I agree with your statement David, but I think we need to be more specific. I wont call you intoxicated like Frankie did, but I do believe that you are just ignorant to certain scriptures. By ignorant I'm using it as the Bible does in the sense of you just haven't been taught.
So the Bible is the FINAL authority in the Christian life ( 2 Peter 1:19). I agree with Frankie that you need the Holy Spirit to discern the things of God in His word. The Bible clearly states that in 1 Peter 1:11-12. The Bible also says that we need a preacher, because how can we hear without one ( Romans 10:14). So the Bible was given by the Holy Spirit/God and needs to be discerned through that, because the Bible is of no private interpretation ( 2 Peter 1:20-21). God had a specific meaning for each word and only He can tell us what that is.
I also believe what the Bible says in Acts 2:17 that in the last days people will prophesy, have dreams, and visions. If the Bible says it, then it's true. That being said, since the Bible is the final authority, if anything they say happened in the prophesy, dream, or vision that goes against the Bible, then it's a false dream.
Here's how to discern if they are truly a "prophet" in the sense of them prophesying, dreaming, and having visions:
1. Does it follow scripture ( 2 Peter 3:16)
2. Look at their fruits ( Matthew 7:15-20)
3. It doesn't breed confusion ( 1 Corinthians 14:29-33)
4. It is of the Holy Ghost/Jesus ( 1 Corinthians 12:1-3, John 16:13-15)
I hope this was a help to you and there is definitely more studying that can go into this, but that's about the summary of this.
I agree! Daniel and many prophets and Apostles were a instrument for the Lord.
They gave God glory, God worked mightily through them.
Israel was and still is an Instrument for the Lord, and their tune is not done playing!
It's going to come a time when the world will see the glory of God through them again instead of despising them. Jeremiah 16:14-15.
Much of the church today is antisemitic because lack of knowledge of the word of God.
Some say the teaching of the Talmud is the primary writings for all of Israel since the Babylonian and it teaches the Israelites to murder kill and hate other people but I don't hold that view and the Bible doesn't teach it.
They also had the writings of Moses as seen in Nehemiah 8:3-18.
The Jews was told to be separated from the world and the world hated them as well as today, including many false Christians.
When Israel left Babylon they had the same writtings that clearly tells them in Leviticus 19:33-34 not to oppress the stranger.
They all didn't do that, But we don't focus on the ethnic group, we focus on the remnant.
Israel history wasn't perfect and neither was the Church!
Today we are not perfect!
Our nation is not perfect! I've seen these same people that criticize Israel but yet by their own mouth, Justify slavery in our Country!
They must consider Matthew 7:1-2."Judge not, that ye be not judged.
For with what judgment ye judge, ye shall be judged: and with what measure ye mete, it shall be measured to you again.
If we read Ezekiel 16:1-63
We will see the sin of Israel. They married/Joined themselves to the Spirit of the World as we have done as well.
So the holocaust and there history of turmoil was them departing the God that Provides.
Daniel gave a great example how to rise in to world powers and not conform to their culture.
Christian Greetings brother Jesse, I can support what you have written here. Thank you. It was very necessary (I believe) that Matthew wrote clearly for the Jews ahead of 70AD. All the Gospel though it may prick our conscience it comforts too. The Greek language was very important for the spreading of the knowledge of God especially in its time, likely Alexander the Great played a part in this spreading. I myself am a poor student of Bible History but it is very important in how God teaches us His Will. Thank you for continuing to share. The Lord Willing.
This allegorical became a spiritual reality for Joseph & his family, & in time God wrought out Israel literal salvation through it.
We must Proverbs 3:5 for His Isa 55:8-11 & He will Isa 42:16 this is the Life of faith we're all invited too, were self effort & its wisdom from the letter is nothing. It's a picking up the cross & dying daily to that, that 1 Cor 1:29
This is our entrance through the door into putting on the mind of Christ, He sent His Holy Spirit to teach & guide us into all Truth & is not a lie, that we may know the things that are freely given unto us by God, that which the "Holy Spirit reveals" is a certainty, a infallible rule / foundation which a Christian can bottom on. Joseph & his family did not fall off a cliff, & neither will any that trusteth in Him.
Look at the fiery trial that tried Joseph faith, becoming more precious than gold & silver that perishes, though it was severely tried by fire, the praise, glory & honor he was given as God wrought out His word to him, as he remain faithful to his God, & sin not against Him, abiding in the Vine throughout all the hardship he faced, not knowing what was to befall him next in this strange land were he was sold as a slave. Then his reward for doing good betrayed, falsely accused & put into prison for it.
Did he have any books that he might read & study to receive a better understand of what God was up to, No.
He had learnt the practice of the ancients, "the better part' Psalm 46:10, sat still & waited in silent prayer, which truly is a cross to self, until God was please to arise, reveal Himself & comfort him in his afflictions, Psalms 12:5-7 strengthening his faith to endure, while working in him a character of godliness that's not to be repented of.
Joseph could not have come to his end, without the lessons God had taught him through this journey, which God was please to bring him through, thus enabling Joseph to fulfill God glorious plan. Meaning Joseph could no have the one without the experiencing the other, it was his preparation for the call that God had place on his life. This happens to all of us in our everyday ordinary experiences in life, which sometime are more riveting than others
In this stillness & quietness of soul, waiting upon the Lord he found Psalms 91:1 He was given the a understanding
1 John 5:20 He came to know Daniel 2:22,23
Ronald, that which gave you a sight of these things, is He that will lead you into the literal, spiritual experiential truth of them.
Agree with you in your prayers that come to us in requests often. It is so good to hear you be so persistent in making your requests to our Heavenly Father through Jesus, His Son, who will always hear and is willing to answer our prayers in accordance to His will. He knows the beginning from the end of every situation. He knows the fullness of what He wishes to accomplish in us and those we love. He sees the big picture and the long game for every request we bring to Him. We can trust Him and can cast our cares and ourselves onto His mercy and love at all times.
CHAPTERS 3 AND 4 - The Introduction to the Public Ministry of the Christ. And notice how I worded it. It is always "The Christ," because that is the Jewish understanding of Yeshua. He is the Christ. And He is presented in Matthew Chapter 1 as "Jesus, the one being called the Christ."
CHAPTERS 5 THROUGH 25 - The Public Ministry of the Christ. And what is interesting is that there are five sermons in Chapters 5 through 25. Matthew's gospel is very systematic! He always uses fives. He gives five messages and sermons.
And right after those messages, he'll use two chapters to compile and present to us different miracles, and different things that Jesus did to back up the message that He gave. For instance, when we get to Matthew Chapters 5 through 7 (the Sermon on the Mount), we'll see that at the end of Chapter 7 that the people were amazed that Jesus taught with authority. And so, Matthew Chapters 8 and 9, it's the authority of Christ's word to forgive. It is constantly showing the authority of Christ's word, to heal.
So, it is very neatly laid out. And if we understand how Matthew wanted it presented, or how he did present it, and how he wanted us to understand it, we can understand it in context. It is very systematic, and it is very well laid out.
CHAPTERS 26 AND 27 - The Crucifixion of the Christ
CHAPTER 28 - The Resurrection of the Christ
Those are the 5 Section Outlines of Matthew's gospel. I will share my introduction to Mark's gospel soon, Lord willing!
The theme of Matthew is fulfillment. Matthew alludes to or presents over 60 references to the Old Testament, more than double of any other gospel writer because he is using this word over and over again through his gospel that Jesus came, and he shows the fulfillment of the scripture that Jesus fulfilled, showing them (the Jews), that Jesus was the Messiah.
The Key Verse for the book of Matthew is Matthew 5:17. Jesus said, "think not that I came to destroy the law or the prophets; I am not come to destroy but to fulfill." He didn't come to eliminate the law. He came to fulfill all of its requirements. And that's what Matthew is doing for the Jews, showing that Jesus Christ has fulfilled all the requirements and the commandments of the scripture.
I mentioned to you that Matthew's gospel is presented in five sections, and I will conclude in (Part 4) how it is broken down.
Matthew was one of the 12 Apostles. In Matthew 10:3, we have the record of Matthew being called out from the disciples to be one of the original 12 Apostles.
NOW FOR MATTHEW'S GOSPEL:
WHEN IT WAS WRITTEN:
It was written in the late 60's AD. Here are some things that are important to know:
LINK TO OTHER BOOKS:
Out of Matthew, Mark and Luke, Mark was written first. It is the shortest of the gospels. But it is interesting that out of the 661 verses in Mark, Matthew has 500 of them, almost word for word. It shows that Matthew was following Mark's Gospel as a template for his writings.
So, Mark wrote his first, Matthew second, and then Luke. And if you've ever read the introduction to Luke (the first four verses of Chapter 1), Luke says he has collected all the writings that he could find in order to write his gospel.
So, Luke had Matthew, he had Mark, and he had all the different writings from the different witnesses and the different people who were with Christ. So, he wrote his gospel, and out of the synoptic gospels, Luke's was written third and was written last.
Now the purpose for the Synoptic Gospels was to present a certain side of Jesus to a certain group of people. To the Jews they were presented the Messiah. To the Roman mind, the Servant, God who came as a Servant to die for our sins. And then Luke, his gospel was for the Gentiles.
We find a lot of literature in Matthew. This is very important because some pull verses out of Matthew that are not found in the other gospels, and they apply it incorrectly to Christians today because what you find in Matthew, you don't find anywhere else. It's because Matthew wrote them uniquely for the Jews. Ten parables in Matthew are not found anywhere else because they were written to the Jews. And we have to understand that from a Jewish perspective, not from a culture of the Gentiles. So, it is very important to understand how all these books function in their purpose.
Matthew is his Greek name. Matthew means gift of Yahweh. His Jewish name is Levi. And because his name is Levi, that tells us that he is from the tribe of Levi, and he is a priest of all people. Priests come from the tribe of Levi.
But what is interesting is this next part.
Occupation:
In Matthew 9:9, we find out that Matthew was a tax collector when Jesus called him. Now the Roman government would put the tax collection business up for bid every five years. The one that bid the highest gets to be the tax collector. And he would collect both what we call income tax and travel tax, and he would send it to the Roman government as they have prescribed. But he can tack on any amount he wants to keep for himself. So, tax collectors were very rich.
The problem is that we have a Jewish man from the tribe of Levi who should be serving as a priest in the temple, and he bids on the tax collector's job, and he starts working for the Roman government to tax his own people. Tax collectors were considered traitors by the Jews. They were unclean and unable to participate in the synagogue.
And so, here's Matthew saying I don't care, I am a rich man. Of course, the fellow Jews are calling him names and getting angry with him. But he doesn't care because he gets their money! But he is sitting at the tax collection booth when he is called by Jesus. And he gets up immediately and leaves. Right after this, and we see it in Matthew Chapter 9, but right after this, Matthew has a dinner in his home, and he invites all of his tax collector friends. He wants them to meet Jesus.
So then religious leaders got a little upset because they wanted to know why Jesus and the disciples, the people who were with Him at the beginning, why they were sitting down with tax collectors and sinners? A sinner to a Jew is somebody who didn't keep the law. They were considered traitors.
The Gospel of Mark was written for the Romans, written for the Roman mind. He wrote his short presentations to match the Roman legal system. To the people in Rome, everything had to match up with the law (the law of the land). And so, Mark's presentation is to present Jesus to the Roman mind.
And Mark wrote his gospel under the influence and testimony of Peter. Mark wasn't there. Peter was there and he gave Mark the testimony, and Mark wrote it. Mark wrote to present Jesus as the Suffering Servant, and he ends his gospel with the ascension.
C. Luke
Then there's Luke. Remember I told you Luke and Acts used to travel together. Luke was written to the Gentiles. It was written to present Jesus as the Son of Man. And Luke, being a physician, he emphasized the human side of Jesus as the Son of Man.
Luke ends his gospel with the promise of the Holy Spirit. And that opens up his next volume (the book of Acts), with the coming of the Holy Spirit. So that sets us up for his sequel.
D. The Gospel of John
Only the first three gospels are synoptic. They were all written in the 60's A.D. The Gospel of John was written to the church around 95 A.D. So approximately 30 years after the other three gospels were written, the Gospel of John was written.
He wrote to present Jesus as the Son of God, His deity. And he ends his gospel with the promise of His return. And that opens it up for John's sequel, as he wrote the book of Revelation, and talked about the return of Christ. So, it is very interesting how these books were arranged.
I will begin with the introduction to Matthew next.
From the beginning of Paul's letters, all the way through to the end of Revelation, that is 63 years of church history. So, if you want to know in 63 years of the early church history, with all of the apostles there, and all of the apostles who have their testimony, why in 63 years of church history didn't Paul or anybody else teach that new teaching that some person just told you about? It's because it is not in the word and it is not God's word.
INTRODUCTION TO THE GOSPELS
I. The Synoptic Gospels
The word Synoptic comes from the Greek word SUNOPSIS, and it means "to view together."
A. Matthew
Matthew wrote his gospel in five sections. Most Jewish writers did this in order to lineup with the first five books of the bible, the Torah, or Law. So, Matthew wrote his gospel in five sections.
Matthew's gospel was written to the Jews. It was written to present Jesus as the coming Savior/Messiah. Notice I said "Savior/Messiah?" The Jews were not just expecting the Messiah, but they were expecting the Messiah to come as a Savior.
We see in Matthew 1:21 that it says, "And she shall bring forth a Son, (the angel said this about Mary), and thou shalt call His name Jesus, for He shall save His people from their sins." That's what the Jews believed, that when the Messiah would come, He would save His people from their sins.
Matthew is presenting Jesus as the fulfillment of the coming Savior/Messiah. Matthew ends with the resurrection. It is all good Jewish literature. All Jews hold to a resurrection. So, Matthew ends his book with a resurrection.
Paul's writings are at the beginning of the teaching section. And in Galatians 1:8-9, Paul makes a very bold statement. He says, "If anyone preaches any other Gospel than that which I have preached, let them be accursed." Even if an angel comes down, or if we change our teaching and give you a different gospel, it is only the gospel that Paul preached.
And that is what the early church went by, and that is why the New Testament is laid out the way it is. It is so that they would have history, and then they would have Paul's writings at the beginning of the teaching section. And everyone else's teachings had to line up with Paul's. If it was different than Paul's, it was not considered legitimate because the early church had already accepted the fact that Paul was chosen to be the instrument to reveal the mysteries of Christ. Nobody else!
This layout of the New Testament is "Foolproof!" If we are presented something from scripture that doesn't seem quite right, all we need to do is go to Paul's teachings. What did Paul teach about that? Well, we know that Paul was taught by Jesus Himself while he was out in the desert for three years. So, if we are presented something, we have the responsibility to search the scriptures. What did Paul teach? If it is different from what he taught, we are not to even entertain it!
We in the church today are under the same thing as far as what we preach and teach. If we preach any other gospel than what Paul preached, we are in trouble, and that's paraphrasing it lightly!
Even in the Jewish literature section (Hebrews through Revelation), in their writings, they would make reference back to Paul's teaching, and you'll never find anything in the Jewish literature section that contradicts anything that Paul said. They all blend together.
Before I share my introduction to Matthew, I would like to share how I began the bible study I led. I began with a brief rundown of the New Testament, followed by a short introduction to the Gospels. Here is how I laid it out:
The original language of the New Testament was Greek. Its contents are History and Doctrine, or Teaching. Greek is an exact language, and in order for God to give teaching and doctrine, it had to be through an exact language. The New Testament is laid out perfectly. The first part, Matthew through Acts is History. It is an historical account of the earthly public ministry of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, along with the book of Acts, because originally, the gospel of Luke and the book of Acts travelled together. They were actually known as Luke Part 1 and Luke Part 2. They were both written by Luke. And it wasn't until later on in the second century that those two books got split up and divided into two. So, from Matthew Chapter 1, all the way through the end of Acts, that is called the historical section of the New Testament.
The second half of the New Testament is called the doctrine or teaching section. This section was purposely designed with books in order, because the books are not chronological. They are not in the order in which they were written. The first books in the teaching section are Paul's letters. All of Paul's letters, from Romans through Philemon, are at the front of the teaching section for a reason. And I'll share that with you in a minute.
From the book of Hebrews, all the way through Revelation, that is known as Jewish literature. From the book of Revelation alone, out of the 400 and some verses, there are over 800 references to the Old Testament. If we want to understand Jewish literature, we have to understand the Old Testament, because all of the language and the symbols and representations of the book of Revelation, Peter, James, all of them, have been taken from the Old Testament.
Richard H Priday I hope you don't mind me responding to your comment to Giannis. Your last paragraph really stood out to me Richard, you said "No matter what opinion we have on the subject (subject is when is the rapture) being prepared to die with Christ NOW is in order; and that starts with dying to self a little more each day. Anyone who thinks the Seal Judgments aren't too bad need a serious reality check. If we have to be in it it's one thing; none of us should WANT to go through the Trib if logical".
Very wise words Richard!
You see it as, if a pre-tribulation rapture doesn't happen you will be prepared. Many, many pre-trib believers think its 100% going to happen there are no other options. No preparations, mainly what should be spiritual strengthening as putting on the whole armour of God ( Eph. 6:10-17) to stand against the (wiles) of the devil ( Eph. 6:11) in the evil day ( Eph. 6:13)
I'm sure you're right about nobody wanting to go through the tribulation period as it will be a time of testing like there has never been before. I think its much better to go into something with a knowledge of what is coming at you, rather than expecting to be taken out of a bad situation, but then having to go through that bad situation along with pure deception and evil, and not expecting it.
( 2 Thess. 1-3) v3 Tells us "for that day shall not come, except there come a (falling away) first. The words (falling away) #646; it means defection from truth [properly the state] ("apostasy"), forsake, something separative, divorce, (writing of) divorcement. Those (falling away) are True Believers or they would not receive a (writing of) divorcement from Jesus Christ.
It just so happens this (writing of) divorcement (falling away) happens when the man of sin is revealed. ( 2 Thess. 2:4) "so that he as God sitteth in the temple of God, shewing himself that he is God".
Do you see what could be happening here Richard if there is no pre-tribulation rapture?
The question exists; of course if all those left behind are unbelievers or if some have either not produced fruit at present and ARE His children. That could result from living in unrepentant sin; perhaps for quite some time. As far as a lifestyle of sin; it is certain that there are some who not only will miss the Rapture but continue on afterwards and be deceived by "THE LIE" and ultimately worship the Antichrist because they didn't LOVE the truth even though they knew it. The main reasoning I have is to have garments in the first place we must be saved; making them white in the blood of martyrs is basically the only way to produce fruit in the Tribulation. God has created us for good works; but the lukewarm church today is largely indistinguishable from the world. God knows ultimately if we are saved; His sheep or not.
I would say it is possible the firstfruits would be indicative of ALL those from Christ Himself; then those who rose out of their graves at the Resurrection; then the "last trump" Resurrection and Rapture event; then the 144,000 being (likely) translated and finally the two witnesses (can't remember which comes first). Anyway; some will not be Resurrected it apears in Revelation 20 until the Trib is over. Some of these could be those left behind who may either have already been believers or new believers. Those at His coming indicate the Second Coming as to those physically alive or Resurrected at that time.
The O.T. timing of the OLD TESTAMENT saints seems to show their Resurrection right around the midpoint of the Trib; PERHAPS indicating a different timing from the rest of the church saints. One difference not mentioned yet here is the sounding of THE archangel Michael at the Rapture; as opposed to angels (plural) at the Resurrection of the elect later on in the Trib.
There is probably a lot more I could say. It is clear that Christ coming at a time of relative prosperity is likely showing an event before the Trib begins. That also fits into the Restrainer being removed; which I would contend as others indicates the Holy Spirit's ministry during the Church Age; as compared with the signs and wonders predominating afterwards. I don't believe even if the Rapture is "secret" many open graves can be explained away or hidden (even if we are considered "reprogrammed" as the unenlightened ones). We probably will be considered the aliens when Christ returns in my opinion.
No matter what opinion we have on the subject being prepared to die with Christ NOW is in order; and that starts with dying to self a little more each day. Anyone who thinks the Seal Judgments aren't too bad need a serious reality check. If we have to be in it it's one thing; none of us should WANT to go through the Trib if logical
Dear Giannis: I have looked at a possible solution here to integrate all the scriptures that the Rapture may be a reward rather than just a salvation issue. There are types and shadows with those who escaped FROM and event such as Enoch from the Flood judgment (who pleased God and walked with Him) and those such as Lot who escaped THROUGH an event (namely going through the fire as it will but in some sense suffering loss).
Arguments have come up here as to the statement in Thessalonians and Corinthians in regard to ALL the church being raptured at the time of the Resurrection of the rest of the Church saints. This; however would in some sense make verses such as the one in Luke about praying to be worthy to escape moot. Clearly not ALL saints; in fact only few meet the Malachi 3 "Book of Rememberance" status in regard to them speaking often of the event and fearing God; etc. We also need to consider the "white and unspotted/unwrinkled" state in Ephesians discussing those who are part of the Bride; as well as those in Rev. 4 who appear as "kings and priests"; compared with the fate of those whose garments are tarnished and appear to have the made white through martyrdom as Rev. 6 indicates.
Clearly complexities arise as to whether these are some of the Christians left behind; or purely a new batch of saints after the witness of the 144,000. Daniel shows the difference; saints WILL be overcome whereas now in this era the gates of hell will not prevail against the church (I'll let you look up the verses). Perhaps going through the fire so to speak is simply limited to the Bema Seat or it involves being purified along with those Jews in Jacob's trouble. Surely the churches appear absent after Rev. 3 ends; the first part of chapter 4 seems to indicate that. There are also tricky verses later on such as that in Rev. 19 where the thief in the night analogy of being naked is indicated. That could be the last holdouts that get in "as through the fire
I did not see your reply, some are not going to my Email for some reason.
I have heard interpretations of who the woman is, Israel, the Church, and some say, Mary.
Rev. 12:1-4
The word wonder Greek semeion, means something extraordinary, or miraculous, mostly translated sign. Sign with a meaning of divine power or purpose made known. Sometimes the word is used to denote a sign of future things these wonders are in heaven, so it is a vision John was shown.
We know the dragon is Satan because scripture says so and most would agree the man child is Jesus the one who will rule all nations with a rod of iron, Psalms 2:9, Revelation 2,12 and 19. The scripture is clear this starts before Jesus was born, the dragon was going to devour the child as soon as it was born. We see this effort of Satan when King Herod ordered not only the killing of all the children in Bethlehem but on all the coasts, from two years old and under.
Rev. 12:5-6 The woman flees to a wilderness prepared by God to be there for 1260 days. This is after the ascension of Jesus, not just after, but in the future. As for the Church is the woman; when the dragon was standing in front of her, Jesus was not yet born, the Church was formed after he was born, the Church did not birth Jesus, the Church is His body.
The woman cannot be Mary, even though she was the mother of Jesus, we are not of the seed of Mary as we see in verse 17, "the remnant of her seed". So, this leaves the third choice, which is Israel. If we look back at Genesis 37:9-10, we see a pretty good picture of this woman.
Israel plays a prominent role in the end-time prophecies of the Bible. Israel will endure into the end times and play a primary part in God's plan for the final days. There are unfulfilled unconditional covenants God made with Israel. "Until the times of the Gentiles be fulfilled". The first woe is future.
The Holy Spirit is my only guide and teacher in my studies of God's word. I do not take other people's understanding and beliefs to conform to my study. If we do that what happens, is somebody writes something that sounds good and fits our mindset, not Christ, and then we find a verse or two that fits, and aha! That must be true, but it turns out not true.
The meaning was, this is a discussion site we should treat every discussion with love and respect, and if we address these discussions with an I am right you are wrong attitude how can anyone learn? The Holy Spirit works through us and if someone has a different meaning of a subject we can go to God's word and study and pray for the truth, we may be given a reply that both will grow.
In the other parts of your post, it is hard for me to respond, you reveal an allegorical, deeper spiritual meaning behind the scriptures, I understand the meaning but there is also a literal meaning. I know many things in the Bible must be taken in a deeper symbolic meaning. It is like hiking in a beautiful forest, with all the smells, sounds, and sites that seem to speak and overwhelm our souls.
We can get so engulfed in all the beauty, same as in the bible, I also have while reading it seen the beautiful deeper meaning and get so peaceful that it is almost like a dream. But it is like the trail in this beautiful forest, we are so overwhelmed with the beauty we trip over a literal stone and fall off a cliff.
Lord Jesus you know the cries of our hearts and the petitions we have made even here. I continue to ask. Please grant soon breakthrough. I ask for strong protection, deliverance, healing, salvation (those not saved), guidance and all the specific situations and circumstances previously mentioned. Please grant help to all in need on here and everywhere, esp. salvation. Please confront A. about her behavior, please intervene and please comfort K. Thank you. In your holy name I pray. Amen.
Oseas thank you for your response. Sorry for the late reply. We will go through the great tribulation, but in ( Mt 24:21-22) v22 Tells us "but for the elect's sake those days shall be shortened". Those days are the days of great tribulation.
The great tribulation will not be a 7 year time period according to the Words of Jesus in these verses.
Good morning all! I found a simple confession of faith regarding The Trinity. The regenerated in Christ must hold to this belief in the Trinity.
Simply "God manifests Himself to us in three different ways, impressing us as three distinct personalities"
1. "GOD THE FATHER.- We (I) recognize Him as the Giver of the Son, and jointly with the Son, as sender of the Holy Ghost. When we call upon God, we usually mean the Father."
2. "GOD THE SON.- We (I) recognize Him as the Son of immaculate conception, the only begotten of the Father, born of a virgin, Mary.- God incarnante in the flesh- sent into the world as the Redeemer of fallen man. Jesus declares Himself one with the Father and is also recognized as God."
3. "GOD THE HOLY GHOST.- We (I) recognize Him as the Spirit of the Living God, sent forth by the Father and the Son, the Reprover of the world and the Guide and abiding Comforter of God's elect. He is to the world today what Christ was to His followers while He lived in the flesh among us." John 4:24
Good morning too brother Spencer! I hope the work day goes well. Between work and still having all children at home is part of the reason for sometimes wanting to write here. Glad you seem to have the willingness to keep the subject of Christ and His coming moving ahead. God bless your thoughts and our conversation in Christ.
So the Bible is the FINAL authority in the Christian life ( 2 Peter 1:19). I agree with Frankie that you need the Holy Spirit to discern the things of God in His word. The Bible clearly states that in 1 Peter 1:11-12. The Bible also says that we need a preacher, because how can we hear without one ( Romans 10:14). So the Bible was given by the Holy Spirit/God and needs to be discerned through that, because the Bible is of no private interpretation ( 2 Peter 1:20-21). God had a specific meaning for each word and only He can tell us what that is.
I also believe what the Bible says in Acts 2:17 that in the last days people will prophesy, have dreams, and visions. If the Bible says it, then it's true. That being said, since the Bible is the final authority, if anything they say happened in the prophesy, dream, or vision that goes against the Bible, then it's a false dream.
Here's how to discern if they are truly a "prophet" in the sense of them prophesying, dreaming, and having visions:
1. Does it follow scripture ( 2 Peter 3:16)
2. Look at their fruits ( Matthew 7:15-20)
3. It doesn't breed confusion ( 1 Corinthians 14:29-33)
4. It is of the Holy Ghost/Jesus ( 1 Corinthians 12:1-3, John 16:13-15)
I hope this was a help to you and there is definitely more studying that can go into this, but that's about the summary of this.
I agree! Daniel and many prophets and Apostles were a instrument for the Lord.
They gave God glory, God worked mightily through them.
Israel was and still is an Instrument for the Lord, and their tune is not done playing!
It's going to come a time when the world will see the glory of God through them again instead of despising them. Jeremiah 16:14-15.
Much of the church today is antisemitic because lack of knowledge of the word of God.
Some say the teaching of the Talmud is the primary writings for all of Israel since the Babylonian and it teaches the Israelites to murder kill and hate other people but I don't hold that view and the Bible doesn't teach it.
They also had the writings of Moses as seen in Nehemiah 8:3-18.
The Jews was told to be separated from the world and the world hated them as well as today, including many false Christians.
When Israel left Babylon they had the same writtings that clearly tells them in Leviticus 19:33-34 not to oppress the stranger.
They all didn't do that, But we don't focus on the ethnic group, we focus on the remnant.
Israel history wasn't perfect and neither was the Church!
Today we are not perfect!
Our nation is not perfect! I've seen these same people that criticize Israel but yet by their own mouth, Justify slavery in our Country!
They must consider Matthew 7:1-2."Judge not, that ye be not judged.
For with what judgment ye judge, ye shall be judged: and with what measure ye mete, it shall be measured to you again.
If we read Ezekiel 16:1-63
We will see the sin of Israel. They married/Joined themselves to the Spirit of the World as we have done as well.
So the holocaust and there history of turmoil was them departing the God that Provides.
Daniel gave a great example how to rise in to world powers and not conform to their culture.
They didn't rub off on him,
He rubbed off on them!
Read Daniel 4:1-37.
God bless.
:)
Friend
This allegorical became a spiritual reality for Joseph & his family, & in time God wrought out Israel literal salvation through it.
We must Proverbs 3:5 for His Isa 55:8-11 & He will Isa 42:16 this is the Life of faith we're all invited too, were self effort & its wisdom from the letter is nothing. It's a picking up the cross & dying daily to that, that 1 Cor 1:29
This is our entrance through the door into putting on the mind of Christ, He sent His Holy Spirit to teach & guide us into all Truth & is not a lie, that we may know the things that are freely given unto us by God, that which the "Holy Spirit reveals" is a certainty, a infallible rule / foundation which a Christian can bottom on. Joseph & his family did not fall off a cliff, & neither will any that trusteth in Him.
Look at the fiery trial that tried Joseph faith, becoming more precious than gold & silver that perishes, though it was severely tried by fire, the praise, glory & honor he was given as God wrought out His word to him, as he remain faithful to his God, & sin not against Him, abiding in the Vine throughout all the hardship he faced, not knowing what was to befall him next in this strange land were he was sold as a slave. Then his reward for doing good betrayed, falsely accused & put into prison for it.
Did he have any books that he might read & study to receive a better understand of what God was up to, No.
He had learnt the practice of the ancients, "the better part' Psalm 46:10, sat still & waited in silent prayer, which truly is a cross to self, until God was please to arise, reveal Himself & comfort him in his afflictions, Psalms 12:5-7 strengthening his faith to endure, while working in him a character of godliness that's not to be repented of.
Joseph could not have come to his end, without the lessons God had taught him through this journey, which God was please to bring him through, thus enabling Joseph to fulfill God glorious plan. Meaning Joseph could no have the one without the experiencing the other, it was his preparation for the call that God had place on his life. This happens to all of us in our everyday ordinary experiences in life, which sometime are more riveting than others
In this stillness & quietness of soul, waiting upon the Lord he found Psalms 91:1 He was given the a understanding
1 John 5:20 He came to know Daniel 2:22,23
Ronald, that which gave you a sight of these things, is He that will lead you into the literal, spiritual experiential truth of them.
In love & truth
Agree with you in your prayers that come to us in requests often. It is so good to hear you be so persistent in making your requests to our Heavenly Father through Jesus, His Son, who will always hear and is willing to answer our prayers in accordance to His will. He knows the beginning from the end of every situation. He knows the fullness of what He wishes to accomplish in us and those we love. He sees the big picture and the long game for every request we bring to Him. We can trust Him and can cast our cares and ourselves onto His mercy and love at all times.
CHAPTERS 1 AND 2 - The Birth of Christ
CHAPTERS 3 AND 4 - The Introduction to the Public Ministry of the Christ. And notice how I worded it. It is always "The Christ," because that is the Jewish understanding of Yeshua. He is the Christ. And He is presented in Matthew Chapter 1 as "Jesus, the one being called the Christ."
CHAPTERS 5 THROUGH 25 - The Public Ministry of the Christ. And what is interesting is that there are five sermons in Chapters 5 through 25. Matthew's gospel is very systematic! He always uses fives. He gives five messages and sermons.
And right after those messages, he'll use two chapters to compile and present to us different miracles, and different things that Jesus did to back up the message that He gave. For instance, when we get to Matthew Chapters 5 through 7 (the Sermon on the Mount), we'll see that at the end of Chapter 7 that the people were amazed that Jesus taught with authority. And so, Matthew Chapters 8 and 9, it's the authority of Christ's word to forgive. It is constantly showing the authority of Christ's word, to heal.
So, it is very neatly laid out. And if we understand how Matthew wanted it presented, or how he did present it, and how he wanted us to understand it, we can understand it in context. It is very systematic, and it is very well laid out.
CHAPTERS 26 AND 27 - The Crucifixion of the Christ
CHAPTER 28 - The Resurrection of the Christ
Those are the 5 Section Outlines of Matthew's gospel. I will share my introduction to Mark's gospel soon, Lord willing!
God Bless!!!
TO WHOM IT WAS WRITTEN:
It was to the Hebrew or Jewish people.
WHY IT WAS WRITTEN:
To present Jesus as the Savior/Messiah.
THEME:
The theme of Matthew is fulfillment. Matthew alludes to or presents over 60 references to the Old Testament, more than double of any other gospel writer because he is using this word over and over again through his gospel that Jesus came, and he shows the fulfillment of the scripture that Jesus fulfilled, showing them (the Jews), that Jesus was the Messiah.
The Key Verse for the book of Matthew is Matthew 5:17. Jesus said, "think not that I came to destroy the law or the prophets; I am not come to destroy but to fulfill." He didn't come to eliminate the law. He came to fulfill all of its requirements. And that's what Matthew is doing for the Jews, showing that Jesus Christ has fulfilled all the requirements and the commandments of the scripture.
I mentioned to you that Matthew's gospel is presented in five sections, and I will conclude in (Part 4) how it is broken down.
Matthew was one of the 12 Apostles. In Matthew 10:3, we have the record of Matthew being called out from the disciples to be one of the original 12 Apostles.
NOW FOR MATTHEW'S GOSPEL:
WHEN IT WAS WRITTEN:
It was written in the late 60's AD. Here are some things that are important to know:
LINK TO OTHER BOOKS:
Out of Matthew, Mark and Luke, Mark was written first. It is the shortest of the gospels. But it is interesting that out of the 661 verses in Mark, Matthew has 500 of them, almost word for word. It shows that Matthew was following Mark's Gospel as a template for his writings.
So, Mark wrote his first, Matthew second, and then Luke. And if you've ever read the introduction to Luke (the first four verses of Chapter 1), Luke says he has collected all the writings that he could find in order to write his gospel.
So, Luke had Matthew, he had Mark, and he had all the different writings from the different witnesses and the different people who were with Christ. So, he wrote his gospel, and out of the synoptic gospels, Luke's was written third and was written last.
Now the purpose for the Synoptic Gospels was to present a certain side of Jesus to a certain group of people. To the Jews they were presented the Messiah. To the Roman mind, the Servant, God who came as a Servant to die for our sins. And then Luke, his gospel was for the Gentiles.
We find a lot of literature in Matthew. This is very important because some pull verses out of Matthew that are not found in the other gospels, and they apply it incorrectly to Christians today because what you find in Matthew, you don't find anywhere else. It's because Matthew wrote them uniquely for the Jews. Ten parables in Matthew are not found anywhere else because they were written to the Jews. And we have to understand that from a Jewish perspective, not from a culture of the Gentiles. So, it is very important to understand how all these books function in their purpose.
I. About the Author (Name and nationality):
Matthew is his Greek name. Matthew means gift of Yahweh. His Jewish name is Levi. And because his name is Levi, that tells us that he is from the tribe of Levi, and he is a priest of all people. Priests come from the tribe of Levi.
But what is interesting is this next part.
Occupation:
In Matthew 9:9, we find out that Matthew was a tax collector when Jesus called him. Now the Roman government would put the tax collection business up for bid every five years. The one that bid the highest gets to be the tax collector. And he would collect both what we call income tax and travel tax, and he would send it to the Roman government as they have prescribed. But he can tack on any amount he wants to keep for himself. So, tax collectors were very rich.
The problem is that we have a Jewish man from the tribe of Levi who should be serving as a priest in the temple, and he bids on the tax collector's job, and he starts working for the Roman government to tax his own people. Tax collectors were considered traitors by the Jews. They were unclean and unable to participate in the synagogue.
And so, here's Matthew saying I don't care, I am a rich man. Of course, the fellow Jews are calling him names and getting angry with him. But he doesn't care because he gets their money! But he is sitting at the tax collection booth when he is called by Jesus. And he gets up immediately and leaves. Right after this, and we see it in Matthew Chapter 9, but right after this, Matthew has a dinner in his home, and he invites all of his tax collector friends. He wants them to meet Jesus.
So then religious leaders got a little upset because they wanted to know why Jesus and the disciples, the people who were with Him at the beginning, why they were sitting down with tax collectors and sinners? A sinner to a Jew is somebody who didn't keep the law. They were considered traitors.
B. Mark
The Gospel of Mark was written for the Romans, written for the Roman mind. He wrote his short presentations to match the Roman legal system. To the people in Rome, everything had to match up with the law (the law of the land). And so, Mark's presentation is to present Jesus to the Roman mind.
And Mark wrote his gospel under the influence and testimony of Peter. Mark wasn't there. Peter was there and he gave Mark the testimony, and Mark wrote it. Mark wrote to present Jesus as the Suffering Servant, and he ends his gospel with the ascension.
C. Luke
Then there's Luke. Remember I told you Luke and Acts used to travel together. Luke was written to the Gentiles. It was written to present Jesus as the Son of Man. And Luke, being a physician, he emphasized the human side of Jesus as the Son of Man.
Luke ends his gospel with the promise of the Holy Spirit. And that opens up his next volume (the book of Acts), with the coming of the Holy Spirit. So that sets us up for his sequel.
D. The Gospel of John
Only the first three gospels are synoptic. They were all written in the 60's A.D. The Gospel of John was written to the church around 95 A.D. So approximately 30 years after the other three gospels were written, the Gospel of John was written.
He wrote to present Jesus as the Son of God, His deity. And he ends his gospel with the promise of His return. And that opens it up for John's sequel, as he wrote the book of Revelation, and talked about the return of Christ. So, it is very interesting how these books were arranged.
I will begin with the introduction to Matthew next.
God Bless!!!
From the beginning of Paul's letters, all the way through to the end of Revelation, that is 63 years of church history. So, if you want to know in 63 years of the early church history, with all of the apostles there, and all of the apostles who have their testimony, why in 63 years of church history didn't Paul or anybody else teach that new teaching that some person just told you about? It's because it is not in the word and it is not God's word.
INTRODUCTION TO THE GOSPELS
I. The Synoptic Gospels
The word Synoptic comes from the Greek word SUNOPSIS, and it means "to view together."
A. Matthew
Matthew wrote his gospel in five sections. Most Jewish writers did this in order to lineup with the first five books of the bible, the Torah, or Law. So, Matthew wrote his gospel in five sections.
Matthew's gospel was written to the Jews. It was written to present Jesus as the coming Savior/Messiah. Notice I said "Savior/Messiah?" The Jews were not just expecting the Messiah, but they were expecting the Messiah to come as a Savior.
We see in Matthew 1:21 that it says, "And she shall bring forth a Son, (the angel said this about Mary), and thou shalt call His name Jesus, for He shall save His people from their sins." That's what the Jews believed, that when the Messiah would come, He would save His people from their sins.
Matthew is presenting Jesus as the fulfillment of the coming Savior/Messiah. Matthew ends with the resurrection. It is all good Jewish literature. All Jews hold to a resurrection. So, Matthew ends his book with a resurrection.
Now, back to Paul's writings:
Paul's writings are at the beginning of the teaching section. And in Galatians 1:8-9, Paul makes a very bold statement. He says, "If anyone preaches any other Gospel than that which I have preached, let them be accursed." Even if an angel comes down, or if we change our teaching and give you a different gospel, it is only the gospel that Paul preached.
And that is what the early church went by, and that is why the New Testament is laid out the way it is. It is so that they would have history, and then they would have Paul's writings at the beginning of the teaching section. And everyone else's teachings had to line up with Paul's. If it was different than Paul's, it was not considered legitimate because the early church had already accepted the fact that Paul was chosen to be the instrument to reveal the mysteries of Christ. Nobody else!
This layout of the New Testament is "Foolproof!" If we are presented something from scripture that doesn't seem quite right, all we need to do is go to Paul's teachings. What did Paul teach about that? Well, we know that Paul was taught by Jesus Himself while he was out in the desert for three years. So, if we are presented something, we have the responsibility to search the scriptures. What did Paul teach? If it is different from what he taught, we are not to even entertain it!
We in the church today are under the same thing as far as what we preach and teach. If we preach any other gospel than what Paul preached, we are in trouble, and that's paraphrasing it lightly!
Even in the Jewish literature section (Hebrews through Revelation), in their writings, they would make reference back to Paul's teaching, and you'll never find anything in the Jewish literature section that contradicts anything that Paul said. They all blend together.
Hello all,
Before I share my introduction to Matthew, I would like to share how I began the bible study I led. I began with a brief rundown of the New Testament, followed by a short introduction to the Gospels. Here is how I laid it out:
The original language of the New Testament was Greek. Its contents are History and Doctrine, or Teaching. Greek is an exact language, and in order for God to give teaching and doctrine, it had to be through an exact language. The New Testament is laid out perfectly. The first part, Matthew through Acts is History. It is an historical account of the earthly public ministry of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, along with the book of Acts, because originally, the gospel of Luke and the book of Acts travelled together. They were actually known as Luke Part 1 and Luke Part 2. They were both written by Luke. And it wasn't until later on in the second century that those two books got split up and divided into two. So, from Matthew Chapter 1, all the way through the end of Acts, that is called the historical section of the New Testament.
The second half of the New Testament is called the doctrine or teaching section. This section was purposely designed with books in order, because the books are not chronological. They are not in the order in which they were written. The first books in the teaching section are Paul's letters. All of Paul's letters, from Romans through Philemon, are at the front of the teaching section for a reason. And I'll share that with you in a minute.
From the book of Hebrews, all the way through Revelation, that is known as Jewish literature. From the book of Revelation alone, out of the 400 and some verses, there are over 800 references to the Old Testament. If we want to understand Jewish literature, we have to understand the Old Testament, because all of the language and the symbols and representations of the book of Revelation, Peter, James, all of them, have been taken from the Old Testament.
Very wise words Richard!
You see it as, if a pre-tribulation rapture doesn't happen you will be prepared. Many, many pre-trib believers think its 100% going to happen there are no other options. No preparations, mainly what should be spiritual strengthening as putting on the whole armour of God ( Eph. 6:10-17) to stand against the (wiles) of the devil ( Eph. 6:11) in the evil day ( Eph. 6:13)
I'm sure you're right about nobody wanting to go through the tribulation period as it will be a time of testing like there has never been before. I think its much better to go into something with a knowledge of what is coming at you, rather than expecting to be taken out of a bad situation, but then having to go through that bad situation along with pure deception and evil, and not expecting it.
( 2 Thess. 1-3) v3 Tells us "for that day shall not come, except there come a (falling away) first. The words (falling away) #646; it means defection from truth [properly the state] ("apostasy"), forsake, something separative, divorce, (writing of) divorcement. Those (falling away) are True Believers or they would not receive a (writing of) divorcement from Jesus Christ.
It just so happens this (writing of) divorcement (falling away) happens when the man of sin is revealed. ( 2 Thess. 2:4) "so that he as God sitteth in the temple of God, shewing himself that he is God".
Do you see what could be happening here Richard if there is no pre-tribulation rapture?
Blessings to you.
The question exists; of course if all those left behind are unbelievers or if some have either not produced fruit at present and ARE His children. That could result from living in unrepentant sin; perhaps for quite some time. As far as a lifestyle of sin; it is certain that there are some who not only will miss the Rapture but continue on afterwards and be deceived by "THE LIE" and ultimately worship the Antichrist because they didn't LOVE the truth even though they knew it. The main reasoning I have is to have garments in the first place we must be saved; making them white in the blood of martyrs is basically the only way to produce fruit in the Tribulation. God has created us for good works; but the lukewarm church today is largely indistinguishable from the world. God knows ultimately if we are saved; His sheep or not.
I would say it is possible the firstfruits would be indicative of ALL those from Christ Himself; then those who rose out of their graves at the Resurrection; then the "last trump" Resurrection and Rapture event; then the 144,000 being (likely) translated and finally the two witnesses (can't remember which comes first). Anyway; some will not be Resurrected it apears in Revelation 20 until the Trib is over. Some of these could be those left behind who may either have already been believers or new believers. Those at His coming indicate the Second Coming as to those physically alive or Resurrected at that time.
The O.T. timing of the OLD TESTAMENT saints seems to show their Resurrection right around the midpoint of the Trib; PERHAPS indicating a different timing from the rest of the church saints. One difference not mentioned yet here is the sounding of THE archangel Michael at the Rapture; as opposed to angels (plural) at the Resurrection of the elect later on in the Trib.
There is probably a lot more I could say. It is clear that Christ coming at a time of relative prosperity is likely showing an event before the Trib begins. That also fits into the Restrainer being removed; which I would contend as others indicates the Holy Spirit's ministry during the Church Age; as compared with the signs and wonders predominating afterwards. I don't believe even if the Rapture is "secret" many open graves can be explained away or hidden (even if we are considered "reprogrammed" as the unenlightened ones). We probably will be considered the aliens when Christ returns in my opinion.
No matter what opinion we have on the subject being prepared to die with Christ NOW is in order; and that starts with dying to self a little more each day. Anyone who thinks the Seal Judgments aren't too bad need a serious reality check. If we have to be in it it's one thing; none of us should WANT to go through the Trib if logical
Arguments have come up here as to the statement in Thessalonians and Corinthians in regard to ALL the church being raptured at the time of the Resurrection of the rest of the Church saints. This; however would in some sense make verses such as the one in Luke about praying to be worthy to escape moot. Clearly not ALL saints; in fact only few meet the Malachi 3 "Book of Rememberance" status in regard to them speaking often of the event and fearing God; etc. We also need to consider the "white and unspotted/unwrinkled" state in Ephesians discussing those who are part of the Bride; as well as those in Rev. 4 who appear as "kings and priests"; compared with the fate of those whose garments are tarnished and appear to have the made white through martyrdom as Rev. 6 indicates.
Clearly complexities arise as to whether these are some of the Christians left behind; or purely a new batch of saints after the witness of the 144,000. Daniel shows the difference; saints WILL be overcome whereas now in this era the gates of hell will not prevail against the church (I'll let you look up the verses). Perhaps going through the fire so to speak is simply limited to the Bema Seat or it involves being purified along with those Jews in Jacob's trouble. Surely the churches appear absent after Rev. 3 ends; the first part of chapter 4 seems to indicate that. There are also tricky verses later on such as that in Rev. 19 where the thief in the night analogy of being naked is indicated. That could be the last holdouts that get in "as through the fire
Sounds good.
RLW
Should be Revelation 12:27 And chap. 19.
Sorry about that
I did not see your reply, some are not going to my Email for some reason.
I have heard interpretations of who the woman is, Israel, the Church, and some say, Mary.
Rev. 12:1-4
The word wonder Greek semeion, means something extraordinary, or miraculous, mostly translated sign. Sign with a meaning of divine power or purpose made known. Sometimes the word is used to denote a sign of future things these wonders are in heaven, so it is a vision John was shown.
We know the dragon is Satan because scripture says so and most would agree the man child is Jesus the one who will rule all nations with a rod of iron, Psalms 2:9, Revelation 2,12 and 19. The scripture is clear this starts before Jesus was born, the dragon was going to devour the child as soon as it was born. We see this effort of Satan when King Herod ordered not only the killing of all the children in Bethlehem but on all the coasts, from two years old and under.
Rev. 12:5-6 The woman flees to a wilderness prepared by God to be there for 1260 days. This is after the ascension of Jesus, not just after, but in the future. As for the Church is the woman; when the dragon was standing in front of her, Jesus was not yet born, the Church was formed after he was born, the Church did not birth Jesus, the Church is His body.
The woman cannot be Mary, even though she was the mother of Jesus, we are not of the seed of Mary as we see in verse 17, "the remnant of her seed". So, this leaves the third choice, which is Israel. If we look back at Genesis 37:9-10, we see a pretty good picture of this woman.
Israel plays a prominent role in the end-time prophecies of the Bible. Israel will endure into the end times and play a primary part in God's plan for the final days. There are unfulfilled unconditional covenants God made with Israel. "Until the times of the Gentiles be fulfilled". The first woe is future.
God bless,
RLW
The Holy Spirit is my only guide and teacher in my studies of God's word. I do not take other people's understanding and beliefs to conform to my study. If we do that what happens, is somebody writes something that sounds good and fits our mindset, not Christ, and then we find a verse or two that fits, and aha! That must be true, but it turns out not true.
The meaning was, this is a discussion site we should treat every discussion with love and respect, and if we address these discussions with an I am right you are wrong attitude how can anyone learn? The Holy Spirit works through us and if someone has a different meaning of a subject we can go to God's word and study and pray for the truth, we may be given a reply that both will grow.
In the other parts of your post, it is hard for me to respond, you reveal an allegorical, deeper spiritual meaning behind the scriptures, I understand the meaning but there is also a literal meaning. I know many things in the Bible must be taken in a deeper symbolic meaning. It is like hiking in a beautiful forest, with all the smells, sounds, and sites that seem to speak and overwhelm our souls.
We can get so engulfed in all the beauty, same as in the bible, I also have while reading it seen the beautiful deeper meaning and get so peaceful that it is almost like a dream. But it is like the trail in this beautiful forest, we are so overwhelmed with the beauty we trip over a literal stone and fall off a cliff.
In love, God bless,
RLW
The great tribulation will not be a 7 year time period according to the Words of Jesus in these verses.
Blessings to you.
Simply "God manifests Himself to us in three different ways, impressing us as three distinct personalities"
1. "GOD THE FATHER.- We (I) recognize Him as the Giver of the Son, and jointly with the Son, as sender of the Holy Ghost. When we call upon God, we usually mean the Father."
2. "GOD THE SON.- We (I) recognize Him as the Son of immaculate conception, the only begotten of the Father, born of a virgin, Mary.- God incarnante in the flesh- sent into the world as the Redeemer of fallen man. Jesus declares Himself one with the Father and is also recognized as God."
3. "GOD THE HOLY GHOST.- We (I) recognize Him as the Spirit of the Living God, sent forth by the Father and the Son, the Reprover of the world and the Guide and abiding Comforter of God's elect. He is to the world today what Christ was to His followers while He lived in the flesh among us." John 4:24
i will so appreciate these study helps.
I was just thinking of you last night since we have not heard from you much lately. Always love your posts.