things new. And he said unto me, Write: for these words are true and faithful.
6 And he said unto me, It is done. I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end. I will give unto him that is athirst of the fountain of the water of life freely.
7 He that overcometh shall inherit all things; and I will be his GOD, and he shall be my son.
8 But the fearful, and unbelieving, and the abominable, and murderers, and whoremongers, and sorcerers, and idolaters, and all liars, shall have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone: which is the second death.
1The Revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave unto him, to shew unto his servants things which must shortly come to pass; and he SENT and SIGNIFIED it by His angel unto His servant John:
16 And he had in his right hand seven stars: and out of his mouth went a sharp twoedged sword: and his countenance was as the sun shineth in his strength.
17 And when I saw him, I fell at his feet as dead. And he laid his right hand upon me, saying unto me, Fear not; I am the first and the last:
18 I am he that liveth, and was dead; and, behold, I am alive for evermore, Amen; and have the keys of hell and of death.
19 Write the things which thou hast seen, and the things which are, and the things which shall be hereafter;
20 The mystery of the seven stars which thou sawest in my right hand, and the seven golden candlesticks. The seven stars are the angels of the seven churches: and the seven candlesticks which thou sawest are the seven churches.
My post yesterday discussed Christ as firstfruits; specifically that raised from the dead. HIs uniqueness includes the following:
Being God in the flesh. This makes Him superior to all of His creation whether man or angels. Yet He had to be made a little lower than the angels to live vicariously that is in our place yet suffer all things as we do without sin. Hebrews enlightens us on this subject in many places and I would suggest studying the entire book as I did a few years back with a small group.
Besides His sinless life; we have His death and resurrection; which demonstrated His victory over the grave and sin and His atonement for God's chosen sons and daughters.
He has a name only He knows .( Revelation 19:12)
He has been given all authority over heaven and earth ( Matthew 28:18)
He has the keys to the gates of hell ( Revelation 1:18)
He will rule forever ( Isaiah 9:7; Luke 1:33)
One aspect that is sometimes glossed over is that God can be jealous; and for HIs own Name's sake and also desire worship and be sinless. This is something that for any created being; man or angel that leads to destruction. This is why any image man creates of his conception of God is so dangerous and warned against in verses such as Exodus 20:4. That verse doesn't specifically mention God but it states anything in heaven above or earth below thus the Godhead would also be included. God can't be seen by human eyes ( John 1:18). Christ is by far the most represented in paintings and sculpture of the members of the Godhead; but with man's idolatrous heart he is led to worship these images much as he does with Mary and the "saints" whether real or imaginary ones in terms of their earthly ministry. The image of the cross is only beneficial as an offense and a curse; and is only beneficial to remind us of Christ's sufferings but also we need to look beyond that to His Resurrection and current ministry ( Heb. 7:25).
Revelation 1:19 ''write down the things which thou hast seen(past Rev 1:1-18), the things which are (past/present Chapters 2,3 letters to the churches in Johns time and for us today to know) and the things that shall be hereafter' (Future Rev 4:1 - Rev 19:11-21;Chapter 20,21,22)
Rev 4:1 (start of tribulation) - Rev 11:3;11:7/ Rev 13:5; Rev 13:7 (middle) - Rev 19:11-21 (end of Trib)
Matthew 24:3-14 tells us signs of the end before Tribulation.
End: From a primary tello (to set out for a definite point or goal); properly, the point aimed at as a limit, i.e. (by implication) the conclusion of an act or state (termination (literally, figuratively or indefinitely), result (immediate, ultimate or prophetic), purpose); specially, an impost or levy (as paid) -- + continual, custom, end(-ing), finally, uttermost. a. termination, the limit at which a thing ceases to be, (in the Greek writings always of the end of some act or state, but not of the end of a period of time
Matthew 24:15-16 is speaking to those in judea near the end of Tribulation. Mark 13:14
Matthew 24:15 When ye (who read this during trib) therefore shall see the abomination of desolation, spoken of by Daniel the prophet, stand in the holy place, (whoso readeth, let him understand:)"
Matthew 24:16 Then let them which be in Judaea flee into the mountains:" (THOSE IN JUDAEA DURING TRIBULATION)
Mark 13:14 But when ye shall see the abomination of desolation, spoken of by Daniel the prophet, standing where it ought not, (let him that readeth understand,) then let them that be in Judaea flee to the mountains (mountains of Moab, Southern Jordan)
You posted that ''when Abram was ninety years old and nine, the LORD appeared to Abram, and said unto him, I am the ALMIGHTY GOD (El Shaddai); walk before me, and be thou perfect".
Who is the Almight GOD? My Lord JESUS said: I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the ending, saith the Lord, which is, and which was, and which is to come, the Almighty- Revelation 1:8.
JESUS is the Lord, understand? JESUS is the Almighty, not other name except JESUS is the Almighty- Matthew 28:18
My Lord JESUS and GOD the Father are One. The Word is GOD, GOD Himself, when He was made flesh around 2000 years ago, GOD called Himself of JESUS, don't you know? JESUS /JOSHUA is the true NAME of GOD.
If you believe the name of the I AM is El Shaddai you are believing the Devil.
Cris, be careful and don't fall in the Devil traps.
Thanks again, I feel I am among the minority on this and I am grateful that people on this site are willing to discuss it. As I said to Chris "in the beginning" what John is referring to makes a big difference in understanding. If it is the Genesis creation or if it is the beginning of Jesus's ministry when He was anointed with the Holy Spirit. I agree with you the Spirit of God the Holy Spirit is eternal. God is Spirit and the Holy Spirit is God's Spirit and has always been.
If we look at 1 John 1:1 this is clearly the beginning of Jesus ministry, John says they have heard, they have seen with their eyes, they saw and touch Him with their hands, this is clearly not the Genesis creation beginning but Jesus's ministry. To me 1 John 1:1 does not show a trinity.
The word of God that is applied to Jesus is only once in the Bible and it was in Revelation 19:3 it was his name was called; Jesus was the word of God in the flesh God was manifested in Jesus but that does not mean Jesus preexisted His birth. I am still praying and studying for the truth, I to once believed Jesus preexisted but to many Scriptures do not agree.
Like Revelation 1:2 Who bare record of the word of God, and of the testimony of Jesus Christ, and of all things that he saw. Why are they two different things here?
Thanks again.
God bless,
RLW
Part 3
I hope even though you may not agree, you can make sense of my replies. I would like to tell you I do not Have anything in common with JW or their translation of the bible.
My understanding we are mortal beings and no part of us is immortal. I see the spirit as our breath/life that goes back to God when we die, Ecclesiastes 11:7 and Scripture tell us the soul can die, Ezekiel 18:4 Matthew 10:28 Hebrew 9:27. Like Paul said of David being dead in the tomb and has not ascended to heaven, Acts 2:34. We do not put on immortality until the resurrection, 1 Corinthians 15:53-54.
Bear with me my Greek is kindergarten level, arche the beginning or origin I see it maybe a little differently I understand God the Father as the Creator as in Genesis 1:1 and Psalm 19:1. I believe in the plan of God Jesus was first and as in Romans 4:17 Jesus was in Gods eyes in the womb of Mary and then the angels and all the counsel of heaven then the earth and all that was to be.
In Genesis 17:5 when God renamed Abram to Abraham God said, "for the father of many nations I have made thee". It was not Abraham will become a father of many nations it was already done in the plan of God.
"Firstborn of every creature and the firstborn from the dead" Jesus was the firstborn, Jesus being the first in God's plan would make Him the firstborn, and Jesus is the firstborn of the dead. There were people brought back from the dead like in 2 Kings 13:21 the guy was thrown into Elisha's tomb and when his body touched Elisha's bone he came back to life and stood up, and we see the ones in the New Testament. No one who died before Jesus who came back to life died again Jesus was the first to overcome death.
Jesus is the firstborn of the dead because He had no sin and death could not hold Him and when Jesus rose He rose in a glorified body never to die again, Revelation 1:18. That is what we look forward to when we are resurrected.
See part 4 sorry I am slow.
Part 2,
John 17:5 I may not be able to answer this satisfactorily, but I do not think Jesus was in heaven other than in God's plan in God's thoughts as the word logos is the expression of a thought. When Jesus was baptized, He was anointed without measure by the Holy Spirit/Ghost, John 3:34 at that point Jesus was given power and authority John 5:26-27 and then Matthew 28:18.
All through the New Testament Jesus said what He said, what He did, and the works that were done was God His Father and not Him, John 14:10, it was the word of God, God was manifested in Jesus everything was given to Jesus, He did not have it before God the Father gave it to Him.
God dwelt in Jesus and Jesus in Him, I feel Jesus became the Tabernacle of God, as His name shall be called Emmanuel God with us, same as Jesus told Peter, John 14:9. Jesus had the full measure of the Holy Spirit/Ghost this is why He said what He said in John 14:17 they saw the Holy Spirit/Ghost because it was with them in Him that gave Jesus the power for God to do the works/miracles.
This was in the prayer Jesus was praying to His Father just before He went to the cross, Jesus was asking His Father to glorify Him so that He may glorify God so that we might know the only true God. John17:1-3 Mark 12:29.
Colossians 1:15-17 I will try on this one, "in the image" is a mirror-like representation that Jesus was, like He said to Peter if you have seen me, you have seen God. Man cannot see God nor look on Him, John 1:18 Jesus was the faithful witness Revelation 1:5 and a witness tells or reveals the truth, and Jesus showed us the truth of who God is the only true God.
Jesus was the first and everything in God's thoughts and mind, Jesus was there in God's mind but was not sent until the fullness of time, Ephesians 1:10. I feel that is why Jesus said over and over it is not me but He who sent me.
I know we may differ, but I hope I am showing honestly my understanding.
See part 3.
God bless,
RLW
I did some searching online and couldn't yet find any church that believes what you said. A website for Orthodox Christians also said you don't have to believe in trinity to be saved, so I question the validity of this belief.
Is the goal of this is to demean Christians who believe what the Bible says about God in John 1:1, 1 John 5:7? Believing what the Bible says is not a doctrine, but denying it or twisting it can be considered a manmade doctrine.
"I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the ending, saith the Lord, which is, and which was, and which is to come, the Almighty." Revelation 1:8 KJV
The Alpha and Omega is the Lord Jesus.
"And he said unto me, It is done. I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end. I will give unto him that is athirst of the fountain of the water of life freely. He that overcometh shall inherit all things; and I will be his God, and he shall be my son."
Revelation 21:6-7
This says the Alpha and Omega "will be his God". Do you agree?
Does this not plainly say that the Lord Jesus is God?
If Jesus was not God, then why would the Bible say so many times that He IS God, like in John 1:1, 1 Timothy 3:16, Isaiah 9:6, and His own name Immanuel means "God with us". One would think if God wrote a Bible to convince us that Him dying for us was not Him but someone else and to tell us that salvation is from someone else and not through Him, then why would it say so many times Jesus is God. People called Him God, His name was God, He has the power of God, and the Bible says He is God. But I'm supposed to believe that He isn't though?
So, the question remains: if this be the case, why did the Church reject the Sabbath (also being the day set aside by the Jews to attend the synagogue), to meet together to break bread & worship the Lord on the first day of the week? Could it be that the Church (founded on apostolic teaching) no longer identified with the Law given by God to Israel, from which no salvation or release from sin's grip could be found, but rather attended to the Law given by the Spirit of God, which now gave both understanding & power to serve God acceptably? Maybe, what the Apostle Paul believed & preached, was also adhered to by the Church: in Romans 7:4-6 Paul stated, 'we are dead to the Law by the Body of Christ - now being delivered from the Law in which we remained dead, but now serve God in newness of spirit and not the oldness of the letter'. And this was written to remind Jewish believers that they (not Gentiles) were once under the (whole) Law, but now freed from its intended purpose & punishment as its goal, to serve God by the Spirit covered by Christ's Blood, which the Law could never do.
It will be awesome but there will be horrible times before He returns. If we are still living, we must be strong in our faith to resist the hour of temptation that is coming. When He returns it will not be some silent secret event, Revelation 1:7 and Matthew 23:39. He will return to the same place from where He ascended, Acts 1:10-11. When He touches His feet back on earth on the Mount of Olives the earth will split with the power and glory that has been given Him by God, Zechariah 14:4.
There will be the chosen and faithful, Revelation 17:14 who have been grafted into the vine in the first resurrection, Revelation 20:5-6 that will be a part of this kingdom and reign for one thousand years.
God bless,
RLW
Very well said. I like that you included Revelation 1:8. These are the words of the Lord Jesus Christ. He says, "I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the ending." Alpha and Omega are the first and last letters of the Greek alphabet. As it says here, it is the beginning of the alphabet, and the end of the alphabet.
It is interesting that if you've ever studied the Hebrew sages and their interest in the beginning and end of the alphabet, in between those two, you have all the letters you need to express and put things into words and communicate with. So, they put a lot of emphasis on the alphabet. God is said to be the Alpha and Omega. He is the beginning of everything, and He is the end of everything.
But that's only one meaning. By using the first and last letters of the alphabet, it's also saying He's everything else in between. He's everything that you can put into words about creation and God. He's everything. He's at the beginning of everything, at the end of everything, and He's everything in between!
But then He repeats. After He says I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the ending saith the Lord, which is, and which was, and which is to come, He adds the phrase the Almighty. Wait a minute. That's from God the Father up in Revelation 1:4. Now Jesus is saying it. Very interesting!
Jesus says I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the ending, the one who is, and was, and is to come. I am the almighty. Literally in the Greek text, it's the one who is, the one who was, and the one who is coming. It's all one person!
To the Jews, that's a designation of God. It's an expanded paraphrase of the name of God that God gave to Moses back in Exodus 3:14. And so that's why when we go through the gospels, whenever Jesus would say to people I AM, and of course the translators of the bible put "he" in italics to complete the sentence, only Jesus wasn't saying a sentence. He wasn't saying I am He. He was saying the name of God, I AM!
God Bless
Jesus is still asking that question today!
( Whom do men say that I the Son of man am?)
I believe we have to know who he is and what he did to exercise faith.
Flesh and blood hath not revealed it unto Peter, but the Father which is in heaven.
No man can say that Jesus is the Lord, but by the Holy Ghost.
Whom do men say that I the Son of man am?
He would be the anointing of God!!
That's an huge difference from being the anointed one.
He's "THE ANOINTING OF GOD"
Also, "The Son of the living God."
His name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, THE MIGHTY GOD, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace. Isaiah 9:6.
I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the ending, saith the Lord, which is, and which was, and which is to come, THE ALMIGHTY.
The Almighty;= pantokratr
the all ruling that is God (as absolute and universal sovereign): - Almighty Omnipotent.
Revelation 1:8.
God bless you.
What does the Word of GOD say?
Re.11:4 - These are the two olive trees, and the two candlesticks standing before the God of the earth. (Whatsoever is more than these or is added comes of evil).
The two olive trees
are to produce oil for the two candlesticks.
They are the Old and the New Testaments-i.e. the Word of GOD-, the Word is GOD, understand? John 1:1
The two candlesticks
are two Churches: The Jewish Church - Hebrews 12:23; and Gentile Church: John 10:16
For example: Revelation 1:20 - ... the seven candlesticks which thou sawest are the seven churches (of Asia).
Who will be in the scenary from now on or in this end of the time is Michael, a prince of the LORD sent by JESUS as the God of the earth (as Moses was sent as the God of Pharaoh), he appeared to John in the midst of the seven candlesticks as one like unto the Son of man. Now he will be in the midst of the two Churches -TWO CANDLESTICKS as above cited- and to the TWO OLIVE TREES above cited WILL BE(IS)given Power to shut heaven that it rain not in these days of THEIR prophecy: and have Power over waters (OVER PEOPLES, AND NATIONS, AND MULTITUDES OF ALL TONGUES-FOR HE THAT IS ABOVE IS ABOVE ALL- John 3:31-36) to turn them to blood, and to smite the earth with all plagues, as often as they will. The Word is GOD, self-executing, understand?
Be careful and get ready
Revelation of JESUS Christ,which GOD gave unto Him,to shew unto His servants things which must shortly come to pass;
Three angels proclaim the righteous Judgment of GOD
Revelation 14:6-13 (Compare with Gen.18 -Three angels visited Abraham before destruction of Sodoma)
6 And I saw another angel fly in the midst of heaven,having the everlasting gospel to preach unto them that dwell on the earth,and to every nation,and kindred,and tongue,and people,
7 Saying with a loud voice,Fear GOD and give glory to Him;for the hour of His Judgment is come:and worship Him that made heaven, and earth,and the sea,and the fountains of waters.
8 And there followed another angel,saying,Babylon is fallen,is fallen, that great city,because she made all nations drink of the wine of the wrath of her fornication.
9 And the third angel followed them,saying with a loud voice,If any man worship the Beast and His image,and receive his mark in his forehead,or in his hand,
10 The same shall drink of the wine of the WRATH of GOD,which is poured out without mixture into the cup of his indignation;and he shall be tormented with fire and brimstone in the presence of the holy angels,and in the presence of the Lamb:
Genesis 18:1-33&19:12-17&27-29
- First,the Lord appeared unto Abraham in the plains of Mamre:and he sat in the tent door in the heat of the day;And he lift up his eyes and looked,and,lo, three MEN stood by him:and when he saw them, he ran to meet them from the tent door,and bowed himself toward the ground,
- Soon after,Abraham offered the three MEN a delicious lunch,in fact a banquet,and stood by them under the tree,and they did eat.
- And they asked unto Abraham:Where is Sarah thy wife?I will certainly return unto thee according to the time of life;and,lo,Sarah thy wife shall have a son
- The Lord also said:Shall I hide from Abraham that thing which I do? they rose up from thence and looked toward Sodom:Abraham asked: Wilt thou also destroy the righteous with the wicked?
Here are some Scriptures of God's care & promise to Israel: Genesis 12:1-3; Joshua 1:1-6; Psalm 83:1-18 (noting Asaph's appeal to God against those nations confederate against Israel. That all men might know the LORD' Name is Yahweh - not Allah); Psalm 122:6,7; Isaiah 41:8-16; Ezekiel chaps 38 & 39 (still future); Zechariah 2:8,9; Zechariah 12:2-9 (still future).
And we also see God's protection over Israel even after the birth of the Jewish State in May 1948: soon after this, five Arab armies (Egypt, Syria, Jordan, Lebanon & Iraq) came against a small Israeli opposition & were resoundly defeated. 1967 (six-day war) where Egypt, Jordan, Syria & Lebanon) attacked Israel to wipe them off the map. They were not only defeated by Israel but Israel captured the Sinai, Golan Heights, Gaza & the West Bank. 1973 (on Yom-Kippur), Egyptian & Syrian forces attacked Israel on this holy day (Day of Atonement). Once again Israel was able to defeat this surprise attack against them with the help of U.S. forces. And 2016, in December, a mysterious storm cloud (of dust and rain) put a barrier between Israel and ISIS. Reports say the storm stopped on the border of Syria and ISIS was 'unable' to enter Israel's Golan Heights area. God has not forgotten Israel.
Pray for understanding.
It is written in
Revelation 1:3,KJV
3.Blessed is he that readeth,
and they that hear the words of this prophecy,
and keep those things which are written therein:
for the time is at hand.
My recommendation to all the Christian who believe in the Lord Jesus Christ, those using this online tool. Get yourself familiarise with the Hebrew and Greek languages of scripture (interlinear bible) and if By the grace of God Study both Languages
-In the Hebrew the word God and Heaven is revealed to us (Human-Beings) in Plural
-Elohim =GOD which singular Eloah and in Plural ELOHIM.
-Heaven= eshmim which is the heavens in Plural .
-Therefore, when you Read in Genesis 1:20 you will be confronted with this fact God says Let us which is in Plural Indicting One Yet Three in the Scriptures.
-Mind you this Fact is found All over the Scripture and it is written in 1 John 5:7, KJV
7.For there are three that bear record in heaven,
the Father, the Word, and
the Holy Ghost: and these three are one.
(Time is at Hand we are living at the end of days.)
Repent of your sins and do not be deceive Amen.
ACT 2:38, KJV
Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost.
the "clouds" that is referred to in Rev.1:7, I am beginning to think it is an army/cavalry like I 1st suggested.
( Revelation 1:7) "Behold, he ((cometh WITH clouds)); and every eye shall see him, and they also which pierced him: and all kindreds of the earth shall wail because of him. Even so, Amen."
( Zephaniah 1:14-15 KJV) "That day is a day of wrath, a day of trouble and distress, a day of wasteness and desolation, a day of darkness and gloominess, a day of ((clouds)) and thick darkness,"
( 2 Thessalonians 1:7) "And to you who are troubled rest with us, when the Lord Jesus shall be revealed from heaven ((WITH his mighty angels)),"
( Revelation 19:14 KJV) "And the ((armies)) which were in heaven followed him upon ((white horses)), clothed in fine linen, white and clean."
God bless.
3 Let no man deceive you by any means: for that day shall not come, except there come a falling away first, and that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition;
4 Who opposeth and exalteth himself above all that is called God, or that is worshipped; so that he as God sitteth in the temple of God(Jerusalem), shewing himself that he is God. Actually, YAHWEH is one of the several names of the father of the Jews, the Devil. I can listed them all.
The Word made flesh-JESUS-, said: I and my Father are One. I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the ending, saith the Lord, which is, and which was, and which is to come, THE ALMIGHTY- Revelation 1:8. In fact, my Lord JESUS is the LORD of the lords. And He said: All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth- Matthew 28:18.
The "I Am" is Yeshua - JESUS - not YAHWEH, this is one of the names(or nicknames)of Devil.
It seems that you did not understand that GOD gave the sealed book of Revelation unto JESUS,and JESUS called an angel(different of the translation,in fact an Archangel,as an ambassador of the Lord),and delivered the message unto Him to reveal the content of the book to the apostle John who was in Patmos because of the Word of GOD,and for the testimony of Jesus Christ.
Being on Patmos,the archangel presents himself to John being behind Him as recommended by the Word( Isaiah 30:21),not in front,in front only JESUS must be,do you understand?And John heard behind him a great voice, as of a trumpet, so John turned to see the voice that spake with him, and being turned he saw seven golden candlesticks (the 7 Churches of Asia, whose spiritual conditions reflect the spiritual conditions of the Churches in this current time of the END, time of Apocalipse, by the way reflect a very terrible condition);
John saw in the midst of the seven candlesticks ONE LIKE UNTO THE SON OF MAN. How was him? Revelation 1:13-16:
13 He presents himself "clothed with a garment down to the foot, and girt about the paps with a golden girdle".(This picture or scenary remembers Joseph in Egypt- Exodus 41:38-45)
14 His head and his hairs were white like wool, as white as snow; and his eyes were as a flame of fire;
15 And his feet like unto fine brass, as if they burned in a furnace; and his voice as the sound of many waters.
16 And he had in his right hand seven stars:and out of his mouth went a sharp twoedged Sword:and his countenance was as the sun shineth in his strength.(By the way, he was also with Joshua in the Old Testament- Joshua 5:13-15)
Paul Apostle spoke about him in 1Thes.4:16 and 1Cor.15:51-52.Take a look.
JESUS warned:At midnight there was a cry made,Behold, the bridegroom cometh;go ye out TO MEET him-Mat.25:6.Who's going?
See,IT'S NOT ENOUGH to just have lamp-the Word of GOD-a lamp for the feet-Ps.119:105;It's necessary also to have oil,otherwise the lamp will go out.
I see that according to the your theory, the """Principle of Similitude explains the basis of comparing the like with like; So the heaven is compared with the earth."""
Along the same line as your theory above or interpretation saying "the heaven is compared with the earth" by the Principle of Similitude,
so I took your example to compare the Similitude between the Son of GOD and the angel who was sent by Him to the isle of Patmos- Revelation 1:1-Revelation of JESUS Christ, which GOD gave unto Him, to shew unto His servants things which must shortly come to pass; and He sent and signified it by His ANGEL unto His servant John. (Different of the translation, In my vision an Archangel). But what is the Similitude between the Son of GOD and the archangel sent by JESUS to speak with John?
Here goes the Similitude: Revelation 1:13-16. (By the way, JESUS was in heaven when He sent the archangel to meet John , He was sitting on the right hand of the Father).
Verse 13 - And in the midst of the seven candlesticks (7 Churches of Asia) one like unto the Son of man, clothed with a garment down to the foot, and girt about the paps with a golden girdle.
14 His head and his hairs were white like wool, as white as snow; and his eyes were as a flame of fire;
15 And his feet like unto fine brass, as if they burned in a furnace; and his voice as the sound of many waters.
16 And he had in his right hand seven stars: and out of his mouth went a sharp twoedged Sword: and his countenance was as the sun shineth in his strength.
Revelation 22:8-9
8 And I John saw these things, and heard them. And when I had heard and seen, I fell down to worship before the feet of the angel which shewed me these things.
9 Then saith he unto me, See thou do it not: for I am thy fellowservant, and of thy brethren the prophets, and of them which keep the sayings of this book: worship GOD.
Surely He is our fellowservant. Praise our GOD.
Blessings
Raptured before Tribulation are in Rev 5:9-10 in Heaven before Chapter 6,and so on.
9 And they sung a new song, saying, Thou art worthy to take the book, and to open the seals thereof: for thou wast slain, and hast redeemed us to God by thy blood out of every kindred, and tongue, and people, and nation;
10And hast made us unto our God kings and priests: and we shall reign on the earth.