I will certainly lift you up in prayer today. Paul battled inward sin, as we all do. Read Romans 7, especially the way he ends the chapter! Jesus has rescued us from the grip of sin! Even when we have to battle against the law of sin in us daily, we can have a heart as yours and Paul, who desire to do God's will and bring Him glory daily, but we find we still fail to live up to all that God wants of us. We are be sanctified daily by the power of the Holy Spirit in us who prompted the Apostle John to affirm and write: "Greater is He that is in you than He that is in the world". 1 JOHN 4:4
So we can have confidence in God and His declaration that we are His and have been transferred from the dominion of darkness into His kingdom of light which is the kingdom of Jesus, the Son of God and our Savior. Colossians 1:13. So don't be discouraged and look to Jesus always, for He is our righteousness and deliver from all that is evil.
"Saying, Hurt not the earth, neither the sea, nor the trees, till we have sealed the servants of our God in their foreheads."
The seal that the beast set on the world are different from the seal of the Living God. Of the latter God knows as chosen before the worlds began in his Son. "Nevertheless the foundation of God standeth sure, having this seal, The Lord knoweth them that are his. And, Let every one that nameth the name of Christ depart from iniquity."(2 Ti.3:19). This seal is set on the foundation stone laid in Zion.(Is.28:16) No other foundation can stand. When the Lamb opened the sixth seal "the heaven departed as a scroll when it is rolled together; and every mountain and island were moved out of their places. " (6:14) Consequently "And the great dragon was cast out." (12:9)This is what made shakers and movers of the earth and men "hid themselves in the dens and in the rocks of the mountains;/And said to the mountains and rocks, Fall on us, and hide us from the face of him that sitteth on the throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb."(6:15-16)
The voice of the Lord has has the sign; when God sent forth his word, it is the word of his power with which the Son upholds the worlds. So the Gospel has its sign. The disciples did not chose Jesus but he did. The number 12 has nothing to do with Israel but the Son. This lesson is what the dream of Joseph teaches us. He is set down as the double for the Son. His parents chided him for it. "Shall I and thy mother and thy brethren indeed come to bow down ourselves to thee to the earth?"(Ge.37:10). Sheaf of Joseph signified Jesus Christ the bread from heaven. It is thus God earmarked Joseph 'in our image and after our likeness." Gospel is tagged by 12 and the endtimes is marked by 12x12x1000. Seal of God cannot be on Ruben who defiled his father's bed. In similar vein Israel's blessings lays bare the wickedness of Joseph's brethren.
For some reason, parts 19 & 26 did not post. Thank you so much for pointing that out as I probably would not have caught it. What I have been doing is typing the things I find into a Word document for each book, and once I finish the book I'm studying, then I start posting the differences I see on that particular book. I will post those 2 parts later today. Again, thanks for catching that!
The four winds signify the events on the earth are set in motion by God, "For, behold, the LORD will come with fire, and with his chariots like a whirlwind, to render his anger with fury, and his rebuke with flames of fire." (Is.66:15) We have another instance, and whirlwind presages no good for ungodly nations, "behold, the four winds of the heaven strove upon the great sea./And four great beasts came up from the sea, diverse one from another." (Dan.7:2-3). The ten kings in Re.17:12 are of one mind with the beast. They have their one hour with him. Grace period is in harmony with the Word become flesh. It is brought by another angel, mark you, he comes ascending as with the angel below the great River Euphrates, "ascending from the east, having the seal of the living God."
"Saying to the sixth angel which had the trumpet, Loose the four angels which are bound in the great river Euphrates./And the four angels were loosed, which were prepared for an hour, and a day, and a month, and a year, for to slay the third part of men."(Re.9:14-15) The Spirit is spot on to correspond the sixth seal with the sixth angel with the trumpet. The command likewise come from "a voice from the four horns of the golden altar which is before God," (9:12) The voice is the word of God and the number Four has the same meaning as four winds. Also notice the four angels are preset 'for an hour' (9:15). God know who are His and knows how to keep them from all harm. So the grace period is directly associated with Jesus Christ. "For the law was given by Moses, but grace and truth came by Jesus Christ." ( John 1:14) These four angel are fellow servants serving His saints on the earth.
The number 12 signifies Gospel. The four and twenty elders are set down as memorial before the throne. (3x8=24) The number indicate the lower parts where the Spirit of Christ preached to the souls in prison. Heaven earth and lower parts hold as one in his Son.
"And after these things I saw four angels standing on the four corners of the earth, holding the four winds of the earth,"
'After these things' refer to the judgment of God on man who refused to believe in his Son. Blessings were freely extended to man,"According as he hath chosen us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before him in love,"and those who neglected shall face the day of his wrath. The covenant set forth in first book of the Bible is basis on which blessedness of man sets heaven, the earth and under the earth on a single yardstick of Jesus Christ "all things were created by him, and for him:/And he is before all things, and by him all things consist." (Col.1:16-17)
The question, "Who is worthy to open the book, and to loose the seals thereof?" is asked in heaven.(5:2) Each seal and loosing the seal thereof corresponds with the day consecutively recorded in the covenant. Opening the sixth seal records this event. "And the heaven departed as a scroll when it is rolled together;"(6:14).
Day of the Lord, or of the Lamb are part of the 'now' in the day of Salvation. The saints redeemed from the earth are saved and are set in heavenly places upon him these events do not apply. Before we go further we are looking the time lapse in terms of hour. The space of half an hour is distinct from the day of salvation. We are looking at the space between opening of the sixth and the seventh seal before the great tribulation that must occur. "And when he had opened the seventh seal, there was silence in heaven about the space of half an hour."
The number Four and 12 are set by the Holy Spirit to indicate nations or cardinal directions but the eternal word of God and the gospel respectively.
The nation of Israel gave Imperial Rome their mind when they brought Jesus before the governor. "But they cried out, Away with him, away with him, crucify him. Pilate saith unto them, Shall I crucify your King? The chief priests answered, We have no king but Caesar." ( John 19:15). It is is to this Jesus referred, 'this is your hour of darkness."
This hour associates with Israel while the day is decreed for the Son. Along this day several kings shall rise and Israel's hour with them merely paves the way for judgment. "These have one mind, and shall give their power and strength unto the beast./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.(17:13-14).
The woman who was taken on the eagle's wings to a place in the wilderness prepared of God shall redeem as mentioned in Re.7:4-8 by stepping into the breach as Jesus did. The Spirit clues us early on with the example of Seth. Jesus as the intercessor before his advent and also after his resurrection. Jesus Christ the same yesterday, today and forever. (He.13:8) The twelve tribes have given over to the Gospel of Christ in terms of grace and truth. 144,000 with the Lamb on Mount Sion and these 144,000 reveal grace and truth which came by Jesus Christ. Moses gave the law which was inadequate as this body witnesses.
The woman in the wilderness (17:3) is set for perdition. "So he carried me away in the spirit into the wilderness: and I saw a woman sit upon a scarlet coloured beast, full of names of blasphemy, having seven heads and ten horns."
"For God hath put in their hearts to fulfil his will, and to agree, and give their kingdom unto the beast, until the words of God shall be fulfilled."
The number Ten is set by the Holy Spirit to indicate Satan is under judgment. His curse on the serpent is a clue to us that Satan is similarly under judgment and the necessity of the Son who shall manifest in due time was to uphold the law that is forever settled in the heavens. "Between thy seed and her seed; it shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel." (Ge.3:15). God allowed Adam a free will but was for him to exercise or obey God's commandment. The enmity was purely consequences of his disobedience. God is similarly aware of the nation of Israel and the true state of their heart. The Decalogue was for them to redeem themselves from the curse of the law of sin. God's counsel,"If thou doest well, shalt thou not be accepted? and if thou doest not well, sin lieth at the door.(Ge.4:7). Moses exhorted them"And thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy might./And these words, which I command thee this day, shall be in thine heart." (De.6:5-6). "But they went a whoring after other gods."(Ju.2:17). It is thus Israel has become Babylon. She has rejected God her husband, "How doth the city sit solitary, that was full of people! how is she become as a widow!"(Lam.1:1)
The angel asks, St John, "Wherefore didst thou marvel? I will tell thee the mystery of the woman, and of the beast that carrieth her, which hath the seven heads and ten horns." The dragon also has the seven heads and ten horns and seven crowns. (12:3)
He has given the beast "his power, and his seat, and great authority." While the dragon's 7 crowns point to his authority is derived from spiritual darkness is heavenly places the beast has merely temporal powers. "And the ten horns which thou sawest are ten kings, which have received no kingdom as yet;"
Plagues that visited Egypt primarily owes to sin. "I am the Lord that healeth thee, said the Lord. After rendering the waters of Marah sweet by God declares his holiness. "And said, If thou wilt diligently hearken to the voice of the Lord thy God, and wilt do that which is right in his sight, and wilt give ear to his commandments, and keep all his statutes, I will put none of these diseases upon thee, which I have brought upon the Egyptians: for I am the Lord that healeth thee." Judgment upon Egypt was as much as a lesson for the nation of Israel. Plagues are what sin released which knows no geographical boundaries anymore than any nation might by sheer will of their might keep them out of its borders. Holiness of God has sent the word, and as the familiar Psalm quote says,"He sent his word, and healed them, and delivered them from their destructions."(Ps107:20), This is established forever as a statute in the heavens. So the Israelites and the Gentiles are free to avail of the divine promise. It is conditional. 1) diligently heed the word, the voice of God 2) Do that which is right in His sight. 3) faith with works-led by the Spirit so we submit to His righteousness .
The key text tells that Israel would have none of it. "How much she hath glorified herself, and lived deliciously, so much torment and sorrow give her: for she saith in her heart, I sit a queen, and am no widow, and shall see no sorrow." The same idea we have "How doth the city sit solitary, that was full of people! how is she become as a widow!"(La.1:1-2) Heart of Israel was not right before God so she is qualified as reprobate silver.
Her judgment was counted in hour while what the Son has promised is 'now is the day of Salvation.When we received him in faith we have been placed in heavenly places safe from harm as long as we abide in him.
Where do my tears go to? The same place where my laughter goes to. God formed our hearts alike. Take comfort, vale of tears have peaks of delights in His word and in his presence,
I was thinking some of the same things you posted to Momsage.
I agree that Romans 9 is a difficult passage to accept for most of us. And, like you mentioned, God could have, in his holiness, purity, sinlessness and justice willed that NO ONE would be saved and all sinners would be judged to the lake of fire as He has determined for Satan and the angels that sinned with him. But we know that His decision to save a selected people for salvation to live forever in His presence, forgiven of all their sins and made righteous through His Son. Just as some question how a loving, merciful God could predestine some and leave others to be condemned, we could say "How can a perfectly sinless, holy, pure, and just God forgive anyone's sins and gift them with salvation."
Or we can say, "If God is loving and merciful then He should save every person to be fair and just." But we know that that is not true.
The answers to these queries are deeply rooted in God's perfect wisdom, will, purpose, and that His ways are higher than ours, His thoughts are not our thoughts, as Isaiah said. We can, however, read what Romans 9 says and believe that God actually selected Abel over Cain, Shem's lineage over Ham's, Abraham over his brothers, Isaac over Ishmael, Jacob over Esau, Joseph over his other brothers, Moses over other Levites, to be set apart for His purpose and by His grace given favor, mercy, and blessing.
I believe that if God has indeed predestined some to be saved without any merit on their part and leaves the rest of humanity to continue in sin and be condemned to the lake of fire, then that is His sovereign choice to do so. It does not diminish His love or mercy at all, nor is He unfair. He is the one who decides what is good, morally right, and just. We are not to question His ways, but believe that He is right in all of His ways, choices, and actions.
It is hard at times to submit our thoughts, desires, and emotions to God when He does not choose all.
Yes Jaz, I believe we are interpreting that verse in the same way. The only reason that I added all that extra information, particularly Matthew 20:22,23, was Jesus' reference again about His baptism (in a horrible death & burial); & to Zebedee's sons that they too, would suffer as He did, as they remained faithful to Him, prepared to even die for the One Who purchased them.
For Jesus, His Baptism was pointing to His coming death to which He would walk without distraction; for believers, baptism is looking back in identification with Him, with gratitude, & willingness to walk the same path as He walked, in all holiness & perseverance. GBU.
Going back to my comments of the 4th of July about Jesus seeming to have subtle digs at the scribes and Pharisees , in the Gospel of Luke , those who are righteous in their own eyes . Luke chapter 15 and the parable of the one lost sheep that goes astray , in verse 7 we read that the 99 were not just sheep that didn't go astray , they were 99 just persons ( they don't really exist do they ) which need no repentance ( everyone needs to repent ) so Jesus is talking about people who think that they are just and who think that they don't need to repent . Seems to be a bit of a theme in Luke .
Truthfully, it's more likely Biden is the antichrist because he's pro abortion which is killing and against God. he's pro homosexual as he hires gays and trans in his cabinet. he's pro war and pro death to young people like the innocents he killed in Afghanistan withdrawal just so he got credit to be out by the 911 anniversary. he prosecutes his political rivals like Hitler did and now is trying to assassinate him through ss. Trump is pro Christian, Biden isn't.
"Then they that feared the LORD spake often one to another: and the LORD hearkened, and heard it, and a book of remembrance was written before him for them that feared the LORD, and that thought upon his name."
Hi Brother Chris , so , are you saying that you think that the baptism Jesus is referring to is his crucifixion , 3 days dead and then resurrection to eternal life and glory with God his Father ?
What I know is that the four riders of Apocalypse , one of GOD and three of the Devil, they are already running /walking with their Powers that reflects in whole world, for example, Trump is the most publicized person in the entire world today, and is not he the Rider of the Red Horse? Revelation 6:3-4
3 - And when he opened the second seal, I heard the second living creature saying, Come. 4 And another horse came forth, a red horse: and to him that sat thereon it was given to take peace from the earth, and that they should slay one another: and there was given unto him a great Sword. (devilish /evil Sword, to take peace from the earth)
Ezekiel 7:5-16, among many other biblical references:
5 Thus saith the Lord: An evil, an only evil; behold, it cometh. 6 An END is come, the END is come; it awaketh against thee; behold, it cometh. 7 Thy doom is come unto thee, O inhabitant of the land: the time is come, the Day is near(the Lord's Day), a Day of tumult, and not of joyful shouting...8 Now will I shortly pour out my wrath upon thee, and accomplish mine anger against thee, and will Judge thee according to thy ways; and I will bring upon thee all thine abominations. 9 And mine eye shall not spare, neither will I have pity: I will bring upon thee according to thy ways; and thine abominations shall be in the midst of thee; and ye shall know that I, the Lord, do smite.
10 Behold, the Day, behold, it cometh...pride hath budded. 11 Violence is risen up into a rod of wickedness; none of them shall remain, nor of their multitude, nor of their wealth: neither shall there be eminency among them. 12 The time is come, the day draweth near: let not the buyer rejoice, nor the seller mourn; for wrath is upon all the multitude thereof.
The woman chose her place herself. "And to the woman were given two wings of a great eagle, that she might fly into the wilderness, into her place, where she is nourished for a time, and times, and half a time, from the face of the serpent."(Re.12:14). The time tag is distinct for Israel. There is also another group, remnant of her seed, "And the dragon was wroth with the woman, and went to make war with the remnant of her seed, which keep the commandments of God, and have the testimony of Jesus Christ."(12:17) Compare with God's curse on the serpent,"And I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed."Ge.3:15)
Now we shall attend to what the woman signifies. Re.17:1 gives her an epithet, 'the great whore' the angel with the vial informs us that it is judgment time. She is after all spiritually called Sodom, Egypt and in the next two chapters the name Babylon a hold-all for the nations that are ungodly. "Come hither; I will shew unto thee the judgment of the great whore that sitteth upon many waters:/With whom the kings of the earth have committed fornication, and the inhabitants of the earth have been made drunk with the wine of her fornication." Israel chose her place from which she is at present fulfilling the prophets of old."and he shall stretch out upon it the line of confusion, and the stones of emptiness."(Is.31.8-14) God's answer is in 18:21. "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."
"and I saw a woman sit upon a scarlet coloured beast, full of names of blasphemy, having seven heads and ten horns."
The beast is similar to the beast arising from the sea and the Spirit clues as we ought to interpret,"And the beast that was, and is not, even he is the eighth, and is of the seven, and goeth into perdition." As with seven angels representing the seven days we also have the beast representing spiritual darkness in high places. The tag 8 sets the beast a creature of the post-rapture period.
The first generation beast was a variation of the four beasts that Daniel saw in his night vision. Lion, bear leopard were in parts characterised his form but what made him function was the false prophet who had "two horns like a lamb, and he spake as a dragon. In the second generation beast he was scarlet coloured all through. The tag of scarlet is associated with power of redemption,"Though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool."(Is.1:18). Yes, you guessed it,- the false prophet has morphed into the Pope of the Holy See of Vatican! His infallibility is a piece of blasphemy and part of the beast's regalia."full of names of blasphemy, having seven heads and ten horns."(17:3). There are other blasphemies that shall be presented in future but ten horns as signified by shakers and movers, "And the ten horns which thou sawest are ten kings, which have received no kingdom as yet; but receive power as kings one hour with the beast."
The sea is distinct from the waters. The lower parts of earth(Ep.4:9) is implied in "And the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters,"- Ge.1:2 The woman is seated on the waters," And he saith unto me, The waters which thou sawest, where the whore sitteth, are peoples, and multitudes, and nations, and tongues."(17:11)
Thak you Brother for that great explanation , I did already know about that but you have explained it much better than I could have done .
It does however show , how confusion can arise if we take just one or two scriptures to back up an idea . We must take the Bible as a whole and it is perfectly consistent when we do this . It's only when we don't study it all thoroughly that we can be confused or mislead by others with their own agendas .
Hello Jaz. In my reading of this verse, I feel that Luke 12:49-53 must be included, Jesus giving this message in the midst of His other teaching in the chapter.
So, taking the whole passage (vv 49-53) into consideration, I see the Lord speaking of what His Coming means, to both Himself & those who are affected by it. By His coming at the Father's appointed time, both the Work of Salvation and also of Judgement had commenced. Of Salvation: that it was always the Divine Plan that He must go through the waters of suffering & death, so overwhelming in its force (not only of pain & horror to the Body, but of the weight of man's redemption in His Spirit & before the Father), that it also pressed & kept Him under till the Work was done. Could anyone else bear such a 'weight of responsibility', that only He could? As Jesus also spoke to the mother of Zebedee's children: "Ye know not what ye ask. Are ye able to drink of the cup that I shall drink of, and to be baptized with the baptism that I am baptized with? ( Matthew 20:22,23). The day would come when the sons would suffer as Jesus did, but only He could bear the sins of the World, which assured the Father's acceptance & forgiveness to all who came through His Son in faith.
Jesus' Coming not only initiated judgement (where sins would be brought to light, and the faithful & faithless separated), but His Death & Resurrection would also cause division, whether in households, friendships or by community rejection. As Jesus also said in Matthew 10:34-36, "I came not to send peace, but a sword". The Gospel is a Gospel of Peace for those justified by faith (Peace with God, Romans 5:1), but the Gospel can come as a sword, which sets the faithful at variance with those who deny Christ - for our love for Christ must wholly transcend the love shown towards man. If Jesus' 'baptism' through self-sacrifice was so compelling & complete, how should we now live in such Light & Redemption? Excuse these extra thoughts on these verses.
Where does the trail of tears of 1830 go to? Think of it brethren, The eyelids of the Lord are not shut. "For thus saith the LORD of hosts; After the glory hath he sent me unto the nations which spoiled you: for he that toucheth you toucheth the apple of his eye."(Ze.2:8). It is Jesus Christ who had no place to lay his head while he was in human likeness. These migrants are wandering as the key text tells us and their tears are as real as all those heat domes, tornados and plagues are signs of divine displeasure breaking out.
Nothing in the natural world exists without leaving a record of the sin of disobedience. Our hair can leave traces of our health as jaundiced eye speaks of the state of the liver. Climate changes are recorded in the annual rings. Similarly those who have defrauded others cry out. "Behold, the hire of the labourers who have reaped down your fields, which is of you kept back by fraud, crieth: and the cries of them which have reaped are entered into the ears of the Lord of sabaoth"(Jas.5:1-4). Similarly by principle of correspondence a record exists in heaven. "Then they that feared the Lord spake often one to another: and the Lord hearkened, and heard it, and a book of remembrance was written before him for them that feared the Lord, and that thought upon his name./ And they shall be mine, saith the Lord of hosts, in that day when I make up my jewels; and I will spare them, ."(Mal.3:16-17)
The point is that there is no way wicked nations shall escape the wrath of God on the day of Visitation.
"Thou tellest my wanderings: put thou my tears into thy bottle: are they not in thy book?"
This Psalm evokes the period of great distress and anguish in the life of David always one step away from King Saul. His tears are real as the names written in the book of life are gospel truth. Without a sign of what use is a book? Letters are symbols as the words are sounds. Heaven and earth are like eyelids working as one. "The LORD is in his holy temple, the LORD'S throne is in heaven: his eyes behold, his eyelids try, the children of men."(Ps.11:4). So nothing escapes the eye of heaven and He shall not let the wicked go unpunished.
This explains the seven angels with the vials. "Go your ways, and pour out the vials of the wrath of God upon the earth." (Re.16:1) These seven angels represent the seven days stipulated in the everlasting covenant. Second point to keep in focus is that the wrath of God is directed against the earth those whose names are not found in the book of life. These men are not free agents but have made league with the three unclean spirits of the dragon, beast and the false prophet. "Depart from me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels:"(Matt.25:41) The nations on the left have shown by their works,- by omission and commission that they are the sons of perdition. So when one hears politicians and pastors denigrating migrants as undesirables and as vermin you know what is egging them on.
Jesus emphatically said " Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me."(25:40)
Third point to keep in mind is that the nations are occupiers of any part of the earth. The land is mine and you are strangers and sojourners with me. (Le.25:23) What goes on in Gaza or south of the border must be see in this context. Where does the trail of tears go in 1830 go to? Think of it brethren, The eyelids of the Lord are not shut.
Matthew 27:50 - Jesus, when he had cried again with a loud voice, yielded up the ghost.
The word yielded in Greek means to dismiss your spirit. He literally dismissed it. And the word ghost is spirit. He decided when He was going to die, and He dismissed His spirit.
Matthew 28:4 - And for fear of him the keepers did shake, and became as dead men.
And for fear of him the keepers, that is, the soldiers, they did shake. It's interesting that this is the same word as earthquake, SEISMOS. The soldiers did shake, and they became as dead men. It is also interesting that the dead man rose, and the earth shook, and the keepers shook and became dead.
Matthew 28:19 - Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost:
He says, Go ye therefore, and teach all nations. Now the word "go," and you hear this quoted often, but the word go in all of the manuscripts, it is not a command. It is actually what is called an Aorist Participle.
It's translated "After having gone." It is not a command to go.
Well, that is all I have to share on Matthew. I may have missed some things, but what I've shared are places where I see differences in what our English bibles are saying and what is said in the Greek text. Some of this information I have shared is just general information, other things are words that I feel the translators may not have used the correct word or words.
I am currently working on Mark and will be posting soon with what I find (Lord willing!)
Matthew 26:65 - Then the high priest rent his clothes, saying, He hath spoken blasphemy; what further need have we of witnesses? behold, now ye have heard his blasphemy.
Then the high priest rent his clothes, saying
You know, when I was a new Christian, I read this and I thought to myself "You know, the high priests can't even afford to buy their own clothes. They have to "rent" them!" But rent means to tear. You can imagine that when I first received Christ, that I had a tough time. I couldn't understand why he had to go out and rent some clothes, just to put Jesus on trial.
So, the High Priest tore his clothes, saying, He hath spoken blasphemy;
Matthew 26:69 - Now Peter sat without in the palace: and a damsel came unto him, saying, Thou also wast with Jesus of Galilee.
Peter sat in the courtyard, not the palace. The Greek text tells us that this was the courtyard outside the palace.
Matthew 27:3 - Then Judas, which had betrayed him, when he saw that he was condemned, repented himself, and brought again the thirty pieces of silver to the chief priests and elders,
When Judas saw that a sentence of judgment was passed against Him, it says he repented himself.
There are two words in the New Testament for repent. One is METANOEO, that shows true repentance, where a person makes a decision for change. That's what the bible calls for us to do if we want to receive Christ, we must make a decision to change the direction of our life and surrender our life to Christ.
This word in Verse 3 is METAMELOMAI, and it means to be sorry. METANOEO for repentance means you are repenting of the very life and lifestyle, and the actions that you've committed, and METAMELOMAI, for sorry, means that you feel bad about the consequences. Judas went out and felt sorry. He was remorseful.
Matthew 26:33 - Peter answered and said unto him, Though all men shall be offended because of thee, yet will I never be offended.
Double negative, never! I think this is where the phrase "Never say never" came from. But Peter is saying I will never. The word offense is the word SCANDALIDZO, and it is where we get our word scandal from. It was a Greek word that denoted a trap. It was actually a trap that was set up to catch birds.
They would set up a box with a stick and it would have some kind of string or something on the ground, and when the bird goes into the box to get what was under it, they would pull the trap string. That was called a SCANDALIDZO.
So, to be offended means to set up a trap for somebody and lead them down the wrong road. And Jesus said you're going to be offended in me, because that is what the scripture says. In essence, what Jesus is saying here is prophecy, and Peter is saying you are wrong. That is basically what is happening. Peter says I will never be offended.
Matthew 26:53 - Thinkest thou that I cannot now pray to my Father, and he shall presently give me more than twelve legions of angels?
That is 72,000 angels. Remember in the OT, where one angel wiped out the Philistines? Just think what 72,000 could do! Jesus says, don't you think that I could call angels down?
Matthew 26:59 - Now the chief priests, and elders, and all the council, sought false witness against Jesus, to put him to death;
So, it tells us that the chief priests, and elders, and all the council, meaning the Sanhedrin, they were seeking false witness against Jesus, to put him to death. You see, they have no charges! The Greek text says Sanhedrin, not council.
Matthew 26:22 - And they were exceeding sorrowful, and began every one of them to say unto him, Lord, is it I?
In the Greek text it expects the negative answer. What they're saying is "Lord, it's not me is it?" And they're looking for the Lord to confirm, "No, it is not you!"
An interesting point about this scene in all of the gospels, is that when Jesus said, "One of you will betray me," none of the other disciples knew, or at least had any sense that there was something wrong with Judas. No one knew that he was a thief. You would think that Jesus would say that one of you is going to betray me, and then one of the disciples would nudge one of the others and say "I knew that there was something wrong about that Judas guy!
At the end of John Chapter 6, Jesus says, "Have not I chosen you 12, and one of you is a demon." Judas was demonic. He was of the devil from the very beginning. Jesus chose him because He needed someone who was evil to carry out this plot as it was predicted in prophecy. He didn't make him evil. He chose an evil person to fulfill that purpose.
But the fact that Judas could go for three years, and no one would ever notice anything about him that would cause them to question, it's scary because he looked and acted on the outside just like everybody else!
Matthew 26:25 - Then Judas, which betrayed him, answered and said, Master, is it I? He said unto him, Thou hast said.
The others said, "Lord, is it I?" In the KJB, it says "Master," but it's really RHABBI, rabbi, or teacher. Judas does not call Him Lord. It isn't me, is it? He's also expecting the negative answer. Jesus said unto him, Thou hast said.
Matthew 26:27 - And he took the cup, and gave thanks, and gave it to them, saying, Drink ye all of it;
In the Greek text, it means all of you drink from it, not drink all of it. You'd be surprised how many people there are that interpret it that way.
Matthew 26:7 - There came unto him a woman having an alabaster box of very precious ointment, and poured it on his head, as he sat at meat.
John tells us that this is Mary, the sister to Martha. And she has a very precious ointment, and she poured it on His head as He was reclining. That is literal translation. They didn't sit at the table. They reclined at the table.
Matthew 26:8 - But when his disciples saw it, they had indignation, saying, To what purpose is this waste?
This word indignation in the Greek text literally means that they were so angry that they were pained.
Matthew 26:14 - Then one of the twelve, called Judas Iscariot, went unto the chief priests,
Please know that Iscariot is not his last name. It is Judas Iscariot, and Iscariot is actually from two words. "ISH" is the word man, and "KARIOT" or "KARIOTH" is the name of the village outside of Jerusalem.
I will certainly lift you up in prayer today. Paul battled inward sin, as we all do. Read Romans 7, especially the way he ends the chapter! Jesus has rescued us from the grip of sin! Even when we have to battle against the law of sin in us daily, we can have a heart as yours and Paul, who desire to do God's will and bring Him glory daily, but we find we still fail to live up to all that God wants of us. We are be sanctified daily by the power of the Holy Spirit in us who prompted the Apostle John to affirm and write: "Greater is He that is in you than He that is in the world". 1 JOHN 4:4
So we can have confidence in God and His declaration that we are His and have been transferred from the dominion of darkness into His kingdom of light which is the kingdom of Jesus, the Son of God and our Savior. Colossians 1:13. So don't be discouraged and look to Jesus always, for He is our righteousness and deliver from all that is evil.
"Saying, Hurt not the earth, neither the sea, nor the trees, till we have sealed the servants of our God in their foreheads."
The seal that the beast set on the world are different from the seal of the Living God. Of the latter God knows as chosen before the worlds began in his Son. "Nevertheless the foundation of God standeth sure, having this seal, The Lord knoweth them that are his. And, Let every one that nameth the name of Christ depart from iniquity."(2 Ti.3:19). This seal is set on the foundation stone laid in Zion.(Is.28:16) No other foundation can stand. When the Lamb opened the sixth seal "the heaven departed as a scroll when it is rolled together; and every mountain and island were moved out of their places. " (6:14) Consequently "And the great dragon was cast out." (12:9)This is what made shakers and movers of the earth and men "hid themselves in the dens and in the rocks of the mountains;/And said to the mountains and rocks, Fall on us, and hide us from the face of him that sitteth on the throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb."(6:15-16)
The voice of the Lord has has the sign; when God sent forth his word, it is the word of his power with which the Son upholds the worlds. So the Gospel has its sign. The disciples did not chose Jesus but he did. The number 12 has nothing to do with Israel but the Son. This lesson is what the dream of Joseph teaches us. He is set down as the double for the Son. His parents chided him for it. "Shall I and thy mother and thy brethren indeed come to bow down ourselves to thee to the earth?"(Ge.37:10). Sheaf of Joseph signified Jesus Christ the bread from heaven. It is thus God earmarked Joseph 'in our image and after our likeness." Gospel is tagged by 12 and the endtimes is marked by 12x12x1000. Seal of God cannot be on Ruben who defiled his father's bed. In similar vein Israel's blessings lays bare the wickedness of Joseph's brethren.
For some reason, parts 19 & 26 did not post. Thank you so much for pointing that out as I probably would not have caught it. What I have been doing is typing the things I find into a Word document for each book, and once I finish the book I'm studying, then I start posting the differences I see on that particular book. I will post those 2 parts later today. Again, thanks for catching that!
God Bless!!!
The four winds signify the events on the earth are set in motion by God, "For, behold, the LORD will come with fire, and with his chariots like a whirlwind, to render his anger with fury, and his rebuke with flames of fire." (Is.66:15) We have another instance, and whirlwind presages no good for ungodly nations, "behold, the four winds of the heaven strove upon the great sea./And four great beasts came up from the sea, diverse one from another." (Dan.7:2-3). The ten kings in Re.17:12 are of one mind with the beast. They have their one hour with him. Grace period is in harmony with the Word become flesh. It is brought by another angel, mark you, he comes ascending as with the angel below the great River Euphrates, "ascending from the east, having the seal of the living God."
"Saying to the sixth angel which had the trumpet, Loose the four angels which are bound in the great river Euphrates./And the four angels were loosed, which were prepared for an hour, and a day, and a month, and a year, for to slay the third part of men."(Re.9:14-15) The Spirit is spot on to correspond the sixth seal with the sixth angel with the trumpet. The command likewise come from "a voice from the four horns of the golden altar which is before God," (9:12) The voice is the word of God and the number Four has the same meaning as four winds. Also notice the four angels are preset 'for an hour' (9:15). God know who are His and knows how to keep them from all harm. So the grace period is directly associated with Jesus Christ. "For the law was given by Moses, but grace and truth came by Jesus Christ." ( John 1:14) These four angel are fellow servants serving His saints on the earth.
The number 12 signifies Gospel. The four and twenty elders are set down as memorial before the throne. (3x8=24) The number indicate the lower parts where the Spirit of Christ preached to the souls in prison. Heaven earth and lower parts hold as one in his Son.
"And after these things I saw four angels standing on the four corners of the earth, holding the four winds of the earth,"
'After these things' refer to the judgment of God on man who refused to believe in his Son. Blessings were freely extended to man,"According as he hath chosen us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before him in love,"and those who neglected shall face the day of his wrath. The covenant set forth in first book of the Bible is basis on which blessedness of man sets heaven, the earth and under the earth on a single yardstick of Jesus Christ "all things were created by him, and for him:/And he is before all things, and by him all things consist." (Col.1:16-17)
The question, "Who is worthy to open the book, and to loose the seals thereof?" is asked in heaven.(5:2) Each seal and loosing the seal thereof corresponds with the day consecutively recorded in the covenant. Opening the sixth seal records this event. "And the heaven departed as a scroll when it is rolled together;"(6:14).
Day of the Lord, or of the Lamb are part of the 'now' in the day of Salvation. The saints redeemed from the earth are saved and are set in heavenly places upon him these events do not apply. Before we go further we are looking the time lapse in terms of hour. The space of half an hour is distinct from the day of salvation. We are looking at the space between opening of the sixth and the seventh seal before the great tribulation that must occur. "And when he had opened the seventh seal, there was silence in heaven about the space of half an hour."
The number Four and 12 are set by the Holy Spirit to indicate nations or cardinal directions but the eternal word of God and the gospel respectively.
The nation of Israel gave Imperial Rome their mind when they brought Jesus before the governor. "But they cried out, Away with him, away with him, crucify him. Pilate saith unto them, Shall I crucify your King? The chief priests answered, We have no king but Caesar." ( John 19:15). It is is to this Jesus referred, 'this is your hour of darkness."
This hour associates with Israel while the day is decreed for the Son. Along this day several kings shall rise and Israel's hour with them merely paves the way for judgment. "These have one mind, and shall give their power and strength unto the beast./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.(17:13-14).
The woman who was taken on the eagle's wings to a place in the wilderness prepared of God shall redeem as mentioned in Re.7:4-8 by stepping into the breach as Jesus did. The Spirit clues us early on with the example of Seth. Jesus as the intercessor before his advent and also after his resurrection. Jesus Christ the same yesterday, today and forever. (He.13:8) The twelve tribes have given over to the Gospel of Christ in terms of grace and truth. 144,000 with the Lamb on Mount Sion and these 144,000 reveal grace and truth which came by Jesus Christ. Moses gave the law which was inadequate as this body witnesses.
The woman in the wilderness (17:3) is set for perdition. "So he carried me away in the spirit into the wilderness: and I saw a woman sit upon a scarlet coloured beast, full of names of blasphemy, having seven heads and ten horns."
"For God hath put in their hearts to fulfil his will, and to agree, and give their kingdom unto the beast, until the words of God shall be fulfilled."
The number Ten is set by the Holy Spirit to indicate Satan is under judgment. His curse on the serpent is a clue to us that Satan is similarly under judgment and the necessity of the Son who shall manifest in due time was to uphold the law that is forever settled in the heavens. "Between thy seed and her seed; it shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel." (Ge.3:15). God allowed Adam a free will but was for him to exercise or obey God's commandment. The enmity was purely consequences of his disobedience. God is similarly aware of the nation of Israel and the true state of their heart. The Decalogue was for them to redeem themselves from the curse of the law of sin. God's counsel,"If thou doest well, shalt thou not be accepted? and if thou doest not well, sin lieth at the door.(Ge.4:7). Moses exhorted them"And thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy might./And these words, which I command thee this day, shall be in thine heart." (De.6:5-6). "But they went a whoring after other gods."(Ju.2:17). It is thus Israel has become Babylon. She has rejected God her husband, "How doth the city sit solitary, that was full of people! how is she become as a widow!"(Lam.1:1)
The angel asks, St John, "Wherefore didst thou marvel? I will tell thee the mystery of the woman, and of the beast that carrieth her, which hath the seven heads and ten horns." The dragon also has the seven heads and ten horns and seven crowns. (12:3)
He has given the beast "his power, and his seat, and great authority." While the dragon's 7 crowns point to his authority is derived from spiritual darkness is heavenly places the beast has merely temporal powers. "And the ten horns which thou sawest are ten kings, which have received no kingdom as yet;"
" Therefore shall her plagues come in one day"
Plagues that visited Egypt primarily owes to sin. "I am the Lord that healeth thee, said the Lord. After rendering the waters of Marah sweet by God declares his holiness. "And said, If thou wilt diligently hearken to the voice of the Lord thy God, and wilt do that which is right in his sight, and wilt give ear to his commandments, and keep all his statutes, I will put none of these diseases upon thee, which I have brought upon the Egyptians: for I am the Lord that healeth thee." Judgment upon Egypt was as much as a lesson for the nation of Israel. Plagues are what sin released which knows no geographical boundaries anymore than any nation might by sheer will of their might keep them out of its borders. Holiness of God has sent the word, and as the familiar Psalm quote says,"He sent his word, and healed them, and delivered them from their destructions."(Ps107:20), This is established forever as a statute in the heavens. So the Israelites and the Gentiles are free to avail of the divine promise. It is conditional. 1) diligently heed the word, the voice of God 2) Do that which is right in His sight. 3) faith with works-led by the Spirit so we submit to His righteousness .
The key text tells that Israel would have none of it. "How much she hath glorified herself, and lived deliciously, so much torment and sorrow give her: for she saith in her heart, I sit a queen, and am no widow, and shall see no sorrow." The same idea we have "How doth the city sit solitary, that was full of people! how is she become as a widow!"(La.1:1-2) Heart of Israel was not right before God so she is qualified as reprobate silver.
Her judgment was counted in hour while what the Son has promised is 'now is the day of Salvation.When we received him in faith we have been placed in heavenly places safe from harm as long as we abide in him.
Greetings,
Where do my tears go to? The same place where my laughter goes to. God formed our hearts alike. Take comfort, vale of tears have peaks of delights in His word and in his presence,
With Joy and peace in Him,
I was thinking some of the same things you posted to Momsage.
I agree that Romans 9 is a difficult passage to accept for most of us. And, like you mentioned, God could have, in his holiness, purity, sinlessness and justice willed that NO ONE would be saved and all sinners would be judged to the lake of fire as He has determined for Satan and the angels that sinned with him. But we know that His decision to save a selected people for salvation to live forever in His presence, forgiven of all their sins and made righteous through His Son. Just as some question how a loving, merciful God could predestine some and leave others to be condemned, we could say "How can a perfectly sinless, holy, pure, and just God forgive anyone's sins and gift them with salvation."
Or we can say, "If God is loving and merciful then He should save every person to be fair and just." But we know that that is not true.
The answers to these queries are deeply rooted in God's perfect wisdom, will, purpose, and that His ways are higher than ours, His thoughts are not our thoughts, as Isaiah said. We can, however, read what Romans 9 says and believe that God actually selected Abel over Cain, Shem's lineage over Ham's, Abraham over his brothers, Isaac over Ishmael, Jacob over Esau, Joseph over his other brothers, Moses over other Levites, to be set apart for His purpose and by His grace given favor, mercy, and blessing.
I believe that if God has indeed predestined some to be saved without any merit on their part and leaves the rest of humanity to continue in sin and be condemned to the lake of fire, then that is His sovereign choice to do so. It does not diminish His love or mercy at all, nor is He unfair. He is the one who decides what is good, morally right, and just. We are not to question His ways, but believe that He is right in all of His ways, choices, and actions.
It is hard at times to submit our thoughts, desires, and emotions to God when He does not choose all.
You have been having foot problems for a while. I will keep on praying for you and all of your needs.
Is it me or are we missing a part 19?
Forgive me but I always fall behind when traveling and this cellphone doesn't help much.
For Jesus, His Baptism was pointing to His coming death to which He would walk without distraction; for believers, baptism is looking back in identification with Him, with gratitude, & willingness to walk the same path as He walked, in all holiness & perseverance. GBU.
(Tears in a bottle 2/2)
Thank you for the scripture in Malachi
3:16& 17
Malachi 3:16
"Then they that feared the LORD spake often one to another: and the LORD hearkened, and heard it, and a book of remembrance was written before him for them that feared the LORD, and that thought upon his name."
King James Version (KJV)
I do not remember reading it before.
Keep spreading the Word.
Jesus is the Way.
If ' yes ' , me too !
What I know is that the four riders of Apocalypse , one of GOD and three of the Devil, they are already running /walking with their Powers that reflects in whole world, for example, Trump is the most publicized person in the entire world today, and is not he the Rider of the Red Horse? Revelation 6:3-4
3 - And when he opened the second seal, I heard the second living creature saying, Come. 4 And another horse came forth, a red horse: and to him that sat thereon it was given to take peace from the earth, and that they should slay one another: and there was given unto him a great Sword. (devilish /evil Sword, to take peace from the earth)
Ezekiel 7:5-16, among many other biblical references:
5 Thus saith the Lord: An evil, an only evil; behold, it cometh. 6 An END is come, the END is come; it awaketh against thee; behold, it cometh. 7 Thy doom is come unto thee, O inhabitant of the land: the time is come, the Day is near(the Lord's Day), a Day of tumult, and not of joyful shouting...8 Now will I shortly pour out my wrath upon thee, and accomplish mine anger against thee, and will Judge thee according to thy ways; and I will bring upon thee all thine abominations. 9 And mine eye shall not spare, neither will I have pity: I will bring upon thee according to thy ways; and thine abominations shall be in the midst of thee; and ye shall know that I, the Lord, do smite.
10 Behold, the Day, behold, it cometh...pride hath budded. 11 Violence is risen up into a rod of wickedness; none of them shall remain, nor of their multitude, nor of their wealth: neither shall there be eminency among them. 12 The time is come, the day draweth near: let not the buyer rejoice, nor the seller mourn; for wrath is upon all the multitude thereof.
The woman chose her place herself. "And to the woman were given two wings of a great eagle, that she might fly into the wilderness, into her place, where she is nourished for a time, and times, and half a time, from the face of the serpent."(Re.12:14). The time tag is distinct for Israel. There is also another group, remnant of her seed, "And the dragon was wroth with the woman, and went to make war with the remnant of her seed, which keep the commandments of God, and have the testimony of Jesus Christ."(12:17) Compare with God's curse on the serpent,"And I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed."Ge.3:15)
Now we shall attend to what the woman signifies. Re.17:1 gives her an epithet, 'the great whore' the angel with the vial informs us that it is judgment time. She is after all spiritually called Sodom, Egypt and in the next two chapters the name Babylon a hold-all for the nations that are ungodly. "Come hither; I will shew unto thee the judgment of the great whore that sitteth upon many waters:/With whom the kings of the earth have committed fornication, and the inhabitants of the earth have been made drunk with the wine of her fornication." Israel chose her place from which she is at present fulfilling the prophets of old."and he shall stretch out upon it the line of confusion, and the stones of emptiness."(Is.31.8-14) God's answer is in 18:21. "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."
"and I saw a woman sit upon a scarlet coloured beast, full of names of blasphemy, having seven heads and ten horns."
The beast is similar to the beast arising from the sea and the Spirit clues as we ought to interpret,"And the beast that was, and is not, even he is the eighth, and is of the seven, and goeth into perdition." As with seven angels representing the seven days we also have the beast representing spiritual darkness in high places. The tag 8 sets the beast a creature of the post-rapture period.
The first generation beast was a variation of the four beasts that Daniel saw in his night vision. Lion, bear leopard were in parts characterised his form but what made him function was the false prophet who had "two horns like a lamb, and he spake as a dragon. In the second generation beast he was scarlet coloured all through. The tag of scarlet is associated with power of redemption,"Though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool."(Is.1:18). Yes, you guessed it,- the false prophet has morphed into the Pope of the Holy See of Vatican! His infallibility is a piece of blasphemy and part of the beast's regalia."full of names of blasphemy, having seven heads and ten horns."(17:3). There are other blasphemies that shall be presented in future but ten horns as signified by shakers and movers, "And the ten horns which thou sawest are ten kings, which have received no kingdom as yet; but receive power as kings one hour with the beast."
The sea is distinct from the waters. The lower parts of earth(Ep.4:9) is implied in "And the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters,"- Ge.1:2 The woman is seated on the waters," And he saith unto me, The waters which thou sawest, where the whore sitteth, are peoples, and multitudes, and nations, and tongues."(17:11)
The woman chose her place herself. (Re.12:14)
It does however show , how confusion can arise if we take just one or two scriptures to back up an idea . We must take the Bible as a whole and it is perfectly consistent when we do this . It's only when we don't study it all thoroughly that we can be confused or mislead by others with their own agendas .
So, taking the whole passage (vv 49-53) into consideration, I see the Lord speaking of what His Coming means, to both Himself & those who are affected by it. By His coming at the Father's appointed time, both the Work of Salvation and also of Judgement had commenced. Of Salvation: that it was always the Divine Plan that He must go through the waters of suffering & death, so overwhelming in its force (not only of pain & horror to the Body, but of the weight of man's redemption in His Spirit & before the Father), that it also pressed & kept Him under till the Work was done. Could anyone else bear such a 'weight of responsibility', that only He could? As Jesus also spoke to the mother of Zebedee's children: "Ye know not what ye ask. Are ye able to drink of the cup that I shall drink of, and to be baptized with the baptism that I am baptized with? ( Matthew 20:22,23). The day would come when the sons would suffer as Jesus did, but only He could bear the sins of the World, which assured the Father's acceptance & forgiveness to all who came through His Son in faith.
Jesus' Coming not only initiated judgement (where sins would be brought to light, and the faithful & faithless separated), but His Death & Resurrection would also cause division, whether in households, friendships or by community rejection. As Jesus also said in Matthew 10:34-36, "I came not to send peace, but a sword". The Gospel is a Gospel of Peace for those justified by faith (Peace with God, Romans 5:1), but the Gospel can come as a sword, which sets the faithful at variance with those who deny Christ - for our love for Christ must wholly transcend the love shown towards man. If Jesus' 'baptism' through self-sacrifice was so compelling & complete, how should we now live in such Light & Redemption? Excuse these extra thoughts on these verses.
Where does the trail of tears of 1830 go to? Think of it brethren, The eyelids of the Lord are not shut. "For thus saith the LORD of hosts; After the glory hath he sent me unto the nations which spoiled you: for he that toucheth you toucheth the apple of his eye."(Ze.2:8). It is Jesus Christ who had no place to lay his head while he was in human likeness. These migrants are wandering as the key text tells us and their tears are as real as all those heat domes, tornados and plagues are signs of divine displeasure breaking out.
Nothing in the natural world exists without leaving a record of the sin of disobedience. Our hair can leave traces of our health as jaundiced eye speaks of the state of the liver. Climate changes are recorded in the annual rings. Similarly those who have defrauded others cry out. "Behold, the hire of the labourers who have reaped down your fields, which is of you kept back by fraud, crieth: and the cries of them which have reaped are entered into the ears of the Lord of sabaoth"(Jas.5:1-4). Similarly by principle of correspondence a record exists in heaven. "Then they that feared the Lord spake often one to another: and the Lord hearkened, and heard it, and a book of remembrance was written before him for them that feared the Lord, and that thought upon his name./ And they shall be mine, saith the Lord of hosts, in that day when I make up my jewels; and I will spare them, ."(Mal.3:16-17)
The point is that there is no way wicked nations shall escape the wrath of God on the day of Visitation.
"Thou tellest my wanderings: put thou my tears into thy bottle: are they not in thy book?"
This Psalm evokes the period of great distress and anguish in the life of David always one step away from King Saul. His tears are real as the names written in the book of life are gospel truth. Without a sign of what use is a book? Letters are symbols as the words are sounds. Heaven and earth are like eyelids working as one. "The LORD is in his holy temple, the LORD'S throne is in heaven: his eyes behold, his eyelids try, the children of men."(Ps.11:4). So nothing escapes the eye of heaven and He shall not let the wicked go unpunished.
This explains the seven angels with the vials. "Go your ways, and pour out the vials of the wrath of God upon the earth." (Re.16:1) These seven angels represent the seven days stipulated in the everlasting covenant. Second point to keep in focus is that the wrath of God is directed against the earth those whose names are not found in the book of life. These men are not free agents but have made league with the three unclean spirits of the dragon, beast and the false prophet. "Depart from me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels:"(Matt.25:41) The nations on the left have shown by their works,- by omission and commission that they are the sons of perdition. So when one hears politicians and pastors denigrating migrants as undesirables and as vermin you know what is egging them on.
Jesus emphatically said " Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me."(25:40)
Third point to keep in mind is that the nations are occupiers of any part of the earth. The land is mine and you are strangers and sojourners with me. (Le.25:23) What goes on in Gaza or south of the border must be see in this context. Where does the trail of tears go in 1830 go to? Think of it brethren, The eyelids of the Lord are not shut.
Matthew 27:50 - Jesus, when he had cried again with a loud voice, yielded up the ghost.
The word yielded in Greek means to dismiss your spirit. He literally dismissed it. And the word ghost is spirit. He decided when He was going to die, and He dismissed His spirit.
Matthew 28:4 - And for fear of him the keepers did shake, and became as dead men.
And for fear of him the keepers, that is, the soldiers, they did shake. It's interesting that this is the same word as earthquake, SEISMOS. The soldiers did shake, and they became as dead men. It is also interesting that the dead man rose, and the earth shook, and the keepers shook and became dead.
Matthew 28:19 - Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost:
He says, Go ye therefore, and teach all nations. Now the word "go," and you hear this quoted often, but the word go in all of the manuscripts, it is not a command. It is actually what is called an Aorist Participle.
It's translated "After having gone." It is not a command to go.
Well, that is all I have to share on Matthew. I may have missed some things, but what I've shared are places where I see differences in what our English bibles are saying and what is said in the Greek text. Some of this information I have shared is just general information, other things are words that I feel the translators may not have used the correct word or words.
I am currently working on Mark and will be posting soon with what I find (Lord willing!)
God Bless!!!
Matthew 26:65 - Then the high priest rent his clothes, saying, He hath spoken blasphemy; what further need have we of witnesses? behold, now ye have heard his blasphemy.
Then the high priest rent his clothes, saying
You know, when I was a new Christian, I read this and I thought to myself "You know, the high priests can't even afford to buy their own clothes. They have to "rent" them!" But rent means to tear. You can imagine that when I first received Christ, that I had a tough time. I couldn't understand why he had to go out and rent some clothes, just to put Jesus on trial.
So, the High Priest tore his clothes, saying, He hath spoken blasphemy;
Matthew 26:69 - Now Peter sat without in the palace: and a damsel came unto him, saying, Thou also wast with Jesus of Galilee.
Peter sat in the courtyard, not the palace. The Greek text tells us that this was the courtyard outside the palace.
Matthew 27:3 - Then Judas, which had betrayed him, when he saw that he was condemned, repented himself, and brought again the thirty pieces of silver to the chief priests and elders,
When Judas saw that a sentence of judgment was passed against Him, it says he repented himself.
There are two words in the New Testament for repent. One is METANOEO, that shows true repentance, where a person makes a decision for change. That's what the bible calls for us to do if we want to receive Christ, we must make a decision to change the direction of our life and surrender our life to Christ.
This word in Verse 3 is METAMELOMAI, and it means to be sorry. METANOEO for repentance means you are repenting of the very life and lifestyle, and the actions that you've committed, and METAMELOMAI, for sorry, means that you feel bad about the consequences. Judas went out and felt sorry. He was remorseful.
Matthew 26:33 - Peter answered and said unto him, Though all men shall be offended because of thee, yet will I never be offended.
Double negative, never! I think this is where the phrase "Never say never" came from. But Peter is saying I will never. The word offense is the word SCANDALIDZO, and it is where we get our word scandal from. It was a Greek word that denoted a trap. It was actually a trap that was set up to catch birds.
They would set up a box with a stick and it would have some kind of string or something on the ground, and when the bird goes into the box to get what was under it, they would pull the trap string. That was called a SCANDALIDZO.
So, to be offended means to set up a trap for somebody and lead them down the wrong road. And Jesus said you're going to be offended in me, because that is what the scripture says. In essence, what Jesus is saying here is prophecy, and Peter is saying you are wrong. That is basically what is happening. Peter says I will never be offended.
Matthew 26:53 - Thinkest thou that I cannot now pray to my Father, and he shall presently give me more than twelve legions of angels?
That is 72,000 angels. Remember in the OT, where one angel wiped out the Philistines? Just think what 72,000 could do! Jesus says, don't you think that I could call angels down?
Matthew 26:59 - Now the chief priests, and elders, and all the council, sought false witness against Jesus, to put him to death;
So, it tells us that the chief priests, and elders, and all the council, meaning the Sanhedrin, they were seeking false witness against Jesus, to put him to death. You see, they have no charges! The Greek text says Sanhedrin, not council.
Matthew 26:22 - And they were exceeding sorrowful, and began every one of them to say unto him, Lord, is it I?
In the Greek text it expects the negative answer. What they're saying is "Lord, it's not me is it?" And they're looking for the Lord to confirm, "No, it is not you!"
An interesting point about this scene in all of the gospels, is that when Jesus said, "One of you will betray me," none of the other disciples knew, or at least had any sense that there was something wrong with Judas. No one knew that he was a thief. You would think that Jesus would say that one of you is going to betray me, and then one of the disciples would nudge one of the others and say "I knew that there was something wrong about that Judas guy!
At the end of John Chapter 6, Jesus says, "Have not I chosen you 12, and one of you is a demon." Judas was demonic. He was of the devil from the very beginning. Jesus chose him because He needed someone who was evil to carry out this plot as it was predicted in prophecy. He didn't make him evil. He chose an evil person to fulfill that purpose.
But the fact that Judas could go for three years, and no one would ever notice anything about him that would cause them to question, it's scary because he looked and acted on the outside just like everybody else!
Matthew 26:25 - Then Judas, which betrayed him, answered and said, Master, is it I? He said unto him, Thou hast said.
The others said, "Lord, is it I?" In the KJB, it says "Master," but it's really RHABBI, rabbi, or teacher. Judas does not call Him Lord. It isn't me, is it? He's also expecting the negative answer. Jesus said unto him, Thou hast said.
Matthew 26:27 - And he took the cup, and gave thanks, and gave it to them, saying, Drink ye all of it;
In the Greek text, it means all of you drink from it, not drink all of it. You'd be surprised how many people there are that interpret it that way.
Matthew 26:7 - There came unto him a woman having an alabaster box of very precious ointment, and poured it on his head, as he sat at meat.
John tells us that this is Mary, the sister to Martha. And she has a very precious ointment, and she poured it on His head as He was reclining. That is literal translation. They didn't sit at the table. They reclined at the table.
Matthew 26:8 - But when his disciples saw it, they had indignation, saying, To what purpose is this waste?
This word indignation in the Greek text literally means that they were so angry that they were pained.
Matthew 26:14 - Then one of the twelve, called Judas Iscariot, went unto the chief priests,
Please know that Iscariot is not his last name. It is Judas Iscariot, and Iscariot is actually from two words. "ISH" is the word man, and "KARIOT" or "KARIOTH" is the name of the village outside of Jerusalem.
So, this is Judas, a man from Kariot.