This current millennium belongs EXCLUSIVELY to my Lord JESUS, all Power was given to Him in heaven and in earth, so what the powerful and great rulers of powerful nations are saying and claiming, and vociferating will not happen absolutely, everything they speak will not be fulfilled, but never. My Lord JESUS is in control of history, nothing random happens or will happen.
Get ready
My Lord Jesus shall be revealed from heaven with His mighty angels (the true believers- Luke 20:35-36). In flaming fire taking VENGEANCE on them that know not GOD, and that obey not His gospel, the gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ: Who shall be PUNISHED with everlasting destruction- Revelation 11:18- from the presence of the Lord, and from the glory of His power;(according to the Mat.28:18) when He shall come to be glorified in His saints(true believers), and to be admired in all them that believe (in Him).
Now, even now, and from now on, what will LITERALLY be fulfilled according the written Word of GOD? Opinion is good for nothing, by the Word of GOD there will be only and only PUNISHMENT, punishment over punishment, anguish of ALL nations, and tribulation, and so on.
The rebel Israel was banned from their land and was spread around the whole world from year 70 AD until 1948, but from now on...? What will happen with Israel and Gentile nations?
Romans 2:9 - Tribulation and anguish, upon every soul of man that doeth evil, of the Jew first, and also of the Gentile;
What will happen with Israel according the Word of GOD? The rebel Israel was banned from their land and was spread around the whole world from year 70 AD until 1948, but from now on...? The Word is GOD, LITERALLY self-executing, understand?
By the way, the everlasting PUNISHMENT announced since ancient time, had a specific time to begin, but not to end, of course, and THIS TIME HAS ARRIVED and the everlasting punishment begins to run now, even now, and from now on, it's for ever and ever.
We are sure that the JUDGMENT of GOD is according to Truth.
Romans 2:5-
5 But after thy hardness and impenitent heart treasurest up unto thyself wrath against the Day of wrath (the LORD's Day, the seventh and last Day) and REVELATION of the righteous Judgment of GOD;
6 Who will render to every man according to his deeds:
7 To them who by patient continuance in well doing seek for glory and honour and immortality, ETERNAL life:
8 But unto them that are contentious, and do not obey the truth, but obey unrighteousness, INDIGNATION AND WRATH,
9 TRIBULATION and ANGUISH, upon every soul of man that doeth evil, of the Jew first, and also of the Gentile;
10 But glory, honour, and peace, to every man that worketh good, to the Jew first, and also to the Gentile:
11 For there is no respect of persons with GOD.
12 For as many as have sinned without Law shall also PERISH without Law: and as many as have sinned in the Law shall be JUDGED by the Law;
13 (For not the hearers of the law are just before GOD, but the doers of the Law shall be justified.
14 For when the Gentiles, which HAVE NOT THE LAW, do by nature the things contained in the Law, these, having not the Law, are a Law unto themselves:
15 Which shew the work of the Law written in their hearts, their conscience also bearing witness, and their thoughts the mean while accusing or else excusing one another;)
16 In this Day when GOD shall JUDGE the secrets of men by Jesus Christ according to my gospel.
1Peter 4:17-18
17 The time is come that JUDGMENT must begin at the house of GOD: and if it first begin at us, what shall the end be of them that obey not the gospel of GOD?
18 And if the righteous scarcely be saved, where shall the ungodly and the sinner appear?
Revelation 21:8-The fearful(the COWARDS),and unbelieving,and the abominable,and murderers,and whoremongers,and sorcerers, and idolaters, and all liars, shall have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone: which is the second death.
God is angry with the nations as well as individuals. Revelation 11:18 begins a discussion of God's wrath and it is accomplished when the winepress is trod alone by Christ ( Isaiah 63:3) which mirrors Armageddon as described in Revelation 19; but also the campaign of the Exekiel 38 war and the nations God destroys in the process.
In such a topic; of course we see other attributes of God balancing things such as wrath and anger with patience and longsuffering of the Lord; for instance. In all this discussion it is important to see how a balanced picture of our Lord brings a better focus as to who He is. We can't just focus on anger or there is no hope for His love; but the same holds true for those who only want to hear "encouraging" verses in scripture. As famously stated we either have all of Christ or we have in reality none of Him. We must take the whole counsel of the Word of God rather than cherry picking what we want as context gets thrown out the window at best with that mindset; and at worst whole doctrinal truths are cast aside. Such is the action of such deists as Benjamin Franklin apparently. The flesh really doesn't even comprehend God's love; for human love and its vicissitudes clearly can't be trusted ( Jeremiah 17:9) as our heart is desperately wicked and who can know it? God judges impartially and is not a "respecter of persons" ( Romans 2:11-16; Acts 10:34). He is entirely righteous and no one can argue with Him once judgment comes. As Psalm 2 states we should "kiss the Son" while He is in the way so that His anger doesn't make us perish (verse 12; loosely translated). God's terms are having Christ as our mediator and High Priest because He can't look upon sin ( Heb. 9:15; Habakkuk 1:13). God will thankfully bring His own people to completion and hence the new heaven and earth will have nations of righteous people serving God; both the survivors of the Tribulation and Resurrected/Raptured saints.
"For circumcision (also spiritual circumcision which is new birth) verily profiteth, if thou keep the law: but if thou be a breaker of the law, thy circumcision is made uncircumcision."
If we took Romans 2:6-11 by themselves, it would be easy to conclude that they teach salvation by works. They seem to say that those who do good works will thereby earn eternal life. But it should be clear that the passage cannot mean that because then it would flatly contradict the consistent testimony of the rest of Scripture to the effect that salvation is by faith apart from works. There are about 150 passages in the NT condition salvation solely on faith or believing. ( Rom 2:6) No ONE passage, when rightly understood, can contradict such overwhelming testimony. Yet this is exactly what is usually attempted with Galatians 3:28 which flatly contradicts the consistent testimony of the rest of Scripture such as 1 Peter 3:1, 1 Peter 3:5-6, Col 3:18, Ephesians 5:22-24.
Speaking in finish line, what does the Word of GOD say prophetically? Daniel 12:12 - Blessed is he that waiteth, and cometh to the thousand three hundred and five and thirty days. (that is 45 DAYS after the period of the 2nd half of the last week be finished-1260 days-plus a gap of 30 days, according to the calendar). Get ready, "For we are saved by hope- Romans 8:24- but hope that is seen is not hope: for what a man seeth, why doth he yet hope for? But if we hope for that we see not- Romans 8:25-, then do we with patience wait for it. By the way, "hope maketh not ashamed (hope does not bring confusion); because the love of GOD is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Spirit which is given unto us.
May our Lord GOD bless and keep us, and give us His protection
Amen
P.S.
Now, in the TURN of sixth GOD's Day to the seventh and last Day, or seventh and last millennium, we are living in the beginning of sorrows, so there will be only and only severe punishiments in the world of Devil as a whole (JESUS listed them- Matthew 24:3-8 and they fulfill LITERALLY), and the true believers will suffer a lot as JESUS warned us- Matthew 24:9-14. And the worst will happen successively in sequence- Matthew 24:15-25-.
Let's remember: Our GOD CURSED the Devil, and JESUS has already CURSED BY WRITTEN the betrayers- Matthew 25:41&46-, but "
upon the earth there be distress of nations, with perplexity; the sea (peoples, and nations, and multitudes of all tongues)and the waves(generations) roaring; Men's hearts failing them for fear, and for looking after those things which ARE COMING on the earth: for the powers of heaven shall be shaken- Luke 21:25-26 combined with Romans 2:9&11 -->9 Tribulation and anguish, upon every soul of man that doeth evil, of the Jew first, and also of the Gentile; 11 For there is no respect of persons with GOD.
Who among us shall dwell with the devouring fire? who among us shall dwell with everlasting burnings? Isaiah 33:14
I have always stated that in the end; God has a certain number of people that enter hell; and a set number in heaven and since God is fair and an impartial judge ( Romans 2:11) that no one will be able to prove Him wrong; or even want to question the final verdict. The wicked will be speechless and the righteous rejoice forever. This settles any issues with OSAS or Predestination for that matter; and even free will. There are those who hate the light and love darkness ( John 3:19-21).
There are as I mentioned before HUNDREDS of verses that on the surface may appear to render the OSAS concept void; but when we consider the context; the concluding meanings of the text and other factors more often than not it appears to support this idea. Again the scriptures that indate there is no longer any condemnation ( Romans 8:1) for believers; we have "passed from death to life ( John 5:24); will never die ( John 11:25) and a plethora of other supporting texts shows eternal security for a TRUE believer in Christ.
My emphasis was on the FRUIT of one's life rather than just what is verbalized. One's heart determines their course of action; the righteous is contrasted with the wicked shown in passages such as Mark 7:20-23. Christ for the wicked is a means to an end; whether it be financial security (such as for those who buy into the prosperity gospel or are out to borrow money and fleece those who are called to follow passages such as Luke 6:30.) Christ for the righteous on the other hand is God in the flesh and we are compelled through the Spirit and a new heart to serve with love and obedience (See John 14:15 and read rest of the chapter for further context). Again; loving our enemies and dying for them isn't something natural man will do (see Romans 5:7-9). If we understand the indebtedness we have to Christ and not just a band aid for our sin behavior but a death sentence to our SIN NATURE through the new life in Christ we are saved.
Thank you. I'm sorry that you feel that I berate. I get why you might think that I berate, but Truly it's done in LOVE. What I'm Professing is The Truth, you see, everyone is missing The Message! I'm NOT speaking against the holy bible, I'm rebuking Any declarations that a book is God! God is SO MUCH MORE! A book doesn't "bring" anyone closer to God, and you wonder HOW God reveals Himself to people, Romans 2:13-16. And here is The Prophecy from which it came Jeremiah 31:31-34. You think I call the holy bible frivolous? I call the holy bible holy, just, and good. But, I will never call the holy bible God. Everyone is so incensed that their anger is causing them to sin.
Jema, you ask for a Revelation to "prove" that God has sent me with His Message. Well, Christ was asked the same, Luke 11:29-30; so, what is The Sign of Jonah? Jonah hated the Ninevites, so the Ninevites had No reason to listen to Jonah because Jonah made his distaste obvious. The sign of Jonah is God sending a man who is disliked and even hated to people, who dislike and hate him, to declare their destruction. Why? For if the people "Listen" to their hatred then they will not hear God in the message, but if the people "put away" their hatred they may avoid Destruction.
Jema, you ask me to imagine how quarrelsome we would be without the Bible, very quarrelsome indeed; but, I ask you to imagine how MUCH Faith we would have as a consequence. You see, if everyone yells for you to go left, but God's Holy Spirit directs you right, And you obey God, my God, The Wonders we would witness!
Jema, you ask why the people killed Christ. I tell you, it wasn't because they didn't know He was the Messiah! John 3:1-3 the Pharisees killed Christ because He came to take away their power as priests of God; they were necessary to the people because if a person wanted to seek God, they had to go to them. God "did away with this by making All people a holy nation and priests! Put away anger and Listen!
It's not that I don't see what you're getting at, I truly do. But I feel that not many people are getting what I'm saying! I keep getting from people the reasons other translations are inferior, but my point is; Truly, it doesn't matter! To put things in perspective I'll illustrate: More often than not scholar think that the best way to get the true meaning from scripture is to learn and read scripture in its original language. Now, the obvious problem arises, I have to learn the original language, and this takes time. The obvious response to this problem is, "Well, then learn the original language! For if God means so very much to someone then it's a small price to pay!" And, for the worldly wise this answer may seem appropriate, yet the obvious problem is that until I learn and become fluent in the original language I'm in jeopardy of condemnation because I'm ignorant of the truth!
Now, this is an exaggerated situation but my POINT is exemplified: if the Real Truth is only found in a book then one Must have the "right" book. Some will say "Well, that's true because if someone doesn't have the holy bible then how can they KNOW Christ?" To that I say, if someone needs a book to know God then he truly isn't God! My God and Father isn't bound by ANYTHING, least of all a book! Now, the enemy might stir some to think that I speak against the holy bible, I don't. What I speak against is ANY limitation placed upon God! If God can use a demon or a donkey, why would He be limited by a words or a translation? The obvious question to my statement is, "If someone doesn't have the holy bible then how would they hear of Christ?" To that I refer to Proof that God isn't limited by ANYTHING! Romans 2:13-16 This passage is my Evidence that God is FAITHFUL even though we are faithless. And, that is what the holy bible is, evidence, not God. For how did the Gentiles know the law, thought they never had the law? God placed His Law upon their hearts so that they live by It.
Romans 2:17-29 (KJV) 17 Behold, thou art called a Jew, and restest in the law, and makest thy boast of God,
18 And knowest his will, and approvest the things that are more excellent, being instructed out of the law;
19 And art confident that thou thyself art a guide of the blind, a light of them which are in darkness,
20 An instructor of the foolish, a teacher of babes, which hast the form of knowledge and of the truth in the law.
21 Thou therefore which teachest another, teachest thou not thyself? thou that preachest a man should not steal, dost thou steal?
22 Thou that sayest a man should not commit adultery, dost thou commit adultery? thou that abhorrest idols, dost thou commit sacrilege?
23 Thou that makest thy boast of the law, through breaking the law dishonourest thou God?
24 For the name of God is blasphemed among the Gentiles through you, as it is written.
25 For circumcision verily profiteth, if thou keep the law: but if thou be a breaker of the law, thy circumcision is made uncircumcision.
26 Therefore if the uncircumcision keep the righteousness of the law, shall not his uncircumcision be counted for circumcision?
27 And shall not uncircumcision which is by nature, if it fulfil the law, judge thee, who by the letter and circumcision dost transgress the law?
28 For he is not a Jew, which is one outwardly; neither is that circumcision, which is outward in the flesh:
29 But he is a Jew, which is one inwardly; and circumcision is that of the heart, in the spirit, and not in the letter; whose praise is not of men, but of God.
See. Dan, like the SDA sect, interprets it literally differently from you. Actually, they interpret that just like the Pharisees, and Scribes, and Priests, our Lord JESUS also kept the Law of the 10 commandments that GOD gave to Moses and his body-the people of Israel- to keep them.
Paul the Apostle, a former Pharisee extremist, knew very well to distinguish the difference between what GOD gave to Moses and to JESUS, what was given to Moses was the dead letter of the Law, and Israel was as always a simply sinful nation, but what was given to JESUS is the Spirit of the Law, the only one capable of giving life to the disciples of Him, JESUS really FULFILLED the Law. GOD is Spirit.
By the way, the body without the Spirit is dead ( James 2:26), the dead do not praise the Lord ( Psalm 119:17), so the keepers (Jews or Gentiles) of the dead letter of the Law of Moses that lasted until John the Baptist as JESUS warned, they all are dead, and they do not praise the Lord at all, they do not believe in the revelation and determination of JESUS that the dead letter of the Law given to Moses lasted only and only until John the Baptist. period
The heavens(the 1st and 2nd heavens, i.e. the Dispensations of the Old and New Testaments(the 3rd heaven shall be still established- Luke 20:35-36, among other biblical references) and the earth(the current rebel Israel), which are now, by the same Word are kept in store, reserved unto fire against this Day of Judgment and perdition of ungodly men.
Romans 2:12&14
12 For as many as have sinned without Law(the Gentiles) shall also PERISH without Law: and as many as have sinned in the Law(the Jews) shall be JUDGED by the Law;
14 For when the Gentiles, which have not the Law, do by nature the things contained in the Law, these, having not the Law, are a Law unto themselves:
13 (For not the hearers of the Law are just before GOD, but the doers of the Law shall be justified.
Oseas. You wrote, "The Law was established to put a moral discipline among the people which GOD had freed from Pharaoh's yoke." Of course, the Law did just that & of course, they had to obey it PERFECTLY. Wasn't this so? If it wasn't so, why did they suffer punishment or be killed - why not just keep a set of rules for them to follow the best way they could? The Law represented God's Standards for His people & failure to do so meant punishment - and fail they did. None could keep His Law perfectly, or else there would be no need for the sacrifices each year for the people & for personal sins. So the Law presented a "moral discipline", but also showed the condition of the human heart & the weakness of the flesh when they failed to obey God.
When Paul wrote about the Gentiles & their law & conscience ( Romans 2:14,15), he was referring to humanity's inner 'coding' in the conscience by which they know the right & proper things to do (in relation to each other & before an unseen God). These never received any of God's Laws, but their hearts will be judged because they couldn't even obey the dictates of their own consciences. So, both the Jew (with the Law), and the Gentile (without the Law, but having that inward law operating), stand condemned for their sins. The battle wasn't "between God & the Devil in having the dominion of the people", for Israel could never obey the Law anyway, as Satan would always have the victory. The battle was within Israel's heart - a heart of sin, subject to sin's demands upon them, & given over to Satan. See Paul's account of this in Romans 7:7-14 (the Law revealed his sin; he then died spiritually because of it - nothing to do with God's battles). Instead of fighting the Devil for souls, God provided His Own Sacrifice & His Own Spirit to redeem sinners.
You mentioned 'interpretation by the Spirit' & then "they died by the letterincluding the gods". Do you actually understand Psalm 82:6,7 & Isaiah 41:23, when you write these things?
In fact it is very sad, and it is happening in whole world, and the worst it to still come for all nations. Read what JESUS said and warning the whole world by His word: Luke 21:22-36. Take a look.
By the way, there is no effect without cause. See this one example below, among many other since ancient time:
2 Chronicles 36:14-16
14 Moreover all the chief of the priests, and the people, transgressed very much after all the abominations of the heathen; and polluted the house of the Lord which he had hallowed in Jerusalem.
15 And the Lord GOD of their fathers sent to them by His messengers, rising up betimes, and sending; because He had compassion on His people, and on his dwelling place:
16 But they mocked the messengers of GOD, and despised His words, and misused His prophets, until the wrath of the Lord arose against His people,till THERE WAS NO REMEDY. (Now it is not and will not be different, THERE IS NO REMEDY, unfortunately.)
Romans 2:5-11
5 But after thy hardness and impenitent heart treasurest up unto thyself wrath against the day of wrath and revelation of the righteous Judgment of GOD;
6 Who will render to every man according to his deeds:
7 To them who by patient continuance in well doing seek for glory and honour and immortality, ETERNAL life:
8 But unto them that are contentious, and do not obey the truth, but obey unrighteousness, INDIGNATION and wrath,
9 Tribulation and anguish, upon every soul of man that doeth evil, of the Jew first, and also of the Gentile;
10 But glory, honour, and peace, to every man that worketh good, to the Jew first, and also to the Gentile:
11 For there is no respect of persons with GOD.
2Peter 4:17-18
17 The time is come that Judgment must begin at the house of GOD: and if it first begin at us, what shall the end be of them that obey not the gospel of GOD?
18 And if the righteous scarcely be saved, where shall the ungodly and the sinner appear?
The first part of the book is the doctrine of the Christian faith, which is Romans Chapter 1 Verse 18 through Chapter 11 Verse 36. The introduction is the first 17 verses.
And that introduction is divided into three parts:
Romans 1:1-7 - Paul's Position in Ministry
Romans 1:8-15 - Paul's Plan for Ministry
Romans 1:16-17 - Paul's Perception of Ministry.
Now believe it or not, embedded, and I emphasize the word embedded, but in these 17 verses are three important doctrines. They are the doctrine of Jesus Christ, the doctrine of ministry, and the doctrine of the gospel. These are all found in these first 17 verses. In fact, every verse, even the introduction can be considered doctrine.
IX. THE DOCTRINE OF THE CHRISTIAN FAITH. ( Romans 1:18-11:36)
In Romans Chapter 1 Verse 18 through to the end of Chapter 11 (there are 16 Chapters in Romans), but Chapter 1 Verse 18 through the end of Chapter 11 is the doctrinal section, specifically to present the doctrine of the Christian faith.
Indictment - The Doctrine of Condemnation ( Romans 1:18 - 3:20). The first part is indictment. It is the doctrine of condemnation. I'm sure we all love to study about that! "Come and let me show you how condemned you are!" Isn't that nice!
And that's divided up into three sections:
Romans 1:18-32 - The Prosecution Against the Gentiles
Romans 2:1-3:8 - The Prosecution Against the Jews
Romans 3:9-20 - The Prosecution Against all Mankind
The prosecution against the Gentiles. It is a fascinating study. You and I are Gentiles. Most Gentiles have not had exposure to the Old Testament or Judaism or Jewish ministry or teaching at all. We're kind of like the "Heinz 57" variety. We all come from different religious system backgrounds, and we are the Gentiles.
For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God:
9) NOT OF WORKS, lest any man should boast.
10)For we are his workmanship, CREATED IN CHRIST JESUS "UNTO GOOD WORKS", which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them.
11)Wherefore remember, that ye being in time past Gentiles in the flesh, who are called Uncircumcision by that which is called the Circumcision in the flesh made by hands;
12) That at that time ye were without Christ, being aliens from the commonwealth of Israel, and strangers from the covenants of promise, having no hope, and without God in the world:
13)But now in Christ Jesus ye who sometimes were far off ARE MADE NIGH BY THE BLOOD OF CHRIST.
THIS IS MARVELOUS SAYING! HERE'S WHERE YOU SEE THE CIRCUMCISION OF THE HEART AS MENTIONED IN ROMANS 2:26-29.
"Therefore if the uncircumcision keep the righteousness of the law, shall not his uncircumcision be counted for circumcision?
And shall not uncircumcision which is by nature, if it fulfil the law, judge thee, who by the letter and circumcision dost transgress the law?
For he is not a Jew, which is one outwardly; neither is that circumcision, which is outward in the flesh:
But he is a Jew, which is one inwardly; and circumcision is that of the heart, in the spirit, and not in the letter; whose praise is not of men, but of God. ( In these verses Jew is not mentioned to describe an ethnic group but rather to describe the performance and seal of the cutting away the flesh.)
WE GENTILES ARE BROUGHT NEAR BY THE BLOOD OF CHRIST, NOT CIRCUMCISION OF THE FLESH THAT RESPRESENTS THE JEW AND ALL OF THEIR WRITTEN ARTICLES WHEREBY THEY WERE COMMANDED. ( We're joined by the promise given to Abraham
Galatians 3:14-18.
Galatians 3:21 Is the law then against the promises of God? God forbid: FOR IF THERE HAD BEEN A LAW GIVEN WHICH COULD HAVE GIVEN LIFE, VERILY RIGHTEOUSNESS SHOULD HAVE BEEN BY THE LAW.
The Apostle Paul tells us in Romans 2:14,15, that the Gentiles who did not have God's Law served to them, do by instinct that which the Law contained - that Law (in some perceptive form) is written on their hearts & their consciences. So man, whether Jew or Gentile already had received knowledge of right & wrong, of the True God & false gods, of that knowledge pricking his heart when he knew he had done wrong, but he chose to suppress that knowledge & create his own beliefs, gods, & values. He may not know all about the True God, as Israel had known God, but each person had the evidence of God's essential requirements in their hearts; and this should cause them to turn to this 'unknown God' to worship & for help in dealing with sin that affected their hearts & consciences (even as some of the Athenians did in Acts 17:22-34).
And so the great need for the Gospel of Salvation is to go out into all the world ( Matthew 28:19,20), so that both the Jew under the Law & the Gentile without the written Law, might hear of the forgiveness, cleansing & redemption found only in Christ Jesus. There were Gentiles in the Old Testament days that were touched by God (e.g. those of Nineveh, Huram (king of Tyre), the Queen of Sheba, King Darius, etc.); they may not have fully turned from their gods to follow the True God, but we do see that Gentiles were also in God's Mind in those days, so none was without excuse.
But now through the Gift of His Son, God has reached out to ALL men everywhere, that they may find spiritual healing & a restored relationship through faith in Jesus' Name ( Acts 17:30).
How did Abraham, Issac, Rebecca, Jacob or Job & many more come to the personal experiential knowledge of God? Job 32:8 But there is a spirit in man: and the inspiration of the Almighty giveth them understanding. God Spirit is not limited in how He reveals Himself to mankind, dreams, visions, etc, the Scripture are full of them, but all by the operations & administration of His Spirit. God promise in Jeremiah 31:33 But this shall be the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel; After those days, saith the LORD, I will put my law in their inward parts, and write it in their hearts; and will be their God, and they shall be my people, Heb 8:10 quotes this, the wording is ( I ) will put My laws into their inward parts. He doeth the work, cause us to will & do of His good pleasure, & this is by His Spirit operations upon our hearts. Romans 2:14-15 For when the Gentiles, which have not the law, do by nature the things contained in the law, these, having not the law, are a law unto themselves:
15 Which shew the work of the law written in their hearts, their conscience also bearing witness, and their thoughts the mean while accusing or else excusing one another;)
its plainly written the Gentiles ,which have not the law, which was the gospel of that dispensation. God put His laws within their hearts, & taught them Himself by His Spirit. These things were written for our example, He does the same today!
I encourage you to reread the Scriptures, the honoring of them in there proper place, is truly the benefit & enjoyment of them.
He that has ears to hear, let him hear what the Spirit has to say:
Faith comes by hearing & hearing by the Word of God, not the written words of God, but the living Word of God, the Spirit of Christ. This living Word will alway agree with the written words of God, & sound reason, our conscience bearing witness in Truth & Righteousness. Each one of us has a small measure of His Spirit within us, compared to a mustard seed for smallness..yet if believe in & nurtured grows until we come to the fullest of the knowledge of the stature of Christ. All by His divine power, namely "Light" giving us all things that pertain to life & godliness through the knowledge of Him who has call us to glory & virtue. Scriptures states ,the Word is near us, in our heart & mouth, this is were He is to be known & felt in our hearts, this is the word of Faith that Paul preached. Hearing & obeying His words which He speaks within, engrafts Him within us, comforming us to Himself, for His words are His Spirit & His Life, thus; we're putting on Christ, the whole armor of God, we walk even as He walk, & are sent even as He was sent. Not by might, nor by power, but by His Spirit. The Scriptures testify over & over again, "he that has ear to hear, let him hear what the Spirit has to say, not the letter, the letter kills, its the Spirit alone that gives life. He was made a life giving Spirit. So faith come by hearing His still small Voice within us, that Voice speaks within conscience according to Romans 2:15, which explains the operations of Grace spiritual appearance within; Titus 2:11-13 Which is the revelation of Jesus Christ unto us, according to 2Cor 4:6-7, The nature of true faith purifies the heart. Faith is believing that it is He, who is revealing Himself to us by His Spirit of Grace in the face of Jesus Christ, who is God, who was before the Scriptures & was in the beginning with God.
I hope this enlighten & stimultates your heart search for Truth.
The bulk of this discussion is focused on men who profess to believe as a Christian and who are seeking faith as a means to an end. This; in my opinion is far more insidious; and leads to greater judgment than the average pagan who overtly worship false gods. We have discussed Lot's wife; and of course in New Testament times we have warnings such as Hebrews 10:29 to seriously consider as well as the previous verse. We have more than the law now; we have the Bible; the written testimony of God with His redemptive plan for us.
Part of the problem; as I have pointed out a number of times is the concept of "decisional regeneration". We can follow the admonition of Romans 10:9 and attest to the veracity of John 3:16 and a few other basic verses on salvation for a number of reasons; but apart from a transformation through the Holy Spirit and God drawing a person toward repentance we are NOT saved. This concept is found in 5 scriptures as either granting or leading someone to repenetance (see 2 Tim. 2:25; Romans 2:4). Two types of sorrow are mentioned in 2 Corinthians 7:10; godly and worldly sorrow. The end result is either spiritual death or life. (compare Peter to Judas Iscariot after Gethsemene; and until His crucifixion for examples of these two types of sorrow). I would go farther though; some of us haven't even considered the consequences of our sins and how it would affect us at the end of this life; and Judgment Day. Fear of hell may not save someone without an appreciation for the Holiness of God and how we have offended our Creator; which comes in a large part after we are saved (experientially slow for some; immediate for others). But true repentance gives us some realization of our state apart from Christ along with a new heart ( Ezekiel 11:19-20).
I will say that in today's world; it is going to get very costly to even confess Christ; assuming; of course it is real church that we are declaring allegiance to
True, David0921, 'stagnation' would be too subtle a word to more fully describe how the Church at large treats God's Word & deals with sin & rebuke of erring ones. Unfortunately, from my limited experience, it seems that the larger the Church (congregation), the weaker they are in some of these areas we've referred to. The smaller, & probably the more exclusive (sectarian) of them, keep a much more rigid control on behavior & adherence to the Word. Yet, saying that, often their teachings also tend to be a little off-track. A few however, I believe, have found the right balance.
Now, I have a query on what you had earlier written (& now), in discussion with Jema a few days ago: "So when we look at the nature of God's Judgment program very carefully, we find that the Final Punishment is annihilation, that is destruction". And I quote this as you also shared here, "When was the last time you heard a sermon that focused on the Judgment and Wrath of God for sin?" Obviously, I think I have misunderstood you, where it appears that you believe that the final state of man is, either he's enjoying eternal life with the Lord, or a cessation of all existence (annihilation, as you put it). And then the "Wrath of God for sin" as you now stated. Without making any further assumptions, maybe you could clarify your belief, as in my mind I'm unable to reconcile the two statements.
I believe that Matthew 10:28 was quoted as a reference to the complete destruction of soul & body, to which the Greek word does support; as it does to John 3:16 ("perish"), Romans 2:12, 1 Corinthians 8:11, 2 Peter 3:9, and many others. But reference wasn't made to Daniel 12:1,2; Matthew 18:8,9; Matthew 25:46; Jude 1:7; Revelation 20:10,14,15; & others. In the light of these other Scriptures as well as the essence of the Gospel message which requires an eternal suffering, or else we don't have any Good News of salvation to give, how should we understand your statements? Blessings.
Did Israel faithlessness void God's promises to Israel?
Romans 3:3 For what if some did not believe? shall their unbelief make the faith of God without effect?
Paul is asking if there is someone without faith, shall their lack of faith cancel out the faithfulness of God?
Paul answers that in vs 4 God forbid:
Israel's failures doesn't void out the promises of God.
God's promise to send Israel the redeemer was not voided by their wilful disobedience and rejection.
All his promises for the future of the nation will be fulfilled to his glory in spite of their unbelief. This is the unconditional covenant God made with Abraham.
Here's a few more verses causes people to believe the Church is the new Israel.
Galatians 3:28-29.
There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither bond nor free, there is neither male nor female: for ye are all one in Christ Jesus.
And if ye be Christ's, then are ye Abraham's seed, and heirs according to the promise.
Romans 2:28-29
"For he is not a Jew, which is one outwardly; neither is that circumcision, which is outward in the flesh:
But he is a Jew, which is one inwardly; and circumcision is that of the heart, in the spirit, and not in the letter; whose praise is not of men, but of God.
Now these verses is not talking about an ethnic group.
Paul gives us the subject of the matter in Romans 3:1.
"What advantage then hath the Jew? or what profit is there of circumcision?"
Now here is where Paul was actually contrasting the Jews and the law, and the promise by faith of Jesus Christ.
Colossians 2:11-12.
This contrast the belief that righteousness came by the outwardly circumcised jew and the circumcision of the heart, in the spirit,
In other words Abraham was given the sign of circumcision, a seal of the righteousness of the faith before he was circumcised.
Romans 4:11-13.
So Jew and Israel is not always used synonymous in the scripture.
God's kindness is intended to lead you to repentance according to Romans 2:4. The beginning of this verse asks if we show contempt for the riches of His kindness; forebearance and patience. That meaning could be directed towards those who are nonbelievers; who are "suddenly destroyed without remedy" ( Proverbs 29:1). It also could be talking about those who would use grace as license to sin as we see warned against in Romans 6:1-2.
I would propose that this also has relevance with today's compromised Gospel which downgrades the fear of the Lord; and our necessary attitude toward repentance. I believe it can be true that someone can be so afraid of say; losing their salvation or thinking God can't possibly forgive them that they have an unhealthy disassociation with their Lord and Savior. The other extreme is probably more prevalent today; however. In those who are given the admonition in Romans 11:22 I would argue that if we are in Christ we will persevere; and that is evidenced by continuing to fear the Lord and that is aided by the continuing presence of the Spirit bringing us to maturity.
My focus in this post is on those who would want to make the Gospel less offensive. What seems like intuitive knowledge on a human level is paradoxical on the spiritual-God's love is only magnified when the rest of His Word describing His wrath is presented. To "flee from the wrath to come" ( Luke 3:7) certainly is relevant today; for judgment ultimately but the Tribulation as well. The seriousness of sin seems to be disregarded with today's messages; I would propose that we should make people uncomfortable when they are in the House of God rather than comfortable if that means dumbing down the truth. If we show a half hearted faith it is no wonder there is so much lukewarmness in the church today. Matthew 12:34 states out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speakest. May our hearts be sold out to Christ; not with one foot still in the world.
Here are some interesting points highlighted in this discourse;
Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many WONDERFUL WORKS? (The wonderful works is not disputed.) There was a outward show of holliness.
And then will I profess unto them, I NEVER KNEW YOU: depart from me, ye that work iniquity. (CHRIST WILL PROFESS TO THEM HE (NEVER) KNEW THEM! They were NEVER connected to the vine. He NEVER knew them!!
Our outward act needs to generate from within!
This is a circumcised heart Paul speaks of in Romans 2:29. This is not done by man it is done by conversion!
It's what the the Jews couldn't do by self-effort by following command.
This is also what Jesus is telling the scribes and Pharisees in Matthew 23:25-26; Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye make clean the outside of the cup and of the platter, but within they are full of extortion and excess.
Thou blind Pharisee, cleanse first that which is within the cup and platter, that the outside of them may be clean also.
This is baptism by the holy spirit. We are quickened by the spirit! Christ IN us!
Romans 8:11-14. But if the Spirit of him that raised up Jesus from the dead dwell in you, he that raised up Christ from the dead shall also quicken your mortal bodies by his Spirit that dwelleth in you.
Therefore, brethren, we are debtors, not to the flesh, to live after the flesh.
For if ye live after the flesh, ye shall die: but if ye through the Spirit do mortify the deeds of the body, ye shall live.
FOR AS MANY AS ARE LED BY THE SPIRIT OF GOD, they are the sons of God.
It IS NOT HOW BUSY WE ARE!
IT IS HOW BUSY CHRIST IS IN US, IS THAT WHAT MAKES US SPIRITUAL.
Also, Philippians 1:6.
And if Christ is performing in you, you will have the fruit of the spirit present NOT the works of the flesh!
Why does God say in Romans 2:11 For there is no respect or person with God and there are so many people with physical or mental disabilities? I have a daughter with profound autism and Raynaud's syndrome. She just had surgery to remove for hand due to Raynaud's and now we are waiting for her to wake up to see if she has had significantly more brain damage due to a massive seizure which put her in ICU. My husband has always had a difficulty understanding that and I am not able to explain in a sense of him understanding. We have had a few explanations previously and it seemed good, but when our daughter got hit with this, his faith seems to have gone down the toilet.
Many people read from the Bible and scan over many words without ever knowing what some words mean, such as: iniquities, transgressions, tresspasses and sins. I have heard people say they are all synonymous. If that were true then why wouldn't the scripture just use one word ?
These scriptures can trip you up when we use them for doctrine when talking about NATIONAL ISRAEL.
Some day God will open the eyes of Israel to show them that all their services was pointing them through the same door that the Gentiles goes through to get to the father. "CHRIST".
There will be two folds that will come together under one shepherd. There's no advantage to either fold. That's what Colossians 3:11-12 and Galatians 3:27-39 is saying. Angels, People, The Church and Israel is called elect in the Bible.
Israel and the Church has different origins and has a different path and destiny.
( Don't mistake that for having a different path for salvation.)
They have a separate purpose. When Jesus speaks of Israel as his elect in Matthew 24. he speaks of Israel as a nation. National Israel.
The Church isn't National Israel or "The new Israel. Is the Church Jacob also?
They're both are Chosen or elected by God to do the will of God for different purposes.
The bible makes references to both National Israel and the remnant.
Paul makes that distinction in Romans when he says all Israel is not Israel and when he mentions Kinsman of the flesh. Paul hammers away at this in Romans chapters 9,10 and 11.
Daniel 12:1 Speaks of National Israel.
"And at that time shall Michael stand up, the great prince which standeth for the ( CHILDREN OF THY PEOPLE ): and there shall be a time of trouble, such as never was since there was a nation even to that same time: and at that time (THY PEOPLE) shall be delivered, every one that shall be found written in the book.
No the Bible does not teach anywhere that belief in christ is all that is required for salvation.
It repeatedly from beginning to end continues to teach faith together with obedience to God's ten commandments are a prerequisite to salvation. Everyone in the Bible is judged according to their works. Not according to their faith. Romans 3:31
"Do we then make void the law through faith? God forbid: yea, we establish the law." 1 John 2:4
"He that saith, I know him, and keepeth not his commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him."
King James
Luke 18:18
"And a certain ruler asked him, saying, Good Master, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?" Luke 18:19
"And Jesus said unto him, Why callest thou me good? none is good, save one, that is, God."
Luke 18:20
"Thou knowest the commandments, Do not commit adultery, Do not kill, Do not steal, Do not bear false witness, Honour thy father and thy mother."
King James
Matthew
5
Matthew 5:17
"Think not that I am come to destroy the law, or the prophets: I am not come to destroy, but to fulfil."
King James
John
15
John 15:10
"If ye keep my commandments, ye shall abide in my love; even as I have kept my Father's commandments, and abide in his love." John 14:15
"If ye love me, keep my commandments."
King James
Luke
13
Luke 13:24
"Strive to enter in at the strait gate: for many, I say unto you, will seek to enter in, and shall not be able."
King James
Romans 2:6
"Who will render to every man according to his deeds:"
King JamesRevelation 22:12
"And, behold, I come quickly; and my reward is with me, to give every man according as his work shall be."
King James
There is a ton of more verses that could be attached that continue to back up truth.
The main thing is you must read the Bible for yourself because ultimately you are responsible for your own salvation. Trusting what I say or what this person says is not the way to work out your own salvation.
Get ready
My Lord Jesus shall be revealed from heaven with His mighty angels (the true believers- Luke 20:35-36). In flaming fire taking VENGEANCE on them that know not GOD, and that obey not His gospel, the gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ: Who shall be PUNISHED with everlasting destruction- Revelation 11:18- from the presence of the Lord, and from the glory of His power;(according to the Mat.28:18) when He shall come to be glorified in His saints(true believers), and to be admired in all them that believe (in Him).
Now, even now, and from now on, what will LITERALLY be fulfilled according the written Word of GOD? Opinion is good for nothing, by the Word of GOD there will be only and only PUNISHMENT, punishment over punishment, anguish of ALL nations, and tribulation, and so on.
The rebel Israel was banned from their land and was spread around the whole world from year 70 AD until 1948, but from now on...? What will happen with Israel and Gentile nations?
Romans 2:9 - Tribulation and anguish, upon every soul of man that doeth evil, of the Jew first, and also of the Gentile;
What will happen with Israel according the Word of GOD? The rebel Israel was banned from their land and was spread around the whole world from year 70 AD until 1948, but from now on...? The Word is GOD, LITERALLY self-executing, understand?
By the way, the everlasting PUNISHMENT announced since ancient time, had a specific time to begin, but not to end, of course, and THIS TIME HAS ARRIVED and the everlasting punishment begins to run now, even now, and from now on, it's for ever and ever.
Get ready
Romans 2:5-
5 But after thy hardness and impenitent heart treasurest up unto thyself wrath against the Day of wrath (the LORD's Day, the seventh and last Day) and REVELATION of the righteous Judgment of GOD;
6 Who will render to every man according to his deeds:
7 To them who by patient continuance in well doing seek for glory and honour and immortality, ETERNAL life:
8 But unto them that are contentious, and do not obey the truth, but obey unrighteousness, INDIGNATION AND WRATH,
9 TRIBULATION and ANGUISH, upon every soul of man that doeth evil, of the Jew first, and also of the Gentile;
10 But glory, honour, and peace, to every man that worketh good, to the Jew first, and also to the Gentile:
11 For there is no respect of persons with GOD.
12 For as many as have sinned without Law shall also PERISH without Law: and as many as have sinned in the Law shall be JUDGED by the Law;
13 (For not the hearers of the law are just before GOD, but the doers of the Law shall be justified.
14 For when the Gentiles, which HAVE NOT THE LAW, do by nature the things contained in the Law, these, having not the Law, are a Law unto themselves:
15 Which shew the work of the Law written in their hearts, their conscience also bearing witness, and their thoughts the mean while accusing or else excusing one another;)
16 In this Day when GOD shall JUDGE the secrets of men by Jesus Christ according to my gospel.
1Peter 4:17-18
17 The time is come that JUDGMENT must begin at the house of GOD: and if it first begin at us, what shall the end be of them that obey not the gospel of GOD?
18 And if the righteous scarcely be saved, where shall the ungodly and the sinner appear?
Revelation 21:8-The fearful(the COWARDS),and unbelieving,and the abominable,and murderers,and whoremongers,and sorcerers, and idolaters, and all liars, shall have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone: which is the second death.
God is angry with the nations as well as individuals. Revelation 11:18 begins a discussion of God's wrath and it is accomplished when the winepress is trod alone by Christ ( Isaiah 63:3) which mirrors Armageddon as described in Revelation 19; but also the campaign of the Exekiel 38 war and the nations God destroys in the process.
In such a topic; of course we see other attributes of God balancing things such as wrath and anger with patience and longsuffering of the Lord; for instance. In all this discussion it is important to see how a balanced picture of our Lord brings a better focus as to who He is. We can't just focus on anger or there is no hope for His love; but the same holds true for those who only want to hear "encouraging" verses in scripture. As famously stated we either have all of Christ or we have in reality none of Him. We must take the whole counsel of the Word of God rather than cherry picking what we want as context gets thrown out the window at best with that mindset; and at worst whole doctrinal truths are cast aside. Such is the action of such deists as Benjamin Franklin apparently. The flesh really doesn't even comprehend God's love; for human love and its vicissitudes clearly can't be trusted ( Jeremiah 17:9) as our heart is desperately wicked and who can know it? God judges impartially and is not a "respecter of persons" ( Romans 2:11-16; Acts 10:34). He is entirely righteous and no one can argue with Him once judgment comes. As Psalm 2 states we should "kiss the Son" while He is in the way so that His anger doesn't make us perish (verse 12; loosely translated). God's terms are having Christ as our mediator and High Priest because He can't look upon sin ( Heb. 9:15; Habakkuk 1:13). God will thankfully bring His own people to completion and hence the new heaven and earth will have nations of righteous people serving God; both the survivors of the Tribulation and Resurrected/Raptured saints.
"For circumcision (also spiritual circumcision which is new birth) verily profiteth, if thou keep the law: but if thou be a breaker of the law, thy circumcision is made uncircumcision."
"For not the hearers of the law are just before God, but the doers of the law shall be justified."
5 But after thy hardness and impenitent heart treasurest up unto thyself wrath against the day of wrath and revelation of the
righteous judgment of God;
6 Who(God) will render to every man according to his deeds:
7 To them who by patient continuance in well doing seek for glory and honour and immortality, eternal life:
8 But unto them that are contentious, and do not obey the truth, but obey unrighteousness, indignation and wrath,
9 Tribulation and anguish, upon every soul of man that doeth evil, of the Jew first, and also of the Gentile;
10 But glory, honour, and peace, to every man that worketh good, to the Jew first, and also to the Gentile:
Speaking in finish line, what does the Word of GOD say prophetically? Daniel 12:12 - Blessed is he that waiteth, and cometh to the thousand three hundred and five and thirty days. (that is 45 DAYS after the period of the 2nd half of the last week be finished-1260 days-plus a gap of 30 days, according to the calendar). Get ready, "For we are saved by hope- Romans 8:24- but hope that is seen is not hope: for what a man seeth, why doth he yet hope for? But if we hope for that we see not- Romans 8:25-, then do we with patience wait for it. By the way, "hope maketh not ashamed (hope does not bring confusion); because the love of GOD is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Spirit which is given unto us.
May our Lord GOD bless and keep us, and give us His protection
Amen
P.S.
Now, in the TURN of sixth GOD's Day to the seventh and last Day, or seventh and last millennium, we are living in the beginning of sorrows, so there will be only and only severe punishiments in the world of Devil as a whole (JESUS listed them- Matthew 24:3-8 and they fulfill LITERALLY), and the true believers will suffer a lot as JESUS warned us- Matthew 24:9-14. And the worst will happen successively in sequence- Matthew 24:15-25-.
Let's remember: Our GOD CURSED the Devil, and JESUS has already CURSED BY WRITTEN the betrayers- Matthew 25:41&46-, but "
upon the earth there be distress of nations, with perplexity; the sea (peoples, and nations, and multitudes of all tongues)and the waves(generations) roaring; Men's hearts failing them for fear, and for looking after those things which ARE COMING on the earth: for the powers of heaven shall be shaken- Luke 21:25-26 combined with Romans 2:9&11 -->9 Tribulation and anguish, upon every soul of man that doeth evil, of the Jew first, and also of the Gentile; 11 For there is no respect of persons with GOD.
Who among us shall dwell with the devouring fire? who among us shall dwell with everlasting burnings? Isaiah 33:14
I have always stated that in the end; God has a certain number of people that enter hell; and a set number in heaven and since God is fair and an impartial judge ( Romans 2:11) that no one will be able to prove Him wrong; or even want to question the final verdict. The wicked will be speechless and the righteous rejoice forever. This settles any issues with OSAS or Predestination for that matter; and even free will. There are those who hate the light and love darkness ( John 3:19-21).
There are as I mentioned before HUNDREDS of verses that on the surface may appear to render the OSAS concept void; but when we consider the context; the concluding meanings of the text and other factors more often than not it appears to support this idea. Again the scriptures that indate there is no longer any condemnation ( Romans 8:1) for believers; we have "passed from death to life ( John 5:24); will never die ( John 11:25) and a plethora of other supporting texts shows eternal security for a TRUE believer in Christ.
My emphasis was on the FRUIT of one's life rather than just what is verbalized. One's heart determines their course of action; the righteous is contrasted with the wicked shown in passages such as Mark 7:20-23. Christ for the wicked is a means to an end; whether it be financial security (such as for those who buy into the prosperity gospel or are out to borrow money and fleece those who are called to follow passages such as Luke 6:30.) Christ for the righteous on the other hand is God in the flesh and we are compelled through the Spirit and a new heart to serve with love and obedience (See John 14:15 and read rest of the chapter for further context). Again; loving our enemies and dying for them isn't something natural man will do (see Romans 5:7-9). If we understand the indebtedness we have to Christ and not just a band aid for our sin behavior but a death sentence to our SIN NATURE through the new life in Christ we are saved.
Thank you. I'm sorry that you feel that I berate. I get why you might think that I berate, but Truly it's done in LOVE. What I'm Professing is The Truth, you see, everyone is missing The Message! I'm NOT speaking against the holy bible, I'm rebuking Any declarations that a book is God! God is SO MUCH MORE! A book doesn't "bring" anyone closer to God, and you wonder HOW God reveals Himself to people, Romans 2:13-16. And here is The Prophecy from which it came Jeremiah 31:31-34. You think I call the holy bible frivolous? I call the holy bible holy, just, and good. But, I will never call the holy bible God. Everyone is so incensed that their anger is causing them to sin.
Jema, you ask for a Revelation to "prove" that God has sent me with His Message. Well, Christ was asked the same, Luke 11:29-30; so, what is The Sign of Jonah? Jonah hated the Ninevites, so the Ninevites had No reason to listen to Jonah because Jonah made his distaste obvious. The sign of Jonah is God sending a man who is disliked and even hated to people, who dislike and hate him, to declare their destruction. Why? For if the people "Listen" to their hatred then they will not hear God in the message, but if the people "put away" their hatred they may avoid Destruction.
Jema, you ask me to imagine how quarrelsome we would be without the Bible, very quarrelsome indeed; but, I ask you to imagine how MUCH Faith we would have as a consequence. You see, if everyone yells for you to go left, but God's Holy Spirit directs you right, And you obey God, my God, The Wonders we would witness!
Jema, you ask why the people killed Christ. I tell you, it wasn't because they didn't know He was the Messiah! John 3:1-3 the Pharisees killed Christ because He came to take away their power as priests of God; they were necessary to the people because if a person wanted to seek God, they had to go to them. God "did away with this by making All people a holy nation and priests! Put away anger and Listen!
It's not that I don't see what you're getting at, I truly do. But I feel that not many people are getting what I'm saying! I keep getting from people the reasons other translations are inferior, but my point is; Truly, it doesn't matter! To put things in perspective I'll illustrate: More often than not scholar think that the best way to get the true meaning from scripture is to learn and read scripture in its original language. Now, the obvious problem arises, I have to learn the original language, and this takes time. The obvious response to this problem is, "Well, then learn the original language! For if God means so very much to someone then it's a small price to pay!" And, for the worldly wise this answer may seem appropriate, yet the obvious problem is that until I learn and become fluent in the original language I'm in jeopardy of condemnation because I'm ignorant of the truth!
Now, this is an exaggerated situation but my POINT is exemplified: if the Real Truth is only found in a book then one Must have the "right" book. Some will say "Well, that's true because if someone doesn't have the holy bible then how can they KNOW Christ?" To that I say, if someone needs a book to know God then he truly isn't God! My God and Father isn't bound by ANYTHING, least of all a book! Now, the enemy might stir some to think that I speak against the holy bible, I don't. What I speak against is ANY limitation placed upon God! If God can use a demon or a donkey, why would He be limited by a words or a translation? The obvious question to my statement is, "If someone doesn't have the holy bible then how would they hear of Christ?" To that I refer to Proof that God isn't limited by ANYTHING! Romans 2:13-16 This passage is my Evidence that God is FAITHFUL even though we are faithless. And, that is what the holy bible is, evidence, not God. For how did the Gentiles know the law, thought they never had the law? God placed His Law upon their hearts so that they live by It.
Romans 2:17-29 (KJV) 17 Behold, thou art called a Jew, and restest in the law, and makest thy boast of God,
18 And knowest his will, and approvest the things that are more excellent, being instructed out of the law;
19 And art confident that thou thyself art a guide of the blind, a light of them which are in darkness,
20 An instructor of the foolish, a teacher of babes, which hast the form of knowledge and of the truth in the law.
21 Thou therefore which teachest another, teachest thou not thyself? thou that preachest a man should not steal, dost thou steal?
22 Thou that sayest a man should not commit adultery, dost thou commit adultery? thou that abhorrest idols, dost thou commit sacrilege?
23 Thou that makest thy boast of the law, through breaking the law dishonourest thou God?
24 For the name of God is blasphemed among the Gentiles through you, as it is written.
25 For circumcision verily profiteth, if thou keep the law: but if thou be a breaker of the law, thy circumcision is made uncircumcision.
26 Therefore if the uncircumcision keep the righteousness of the law, shall not his uncircumcision be counted for circumcision?
27 And shall not uncircumcision which is by nature, if it fulfil the law, judge thee, who by the letter and circumcision dost transgress the law?
28 For he is not a Jew, which is one outwardly; neither is that circumcision, which is outward in the flesh:
29 But he is a Jew, which is one inwardly; and circumcision is that of the heart, in the spirit, and not in the letter; whose praise is not of men, but of God.
Greetings in Christ JESUS
See. Dan, like the SDA sect, interprets it literally differently from you. Actually, they interpret that just like the Pharisees, and Scribes, and Priests, our Lord JESUS also kept the Law of the 10 commandments that GOD gave to Moses and his body-the people of Israel- to keep them.
Paul the Apostle, a former Pharisee extremist, knew very well to distinguish the difference between what GOD gave to Moses and to JESUS, what was given to Moses was the dead letter of the Law, and Israel was as always a simply sinful nation, but what was given to JESUS is the Spirit of the Law, the only one capable of giving life to the disciples of Him, JESUS really FULFILLED the Law. GOD is Spirit.
By the way, the body without the Spirit is dead ( James 2:26), the dead do not praise the Lord ( Psalm 119:17), so the keepers (Jews or Gentiles) of the dead letter of the Law of Moses that lasted until John the Baptist as JESUS warned, they all are dead, and they do not praise the Lord at all, they do not believe in the revelation and determination of JESUS that the dead letter of the Law given to Moses lasted only and only until John the Baptist. period
The heavens(the 1st and 2nd heavens, i.e. the Dispensations of the Old and New Testaments(the 3rd heaven shall be still established- Luke 20:35-36, among other biblical references) and the earth(the current rebel Israel), which are now, by the same Word are kept in store, reserved unto fire against this Day of Judgment and perdition of ungodly men.
Romans 2:12&14
12 For as many as have sinned without Law(the Gentiles) shall also PERISH without Law: and as many as have sinned in the Law(the Jews) shall be JUDGED by the Law;
14 For when the Gentiles, which have not the Law, do by nature the things contained in the Law, these, having not the Law, are a Law unto themselves:
13 (For not the hearers of the Law are just before GOD, but the doers of the Law shall be justified.
Get ready
When Paul wrote about the Gentiles & their law & conscience ( Romans 2:14,15), he was referring to humanity's inner 'coding' in the conscience by which they know the right & proper things to do (in relation to each other & before an unseen God). These never received any of God's Laws, but their hearts will be judged because they couldn't even obey the dictates of their own consciences. So, both the Jew (with the Law), and the Gentile (without the Law, but having that inward law operating), stand condemned for their sins. The battle wasn't "between God & the Devil in having the dominion of the people", for Israel could never obey the Law anyway, as Satan would always have the victory. The battle was within Israel's heart - a heart of sin, subject to sin's demands upon them, & given over to Satan. See Paul's account of this in Romans 7:7-14 (the Law revealed his sin; he then died spiritually because of it - nothing to do with God's battles). Instead of fighting the Devil for souls, God provided His Own Sacrifice & His Own Spirit to redeem sinners.
You mentioned 'interpretation by the Spirit' & then "they died by the letterincluding the gods". Do you actually understand Psalm 82:6,7 & Isaiah 41:23, when you write these things?
Greetings in Christ JESUS
In fact it is very sad, and it is happening in whole world, and the worst it to still come for all nations. Read what JESUS said and warning the whole world by His word: Luke 21:22-36. Take a look.
By the way, there is no effect without cause. See this one example below, among many other since ancient time:
2 Chronicles 36:14-16
14 Moreover all the chief of the priests, and the people, transgressed very much after all the abominations of the heathen; and polluted the house of the Lord which he had hallowed in Jerusalem.
15 And the Lord GOD of their fathers sent to them by His messengers, rising up betimes, and sending; because He had compassion on His people, and on his dwelling place:
16 But they mocked the messengers of GOD, and despised His words, and misused His prophets, until the wrath of the Lord arose against His people,till THERE WAS NO REMEDY. (Now it is not and will not be different, THERE IS NO REMEDY, unfortunately.)
Romans 2:5-11
5 But after thy hardness and impenitent heart treasurest up unto thyself wrath against the day of wrath and revelation of the righteous Judgment of GOD;
6 Who will render to every man according to his deeds:
7 To them who by patient continuance in well doing seek for glory and honour and immortality, ETERNAL life:
8 But unto them that are contentious, and do not obey the truth, but obey unrighteousness, INDIGNATION and wrath,
9 Tribulation and anguish, upon every soul of man that doeth evil, of the Jew first, and also of the Gentile;
10 But glory, honour, and peace, to every man that worketh good, to the Jew first, and also to the Gentile:
11 For there is no respect of persons with GOD.
2Peter 4:17-18
17 The time is come that Judgment must begin at the house of GOD: and if it first begin at us, what shall the end be of them that obey not the gospel of GOD?
18 And if the righteous scarcely be saved, where shall the ungodly and the sinner appear?
VIII. SECTION OUTLINE OF THE BOOK OF ROMANS:
INTRODUCTION: ( Romans 1:1-17)
The first part of the book is the doctrine of the Christian faith, which is Romans Chapter 1 Verse 18 through Chapter 11 Verse 36. The introduction is the first 17 verses.
And that introduction is divided into three parts:
Romans 1:1-7 - Paul's Position in Ministry
Romans 1:8-15 - Paul's Plan for Ministry
Romans 1:16-17 - Paul's Perception of Ministry.
Now believe it or not, embedded, and I emphasize the word embedded, but in these 17 verses are three important doctrines. They are the doctrine of Jesus Christ, the doctrine of ministry, and the doctrine of the gospel. These are all found in these first 17 verses. In fact, every verse, even the introduction can be considered doctrine.
IX. THE DOCTRINE OF THE CHRISTIAN FAITH. ( Romans 1:18-11:36)
In Romans Chapter 1 Verse 18 through to the end of Chapter 11 (there are 16 Chapters in Romans), but Chapter 1 Verse 18 through the end of Chapter 11 is the doctrinal section, specifically to present the doctrine of the Christian faith.
Indictment - The Doctrine of Condemnation ( Romans 1:18 - 3:20). The first part is indictment. It is the doctrine of condemnation. I'm sure we all love to study about that! "Come and let me show you how condemned you are!" Isn't that nice!
And that's divided up into three sections:
Romans 1:18-32 - The Prosecution Against the Gentiles
Romans 2:1-3:8 - The Prosecution Against the Jews
Romans 3:9-20 - The Prosecution Against all Mankind
The prosecution against the Gentiles. It is a fascinating study. You and I are Gentiles. Most Gentiles have not had exposure to the Old Testament or Judaism or Jewish ministry or teaching at all. We're kind of like the "Heinz 57" variety. We all come from different religious system backgrounds, and we are the Gentiles.
For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God:
9) NOT OF WORKS, lest any man should boast.
10)For we are his workmanship, CREATED IN CHRIST JESUS "UNTO GOOD WORKS", which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them.
11)Wherefore remember, that ye being in time past Gentiles in the flesh, who are called Uncircumcision by that which is called the Circumcision in the flesh made by hands;
12) That at that time ye were without Christ, being aliens from the commonwealth of Israel, and strangers from the covenants of promise, having no hope, and without God in the world:
13)But now in Christ Jesus ye who sometimes were far off ARE MADE NIGH BY THE BLOOD OF CHRIST.
THIS IS MARVELOUS SAYING! HERE'S WHERE YOU SEE THE CIRCUMCISION OF THE HEART AS MENTIONED IN ROMANS 2:26-29.
"Therefore if the uncircumcision keep the righteousness of the law, shall not his uncircumcision be counted for circumcision?
And shall not uncircumcision which is by nature, if it fulfil the law, judge thee, who by the letter and circumcision dost transgress the law?
For he is not a Jew, which is one outwardly; neither is that circumcision, which is outward in the flesh:
But he is a Jew, which is one inwardly; and circumcision is that of the heart, in the spirit, and not in the letter; whose praise is not of men, but of God. ( In these verses Jew is not mentioned to describe an ethnic group but rather to describe the performance and seal of the cutting away the flesh.)
WE GENTILES ARE BROUGHT NEAR BY THE BLOOD OF CHRIST, NOT CIRCUMCISION OF THE FLESH THAT RESPRESENTS THE JEW AND ALL OF THEIR WRITTEN ARTICLES WHEREBY THEY WERE COMMANDED. ( We're joined by the promise given to Abraham
Galatians 3:14-18.
Galatians 3:21 Is the law then against the promises of God? God forbid: FOR IF THERE HAD BEEN A LAW GIVEN WHICH COULD HAVE GIVEN LIFE, VERILY RIGHTEOUSNESS SHOULD HAVE BEEN BY THE LAW.
God bless.
The Apostle Paul tells us in Romans 2:14,15, that the Gentiles who did not have God's Law served to them, do by instinct that which the Law contained - that Law (in some perceptive form) is written on their hearts & their consciences. So man, whether Jew or Gentile already had received knowledge of right & wrong, of the True God & false gods, of that knowledge pricking his heart when he knew he had done wrong, but he chose to suppress that knowledge & create his own beliefs, gods, & values. He may not know all about the True God, as Israel had known God, but each person had the evidence of God's essential requirements in their hearts; and this should cause them to turn to this 'unknown God' to worship & for help in dealing with sin that affected their hearts & consciences (even as some of the Athenians did in Acts 17:22-34).
And so the great need for the Gospel of Salvation is to go out into all the world ( Matthew 28:19,20), so that both the Jew under the Law & the Gentile without the written Law, might hear of the forgiveness, cleansing & redemption found only in Christ Jesus. There were Gentiles in the Old Testament days that were touched by God (e.g. those of Nineveh, Huram (king of Tyre), the Queen of Sheba, King Darius, etc.); they may not have fully turned from their gods to follow the True God, but we do see that Gentiles were also in God's Mind in those days, so none was without excuse.
But now through the Gift of His Son, God has reached out to ALL men everywhere, that they may find spiritual healing & a restored relationship through faith in Jesus' Name ( Acts 17:30).
How did Abraham, Issac, Rebecca, Jacob or Job & many more come to the personal experiential knowledge of God? Job 32:8 But there is a spirit in man: and the inspiration of the Almighty giveth them understanding. God Spirit is not limited in how He reveals Himself to mankind, dreams, visions, etc, the Scripture are full of them, but all by the operations & administration of His Spirit. God promise in Jeremiah 31:33 But this shall be the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel; After those days, saith the LORD, I will put my law in their inward parts, and write it in their hearts; and will be their God, and they shall be my people, Heb 8:10 quotes this, the wording is ( I ) will put My laws into their inward parts. He doeth the work, cause us to will & do of His good pleasure, & this is by His Spirit operations upon our hearts. Romans 2:14-15 For when the Gentiles, which have not the law, do by nature the things contained in the law, these, having not the law, are a law unto themselves:
15 Which shew the work of the law written in their hearts, their conscience also bearing witness, and their thoughts the mean while accusing or else excusing one another;)
its plainly written the Gentiles ,which have not the law, which was the gospel of that dispensation. God put His laws within their hearts, & taught them Himself by His Spirit. These things were written for our example, He does the same today!
I encourage you to reread the Scriptures, the honoring of them in there proper place, is truly the benefit & enjoyment of them.
He that has ears to hear, let him hear what the Spirit has to say:
I hope this enlighten & stimultates your heart search for Truth.
The bulk of this discussion is focused on men who profess to believe as a Christian and who are seeking faith as a means to an end. This; in my opinion is far more insidious; and leads to greater judgment than the average pagan who overtly worship false gods. We have discussed Lot's wife; and of course in New Testament times we have warnings such as Hebrews 10:29 to seriously consider as well as the previous verse. We have more than the law now; we have the Bible; the written testimony of God with His redemptive plan for us.
Part of the problem; as I have pointed out a number of times is the concept of "decisional regeneration". We can follow the admonition of Romans 10:9 and attest to the veracity of John 3:16 and a few other basic verses on salvation for a number of reasons; but apart from a transformation through the Holy Spirit and God drawing a person toward repentance we are NOT saved. This concept is found in 5 scriptures as either granting or leading someone to repenetance (see 2 Tim. 2:25; Romans 2:4). Two types of sorrow are mentioned in 2 Corinthians 7:10; godly and worldly sorrow. The end result is either spiritual death or life. (compare Peter to Judas Iscariot after Gethsemene; and until His crucifixion for examples of these two types of sorrow). I would go farther though; some of us haven't even considered the consequences of our sins and how it would affect us at the end of this life; and Judgment Day. Fear of hell may not save someone without an appreciation for the Holiness of God and how we have offended our Creator; which comes in a large part after we are saved (experientially slow for some; immediate for others). But true repentance gives us some realization of our state apart from Christ along with a new heart ( Ezekiel 11:19-20).
I will say that in today's world; it is going to get very costly to even confess Christ; assuming; of course it is real church that we are declaring allegiance to
Now, I have a query on what you had earlier written (& now), in discussion with Jema a few days ago: "So when we look at the nature of God's Judgment program very carefully, we find that the Final Punishment is annihilation, that is destruction". And I quote this as you also shared here, "When was the last time you heard a sermon that focused on the Judgment and Wrath of God for sin?" Obviously, I think I have misunderstood you, where it appears that you believe that the final state of man is, either he's enjoying eternal life with the Lord, or a cessation of all existence (annihilation, as you put it). And then the "Wrath of God for sin" as you now stated. Without making any further assumptions, maybe you could clarify your belief, as in my mind I'm unable to reconcile the two statements.
I believe that Matthew 10:28 was quoted as a reference to the complete destruction of soul & body, to which the Greek word does support; as it does to John 3:16 ("perish"), Romans 2:12, 1 Corinthians 8:11, 2 Peter 3:9, and many others. But reference wasn't made to Daniel 12:1,2; Matthew 18:8,9; Matthew 25:46; Jude 1:7; Revelation 20:10,14,15; & others. In the light of these other Scriptures as well as the essence of the Gospel message which requires an eternal suffering, or else we don't have any Good News of salvation to give, how should we understand your statements? Blessings.
Romans 3:3 For what if some did not believe? shall their unbelief make the faith of God without effect?
Paul is asking if there is someone without faith, shall their lack of faith cancel out the faithfulness of God?
Paul answers that in vs 4 God forbid:
Israel's failures doesn't void out the promises of God.
God's promise to send Israel the redeemer was not voided by their wilful disobedience and rejection.
All his promises for the future of the nation will be fulfilled to his glory in spite of their unbelief. This is the unconditional covenant God made with Abraham.
Here's a few more verses causes people to believe the Church is the new Israel.
Galatians 3:28-29.
There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither bond nor free, there is neither male nor female: for ye are all one in Christ Jesus.
And if ye be Christ's, then are ye Abraham's seed, and heirs according to the promise.
Romans 2:28-29
"For he is not a Jew, which is one outwardly; neither is that circumcision, which is outward in the flesh:
But he is a Jew, which is one inwardly; and circumcision is that of the heart, in the spirit, and not in the letter; whose praise is not of men, but of God.
Now these verses is not talking about an ethnic group.
Paul gives us the subject of the matter in Romans 3:1.
"What advantage then hath the Jew? or what profit is there of circumcision?"
Now here is where Paul was actually contrasting the Jews and the law, and the promise by faith of Jesus Christ.
Colossians 2:11-12.
This contrast the belief that righteousness came by the outwardly circumcised jew and the circumcision of the heart, in the spirit,
In other words Abraham was given the sign of circumcision, a seal of the righteousness of the faith before he was circumcised.
Romans 4:11-13.
So Jew and Israel is not always used synonymous in the scripture.
I would propose that this also has relevance with today's compromised Gospel which downgrades the fear of the Lord; and our necessary attitude toward repentance. I believe it can be true that someone can be so afraid of say; losing their salvation or thinking God can't possibly forgive them that they have an unhealthy disassociation with their Lord and Savior. The other extreme is probably more prevalent today; however. In those who are given the admonition in Romans 11:22 I would argue that if we are in Christ we will persevere; and that is evidenced by continuing to fear the Lord and that is aided by the continuing presence of the Spirit bringing us to maturity.
My focus in this post is on those who would want to make the Gospel less offensive. What seems like intuitive knowledge on a human level is paradoxical on the spiritual-God's love is only magnified when the rest of His Word describing His wrath is presented. To "flee from the wrath to come" ( Luke 3:7) certainly is relevant today; for judgment ultimately but the Tribulation as well. The seriousness of sin seems to be disregarded with today's messages; I would propose that we should make people uncomfortable when they are in the House of God rather than comfortable if that means dumbing down the truth. If we show a half hearted faith it is no wonder there is so much lukewarmness in the church today. Matthew 12:34 states out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speakest. May our hearts be sold out to Christ; not with one foot still in the world.
Ephesians 6:9
Matthew 7:13-23.
Here are some interesting points highlighted in this discourse;
Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many WONDERFUL WORKS? (The wonderful works is not disputed.) There was a outward show of holliness.
And then will I profess unto them, I NEVER KNEW YOU: depart from me, ye that work iniquity. (CHRIST WILL PROFESS TO THEM HE (NEVER) KNEW THEM! They were NEVER connected to the vine. He NEVER knew them!!
Our outward act needs to generate from within!
This is a circumcised heart Paul speaks of in Romans 2:29. This is not done by man it is done by conversion!
It's what the the Jews couldn't do by self-effort by following command.
This is also what Jesus is telling the scribes and Pharisees in Matthew 23:25-26; Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye make clean the outside of the cup and of the platter, but within they are full of extortion and excess.
Thou blind Pharisee, cleanse first that which is within the cup and platter, that the outside of them may be clean also.
This is baptism by the holy spirit. We are quickened by the spirit! Christ IN us!
Romans 8:11-14. But if the Spirit of him that raised up Jesus from the dead dwell in you, he that raised up Christ from the dead shall also quicken your mortal bodies by his Spirit that dwelleth in you.
Therefore, brethren, we are debtors, not to the flesh, to live after the flesh.
For if ye live after the flesh, ye shall die: but if ye through the Spirit do mortify the deeds of the body, ye shall live.
FOR AS MANY AS ARE LED BY THE SPIRIT OF GOD, they are the sons of God.
It IS NOT HOW BUSY WE ARE!
IT IS HOW BUSY CHRIST IS IN US, IS THAT WHAT MAKES US SPIRITUAL.
Also, Philippians 1:6.
And if Christ is performing in you, you will have the fruit of the spirit present NOT the works of the flesh!
God bless.
Isaiah 45:4.
Part 1.
Romans 2:25-29.
Colossians 3:11-12
and Galatians 3:27-39
These scriptures can trip you up when we use them for doctrine when talking about NATIONAL ISRAEL.
Some day God will open the eyes of Israel to show them that all their services was pointing them through the same door that the Gentiles goes through to get to the father. "CHRIST".
There will be two folds that will come together under one shepherd. There's no advantage to either fold. That's what Colossians 3:11-12 and Galatians 3:27-39 is saying. Angels, People, The Church and Israel is called elect in the Bible.
Israel and the Church has different origins and has a different path and destiny.
( Don't mistake that for having a different path for salvation.)
They have a separate purpose. When Jesus speaks of Israel as his elect in Matthew 24. he speaks of Israel as a nation. National Israel.
The Church isn't National Israel or "The new Israel. Is the Church Jacob also?
They're both are Chosen or elected by God to do the will of God for different purposes.
The bible makes references to both National Israel and the remnant.
Paul makes that distinction in Romans when he says all Israel is not Israel and when he mentions Kinsman of the flesh. Paul hammers away at this in Romans chapters 9,10 and 11.
Daniel 12:1 Speaks of National Israel.
"And at that time shall Michael stand up, the great prince which standeth for the ( CHILDREN OF THY PEOPLE ): and there shall be a time of trouble, such as never was since there was a nation even to that same time: and at that time (THY PEOPLE) shall be delivered, every one that shall be found written in the book.
"Daniels people is not the Church"
See key verses Daniel 9:24-27 in
Part 2.
It repeatedly from beginning to end continues to teach faith together with obedience to God's ten commandments are a prerequisite to salvation. Everyone in the Bible is judged according to their works. Not according to their faith. Romans 3:31
"Do we then make void the law through faith? God forbid: yea, we establish the law." 1 John 2:4
"He that saith, I know him, and keepeth not his commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him."
King James
Luke 18:18
"And a certain ruler asked him, saying, Good Master, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?" Luke 18:19
"And Jesus said unto him, Why callest thou me good? none is good, save one, that is, God."
Luke 18:20
"Thou knowest the commandments, Do not commit adultery, Do not kill, Do not steal, Do not bear false witness, Honour thy father and thy mother."
King James
Matthew
5
Matthew 5:17
"Think not that I am come to destroy the law, or the prophets: I am not come to destroy, but to fulfil."
King James
John
15
John 15:10
"If ye keep my commandments, ye shall abide in my love; even as I have kept my Father's commandments, and abide in his love." John 14:15
"If ye love me, keep my commandments."
King James
Luke
13
Luke 13:24
"Strive to enter in at the strait gate: for many, I say unto you, will seek to enter in, and shall not be able."
King James
Romans 2:6
"Who will render to every man according to his deeds:"
King JamesRevelation 22:12
"And, behold, I come quickly; and my reward is with me, to give every man according as his work shall be."
King James
There is a ton of more verses that could be attached that continue to back up truth.
The main thing is you must read the Bible for yourself because ultimately you are responsible for your own salvation. Trusting what I say or what this person says is not the way to work out your own salvation.