All Discussion PAGE 89

Matt.18:35 "The Spirit of life"

"So likewise shall my heavenly Father do also unto you, if ye from your hearts forgive not every one his brother their trespasses."

The Lord of the servant in the parable showed compassion as blessings of God come down from the greater to the lesser. Compassion as a facet of holiness of God is another manner love is irradiated as the cut diamond throws up several colors each from one single source of light. God as the Father of lights manifested so Jesus Christ is the true Light is the prism that provides us the glory of God into our individual spiritual space. The servant who hid his one talent did not detract from the glory but proved he was worthy of damnation.

The rich man 'clothed in purple and fine linen, and fared sumptuously every day' that was very well and good as far as the intrinsic value of a talent goes, but the sin crept in when he shut off Lazarus from his sights, and he denied the Spirit of life that bound him came from the same God who gave life as a blessing. In denying his presence was an insult to His holiness. He was no better than the Rich Fool in the parable. "Therefore to him that knoweth to do good, and doeth it not, to him it is sin." (Jas.4:17)

Coming back to the Parable the egregious blunder of the unforgiving servant was that he shut out the inestimable riches the Lord held in reserve. "But as it is written, Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love him."(1 Co.2:9). The Lord showed pity on him because of his flesh. The Spirit of life nevertheless was the power with which he could have mountains in his service. No his eye was all focused on a paltry debt. (1 Co.4:7-9) "not to think of men above that which is written, that no one of you be puffed up for one against another./ For who maketh thee to differ from another? and what hast thou that thou didst not receive? now if thou didst receive it, why dost thou glory"

please pray for me. i use to wordship an idol. an celebrity and now i realize they were nothing i though they were. it's my fault because the bible says not to do that and i did and got caught up. asking God to heal me and for me to move on in my life.

Matt.18:18 "Unity of the Spirit"

"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."

Unity is achieved by the everlasting gospel and it is one aspect of the Advent of the Son. "Mercy and truth are met together; Righteousness and peace have kissed each other. Truth shall spring out of the earth; And righteousness shall look down from heaven. Yea, the LORD shall give that which is good; And our land shall yield her increase."(Ps.85:10-13)

Grace and truth came by Jesus Christ which according to the scriptures was like a dry plant, "For he shall grow up before him as a tender plant, and as a root out of a dry ground." (Is.53:2). While we look at the cloud of witnesses their place in heaven is a constant reminder that God as the Husbandman ( John 15:1) is ever provident that 'our land' shall yield her increase. This land is not the dry ground Prophet Isaiah mentioned in the above mentioned quote. The ground was cursed because of sin and it required correction. The land that abides forever is special, soil is well prepared from which truth shall ever spring to heavenwards. This soil is what the heart signifies, and it is a spiritual space. The word of God has created it totally new so when the word of God speaks, "That ye may be blameless and harmless, the sons of God, without rebuke, in the midst of a crooked and perverse nation, among whom ye shine as lights in the world,"(Ph.2:15) it is to be understood as the Garden of Eden, our earthly tabernacle.

The voice of the Lord does a miracle with the heart that is right before him."The voice of the Lord maketh the hinds to calve, and discovereth the forests: and in his temple doth every one speak of his glory."(Ps.29:9).

As mentioned above there is a cloud of witnesses from heaven and also a building of God, "An house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens." As associates of Christ our power comes from this unity.

please remember my daughter Jessica and her family today in your prayers please remember me as well

Re.11:11-12 "Spirit of life"

"And after three days and an half the spirit of life from God entered into them, and they stood upon their feet; and great fear fell upon them which saw them." Jesus assured "Jesus said unto her, I am the resurrection, and the life: he that believeth in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live"( John 11:25). Three days and an half gives us the assurance that the two witnesses were a sign, that the spirit of life that raised the Son from death worked in their case as well. So vv.9-10 explain in what sense we need interpret, "the people and kindreds and tongues and nations shall see their dead bodies three days and an half, and shall not suffer their dead bodies to be put in graves."(v.9) . They are witnesses even in their death that not a jot or iota from the Law shall be changed.

" And the same hour was there a great earthquake, and the tenth part of the city fell, and in the earthquake were slain of men seven thousand."(v.13)

At the same hour is a tag to the day of judgment that shall follow. Ten indicates judgment and 7x1000 determines it is decreed from heaven.

Re.11:8 "the Sign" (1 of 2)

"And their dead bodies shall lie in the street of the great city," Martyrdom of two witnesses lying in the street is a sign. We have Jesus telling his disciples how to respond to the cities where they were not received. "And whosoever shall not receive you, nor hear your words, when ye depart out of that house or city, shake off the dust of your feet./Verily I say unto you, It shall be more tolerable for the land of Sodom and Gomorrha in the day of judgment, than for that city."(Matt.10:14-15). When Jesus concludes his 'woe to ye' indictment he says,"Behold, your house is left unto you desolate." (Matt.23:38). This was a sure indication that the house was not worthy since they had rejected the prince of peace. "And if the house be worthy, let your peace come upon it: but if it be not worthy, let your peace return to you." Israel shall never be at rest till they receive him, "For I say unto you, Ye shall not see me henceforth, till ye shall say, Blessed is he that cometh in the name of the Lord."(23:39). The two witnesses lying in the street of the great city is to be spiritually understood. They serve as a sign of doom of disasters that shall visit upon them. The names of cities are interchangeable. The stone that angel cast down signals the fall of Babylon (Re.18:21) and it could be applied to all cities of the world.

The sign of his coming is sure of the day of judgment for these cities. "For her sins have reached unto heaven, and God hath remembered her iniquities./Reward her even as she rewarded you, and double unto her double according to her works."(Re.18:5-6) We see it even now. 'Globalism' was the watchword of nations living deliciously and' Greed is good was their mantra. Now it is dead. The beast who shall appear is part of long line of powers- that-be and they shall do evil. " And the beast that was, and is not, even he is the eighth, and is of the seven, and goeth into perdition."(17:11)

Do you ever feel like everything is to much. Like your gonna go CRAZY??? Wether something is going on in school, or your job is to much, or whatever it may be, lets just remember, we have an ALMIGHTY God in heaven. Jesus knows what your going through. May God bless you, bye guys.

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And then the matter: why look at porn? As a much older person now, you no longer have that sense of inquisitiveness & need for stimulation that maybe younger men would have. You know the human body & any further desire for porn images only serve to fulfil a lust or even to occupy empty uneventful days with some 'pleasure' to the eyes & mind. When we truly confess our sins before the Lord & earnestly desire to put away such things, the Lord will enable us, even if we replace them with healthy pursuits. Spend more time reading the Bible (even though it maybe difficult for you now); if you must spend time on the computer, listen to Christian music, messages from Bible teachers, or even Google News for latest news around the world. When sin knocks at our door, and we all experience this, we must turn away & do this is by attending to something else that will occupy our minds & our time. Just a few suggestions that I've known to work as received from the Lord.

When you do spend time in the Word & prayer (which is really simply talking to your Father in Heaven), He will make Himself abundantly real & precious to you once again. Satan is having his way with your mind & soul - you need to recognize this & come against him with the Word of God. He hates that mighty & powerful Word. Use it as your weapon of offence & your defence - for your soul & your sanity is at stake.

My early life was a mess, even though I had a Christian upbringing. It was only until the extent of my sin came before me, the grief that I brought to the Lord Who died for me, & the sin & lifestyle that only led me to Hell, that I could have that 'Damascus Rd' experience by God's Spirit. I just cried out in repentance, He heard & He delivered. I was made new in that instant, even without the Gospel being re preached to me. Call out to the Lord for that burden of sin you feel & sense of guilt you carry, that only Jesus can heal & deliver from. I join Adam & others here in prayer for you Mike.

Page 1.

Hi Mike. I was touched by you sharing experiences in your life & all you have had to put up with through these many years. In some ways, I can identify with you, though I have been spared depression & poverty; nonetheless, when failures, broken dreams or unanswered prayers are our lot, then this can become a breeding ground for a state of hopelessness, doubt, lethargy, and even entertaining questions of our faith & of a loving caring God.

I'm assuming that you truly know the Lord Jesus & that salvation is your very real experience & possession, yet because of circumstances, you've become despondent, doubting, & fearful. Not knowing your 'full story', it seems that you have allowed these unfortunate experiences to have had sway over your heart & mind, being overcome by them, & not dealt with them by continuing to hold onto the Lord & His Word. Yet you might say to this, 'But I have held on - as long as I could, before doubt crept in & over-ruled'. But the Word of God states in 1 Corinthians 10:13, "There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it".

Maybe you feel that God has allowed you to suffer or be tempted above your ability to bear them, but have you been able to see a way (His way) as your escape route from them? A lot of our problems stem from an idle mind & lifestyle. And Satan loves to work in such environments. Can you be involved in a Bible-believing Church Fellowship, in voluntary/charitable work, even with groups that meet for occasional get-togethers & outings? And if these are Christian groups/ministries, there will surely be folk that can help/guide you in friendship & counsel. Onto Page 2.

MotherMac, I've just copied your response (hereunder) into this thread, or else our comments will be all over the place. You just need to hit the Reply button at the end of the comment you're replying to, rather than starting a new comment. So you wrote:

"Thank you for your reply. I certainly do want to avoid leading someone wrong. God forbid. In chapter 12, verse 1, I am reading

we also are Those words speaks to me as the time in which he was living."

When the writer of this letter was sent to the Hebrews who resided outside of Israel (it's been suggested, Italy, or thereabouts), he was certainly encouraging them to keep their eyes set on Jesus, patiently running the race of faith in Christ. So yes, as the Hebrews in Italy (?) were being encouraged, so are we to be when reading it.

But if thinking of 'the carnal view or divine view of Christ', apart from verse 2, where the writer encourages us to only look to 'Jesus, the Author & Finisher of our faith', I can't see where one sees Christ from a carnal viewpoint. But if you're thinking that in verse 1, the cloud of witnesses (as those mentioned in chapter 11), were without knowledge of a coming Divine Christ, their Redeemer, then their view was according to the knowledge given them. But if their love for God & faith in Him to keep & deliver them held strong, the merits of the Coming One's Sacrifice would avail for them as well. In other words, their ignorance (carnal view?) of what was to come, would not preclude them from sharing in what we post-Cross have received through Jesus' Sacrifice for our sins. So, I'm unsure whether I've really understood your thoughts here, so I apologize if I haven't & thus your unsatisfied reading of all this.

One other thought since I ran out of room is who in life has been the most influential positively to you and/or your biggest advocate who rooted for your success? Whether still alive or not, imagine that person came to you to motivate you- what would this person say or do? Hug you? Listen? Challenge you? Kick in the rear? Only you know. Also, whatever we do, God is there. Jesus sees you when you disobey, doing things you know you're not supposed to do. Imagine He's sitting right beside you, because He is. We're being watched, through all the good and bad. God is already waiting there with open arms. Hope this is helpful. God bless, brother.

Hi Mike,

I can empathize with what you shared and so well articulated. I prayed for you.

You requested prayer and might not expect or want a reply but would like to share a couple verses that come to mind.

If I were to summarize what I read it's you assume God should fix your obstacles in life and since He hasn't yet, maybe He doesn't exist, is that close?

If so, I would first ask where this believe originates from. If we use the Bible as our source for who God is and how He operates, I don't get the sense that He would do what you're expecting. Even Jesus didn't get what He wanted- remember when He cried out on the cross?

"And at the ninth hour Jesus cried with a loud voice, saying, Eloi, Eloi, lama sabachthani? which is, being interpreted, My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?" Mark 15:34 KJV

Now let's consider the #1 Christian evangelist: Paul. He faced misery and extreme hardship.

2 Corinthians 11:

25 Thrice was I beaten with rods, once was I stoned, thrice I suffered shipwreck, a night and a day I have been in the deep;

26 In journeyings often, in perils of waters, in perils of robbers, in perils by mine own countrymen, in perils by the heathen, in perils in the city, in perils in the wilderness, in perils in the sea, in perils among false brethren;

27 In weariness and painfulness, in watchings often, in hunger and thirst, in fastings often, in cold and nakedness.

But he says he's found the secret of contentment and it has nothing to do with our circumstances! How is this possible? What is the secret? Philippians 4:10-13

1 Peter 4:12-13 - this says don't be surprised when you're facing huge trials like you're facing right now. Life is a test with almost non-stop trials, in my opinion.

How hard are you currently praying for help, how hard are you seeking God, how much are you reading in His Word? Could you seek input from people in person, like a church minister, or video chat online?

Thank you for your reply.

I certainly do want to avoid

leading someone wrong. God

forbid.

In chapter 12, verse 1, I am reading

we also are Those words speaks

to me as the time in which he was living.

My sister wants me to come to Hawaii, but my instincts are telling me that now is not the right time. Please Father God, change her mind and help her see the light! Thank you and God Bless!

Psalm 34:17-19: "The righteous cry, and the LORD heareth, and delivereth them out of all their troubles. The LORD is nigh unto them that are of a broken heart; and saveth such as be of a contrite spirit. Many are the afflictions of the righteous: but the LORD delivereth him out of them all."

Psalm 27:14: "Wait on the LORD: be of good courage, and he shall strengthen thine heart: wait, I say, on the LORD."

Sus, the LORD does hear our cries & does feel our pain no matter how heavy our load may be. Leave the matter with Him, trusting & waiting on Him, & at the appointed time, the LORD shall take your earnestness & faith in Him to 'make thee whole' again. Even our Lord Jesus' Own Words, "Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest": not just for those laden with the loads & pressures of life or another's demands placed upon us, but of release from anguish of heart & soul, that no one else sees or can share or remove from us.

But the LORD sees & will deliver as we look only to Him in faith & expectancy. So "Fear not, stand still, and see the salvation of the LORD" - and "Wait, I say, on the LORD." May God's Spirit give you the power to look beyond the pain & cling to the One Who gives "beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning, the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness; that they might be called trees of righteousness, the planting of the LORD, that he might be glorified." ( Isaiah 61:3).

Thanks for your consideration of my reply MotherMac. At least we are referring to the same passage in Hebrews. You wrote that you saw in Hebrews 12:1 a reference to both 'a carnal & divine view of Christ'. I re-looked at the verse & still unable to fit such views of Christ in there.

If you wish, could you expand your thoughts a little on your statement, so we might consider the verse in a different way? There is always the danger of going too far by searching for a deeper or hidden meaning, making the verse say something not intended; and to this we must be careful or else we do great disservice to God's Word, to our own understanding of it, & misdirecting others. So I would be very keen to hear your thoughts on this so that I can try to search for something that you're reading or sensing in there. Thank you.

Philippians 4:6-7

6 Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God.

7 And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.

Thank you for your comment.

It was inspiring and helpful.

However, I feel there is something

deeper than what has already been said.

Asking for extra strong protection, the power of the Holy Spirit, peace, joy, love, the strength of the Lord, wisdom, deliverance, healing, salvation (those not saved). Asking for us and all in need. Also asking for M and K to be healed and for a change in my work situation as well as the Lord to take complete control of our prayer meeting tomorrow and to protect and grow our church and for us to be effective witnesses for Him. Thank you for praying.

Psalm 147:3: "He heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds."

Father your word says in Joel 2 that you will pour out your Spirit on all flesh. Please Father pour out your anointing. Draw many to Jesus in these last days. Thank you. Amen.

Pray God heals me of my porn addiction, life stresses, and disbelief. These three things are interconnected. First: disbelief. I'm hanging by a thread of faith. My faith in God's existence and the bibles veracity is almost gone. I am pondering of late if the bible is like Greek mythology now. Why? Because I can pray to a stone stature of Zues (not that I intend to) and get the same response from God. I know the promises in the bible, but despite praying no answer has ever come.

My life has been 60 years of loneliness, failure, broken dreams, unanswered prayers, and struggle with depression and poverty. I have no friends (not one), no family, no wife but I have many enemies in demon attacks and in humans against me (noise harassing neighbors in my apt complex and I can't afford to move).

When I get so profoundly sad and my life is pure misery, I lose my faith from the overwhelming load that has been on me for decades. Jesus said if you are heavy laden and weary to come and he will give rest and an easy yoke. But he hasn't. Thus, I'm losing faith fast and wondering if the bible is a lie and if there is no god. And with that, instantly I figure if there is no God I might as well look at porn because that is the only pleasure I get in life. See how this rapidly goes downhill? Thus, I ask for your prayers. Not only to defeat porn addiction, but also the precursors to that. I ask that God removes the load on me and reveals himself to me as real.

Even the apostle Paul who aided in the killing of St Stephen would have died not believing in Christ unless God revealed him as real. I need that kind of Damascus road miracle where God shows me he is real. Once, that happens, when temptation comes, I then will have a foundation to resist. Please pray this happens.

Re.11:7 "The beast" (2 of 2)

The kingdom entrusted to Jesus was not of this world. "Jesus answered, My kingdom is not of this world: if my kingdom were of this world, then would my servants fight, that I should not be delivered to the Jews: but now is my kingdom not from hence." ( John 18:36). God made angels spirits and ministers flaming fire, which Elisha could see for which faith is required. Instead what does the false prophet do? "And he doeth great wonders, so that he maketh fire come down from heaven on the earth in the sight of men." The source for this elsewhere and like the magicians in the court of Pharaoh resisted Moses and God. Similarly the beast wields people power while the anti-Christ spoke as the dragon would, "And I beheld another beast coming up out of the earth; and he had two horns like a lamb, and he spake as a dragon." (Re.13:11,13)

With this background the early church had to contend with the Jews, "Behold, I will make them of the synagogue of Satan, which say they are Jews, and are not, but do lie."(Re.3:9) Herod had spawned a political movement. Authority of Herod was as with the beast came from Satan. "And there was given unto him a mouth speaking great things and blasphemies; and power was given unto him to continue forty and two months." 42 months include such temporal powers, each one resisting God. Nationalism of the Idumaean line was propped up by Imperial Rome. And is it of any surprise when Christianity became the official religion, and absorbed the culture of the Church of Rome,- Christian nationalism and culture wars are tares planted by the enemy.

"And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb, and by the word of their testimony; and they loved not their lives unto the death."(12:11) The two witnesses, 'loved not their lives unto the death'. Jesus assures, " For whosoever will save his life shall lose it: and whosoever will lose his life for my sake shall find it."(Matt.16:25)

Good day, Chris.

We do need to guard that our passion for a topic or doctrine not override our release of loving words seated in truth and grace.

I can tell by your writings that you do approach your responses with consideration for the one who will read them and to whom you are replying to. You are a good example on this forum and I do appreciate your demeanor and the gentle way you address conflicting views.

Re.11:7 "The beast" (1 of 2)

"The beast that ascendeth out of the bottomless pit shall make war against them, and shall overcome them, and kill them."

First point to note is that the beast is a composite figure as the two witnesses represent the saints to whom Jesus Christ gave power according to the promise of God, and are called and blessed in his Son.. "The Lord shall send the rod of thy strength out of Zion: rule thou in the midst of thine enemies."(Ps.110:2) These enemies on the earth are caused by 'the war in heaven.'(Re.12:7). And the consequence of it we read in v.12. "Woe to the inhabiters of the earth and of the sea! for the devil is come down unto you, having great wrath, because he knoweth that he hath but a short time."

This short time is clearly set by the Spirit even as the earthly ministry of Jesus and of the two witnesses. 42 is a number designated by God so the time of the Gentiles or heathen is likewise determined. John was sent as a messenger who was killed by the sword. Herod Antipas, it must be stressed was a vassal king to Caligula as another Herod, Herod Agrippa would have James killed. One killed because of his oath and the other killed James because he wanted to please the crowd. in whichever case the beast is associated with qualities totally antithetical to Jesus. The beast rising out of the sea (Re.13:1) is from below the earth as Jesus is from heaven. He is the king," The Lord sitteth upon the flood."(Ps.29:10) What is the characteristic of the sea? The beast represent the wicked," But the wicked are like the troubled sea, when it cannot rest, whose waters cast up mire and dirt."(Is.57:20). While we have the likes of Herod whose power is derived from some one else as enemies to Christ, the two witnesses represent an angel a man so the golden reed is their measurement and signify the everlasting gospel entrusted to them. Herod also gave rise to a political movement in the days of Jesus. (Matt.22:15-16)

hello Andrea, hopefully you had a good night. I'm 13 my name is actually Lena. Ask the lord to speak through you when your around your friends and show love to them, also if there open for it, share a little about what God has done in your life, may God be with you and bless you.

hello again, does anyone have any spiritual ways to heal a shattered heart, please let me know if you can help. Thanks.

Please pray god peace to .donald.bryan.erica.all.of humanity..thanks

hi everyone, thank you all SO much for sharing. I want you all to know that God loves you unconditionally read John 3:16. Bye guys :)

Our 4 1/2 year old Jack Russell Puppy has cancer. It appears that he will not live long as it is in his anus and bleeding a lot.

Please pray for our puppy to not suffer. Please pray for me and my husband to receive comfort from the Lord when our puppy is put to sleep. It is going to break both our hearts. Thank you, Martha Ann