The Spirit is presenting us two sorts of generations,- of children of light and children of wrath respectively. On one group the Spirit of God can work with and the other group under the generic term the deep darkness prevail. (Gen.1.2). God divided the light from darkness but the children of wrath whose works are evil remain steadfastly committed to be sons oof perdition rather. "For every one that doeth evil hateth the light, neither cometh to the light, lest his deeds should be reproved."( Jn 3.20)
God's promise was of an everlasting priesthood after the order of Melchizedk ('Thou art a priest for ever after the order of Melchizedek'-Ps.110.4). Inheritance oof saints in light are two-fold. "And hath made us kings and priests unto God and his Father."(Rev.1.6)
Satan ever a copycat also offers as he tempted Jesus glory and power which are namely the significance of 10 crowns and 10 horns. We have seen deified Caesars where state and religion meet. In three horns in the fourth beast in Daniel's vision was uprooted by the little horn. Jump cut this to the vision of the flying ephah. What are these two women setting up a base in the plains? Babylon in Rev.ch.17 is the collusion of the church and the state which we saw in the manner the Evangelicals played politics no holds barred. Wickedness of the ephah caused the great depression of '29 and what is darkening the doorway of 21st.cent., -cryptocurrency? Whom are they worshipping? "And they worshipped the dragon which gave power unto the beast." (Rev.13.4) And where does this war take place? "These shall make war with the Lamb, and the Lamb shall overcome them: for he is Lord of lords, and King of kings: and they that are with him are called, and chosen, and faithful." The Lamb establishes the fight in heaven while the wicked eat up "Have all the workers of iniquity no knowledge? who eat up my people as they eat bread,"(Ps.14.4)
I feel like I'm always asking for prayer for my adult daughter. She lives with me and is pretty nice woman. She needs to find a job and wants to but has been out of the workforce for a while. Old friends her age are accomplished and I know that is hard for her. She has tried to get a small business going with a creative outlet but this brings in precious little money.
The main problem is she suffered use at the hands of someone in the church at a young age and it hurt her a lot. She has a hard time with other Christians because she experienced hypocrisy and judgment and bullying. She tends to take some of her anger out on me at times and I have to hold mt peace because fighting does not help. So please join me in prayer for her to find work and to be forgiving of herself and others. I'd like to see her draw close to the Lord but she doesn't understand why Gid let that stuff happen. Thanks very much.
Jesus called 12 men to be His main disciples who were called "apostles". Jesus sent out 70 disciples to preach in Judea. And there were even more than this. There were hundreds of people who followed Jesus and learned from His teachings. At Pentacost, there were 120 disciples staying in the Upper Room praying together when the Holy Spirit descended upon them in Acts 3.
Matthias was chosen from among the disciples to replace Judas Iscariot as an apostle. People such as Stephen and other disciples were chosen to be deacons to serve others in the church congregations. If you read John 6, it says that many disciples turned from following Him when He preached about being the "bread from heaven" whose flesh and blood believers were to partake of to be in the Kingdom. None of the apostles left Jesus in this chapter.
So it seems that there were quite a number of Jews that followed after Jesus from place to place under His instruction. (which is what a disciple is).
Enjoy your explanation and the ongoing study of Titus. I wrote earlier and it seems that it got lost somewhere in cyberspace. My question is on Titus 1:6.....husband of one wife. Does that imply that a man can re-marry again because he had only one wife and not two or more, at the same time?
I need wisdom to decide how often to visit my dad who despite complaining every time I'm there about being imprisoned has been socializing and seemed relatively content the last time I saw him last weekend. I have heard two commentaries one from Paul Washer and another from a Christian who clearly sought after forgiveness from an abusive father and had heartfelt temporary reconciliation but was led not to continue with the relationship. My dad is in memory care for Dementia and last week glared at me saying in no uncertain terms that he wanted to leave there soon and come home. All explanations about the reasons he is there which are agreed to by his lawyer; doctors and relatives as well as my mom before she passed that His dementia necessitated being in such a facility are to no avail.
My main concern thankfully is the same as the person who is the intake person at this facility who is also a believer; we both want our dads to know Christ. Going there alone won't work well but for now friends and family have accompanied me. As with his usual narcissistic behavior and anger issues I am dealing with his vicious glare at me; albeit my plea with him before he came there to ask the Lord to help him with it as He has with me.
I have a history of being angry to the point of punching doors and walls; screaming and making threats. I have had counselling in the past and mercifully not succumbed to that since the abusive marriage to my now ex wife ended. I had to walk away there as well as stay away from my mom for much of the last week of her life during hospice care. I certainly understand anyone thinking it would be wrong for me not to visit him at all; for now I am trusting whether the job out of town I had full time still is available which I planned to check out during Easter break. One thing is for sure I plan to keep visits short and not hang out when manipulation is part of the conversation. When he is in rage I can't be around him.
I would surmise there are several reasons that Jesus at this point was switching His focus in ministry from healings and casting out demons to what apparently was His only way of speaking to the crowds at this point in parables. First of all most in Israel had seen firsthand if not actually directly experienced a miracle from Jesus personally; or the Disciples and others doing things in His Name. Secondly; the time for His death was near. The message had to transition as Jesus wouldn't be with anyone including His Disciples much longer and He had to probably focus most of His attention to them so that they would be able to continue afterwards. Thirdly; the consequence after the Resurrection would be the birth of the church at Pentecost; and it was important then and thereafter to have the Word firmly rooted in His followers as persecution was about to come big time.
In light of this last reason; the concept of tares with the wheat surely would be understood soon with the betrayal of Judas Iscariot. This would work to favor God's predestined plan for Jesus to die on the cross much to Satan's rage. I am reminded of verses such as Luke 9:62 about not turning back when working the plough. This means family and even certain church members can't be controlling or manipulating us and our love for the Lord must be paramount. I look at it as being having our eyes fixed on Him and focusing our lives on eternal truths and heavenly places; still caring when we can for those in our lives and whenever possible living peaceably. Jesus demonstrates these concepts in His own life and His admonitions to keep priorities straight. I would conclude as I often say that the biggest resistance is often in our own camp so to speak. If the enemy can cause havoc to divide the church or in our personal lives then he can damage our witness. Overall as we read the Gospels we see His love but also His constant boldness in exposing evil.
Jesse, I absolutely disagree, and scripture does not support your premise that "elect" refers to the Jewish remnant.
1 Peter 1:2,20
Elect according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, through sanctification of the Spirit, unto obedience and sprinkling of the blood of Jesus Christ: Grace unto you, and peace, be multiplied. [20] Who verily was foreordained before the foundation of the world, but was manifest in these last times for you,
Matthew 13:36-43 This section shows a private explanation after the Disciples further inquiry into the wheat and the tares.
Verses 44-45 discuss the hidden treasure concept; of treasure in a field and a pearl of great price.
Verses 47-51 show the parable of the fisherman and the final judgment; and in verse 51 we see in this case the Disciples get the point.
Verse 52 reads:
52 He said to them, "Therefore every teacher of the law who has become a disciple in the kingdom of heaven is like the owner of a house who brings out of his storeroom new treasures as well as old." This verse sort of gives a summary perhaps for wise sayings in general whether it benefits the narrator himself who is one of Christ's Disciples or those who hear these concepts. A rich life in God's sight involves investment in people and labor for the Kingdom of God which is worthless in the world's eyes but valuable in heavenly rewards and reaching out perhaps to the next generation.
Finally; verses 53-58 show the miserable attitude those in His hometown had toward Christ of unbelief.
Concluding thoughts on Matthew 13.
The 10000 dollar question here is how can we apply these passages in our day in a practical manner in our Christian walk? The fact is a lot of things Jesus did are unique to Him; we only see one instance as an example where Paul made a scathing remark in Acts 23:3 but even after the comment he retracts because this man was the High Priest. We don't see obvious hidden messages or parables in the rest of the New Testament by any of the Apostles or anyone in the churches.
Conceptually; I would interject the idea that the narrow road should be something we should consider if we are truly walking in light of 2 Corithians 13:5; 2 Peter 1:10-11. The seriousness of hellfire is something often avoided in sermons today; even where the Gospel is more or less preached faithfully. Discernment can help us avoid the Matthew 7:6 error of casting pearls before swine. Thoughts?
Introduction: The overall path we see in this stage of Christ's ministry is to speak in parables. The main emphasis here is to demonstrate that the seeds of truth must produce good fruit that first means good soil needs to cultivate the seed. There is a weeding out process here; actually literally in discussing the wheat and the tares as it were in that parable; but also to show that not everyone hearing the Word has been saved. The end of the chapter sees Jesus visiting his own hometown and the unbelief which limits the miracles that He performs as they still consider Him to be the "carpenter's son" (verse 55). This unbelief is; well unbelievable. One could surmise that He spent much time already; months and perhaps a couple years away from home so that some could in theory at least not seen His miracles there; surely you would expect a town that small would have heard at least about the virgin birth.
The concept of selective revelation as it were certainly corresponds to the idea of the elect only being saved; or to put it another way only those the Father chooses to reveal Him to as we saw earlier in Matthew 11:27 but also seen extensively in the Book of John conceptually. Mark 4 contains the parable of the sower and seeds and introduces this concept as well.
Matthew 13:1-9 shows this same parable of the sower and the seeds; and in verses 11-17 Jesus answers the Disciples questions about why He speaks in parables from verse 10.
The explanation is then given for this parable which goes on through verse 23. Verses 24-29 discuss the Parable of the wheat and the tares; and verses 31 and 32 show through the concept of a mustard seed and a woman with dough the increase of the seed of faith; OR verse 32 could tie in with leaven ruining the whole loaf as a concept but it doesn't seem to fit contextually in this passage. Verses 34-35 show at this point NOTHING was said without parables to crowds.
I'm glad that you are current. Did I mention that there will be a quiz at the end? Just kidding! I was reading some of the discussion about this "prayer altar" and I was not sure what this was so I did a little research online and there are actual steps on how to build a prayer altar and what purpose it serves. One site listed 7-Steps that had to be followed. Some of it made sense but seemed a little mystical to me so I steered away. I'm not sure if this is what Shimarafa was referring to or not, but maybe we might get further clarification on this.
I want to ask this question. If a pastor's wife is critically ill and the pastor is having a wonderful time with another lady. Then the wife passed off and within a year, the pastor marries that "wonderful time" lady.
And the pastor justify the marriage as a personal choice by quoting " Titus 1:6 -Titus 1:6 (KJV)
6 If any be blameless, the husband of one wife, having faithful children not accused of riot or unruly.If any be blameless, the husband of one wife,".............is this pastor applying the correct interpretation?
Is anyone else having problems navigating around this website? I am able to see posts but cannot view any of the threads. When I click on the box that says "view thread" a dialog box pops up for me to post a comment. Also, I can only view page 1. There is nothing at the bottom to go to page 2 or any other pages.
Titus 1:14 - Not giving heed to Jewish fables, and commandments of men, that turn from the truth.
Not giving heed to Jewish fables. What this phrase is referring to is that what some people would do in these fellowships is they would establish doctrine by personal experience. They would tell stories of experiences that they had in their own life, and from those experiences, they would say that because of my experience, that establishes this truth about life.
Paul says no, it doesn't. In fact, the word fables is the word myths, MUTHOS. Not giving heed to Jewish stories, and commandments of men, that turn from the truth. The word turn is a Present Participle which means always turning from the truth.
Titus 1:15 - Unto the pure all things are pure: but unto them that are defiled and unbelieving is nothing pure; but even their mind and conscience is defiled.
A pure person is going to look for purity in all things. But unto those who are defiled and to the unbelieving nothing is pure; but even their mind, and that would be the Greek word for perception, even their perceptions and their conscience is defiled. So, there isn't anything that's pure.
Titus 1:16 - They profess that they know God; but in works they deny him, being abominable, and disobedient, and unto every good work reprobate.
They profess that they know God; but in works they deny him. So, with their mouth they talk belief, but with their life they live corruption. Being abominable, and disobedient, and unto every good work, and that's the word AGATHOS for the work of God, and they are reprobate (rejected).
Those are tough words, but Paul is dealing with a pagan practice and society that is in the church. And Titus has to go in there and say "look, if you profess to be a believer, and you're still living that pagan lifestyle, there's a question mark right over you."
You cannot be saved just by a profession or confession, because truth produces godliness.
Titus 1:8 - But a lover of hospitality, a lover of good men, sober, just, holy, temperate;
So, we just had five negatives in Verse 7, and in Verse 8, we have some positives.
But a lover of hospitality, meaning hospitable. The Greek word is literally a lover of strangers. Christians, as they pass through town would seek other believers to stay in their homes. And that's what it means to be hospitable to strangers.
A lover of good men, and the word good here is AGATHOS, which is spiritual good.
To be sober, no influence, and in fact, the Greek word is sober minded. Your mind can be influenced by various thoughts and issues of life and can cloud your thinking and your judgment and your decision making, just like alcohol can take over your system. The influence of thoughts are not to be part of the thinking process of the leader.
He must be just, or righteous. That means to be right with God.
He must be holy. This means pure.
He must be temperate; which means self-controlled. Only this Greek word has to do with being controlled from the inside by an outside force. Galatians 5:22 says that the Holy Spirit controls the believer. He is to be controlled on the inside by an outside force. And of course that's a reference to God's Spirit.
Titus 1:9 - Holding fast the faithful word as he hath been taught, that he may be able by sound doctrine both to exhort and to convince the gainsayers. Gainsayers is to speak against the word.
Titus 1:10 - For there are many unruly and vain talkers and deceivers, specially they of the circumcision:
For there are many unruly and vain talkers and deceivers, especially those of the circumcision, meaning the Jews: There were even Hebrew Jewish people coming in and telling the believers that they must live by the law, even in the island of Crete.
Titus 1:6 - If any be blameless, the husband of one wife, having faithful children not accused of riot or unruly.
He says if any be blameless. That is a legal term that means unimpeachable. Blameless in the following area: the husband of one wife, having faithful children not accused of riot or unruly. The word riot means destruction. The word unruly means insubordinate. It is the same phrase that's found in 1 Timothy Chapter 3. In the Greek, when it says the husband of one wife, it means a one-woman man. It has nothing to do with divorce. It has to do with faithfulness. A man must be faithful to his wife, while at the same time having faithful children.
Titus 1:7 - For a bishop must be blameless, as the steward of God; not selfwilled, not soon angry, not given to wine, no striker, not given to filthy lucre;
It says, for a bishop, and this is the word for an overseer, EPISKOPOS. It's the same as pastor, and the same as elder. For a bishop must be blameless, again unimpeachable, as the steward of God;
Here's the list:
Not selfwilled, which is somebody that's not looking to have their own way all the time.
Next, it says not soon angry. There's no word soon in the Greek text, but the Greek word indicates impulsive outbursts of anger.
Not given to wine. The Greek word is literally not alongside of wine. Don't be associated with wine. That means if it's sitting in front of you at the table and you're not drinking it, you're still associated with it. Do not be alongside of wine.
He is not to be a striker. This has nothing to do with going on strike! Literally, it is a person that doesn't hit.
Not given to filthy lucre; Many years ago, I didn't know what that was, but just by the sound of it, I didn't want it whatever it was. It literally means shameful gain in dealing with the material objects of the world. It is shameful gain with materialism. It is a shame for leaders to lust after and go after material things that are beyond the necessity.
Titus 1:2 - In hope of eternal life, which God, that cannot lie, promised before the world began;
So, the premise of Paul's ministry includes three things: According to the same faith that God's elect has, according to the full knowledge of the truth which produces godliness, and upon the basis of the hope of eternal life. And then the promise of God: All of these things, which God, who cannot lie, promised before the world began; or more literally, before the time of the ages.
The God who cannot lie, that's a Hebraism from the Old Testament. In fact, the word lie in the Greek text is in the Attributive Position. It is the un-lying God. He can't lie. It's impossible.
Titus 1:4 - To Titus, mine own son after the common faith: Grace, mercy, and peace, from God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ our Saviour.
The person the letter is written to is to Titus, my own son, and the word own is the word genuine. He says my genuine son, after the common faith:
In other words, Titus was born out of the same faith that Paul has. And Paul has mentioned this, and it is interesting that 2 Timothy 1:5 mentions the fact that Timothy had the same faith as his grandmother and his mother, and Paul says I'm persuaded that it's the same faith that is in you.
Believers are born out of the same faith. It's not different. Some people have a different faith. But if you are born out of the Spirit of God, you have the same faith as Paul, and Timothy, and Titus. So, he pronounces to Titus Grace, mercy, and peace. And again, in the pastoral letters, he includes one word more than in his other letters. It's the word mercy.
Grace is the Greek greeting. Peace is the Jewish greeting, Shalom. And mercy, he puts in for both Timothy and Titus who were leaders in the church. He then says this is from God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ our Savior. Interesting, God our Savior, and now from God the Father, and the Lord Jesus our Savior!
When we pray to God we don't catch him by surprise. God knows all so we can't disappoint him with our revelation! The Lord knows all our infirmities.
We pray in faith! There's no way to please God without faith!
We're not praying in faith because we know God is going to give us what we want, but we have faith that he hears us and will give us what is best for us according to his will and word.
We pray "Thy will be done"
This expresses a willingness to submit to God's plan, acknowledging His wisdom and purpose are greater than our own, and seeking His guidance and direction in life.
If you struggle in your prayer, add that to your prayer request as well!
If it's focus, temptation, doubt or anything! God already knows it so you pray for that.
Our relationship with God is personal and God wants us to trust him.
I hope this helps and I would like to hear more from you on this if you would like to further elaborate.
But the full knowledge of the truth, and this is going to be brought out in this letter that if the truth is being taught, then your life should be in the process of being changed, and your life should be more godly, more God fearing and respecting. If there is no life change and transformation, then Paul's presentation is that it's not the truth.
Thirdly: according to the hope of eternal life. The word hope in Greek ELPIS, doesn't mean hope like a wish, but it means to be expectant for something to happen, expectancy. It's not you wish it would happen, but you expect it to happen.
Peter, in 1 Peter 1:3, he said blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, which according to His abundant mercy has begotten us again into a living hope, through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead. It's a living hope! It's a hope that's alive. It's not a wish. We're looking for the coming of Christ. If we die first, we're looking to be in His presence. We're looking for the hope that Jesus gave us through His resurrection.
The premise for Paul's ministry, he says three things:
First of all, according to the faith of God's elect. The term God's elect is making reference to the Jewish remnant. The Jews, the Hebrew remnant is called the elect of God. Gentiles, or the church are not called the elect. That's why we're going to find when we get into the Jewish literature that the Jews, the letters to whom they're written to, the Jews will be called God's elect. It's not the Gentiles. It's the Jews.
So, when he says according to the faith of God's elect, he's appealing to the Jewish people that Paul's faith is the same faith from God as God's elect has. It's the same faith. The basis for his ministry is the same God, and the same faith. And by the way, there was a Jewish remnant on the island of Crete. It is believed because of the information in Acts 2:11.
We're told that Jews from the island of Crete were there on the day of Pentecost, and were believers, and received the outpouring of God's Spirit, went back to the island of Crete, and that's how Christianity first spread, and then of course was established when Paul and Titus came through as more people were saved. So, there was a Jewish population, a Jewish remnant in these home church fellowships.
Secondly: according to the full knowledge.
The King James says acknowledging, but the Greek word means full knowledge of the truth, not just bits of information, but the complete knowledge of the truth, which is according to, or after godliness;
What this phrase is saying without getting into too much technical points here, is that the truth of God produces godliness. The emphasis is lifestyle. The word godliness, EUSEBEIA, means to have a respect and a reverence for God. An ungodly person is someone who doesn't respect God at all.
Written by Paul to Titus who was overseeing the churches on the Island of Crete (160 miles long, 35 miles wide, located south of the Aegean Sea). The theme of Titus is Pastoral Instruction. Paul sets in order the things that are lacking in the fellowships in Crete.
Titus 1:1 - Paul, a servant of God, and an apostle of Jesus Christ, according to the faith of God's elect, and the acknowledging of the truth which is after godliness;
There is a lot packed into this one verse, so I will have to break this one up. He says Paul, a servant of God, and an apostle of Jesus Christ. The word servant is the word DULOS. In Exodus Chapter 21, it gives us the account of the DULOS. A slave is someone who would be a slave to a master in order to pay a debt.
And after the debt is paid, the slave would be free to go. But if the slave did not want to leave the master's house, he would voluntarily come to the master and say I want to be your slave for life. The master would take the slave to the front door of the home, he would take an awl, and he would nail his ear to the doorpost. He would then take the nail out and put a ring in his ear, and that ring would designate him as a DULOS, a voluntary slave to his master.
And Paul used this term for himself, that he was a slave to sin, but Jesus Christ set him free, and he has committed his life to be the Lord's DULOS for life, a servant of God, and an apostle of Jesus Christ. An apostle, the APOSTOLOS, is someone who is sent out with a commission. In this instance, because Paul says he's a DULOS, he's a slave sent by his master on a mission.
I would like for you all to pray for me. i have condition were i have trouble sleeping aswell my brain has issues with focus. i pray that i be healed and made whole. a servant ready and willing to attend to spreading the Gospel of Jesus Christ!
Pray that my friends be open-minded to the Story of Jesus than to their preconceptions of a Vengeful God. Show them their follies that the blood can pardon them of shamefaced, self hated, and mockery of society that Jesus alone accepts them as they are, human. Correct their ideas about hating religion because they face wounds from Pharisees that misrepresent. Religion is an all embracing Community where we help the weak to get stronger rather. Show them how that when they despise the Wisdom of God, they chose to not learn about Good Conduct to protect them from repercussions when cheating at life. Everything wil become clear that in the end Jesus is their friend, closer than I can hope to give them. I pray while I rest, I will let the Holy Spirit guide the way. Amen.
Praying for health (physical, emotional, spiritual), salvation of unsaved loved ones, extra strong protection, hearts that beat in tune with the Lord's heart, less stress overall, wisdom and guidance and to live lives pleasing to the Lord. Praying this for us and all in need. Thank you.
"a beast rise up out of the sea, having seven heads and ten horns, and upon his horns ten crowns, and upon his heads the name of blasphemy."(13.1) Of this we shall we take up the ten horns of which we find associated with the fourth east. "and it had ten horns./I considered the horns, and, behold, there came up among them another little horn, before whom there were three of the first horns plucked up by the roots"(Dan.7.7-8)
The beast here rising out of the sea is a composite of the other three beasts mentioned in the night vision. St John sees the beast,"And the beast which I saw was like unto a leopard, and his feet were as the feet of a bear, and his mouth as the mouth of a lion."(13.2). From these two visions the ten horns serve as a link to the end times. The Spirit in Gen.1.2 supplied us the hint of the waters serving generations of men in the direct frame of reference of the generation of Jesus Christ. On the hand darkness was upon the face of the deep signifying the generations of sons of perdition who are children of disobedience.
"and the dragon gave him his power, and his seat, and great authority."(13.2) Rising out of the sea he is heading to the land where the vision of the flying ephah in Zechariah's vision has set up a base. It is spiritually called Babylon, "and is become the habitation of devils, and the hold of every foul spirit, and a cage of every unclean and hateful bird." (Rev.18.2-6) Remember the two women, 'and the wind was in their wings; for they had wings like the wings of a stork' (Zec.5.9) It was to set up her own base a mercantile city. It is nothing new, for the dragon gave him 'his power, and his seat and his authority.' The devil sins from the beginning and the beast is there to do his bidding.
These ten horns have ten crowns referring to ten kings,"And the ten horns which thou sawest are ten kings,"
Is this "Free" from Sweden? If so, I have missed you on here and am glad to hear from you once again. If you are a different "Free" then welcome to this forum, if you are new here.
I have prayed for you. I too am a student, I'm at university.
I went through a similar feeling, and I experienced God renew my interest, focus and ability in the course after I asked Him some specific questions in prayer about the course and my path.
Please consider Cris S. She is a single mother of two boys in Australia in desperate financial hardship. Please pray for her that God will provide for their family and draw them to Himself. She has a donation page that I won't advertise here due to the forum guidelines, but if you could please pray that people are led to her page to offer her help. May God be glorified and work in her life. Thank you everyone. May God bless you. My prayers also go out to everyone here. Thank you
My sis is being demon tortured. She is under the influence of anti depresents for over 20 years and cant control her anger. She cut me off because I preach Jesus. I love her very much .Please pray for her calling upon being saved. her name is Anna.
The plains signify a great enterprise as with the building of Babel and wickedness is in that weighted lead of one talent. Why the Spirit is giving us these details? The tower of Babel overarches to the last days and wickedness of Babylon is not simply that of a city becoming an epitome of depravity but spiritual wickedness where Babylon shall fall as other cities so spiritually Sodom,Egypt Jerusalem and Babylon are merely names and interchangeable.(Rev.11.8)
Rev.18.19-21
"Alas, alas that great city, wherein were made rich all that had ships in the sea by reason of her costliness! for in one hour is she made desolate./Rejoice over her, thou heaven, and ye holy apostles and prophets; for God hath avenged you on her./ And a mighty angel took up a stone like a great millstone, and cast it into the sea, saying, Thus with violence shall that great city Babylon be thrown down, and shall be found no more at all." Notice that the angel drops the stone into the sea and not on the city itself?
The same we see from the POV. "And the great city was divided into three parts, and the cities of the nations fell: and great Babylon came in remembrance before God" God has no need to remember but it is the Spirit's way of setting destruction in terms of the everlasting Covenant, "And there fell upon men a great hail out of heaven, every stone about the weight of a talent."(Rev.16.19-21 The same weight as was in the flying ephah.
"And I stood upon the sand of the sea, and saw a beast rise up out of the sea,"
What does out of the sea conjure up? The same vision of Daniel described in Ch.7, It was a night vision signifying what was in the Will of God. Whereas St John "was in the isle that is called Patmos, for the word of God, and for the testimony of Jesus Christ./I was in the Spirit on the Lord's day,"(Rev.1.9-10) The day refers to the day decreed for the Son, and narrowing it further it is in the now, the day of salvation. The revelation is total since word of God has framed worlds where God has established his Will and in the day decreed for the Son all these must come to pass. Foolishness of man sets him quibble over the day of Sabbath or was it the first day of the week.
And four great beasts came up from the sea, diverse one from another."(Dan.7.3) Whereas St John sees a beast rising out of the sea. The sea represents nations (Isa.57.20) and waters of wrath as was in the case of Noah.(Isa.54.9) The beast reenacts the same as mentioned after the great flood, "And it came to pass, as they journeyed from the east, that they found a plain in the land of Shinar; and they dwelt there." The tower of Babel was an open challenge to God and we see in the vision of Zechariah, its spiritual significance has a bearing on the beast. In the vision of the flying ephah the prophet asks for the meaning. "Then said I to the angel that talked with me, Whither do these bear the ephah?And he said unto me, To build it an house in the land of Shinar: and it shall be established, and set there upon her own base." ( Zec. 5. 10-11) The ephah signifies the world of mart and wickedness associated with it is to be established. "And, behold, there was lifted up a talent of lead: and this is a woman that sitteth in the midst of the ephah./And he said, This is wickedness.'(vv.7-8) The plains signify a great enterprise as with the building of Babel
Hello Shimarafa. I am unable to properly grasp your question: "how to last on my prayer alter?" Are you asking about persevering in prayer, or something else? Maybe you could add more information to your request. Thank you.
That is very true Azzan77 (in quoting James 2:24,26). Works (the product or fruit of genuine Faith) must follow saving Faith. But saving Faith can never follow (or, be a product of) Works, or else that Faith is not genuine, but based on works, which cannot save.
"And upon his horns ten crowns,..."
The Spirit is presenting us two sorts of generations,- of children of light and children of wrath respectively. On one group the Spirit of God can work with and the other group under the generic term the deep darkness prevail. (Gen.1.2). God divided the light from darkness but the children of wrath whose works are evil remain steadfastly committed to be sons oof perdition rather. "For every one that doeth evil hateth the light, neither cometh to the light, lest his deeds should be reproved."( Jn 3.20)
God's promise was of an everlasting priesthood after the order of Melchizedk ('Thou art a priest for ever after the order of Melchizedek'-Ps.110.4). Inheritance oof saints in light are two-fold. "And hath made us kings and priests unto God and his Father."(Rev.1.6)
Satan ever a copycat also offers as he tempted Jesus glory and power which are namely the significance of 10 crowns and 10 horns. We have seen deified Caesars where state and religion meet. In three horns in the fourth beast in Daniel's vision was uprooted by the little horn. Jump cut this to the vision of the flying ephah. What are these two women setting up a base in the plains? Babylon in Rev.ch.17 is the collusion of the church and the state which we saw in the manner the Evangelicals played politics no holds barred. Wickedness of the ephah caused the great depression of '29 and what is darkening the doorway of 21st.cent., -cryptocurrency? Whom are they worshipping? "And they worshipped the dragon which gave power unto the beast." (Rev.13.4) And where does this war take place? "These shall make war with the Lamb, and the Lamb shall overcome them: for he is Lord of lords, and King of kings: and they that are with him are called, and chosen, and faithful." The Lamb establishes the fight in heaven while the wicked eat up "Have all the workers of iniquity no knowledge? who eat up my people as they eat bread,"(Ps.14.4)
The main problem is she suffered use at the hands of someone in the church at a young age and it hurt her a lot. She has a hard time with other Christians because she experienced hypocrisy and judgment and bullying. She tends to take some of her anger out on me at times and I have to hold mt peace because fighting does not help. So please join me in prayer for her to find work and to be forgiving of herself and others. I'd like to see her draw close to the Lord but she doesn't understand why Gid let that stuff happen. Thanks very much.
Jesus called 12 men to be His main disciples who were called "apostles". Jesus sent out 70 disciples to preach in Judea. And there were even more than this. There were hundreds of people who followed Jesus and learned from His teachings. At Pentacost, there were 120 disciples staying in the Upper Room praying together when the Holy Spirit descended upon them in Acts 3.
Matthias was chosen from among the disciples to replace Judas Iscariot as an apostle. People such as Stephen and other disciples were chosen to be deacons to serve others in the church congregations. If you read John 6, it says that many disciples turned from following Him when He preached about being the "bread from heaven" whose flesh and blood believers were to partake of to be in the Kingdom. None of the apostles left Jesus in this chapter.
So it seems that there were quite a number of Jews that followed after Jesus from place to place under His instruction. (which is what a disciple is).
Hope this helps.
Enjoy your explanation and the ongoing study of Titus. I wrote earlier and it seems that it got lost somewhere in cyberspace. My question is on Titus 1:6.....husband of one wife. Does that imply that a man can re-marry again because he had only one wife and not two or more, at the same time?
I need wisdom to decide how often to visit my dad who despite complaining every time I'm there about being imprisoned has been socializing and seemed relatively content the last time I saw him last weekend. I have heard two commentaries one from Paul Washer and another from a Christian who clearly sought after forgiveness from an abusive father and had heartfelt temporary reconciliation but was led not to continue with the relationship. My dad is in memory care for Dementia and last week glared at me saying in no uncertain terms that he wanted to leave there soon and come home. All explanations about the reasons he is there which are agreed to by his lawyer; doctors and relatives as well as my mom before she passed that His dementia necessitated being in such a facility are to no avail.
My main concern thankfully is the same as the person who is the intake person at this facility who is also a believer; we both want our dads to know Christ. Going there alone won't work well but for now friends and family have accompanied me. As with his usual narcissistic behavior and anger issues I am dealing with his vicious glare at me; albeit my plea with him before he came there to ask the Lord to help him with it as He has with me.
I have a history of being angry to the point of punching doors and walls; screaming and making threats. I have had counselling in the past and mercifully not succumbed to that since the abusive marriage to my now ex wife ended. I had to walk away there as well as stay away from my mom for much of the last week of her life during hospice care. I certainly understand anyone thinking it would be wrong for me not to visit him at all; for now I am trusting whether the job out of town I had full time still is available which I planned to check out during Easter break. One thing is for sure I plan to keep visits short and not hang out when manipulation is part of the conversation. When he is in rage I can't be around him.
I would surmise there are several reasons that Jesus at this point was switching His focus in ministry from healings and casting out demons to what apparently was His only way of speaking to the crowds at this point in parables. First of all most in Israel had seen firsthand if not actually directly experienced a miracle from Jesus personally; or the Disciples and others doing things in His Name. Secondly; the time for His death was near. The message had to transition as Jesus wouldn't be with anyone including His Disciples much longer and He had to probably focus most of His attention to them so that they would be able to continue afterwards. Thirdly; the consequence after the Resurrection would be the birth of the church at Pentecost; and it was important then and thereafter to have the Word firmly rooted in His followers as persecution was about to come big time.
In light of this last reason; the concept of tares with the wheat surely would be understood soon with the betrayal of Judas Iscariot. This would work to favor God's predestined plan for Jesus to die on the cross much to Satan's rage. I am reminded of verses such as Luke 9:62 about not turning back when working the plough. This means family and even certain church members can't be controlling or manipulating us and our love for the Lord must be paramount. I look at it as being having our eyes fixed on Him and focusing our lives on eternal truths and heavenly places; still caring when we can for those in our lives and whenever possible living peaceably. Jesus demonstrates these concepts in His own life and His admonitions to keep priorities straight. I would conclude as I often say that the biggest resistance is often in our own camp so to speak. If the enemy can cause havoc to divide the church or in our personal lives then he can damage our witness. Overall as we read the Gospels we see His love but also His constant boldness in exposing evil.
1 Peter 1:2,20
Elect according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, through sanctification of the Spirit, unto obedience and sprinkling of the blood of Jesus Christ: Grace unto you, and peace, be multiplied. [20] Who verily was foreordained before the foundation of the world, but was manifest in these last times for you,
Verses 44-45 discuss the hidden treasure concept; of treasure in a field and a pearl of great price.
Verses 47-51 show the parable of the fisherman and the final judgment; and in verse 51 we see in this case the Disciples get the point.
Verse 52 reads:
52 He said to them, "Therefore every teacher of the law who has become a disciple in the kingdom of heaven is like the owner of a house who brings out of his storeroom new treasures as well as old." This verse sort of gives a summary perhaps for wise sayings in general whether it benefits the narrator himself who is one of Christ's Disciples or those who hear these concepts. A rich life in God's sight involves investment in people and labor for the Kingdom of God which is worthless in the world's eyes but valuable in heavenly rewards and reaching out perhaps to the next generation.
Finally; verses 53-58 show the miserable attitude those in His hometown had toward Christ of unbelief.
Concluding thoughts on Matthew 13.
The 10000 dollar question here is how can we apply these passages in our day in a practical manner in our Christian walk? The fact is a lot of things Jesus did are unique to Him; we only see one instance as an example where Paul made a scathing remark in Acts 23:3 but even after the comment he retracts because this man was the High Priest. We don't see obvious hidden messages or parables in the rest of the New Testament by any of the Apostles or anyone in the churches.
Conceptually; I would interject the idea that the narrow road should be something we should consider if we are truly walking in light of 2 Corithians 13:5; 2 Peter 1:10-11. The seriousness of hellfire is something often avoided in sermons today; even where the Gospel is more or less preached faithfully. Discernment can help us avoid the Matthew 7:6 error of casting pearls before swine. Thoughts?
Introduction: The overall path we see in this stage of Christ's ministry is to speak in parables. The main emphasis here is to demonstrate that the seeds of truth must produce good fruit that first means good soil needs to cultivate the seed. There is a weeding out process here; actually literally in discussing the wheat and the tares as it were in that parable; but also to show that not everyone hearing the Word has been saved. The end of the chapter sees Jesus visiting his own hometown and the unbelief which limits the miracles that He performs as they still consider Him to be the "carpenter's son" (verse 55). This unbelief is; well unbelievable. One could surmise that He spent much time already; months and perhaps a couple years away from home so that some could in theory at least not seen His miracles there; surely you would expect a town that small would have heard at least about the virgin birth.
The concept of selective revelation as it were certainly corresponds to the idea of the elect only being saved; or to put it another way only those the Father chooses to reveal Him to as we saw earlier in Matthew 11:27 but also seen extensively in the Book of John conceptually. Mark 4 contains the parable of the sower and seeds and introduces this concept as well.
Matthew 13:1-9 shows this same parable of the sower and the seeds; and in verses 11-17 Jesus answers the Disciples questions about why He speaks in parables from verse 10.
The explanation is then given for this parable which goes on through verse 23. Verses 24-29 discuss the Parable of the wheat and the tares; and verses 31 and 32 show through the concept of a mustard seed and a woman with dough the increase of the seed of faith; OR verse 32 could tie in with leaven ruining the whole loaf as a concept but it doesn't seem to fit contextually in this passage. Verses 34-35 show at this point NOTHING was said without parables to crowds.
To be continued.
I hope she comes back and clarify!
God bless.
And I should should ace the test as long as it's an open book.
I have all of it copied!
Also Titus 1:1 has a lot in that short verse!!
Blessings
I'm glad that you are current. Did I mention that there will be a quiz at the end? Just kidding! I was reading some of the discussion about this "prayer altar" and I was not sure what this was so I did a little research online and there are actual steps on how to build a prayer altar and what purpose it serves. One site listed 7-Steps that had to be followed. Some of it made sense but seemed a little mystical to me so I steered away. I'm not sure if this is what Shimarafa was referring to or not, but maybe we might get further clarification on this.
God Bless!!!
Praying for you tonight.
God bless you.
I want to ask this question. If a pastor's wife is critically ill and the pastor is having a wonderful time with another lady. Then the wife passed off and within a year, the pastor marries that "wonderful time" lady.
And the pastor justify the marriage as a personal choice by quoting " Titus 1:6 - Titus 1:6 (KJV)
6 If any be blameless, the husband of one wife, having faithful children not accused of riot or unruly.If any be blameless, the husband of one wife,".............is this pastor applying the correct interpretation?
I'm glad that you are enjoying the studies. Hopefully the issues with the site are only temporary and will be fixed soon!
God Bless!!!
I'm glad to be here tonight and is able to save these lessons and add then to my folder which makes me current.
Same here, enjoying you posts.
God bless,
RLW
Is anyone else having problems navigating around this website? I am able to see posts but cannot view any of the threads. When I click on the box that says "view thread" a dialog box pops up for me to post a comment. Also, I can only view page 1. There is nothing at the bottom to go to page 2 or any other pages.
Titus 1:14 - Not giving heed to Jewish fables, and commandments of men, that turn from the truth.
Not giving heed to Jewish fables. What this phrase is referring to is that what some people would do in these fellowships is they would establish doctrine by personal experience. They would tell stories of experiences that they had in their own life, and from those experiences, they would say that because of my experience, that establishes this truth about life.
Paul says no, it doesn't. In fact, the word fables is the word myths, MUTHOS. Not giving heed to Jewish stories, and commandments of men, that turn from the truth. The word turn is a Present Participle which means always turning from the truth.
Titus 1:15 - Unto the pure all things are pure: but unto them that are defiled and unbelieving is nothing pure; but even their mind and conscience is defiled.
A pure person is going to look for purity in all things. But unto those who are defiled and to the unbelieving nothing is pure; but even their mind, and that would be the Greek word for perception, even their perceptions and their conscience is defiled. So, there isn't anything that's pure.
Titus 1:16 - They profess that they know God; but in works they deny him, being abominable, and disobedient, and unto every good work reprobate.
They profess that they know God; but in works they deny him. So, with their mouth they talk belief, but with their life they live corruption. Being abominable, and disobedient, and unto every good work, and that's the word AGATHOS for the work of God, and they are reprobate (rejected).
Those are tough words, but Paul is dealing with a pagan practice and society that is in the church. And Titus has to go in there and say "look, if you profess to be a believer, and you're still living that pagan lifestyle, there's a question mark right over you."
You cannot be saved just by a profession or confession, because truth produces godliness.
Titus 1:8 - But a lover of hospitality, a lover of good men, sober, just, holy, temperate;
So, we just had five negatives in Verse 7, and in Verse 8, we have some positives.
But a lover of hospitality, meaning hospitable. The Greek word is literally a lover of strangers. Christians, as they pass through town would seek other believers to stay in their homes. And that's what it means to be hospitable to strangers.
A lover of good men, and the word good here is AGATHOS, which is spiritual good.
To be sober, no influence, and in fact, the Greek word is sober minded. Your mind can be influenced by various thoughts and issues of life and can cloud your thinking and your judgment and your decision making, just like alcohol can take over your system. The influence of thoughts are not to be part of the thinking process of the leader.
He must be just, or righteous. That means to be right with God.
He must be holy. This means pure.
He must be temperate; which means self-controlled. Only this Greek word has to do with being controlled from the inside by an outside force. Galatians 5:22 says that the Holy Spirit controls the believer. He is to be controlled on the inside by an outside force. And of course that's a reference to God's Spirit.
Titus 1:9 - Holding fast the faithful word as he hath been taught, that he may be able by sound doctrine both to exhort and to convince the gainsayers. Gainsayers is to speak against the word.
Titus 1:10 - For there are many unruly and vain talkers and deceivers, specially they of the circumcision:
For there are many unruly and vain talkers and deceivers, especially those of the circumcision, meaning the Jews: There were even Hebrew Jewish people coming in and telling the believers that they must live by the law, even in the island of Crete.
Titus 1:6 - If any be blameless, the husband of one wife, having faithful children not accused of riot or unruly.
He says if any be blameless. That is a legal term that means unimpeachable. Blameless in the following area: the husband of one wife, having faithful children not accused of riot or unruly. The word riot means destruction. The word unruly means insubordinate. It is the same phrase that's found in 1 Timothy Chapter 3. In the Greek, when it says the husband of one wife, it means a one-woman man. It has nothing to do with divorce. It has to do with faithfulness. A man must be faithful to his wife, while at the same time having faithful children.
Titus 1:7 - For a bishop must be blameless, as the steward of God; not selfwilled, not soon angry, not given to wine, no striker, not given to filthy lucre;
It says, for a bishop, and this is the word for an overseer, EPISKOPOS. It's the same as pastor, and the same as elder. For a bishop must be blameless, again unimpeachable, as the steward of God;
Here's the list:
Not selfwilled, which is somebody that's not looking to have their own way all the time.
Next, it says not soon angry. There's no word soon in the Greek text, but the Greek word indicates impulsive outbursts of anger.
Not given to wine. The Greek word is literally not alongside of wine. Don't be associated with wine. That means if it's sitting in front of you at the table and you're not drinking it, you're still associated with it. Do not be alongside of wine.
He is not to be a striker. This has nothing to do with going on strike! Literally, it is a person that doesn't hit.
Not given to filthy lucre; Many years ago, I didn't know what that was, but just by the sound of it, I didn't want it whatever it was. It literally means shameful gain in dealing with the material objects of the world. It is shameful gain with materialism. It is a shame for leaders to lust after and go after material things that are beyond the necessity.
Titus 1:2 - In hope of eternal life, which God, that cannot lie, promised before the world began;
So, the premise of Paul's ministry includes three things: According to the same faith that God's elect has, according to the full knowledge of the truth which produces godliness, and upon the basis of the hope of eternal life. And then the promise of God: All of these things, which God, who cannot lie, promised before the world began; or more literally, before the time of the ages.
The God who cannot lie, that's a Hebraism from the Old Testament. In fact, the word lie in the Greek text is in the Attributive Position. It is the un-lying God. He can't lie. It's impossible.
Titus 1:4 - To Titus, mine own son after the common faith: Grace, mercy, and peace, from God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ our Saviour.
The person the letter is written to is to Titus, my own son, and the word own is the word genuine. He says my genuine son, after the common faith:
In other words, Titus was born out of the same faith that Paul has. And Paul has mentioned this, and it is interesting that 2 Timothy 1:5 mentions the fact that Timothy had the same faith as his grandmother and his mother, and Paul says I'm persuaded that it's the same faith that is in you.
Believers are born out of the same faith. It's not different. Some people have a different faith. But if you are born out of the Spirit of God, you have the same faith as Paul, and Timothy, and Titus. So, he pronounces to Titus Grace, mercy, and peace. And again, in the pastoral letters, he includes one word more than in his other letters. It's the word mercy.
Grace is the Greek greeting. Peace is the Jewish greeting, Shalom. And mercy, he puts in for both Timothy and Titus who were leaders in the church. He then says this is from God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ our Savior. Interesting, God our Savior, and now from God the Father, and the Lord Jesus our Savior!
When we pray to God we don't catch him by surprise. God knows all so we can't disappoint him with our revelation! The Lord knows all our infirmities.
We pray in faith! There's no way to please God without faith!
We're not praying in faith because we know God is going to give us what we want, but we have faith that he hears us and will give us what is best for us according to his will and word.
We pray "Thy will be done"
This expresses a willingness to submit to God's plan, acknowledging His wisdom and purpose are greater than our own, and seeking His guidance and direction in life.
If you struggle in your prayer, add that to your prayer request as well!
If it's focus, temptation, doubt or anything! God already knows it so you pray for that.
Our relationship with God is personal and God wants us to trust him.
I hope this helps and I would like to hear more from you on this if you would like to further elaborate.
There's others here that can help.
Blessings.
Titus 1:1 Continued:
But the full knowledge of the truth, and this is going to be brought out in this letter that if the truth is being taught, then your life should be in the process of being changed, and your life should be more godly, more God fearing and respecting. If there is no life change and transformation, then Paul's presentation is that it's not the truth.
Thirdly: according to the hope of eternal life. The word hope in Greek ELPIS, doesn't mean hope like a wish, but it means to be expectant for something to happen, expectancy. It's not you wish it would happen, but you expect it to happen.
Peter, in 1 Peter 1:3, he said blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, which according to His abundant mercy has begotten us again into a living hope, through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead. It's a living hope! It's a hope that's alive. It's not a wish. We're looking for the coming of Christ. If we die first, we're looking to be in His presence. We're looking for the hope that Jesus gave us through His resurrection.
Titus 1:1 Continued:
The premise for Paul's ministry, he says three things:
First of all, according to the faith of God's elect. The term God's elect is making reference to the Jewish remnant. The Jews, the Hebrew remnant is called the elect of God. Gentiles, or the church are not called the elect. That's why we're going to find when we get into the Jewish literature that the Jews, the letters to whom they're written to, the Jews will be called God's elect. It's not the Gentiles. It's the Jews.
So, when he says according to the faith of God's elect, he's appealing to the Jewish people that Paul's faith is the same faith from God as God's elect has. It's the same faith. The basis for his ministry is the same God, and the same faith. And by the way, there was a Jewish remnant on the island of Crete. It is believed because of the information in Acts 2:11.
We're told that Jews from the island of Crete were there on the day of Pentecost, and were believers, and received the outpouring of God's Spirit, went back to the island of Crete, and that's how Christianity first spread, and then of course was established when Paul and Titus came through as more people were saved. So, there was a Jewish population, a Jewish remnant in these home church fellowships.
Secondly: according to the full knowledge.
The King James says acknowledging, but the Greek word means full knowledge of the truth, not just bits of information, but the complete knowledge of the truth, which is according to, or after godliness;
What this phrase is saying without getting into too much technical points here, is that the truth of God produces godliness. The emphasis is lifestyle. The word godliness, EUSEBEIA, means to have a respect and a reverence for God. An ungodly person is someone who doesn't respect God at all.
(Titus Part 1a):
Written by Paul to Titus who was overseeing the churches on the Island of Crete (160 miles long, 35 miles wide, located south of the Aegean Sea). The theme of Titus is Pastoral Instruction. Paul sets in order the things that are lacking in the fellowships in Crete.
Titus 1:1 - Paul, a servant of God, and an apostle of Jesus Christ, according to the faith of God's elect, and the acknowledging of the truth which is after godliness;
There is a lot packed into this one verse, so I will have to break this one up. He says Paul, a servant of God, and an apostle of Jesus Christ. The word servant is the word DULOS. In Exodus Chapter 21, it gives us the account of the DULOS. A slave is someone who would be a slave to a master in order to pay a debt.
And after the debt is paid, the slave would be free to go. But if the slave did not want to leave the master's house, he would voluntarily come to the master and say I want to be your slave for life. The master would take the slave to the front door of the home, he would take an awl, and he would nail his ear to the doorpost. He would then take the nail out and put a ring in his ear, and that ring would designate him as a DULOS, a voluntary slave to his master.
And Paul used this term for himself, that he was a slave to sin, but Jesus Christ set him free, and he has committed his life to be the Lord's DULOS for life, a servant of God, and an apostle of Jesus Christ. An apostle, the APOSTOLOS, is someone who is sent out with a commission. In this instance, because Paul says he's a DULOS, he's a slave sent by his master on a mission.
my name is Shannon burke
When you say "something is drawing you out"
do you mean to cease from praying or perhaps focus?
Can you explain what you mean by how "to last on your prayer alter"?
Thanks and God bless.
"a beast rise up out of the sea, having seven heads and ten horns, and upon his horns ten crowns, and upon his heads the name of blasphemy."(13.1) Of this we shall we take up the ten horns of which we find associated with the fourth east. "and it had ten horns./I considered the horns, and, behold, there came up among them another little horn, before whom there were three of the first horns plucked up by the roots"(Dan.7.7-8)
The beast here rising out of the sea is a composite of the other three beasts mentioned in the night vision. St John sees the beast,"And the beast which I saw was like unto a leopard, and his feet were as the feet of a bear, and his mouth as the mouth of a lion."(13.2). From these two visions the ten horns serve as a link to the end times. The Spirit in Gen.1.2 supplied us the hint of the waters serving generations of men in the direct frame of reference of the generation of Jesus Christ. On the hand darkness was upon the face of the deep signifying the generations of sons of perdition who are children of disobedience.
"and the dragon gave him his power, and his seat, and great authority."(13.2) Rising out of the sea he is heading to the land where the vision of the flying ephah in Zechariah's vision has set up a base. It is spiritually called Babylon, "and is become the habitation of devils, and the hold of every foul spirit, and a cage of every unclean and hateful bird." (Rev.18.2-6) Remember the two women, 'and the wind was in their wings; for they had wings like the wings of a stork' (Zec.5.9) It was to set up her own base a mercantile city. It is nothing new, for the dragon gave him 'his power, and his seat and his authority.' The devil sins from the beginning and the beast is there to do his bidding.
These ten horns have ten crowns referring to ten kings,"And the ten horns which thou sawest are ten kings,"
Is this "Free" from Sweden? If so, I have missed you on here and am glad to hear from you once again. If you are a different "Free" then welcome to this forum, if you are new here.
I have prayed for you. I too am a student, I'm at university.
I went through a similar feeling, and I experienced God renew my interest, focus and ability in the course after I asked Him some specific questions in prayer about the course and my path.
You're in my prayers. :)
The plains signify a great enterprise as with the building of Babel and wickedness is in that weighted lead of one talent. Why the Spirit is giving us these details? The tower of Babel overarches to the last days and wickedness of Babylon is not simply that of a city becoming an epitome of depravity but spiritual wickedness where Babylon shall fall as other cities so spiritually Sodom,Egypt Jerusalem and Babylon are merely names and interchangeable.(Rev.11.8)
Rev.18.19-21
"Alas, alas that great city, wherein were made rich all that had ships in the sea by reason of her costliness! for in one hour is she made desolate./Rejoice over her, thou heaven, and ye holy apostles and prophets; for God hath avenged you on her./ And a mighty angel took up a stone like a great millstone, and cast it into the sea, saying, Thus with violence shall that great city Babylon be thrown down, and shall be found no more at all." Notice that the angel drops the stone into the sea and not on the city itself?
The same we see from the POV. "And the great city was divided into three parts, and the cities of the nations fell: and great Babylon came in remembrance before God" God has no need to remember but it is the Spirit's way of setting destruction in terms of the everlasting Covenant, "And there fell upon men a great hail out of heaven, every stone about the weight of a talent."(Rev.16.19-21 The same weight as was in the flying ephah.
"And I stood upon the sand of the sea, and saw a beast rise up out of the sea,"
What does out of the sea conjure up? The same vision of Daniel described in Ch.7, It was a night vision signifying what was in the Will of God. Whereas St John "was in the isle that is called Patmos, for the word of God, and for the testimony of Jesus Christ./I was in the Spirit on the Lord's day,"(Rev.1.9-10) The day refers to the day decreed for the Son, and narrowing it further it is in the now, the day of salvation. The revelation is total since word of God has framed worlds where God has established his Will and in the day decreed for the Son all these must come to pass. Foolishness of man sets him quibble over the day of Sabbath or was it the first day of the week.
And four great beasts came up from the sea, diverse one from another."(Dan.7.3) Whereas St John sees a beast rising out of the sea. The sea represents nations (Isa.57.20) and waters of wrath as was in the case of Noah.(Isa.54.9) The beast reenacts the same as mentioned after the great flood, "And it came to pass, as they journeyed from the east, that they found a plain in the land of Shinar; and they dwelt there." The tower of Babel was an open challenge to God and we see in the vision of Zechariah, its spiritual significance has a bearing on the beast. In the vision of the flying ephah the prophet asks for the meaning. "Then said I to the angel that talked with me, Whither do these bear the ephah?And he said unto me, To build it an house in the land of Shinar: and it shall be established, and set there upon her own base." ( Zec. 5. 10-11) The ephah signifies the world of mart and wickedness associated with it is to be established. "And, behold, there was lifted up a talent of lead: and this is a woman that sitteth in the midst of the ephah./And he said, This is wickedness.'(vv.7-8) The plains signify a great enterprise as with the building of Babel
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