We also see this mentioned in Matthew 16:18-19. "And I say also unto thee, That thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.
And I will give unto thee the keys of the kingdom of heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt bind on earth shall be bound in heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.
To answer your question.
Let's take it from vs 15 of Matthew 18:15-18 'Moreover if thy brother shall trespass against thee, go and tell him his fault between thee and him alone: if he shall hear thee, thou hast gained thy brother.
But if he will not hear thee, then take with thee one or two more, that in the mouth of two or three witnesses every word may be established.
And if he shall neglect to hear them, tell it unto the church: but if he neglect to hear the church, let him be unto thee as an heathen man and a publican.
Verily I say unto you, Whatsoever ye shall bind on earth shall be bound in heaven: and whatsoever ye shall loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.
( If a person wrongs another, and refuses to repent, that person who was wronged should return with one or two others and then take the issue to the church or assembly. If repentance never happens, that person should be treated as an outsider.)
The offender is binded by that offense if he doesn't repent.
If the offender does repent he will be loosed.
This is the keys mentioned in Matthew 16:19 "AND I WILL GIVE UNTO THEE THE KEYS OF THE KINGDOM OF HEAVEN:" and whatsoever thou shalt bind on earth shall be bound in heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.
To bind and to loose means
to forbid by an indisputable authority and to permit by an indisputable authority.
This brief forum is clearly insufficient to cover any comprehensive study on this subject--at least without hogging this space with an inordinate amount of comments on my part. I will briefly list a couple points of caution as well as the general assurance which a proper dividing of the Word on this subject should give to those of us in the faith.
I will begin with the positive first. There are numerous voluminous studies on the subject which was originally postulated by Calvin and Luther and probably many other Reformers around the same time period. My focus has always been on the Word itself so I would recommend reading the book of John specifically for the words of Christ Himself on those who the Father chooses to be revealed through the Son; for example. God's choosing is by no means isolated to there; or in fact to the New Testament. He chose Jeremiah; for instance before he was born to be a Prophet; and much could be said the same in regard to John the Baptist and of course Christ Himself.
As believers; we can be assured that if we sow the seed of preaching the Word; there will be a harvest. (See Isaiah 55:11 in particular). He who "sows in tears shall reap in joy" ( Psalm 126:5-6). This should keep us from frustration when those who we share with for many years ultimately never respond. We can't perform what is known as "decisional regeneration". (James Adams a Reformer was said to come up with that term). In other words; we are responsible for sounding the trumpet and warning as the Watchman is supposed to do lest blood be on our hands. ( Ezekiel 33:1-5). That is a good segway to the cautionary part of the Doctrine of Election.
Based on the knowledge that we possess we are responsible for decisions made in our personal lives and for being faithful to fulfilling the Great Commission. In my experience normally this isn't the biggest weakness with those who are "Calvinist" in their doctrinal views.
Revelation Chapter 1 tells us that the seven Spirits was the sevenfold Spirit of God. Revelation 4:5, along with Revelation 5:6 tells us that the sevenfold Spirit of God represent His eyes, the all- knowing and the all-seeing God.
Also, in Zechariah 4:10, it tells us that the seven Spirits are the seven eyes of God.
He that has the seven Spirits of God, and the seven stars, from Verses 4 and 16 of Chapter 1.
Once again; we see Asaph as he does quite often give a prophetic statement as to the fate of the earth in the end with several cross references of interest.
Verse 2 seems to be a veiled reference to the Rapture; or possibly those who are Jews that believe and survive to the end of the Tribulation in the reference to "when I shall receive the congregation I will judge uprightly. (see 2 Cor. 5:10; Exodus 20:35-38 in the context of Exodus 20:34 as a future event of gathering from the nations).
Verse 3 reminds us of heaven and earth passing away in Revelation 21:1-4 and Matthew 24:35).
Verses 4 through 7 remind us of the "little horn" ( Dan. 7:8) who is Antichrist himself. God allows Satan and his throne in the Tribulation to suit his purposes; ultimately to separate wheat from chaff; and to draw everyone together at Armageddon ( Rev. 19; Psalm 2).
Revelation 14:10 is much like verse 8 referring to the "wine of the wrath of God". That theme is also seen in Jeremiah 25:15-17; and similar themes in Isaiah and without a doubt in other scriptures.
Again the end of this Psalm shows that only praising God is worthwhile (v. 9) and right wins out in the end. That is basically a big theme in all of scripture; the meek shall inherit the earth ( Matt. 5:5).
Assuming your question is how do you KNOW if God is calling you...
Obviously; we have to objectively look at our plans to make sure there isn't an obvious conflict with God's Word and we aren't attempting to "consume it upon our lusts" as James 4:3 states.
When we pray we should ask for doors to open if something is His will; or to close. An example this week was with a brother who I had discussed starting leading a small group with with the stipulation that prayer with him would precede it. There were some mitigating circumstances where he didn't get back to me; and since I kind of went through this process with him before last summer I can see that it isn't God's will at present to pursue this.
I have found from my experience that being around those who aren't messing about but proclaiming the Good News on a regular basis; are "desperate for prayer" (as one of my Pittsburgh brothers was when he started a group early in the morning in the park) and aren't overly distracted by the world (most of my friends in Pittsburgh didn't own TV's or were VERY limited in selection and time spent on these type distractions) are the type of people around which most opportunities to serve God come about. This situation; sadly isn't common in the established church leadership and it's many associated traditions and expected roles. As for a brother of mine who was searching for a wife; we saw an answer within 2 days when he met someone he is now married to. You want to be around people such as another brother in that group I mentioned before who stated that for every hour witnessing he would spend an hour in prayer. I just don't buy what many in church claim when they say that they are "too busy" for such things as my friends have large families and their kids are involved in their Bible studies.
It is good; finally to be around those who sharpen us; and exhort us. Those are people who understand that there is no good in man apart from Christ in us.
I'm in agreement with many of Mishaels comments except her stand on a "rapture". I believe there will be a great "caught up"
At the end of this age as we know it. At the final trump of God when our Lord Jesus returns. Please be careful with posting things that are based on opinion rather than God's Word. May God keep us strong and true to His word.
Sybilr, great comment. Yes God created us male and female to be coupled together. The woman as a helpmeet as you have said and to reproduce and replenish the Earth.
Genesis 3:16
"Unto the woman he said, I will greatly multiply thy sorrow and thy conception; in sorrow thou shalt bring forth children; and thy desire shall be to thy husband, and he shall rule over thee."
Hi Mara, it's because that's what the Bible says. For example, the Word is Jesus and John 1:1 clearly says the Word was God. Scripture says he's always existed and is a creator among many other powers.
The frequently asked questions page has this as one of it for lots of scripture references on this topic:
This is prime example that no matter how much money we give to churches, we cannot enter in Heaven unless we are born again. Cain was living sinful life; therefore, God rejected his offering.
Please , don't allow that small annoyance to dissuade you from reading the Bible . You don't need to know and understand everyone's name , I've been reading the Bible for very many years and I don't know everyone's name and all the meanings of them and it has in no way hindered my enjoyment and instruction . My honest opinion ? If you are that easily put off then maybe you weren't that commited in the first place ? I'm sorry if that feels like a criticism , it wasn't meant to be one . Reading the Bible once might give you a basic understanding , for me though it's a life long relationship . Once you pick it up on one day , you will be picking it up every day for the rest of your life so there's no drastic rush to understand it all first time round . Be patient , relax and enjoy it , take your time over it and think about what you have read every day after you have finished reading it . It really is a treasure to be kept close to your heart .
This site has the Strongs Exhaustive Concordance within it's study features.
So, when you're reading a scripture like Matthew 1, you can tap that scripture, scroll down & find how to pronounce the names. I've found many are easier to pronounce in the original language instead of English translated names.
The book of Luke, is one of my favorite books, perhaps you'll enjoy reading Luke 1, better?
Thnx I want ppl to feel love for Him thru my prayer/response. Was accused of stalking so w/said lie, I stop & prayed in His word more. Sent this to Sammi "God knew we'd continue to twist, add, take away from & mangle His word so He sent His ONLY son to be the last sacrifice EVER needed & Jesus last words "it is finished" said it all. John 3:15-21 not just 16 like the world teaches. The world teaches parts of the bible & rarely ever Gods will for us. 'Gods will is for all to love Him with all their being (heart, mind, soul & strength) & your neighbor as yourself (helping anyone in need & praying for our enemies)'. If the world did this it wouldn't be in the shape its in. Making up rules, changing laws & slowly but surely making it all seem that evil is of God. It is NOT, it is of satan & the false preachers are teaching wrong to suit their evil ways, making it seem it is of God. As long as it is putting your hard earned money in their pockets making them & satan prosper (& they don't care about us) as you end up homeless, I know I'm living proof. Not dropping names yet if your listening to a huge fancy church, I can almost guarantee they are not for truth yet for themselves. *A few good ones are: Justin Peters, Voddie Baucham, John Macarthur*. Definitely not anyone screaming the Lords word at you, pretending to heal ppl (cause if they could nobody would be in a wheel chair) or they ask for your money. God doesn't need your money &...and there is ONLY 1 way to heaven.! Jesus is the ONLY way!! Tithe is from your heart as you feel led & God will guide you of your time needed to help those in need as well. Preachers need to help in America more too.! Qs: If they are ALL helping other countries (& have been for years) why then do these countries still go without?? Only God can heal, people. Women are to teach the ladies & & children, not men.! Abuse of any kind is not of God either.! I pray to all to read daily, study as God said to & learn His word the way He intended".
The names are very difficult to understand and I believe if it was a way for someone to pronounce the names in English a person could receive a better understanding and be more encouraging in reading the scriptures.
Since you mention the "oil", then you are refering to the parable of the 5 wise and the 5 unwise virgins.( Matthew 25:1-12)..
Firstly I must say that I have never heard something like what your pastor teaches about that.
The explanation depends on what one believes, i.e. whether salvation can be lost or not.
I am going to speak on behalf of those who believe that salvation is not secured until our final departure from this life. For the other case I will leave it to somebody else to answer.
Again there are two cases:
1. The rupture of the church occurs before antichrist makes his appearance on earth. In this case the 5 unwise virgins are left out of the rapture and have to go through the great tribulation. So their fate (salvation) depends on their decision to receive the beast's mark or not. (This is my belief as well).
2. Rapture occurs at the very end of antichrist's reign on earth. In this case the 5 unwise virgins are left out of the Marriage, that is they loose their salvation.
Matthew 25:31-46 is refering to the final judgement. In this case the "not doers of His Word" (the slothful servants) are heading to hell, (verse 41) "Then shall he say also unto them on the left hand, Depart from me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels:"
Indeed Elijah becomes Elias in NT, like Isaiah becomes Esias. Since the New Testament was written for greek speaking people the authors of the 4 gospels used the greek forms of those hebrew names.
So at a time the apostles asked Jesus ( Mark 9:11-13), "And they asked him, saying, Why say the scribes that Elias must first come?" Jesus answered to them , "And he answered and told them, Elias verily cometh first, and restoreth all things; and how it is written of the Son of man, that he must suffer many things, and be set at nought. But I say unto you, That Elias is indeed come, and they have done unto him whatsoever they listed, as it is written of him."
Jesus is refering to the prophesy written in Malachi 4:5-6, "Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the LORD: And he shall turn the heart of the fathers to the children, and the heart of the children to their fathers, lest I come and smite the earth with a curse."
And He tells His disciples that Elias has indeed come, he was actually John the Baptist. Jesus' words "as it is written of him" are refering to Elias coming before Jesus and restoring things for Him, not to what happened to him.
My pastor preached that not all Christians will be allowed to enter New Jerusalem. That in Matthew 25 when talking about those "with oil," it's talking about those who are saved and served the Lord (doers of his word). And those "without" oil are are saved but did nothing for the Lord (slothful servants). The slothful servant still get to go to heaven but never allowed to enter New Jerusalem, because they did nothing for God.
We also see this mentioned in Matthew 16:18-19. "And I say also unto thee, That thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.
And I will give unto thee the keys of the kingdom of heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt bind on earth shall be bound in heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.
To answer your question.
Let's take it from vs 15 of Matthew 18:15-18 'Moreover if thy brother shall trespass against thee, go and tell him his fault between thee and him alone: if he shall hear thee, thou hast gained thy brother.
But if he will not hear thee, then take with thee one or two more, that in the mouth of two or three witnesses every word may be established.
And if he shall neglect to hear them, tell it unto the church: but if he neglect to hear the church, let him be unto thee as an heathen man and a publican.
Verily I say unto you, Whatsoever ye shall bind on earth shall be bound in heaven: and whatsoever ye shall loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.
( If a person wrongs another, and refuses to repent, that person who was wronged should return with one or two others and then take the issue to the church or assembly. If repentance never happens, that person should be treated as an outsider.)
The offender is binded by that offense if he doesn't repent.
If the offender does repent he will be loosed.
This is the keys mentioned in Matthew 16:19 "AND I WILL GIVE UNTO THEE THE KEYS OF THE KINGDOM OF HEAVEN:" and whatsoever thou shalt bind on earth shall be bound in heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.
To bind and to loose means
to forbid by an indisputable authority and to permit by an indisputable authority.
Bind=forbid.
loose=Permit.
I hope this helps.
God bless.
This brief forum is clearly insufficient to cover any comprehensive study on this subject--at least without hogging this space with an inordinate amount of comments on my part. I will briefly list a couple points of caution as well as the general assurance which a proper dividing of the Word on this subject should give to those of us in the faith.
I will begin with the positive first. There are numerous voluminous studies on the subject which was originally postulated by Calvin and Luther and probably many other Reformers around the same time period. My focus has always been on the Word itself so I would recommend reading the book of John specifically for the words of Christ Himself on those who the Father chooses to be revealed through the Son; for example. God's choosing is by no means isolated to there; or in fact to the New Testament. He chose Jeremiah; for instance before he was born to be a Prophet; and much could be said the same in regard to John the Baptist and of course Christ Himself.
As believers; we can be assured that if we sow the seed of preaching the Word; there will be a harvest. (See Isaiah 55:11 in particular). He who "sows in tears shall reap in joy" ( Psalm 126:5-6). This should keep us from frustration when those who we share with for many years ultimately never respond. We can't perform what is known as "decisional regeneration". (James Adams a Reformer was said to come up with that term). In other words; we are responsible for sounding the trumpet and warning as the Watchman is supposed to do lest blood be on our hands. ( Ezekiel 33:1-5). That is a good segway to the cautionary part of the Doctrine of Election.
Based on the knowledge that we possess we are responsible for decisions made in our personal lives and for being faithful to fulfilling the Great Commission. In my experience normally this isn't the biggest weakness with those who are "Calvinist" in their doctrinal views.
I have never truly understood what this verse means. Can anyone help? I am seeking the Lord about it.
Revelation Chapter 1 tells us that the seven Spirits was the sevenfold Spirit of God. Revelation 4:5, along with Revelation 5:6 tells us that the sevenfold Spirit of God represent His eyes, the all- knowing and the all-seeing God.
Also, in Zechariah 4:10, it tells us that the seven Spirits are the seven eyes of God.
He that has the seven Spirits of God, and the seven stars, from Verses 4 and 16 of Chapter 1.
Once again; we see Asaph as he does quite often give a prophetic statement as to the fate of the earth in the end with several cross references of interest.
Verse 2 seems to be a veiled reference to the Rapture; or possibly those who are Jews that believe and survive to the end of the Tribulation in the reference to "when I shall receive the congregation I will judge uprightly. (see 2 Cor. 5:10; Exodus 20:35-38 in the context of Exodus 20:34 as a future event of gathering from the nations).
Verse 3 reminds us of heaven and earth passing away in Revelation 21:1-4 and Matthew 24:35).
Verses 4 through 7 remind us of the "little horn" ( Dan. 7:8) who is Antichrist himself. God allows Satan and his throne in the Tribulation to suit his purposes; ultimately to separate wheat from chaff; and to draw everyone together at Armageddon ( Rev. 19; Psalm 2).
Revelation 14:10 is much like verse 8 referring to the "wine of the wrath of God". That theme is also seen in Jeremiah 25:15-17; and similar themes in Isaiah and without a doubt in other scriptures.
Again the end of this Psalm shows that only praising God is worthwhile (v. 9) and right wins out in the end. That is basically a big theme in all of scripture; the meek shall inherit the earth ( Matt. 5:5).
Obviously; we have to objectively look at our plans to make sure there isn't an obvious conflict with God's Word and we aren't attempting to "consume it upon our lusts" as James 4:3 states.
When we pray we should ask for doors to open if something is His will; or to close. An example this week was with a brother who I had discussed starting leading a small group with with the stipulation that prayer with him would precede it. There were some mitigating circumstances where he didn't get back to me; and since I kind of went through this process with him before last summer I can see that it isn't God's will at present to pursue this.
I have found from my experience that being around those who aren't messing about but proclaiming the Good News on a regular basis; are "desperate for prayer" (as one of my Pittsburgh brothers was when he started a group early in the morning in the park) and aren't overly distracted by the world (most of my friends in Pittsburgh didn't own TV's or were VERY limited in selection and time spent on these type distractions) are the type of people around which most opportunities to serve God come about. This situation; sadly isn't common in the established church leadership and it's many associated traditions and expected roles. As for a brother of mine who was searching for a wife; we saw an answer within 2 days when he met someone he is now married to. You want to be around people such as another brother in that group I mentioned before who stated that for every hour witnessing he would spend an hour in prayer. I just don't buy what many in church claim when they say that they are "too busy" for such things as my friends have large families and their kids are involved in their Bible studies.
It is good; finally to be around those who sharpen us; and exhort us. Those are people who understand that there is no good in man apart from Christ in us.
At the end of this age as we know it. At the final trump of God when our Lord Jesus returns. Please be careful with posting things that are based on opinion rather than God's Word. May God keep us strong and true to His word.
Genesis 3:16
"Unto the woman he said, I will greatly multiply thy sorrow and thy conception; in sorrow thou shalt bring forth children; and thy desire shall be to thy husband, and he shall rule over thee."
King James Version (KJV)
The frequently asked questions page has this as one of it for lots of scripture references on this topic:
Link
God bless.
Hopefully these are encouraging
Philippians 4:6-8,
Hopefully these encourage you
Hopefully these are helpful & encouraging
Hopefully these are encouraging & helpful
So, when you're reading a scripture like Matthew 1, you can tap that scripture, scroll down & find how to pronounce the names. I've found many are easier to pronounce in the original language instead of English translated names.
The book of Luke, is one of my favorite books, perhaps you'll enjoy reading Luke 1, better?
Hopefully this is helpful
Proverbs 18:24
Since you mention the "oil", then you are refering to the parable of the 5 wise and the 5 unwise virgins.( Matthew 25:1-12)..
Firstly I must say that I have never heard something like what your pastor teaches about that.
The explanation depends on what one believes, i.e. whether salvation can be lost or not.
I am going to speak on behalf of those who believe that salvation is not secured until our final departure from this life. For the other case I will leave it to somebody else to answer.
Again there are two cases:
1. The rupture of the church occurs before antichrist makes his appearance on earth. In this case the 5 unwise virgins are left out of the rapture and have to go through the great tribulation. So their fate (salvation) depends on their decision to receive the beast's mark or not. (This is my belief as well).
2. Rapture occurs at the very end of antichrist's reign on earth. In this case the 5 unwise virgins are left out of the Marriage, that is they loose their salvation.
Matthew 25:31-46 is refering to the final judgement. In this case the "not doers of His Word" (the slothful servants) are heading to hell, (verse 41) "Then shall he say also unto them on the left hand, Depart from me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels:"
GBU
Indeed Elijah becomes Elias in NT, like Isaiah becomes Esias. Since the New Testament was written for greek speaking people the authors of the 4 gospels used the greek forms of those hebrew names.
So at a time the apostles asked Jesus ( Mark 9:11-13), "And they asked him, saying, Why say the scribes that Elias must first come?" Jesus answered to them , "And he answered and told them, Elias verily cometh first, and restoreth all things; and how it is written of the Son of man, that he must suffer many things, and be set at nought. But I say unto you, That Elias is indeed come, and they have done unto him whatsoever they listed, as it is written of him."
Jesus is refering to the prophesy written in Malachi 4:5-6, "Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the LORD: And he shall turn the heart of the fathers to the children, and the heart of the children to their fathers, lest I come and smite the earth with a curse."
And He tells His disciples that Elias has indeed come, he was actually John the Baptist. Jesus' words "as it is written of him" are refering to Elias coming before Jesus and restoring things for Him, not to what happened to him.
Mark 16:16,17
Luke 24:47,48
John 3:1-6
Acts 2:38
1 Peter 3:21
Acts 19:1-6
Acts 10:44-48
Acts 5:32
1 Corinthians 14:2,22,39
Acts 2:4
Acts 1:8
John 21:15,16
Yet I have found no other Preacher preaching on this.