Bible Questions & Discussion PAGE 155

Ze.8:16-17 (2 of 2)

"Two Olive Branches"

In order to answer the significance we have Jesus Christ set here as the Branch. In him is the 'counsel of peace' the fusion of priest-king. These branches from him supply the fulness of our royal office and priesthood. In him we are priests and kings unto God. It is a promise and it comes with conditions. For this reason we have this warning from both the Father and the Son. This is the forerunner of the indwelling Spirit as the earnest of our inheritance.

"11.But they refused to hearken, and pulled away the shoulder, and stopped their ears, that they should not hear./12Yea, they made their hearts as an adamant stone, lest they should hear the law, and the words which theLordof hosts hath sent in his spirit by the former prophets: therefore came a great wrath from theLordof hosts."

This wrath we know is the great tribulation predicted by the prophets.

Ze.8:16-17 (1 of 2)

"Two Olive Branches"

"These are the things that ye shall do; Speak ye every man the truth to his neighbour; execute the judgment of truth and peace in your gates:/And let none of you imagine evil in your hearts against his neighbour; and love no false oath: for all these are things that I hate, saith theLord." The Spirit is giving this warning to Israel which is from the Lord God.

Compare the above with these verses almost a repetition, (7:8-12)"And the word of theLordcame unto Zechariah, saying,/Thus speaketh theLordof hosts, saying, Execute true judgment, and shew mercy and compassions every man to his brother:/And oppress not the widow, nor the fatherless, the stranger, nor the poor; and let none of you imagine evil against his brother in your heart."

And the word of the Lord came to Zechariah which is from the standpoint of the Son. in whose hand is the plummet. Zerubabbel serves as the double for the Son."The hands of Zerubbabel have laid the foundation of this house; his hands shall also finish it; and thou shalt know that theLordof hosts hath sent me unto you./For who hath despised the day of small things? for they shall rejoice, and shall see the plummet in the hand of Zerubbabel with those seven; they are the eyes of theLord, which run to and fro through the whole earth.(4:9-10). Thereafter the Spirit shows the two anointed ones, which are the olive brances and not the trees themselves,"two olive branches which through the two golden pipes empty the golden oil out of themselves?"(4:12)

Ze.8:18-19 (2 of 2)

"Garment of Praise"

This New Age had been determined in the divine Will. In heaven we have a temple building set rolling and Jesus came into his own, "He came unto his own, and his own received him not." ( John 1:11). The incident in the synagogue was not accidental. God did know who were His and who were reprobate silver. Jesus was announcing the Year of deliverance, the year in the Lexicon of the Spirit time element has a different significance than the earth time as we know it. "But, beloved, be not ignorant of this one thing, that one dayiswith the Lord as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day."(2 Pe.3:8)

"To appoint unto them that mourn in Zion, to give unto them 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" (Is.61:3).

The fasts mentioned in the key verse refers to:

On the fourth month the children of Israel observed fast: mourning the capture of Jerusalem (Je.52:6-30)

On the fifth they fasted, Burning of Jerusalem and the destruction of Solomon's Temple (2 Ki.25:2-10)

On the seventh it was on account of the Assassination of Gedaliah and the massacre of 80 men. (Je.41:1-10)

And on the tenth month it was to remember the beginning of Nebuchadnezzar's siege against Jerusalem. (2 Ki.25:1)

Ze.8:18-19 (1 of 2)

"Garment of Praise"

"And the word of theLordof hosts came unto me, saying,/Thus saith theLordof hosts; The fast of the fourth month, and the fast of the fifth, and the fast of the seventh, and the fast of the tenth, shall be to the house of Judah joy and gladness, and cheerful feasts; therefore love the truth and peace."

How does fasting is turned into gladness? "Thou hast turned for me my mourning into dancing: thou hast put off my sackcloth, and girded me with gladness." (Ps.30:11) It is what God can do, none else. Least of all by traditions of men.

Here we see traditions of men indulging in meaningless observances much mumbo-jumbo to distract the heart from true repentance. Seventy years in exile did not cure Israel of their disobedience. "Yea, they made their hearts as an adamant stone, lest they should hear the law, and the words which theLordof hosts hath sent in his spirit by the former prophets." Zechariah would be a martyr reasons for which are not difficult to fathom. They had to have a new spirit: in order to arrive there the nation of Israel had to love truth and peace.

Jesus before he would begin the ministry went to the synagogue in Nazareth, He was there announcing a new age.* "The Spirit of the Lord GODisupon me;" His declaration of liberty to those who were bound was not a spur of the moment. He was there to lay the foundation for the temple that shall be revealed in the latter days. He was exhorting all hands to be partakers for it. At the end of it what happened? "And all they in the synagogue, when they heard these things, were filled with wrath,/And rose up, and thrust him out of the city, and led him unto the brow of the hill whereon their city was built, that they might cast him down headlong./But he passing through the midst of them went his way." ( Luke 4:27-30)

Yet it is the Lord's doing and Prophet Zechariah predicts the Millennial Reign,

Greetings Brother giannis,

When I made that statement I was speaking in a general sense. I see what you mean, but to be honest I don't think either of us will know for sure how the "mechanics" of how that may work. We can only go by what Scripture states or reveals to us. You might be correct for those who sin and didn't repent before they died unexpectedly.. We just don't have an exact explanation or example or parable for us to enlight us further to a situation such as that. So I'm afraid we have to assume a bit. Kinda brings to mind something I read from Spurgeon about the "sin that leads to death" found in 1 John 5:16-17 some things we just don't know?Refer to his "illustration" below:

5:16-17 "There is sin that leads to death.... All unrighteousness is sin." Perhaps someone thinks he has committed this unpardonable sin and is at this moment grieving over it. If so, it is clear that he cannot have committed the "sin that leads to death," or else he could not grieve over it. Whoever repents of sin and trusts in Jesus Christ is freely and fully forgiven; therefore, he has clearly not committed a sin that will not be forgiven. There is much in this passage to make us prayerful and watchful, but there is nothing here to make a troubled heart feel anything like despair.

ILLUSTRATION 5:16

An owner of a country estate may put up a sign that reads, "Danger: Beware of traps and spring guns." No one would think of going to the front door of the mansion and saying, "Would you please tell me where the traps and spring guns are set?" If we asked that question, the answer would be, "The purpose of this warning is not to tell you where they are, for you have no business to trespass there at all." So "all unrighteousness is sin," and we are warned to keep clear of it. "There is sin that leads to death," but we are not told what that sin is on purpose that we may, by the grace of God, keep clear of sin altogether.

Ze.7 (2 of 2)

Then As Now

We have come to the distressing times as Jerusalem faced with the Chaldeans at the gates. God's word to Zechariah is relevant for us,"Yea, they made their hearts as an adamant stone, lest they should hear the law, and the words which theLordof hosts hath sent in his spirit by the former prophets: therefore came a great wrath from theLordof hosts./Therefore it is come to pass, that as he cried, and they would not hear; so they cried, and I would not hear, saith theLordof hosts:"(7:12-13)

Ze.7 (1 of 2)

Then As Now

And it came to pass in the fourth year of king Darius, that the word of theLordcame unto Zechariah in the fourth day of the ninth month, even in Chisleu;/When they had sent unto the house of God Sherezer and Regemmelech, and their men, to pray before theLord,/And to speak unto the priests which were in the house of theLordof hosts, and to the prophets, saying, Should I weep in the fifth month, separating myself, as I have done these so many years? (vv.1-3)

On December 4, 518 B.C. a delegation came to Jerusalem with a question about fasting. At this point, the temple was somewhere around halfway completed. Against this the Zechariah receives the word of God that forms the gist of this chapter.

4Then came the word of theLordof hosts unto me, saying,/Speak unto all the people of the land, and to the priests, saying, When ye fasted and mourned in the fifth and seventh month, even those seventy years, did ye at all fast unto me, even to me?

God did not institute these fastings to commemorate their disobedience and consequences. For instance we have in the Book of Jeremiah the assasination of Gedaliah and mass murder of 80 men (Je.41:1-10)

6And when ye did eat, and when ye did drink, did not ye eat for yourselves, and drink for yourselves?

7Should ye not hear the words which theLordhath cried by the former prophets, when Jerusalem was inhabited and in prosperity, and the cities thereof round about her, when men inhabited the south and the plain?

vv.6-7 God noticed those who enquired of the Lord were approaching in their need and they were no different than those who were in the days of Jesus, "These people honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me./They worship me in vain; their teachings are merely human rules.' (Matt.15:8-9). The same superficiality which we see.

Ze.6 (2 of 2)

Counsel of Peace

vv.9-15 we see the narrative mode of the Spirit by which what is of specific concern of the day faced Joshua the high priest and Zerubabbel is tied up with the glory of the latter day temple. "Behold the man whose name is TheBranch; and he shall grow up out of his place, and he shall build the temple of theLord:/Even he shall build the temple of theLord; and he shall bear the glory, and shall sit and rule upon his throne; and he shall be a priest upon his throne: and the counsel of peace shall be between them both." Jesus Christ as a tender plant,'he shall grow up out of his place' sets him in context of Prophet Isaiah's prophecy,"For he shall grow up before him as a tender plant, and as a root out of a dry ground."-Is.53:2) Zechariah conflates two prophecies from Isaiah which is what the Spirit revealed to him. "For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace."(Is.9:6)

"And he shall bear the glory, and shall sit and rule upon his throne; and he shall be a priest upon his throne." As the Branch it is decreed Jesus Christ is the Prince of Peace,- that both priest and king, 'shall have the counsel of peace' in his office. Glory of the Temple springs forth him and from his throne. The Spirit here predicts the Millennial Reign and of New Jerusalem.

Also significant is the condition laid at the end, "And this shall come to pass, if ye will diligently obey the voice of theLordyour God."

Ze.6. (1 0f 2)

In the inaugural vision of Zechariah Ze.1: 8-17 we scame across four chariots and horses mentioned and here we have Seven Spirits refer to the Spirit of Christ (Re.ch.5:6)

The composite emblem of chariots and horses are symbolic of conflict and engines of war where the Spirit is conducting the operation. From the passage the world at ease owed to the Silence of half an hour in heaven. It was apparently a lull before the storm. The Spirit is on a mopping up operation. The result of is what presented here. The angel of the Lord tells Zechariah, "Then cried he upon me, and spake unto me, saying, Behold, these that go toward the north country have quieted my spirit in the north country." It is thus with each direction. When Spirit sets them walking the earth to and fro they set in motion and these shall control history of nations. "So shall they fear the name of theLordfrom the west, and his glory from the rising of the sun. When the enemy shall come in like a flood, the Spirit of theLordshall lift up a standard against him(Is.59:19).

These four spirits where number 4 has specific purpose as the four angels that are prepared for His purpose..This we can understand from this passage, "Saying to the sixth angel which had the trumpet, Loose the four angels which are bound in the great river Euphrates./And the four angels were loosed, which were prepared for an hour, and a day, and a month, and a year, for to slay the third part of men./And the number of the army of the horsemen were two hundred thousand thousand: and I heard the number of them.(Re.9:14-16)" Legions that are at bidding is like a flood and the Spirit shall lift his standard.

Ze.5:9-11

The Tower of Babel

"Then said I to the angel that talked with me, Whither do these bear the ephah?/And he said unto me, To build it an house in the land of Shinar: and it shall be established, and set there upon her own base."

The Spirit mentions the land of Shinar which ties up the pride of nations that gave them colonies in far off lands. These maritime nations had fleet of ships, know-how of navigating through seven seas. Each invention astrolabe, maps and compass added so in setting out certainly carried awesome risk, nevertheless but what we shall focus is the indefatigable spirit to attempt an enterprise, matched only by Lucifer, "For thou hast said in thine heart, I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God: I will sit also upon the mount of the congregation, in the sides of the north:/I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will be like the most High."

Such was the pride of Satan and when we see technology to tame the nuclear power now convulsing the ungodly leaders of men with craven fright we begin to see whose playbook was all along followed by world empires. Instead of trusting God totally, the rib stuck between the teeth in the second beast, the Age of Reason goaded, "Arise, devour much flesh'. Reason with each generation has curiously spawned,- so many ideologies, conspiracy theories!

he world wanted a reason after rejecting truth in their own inward parts, the two witnesses set there by God were not enough. So shall they have the most unbelievable theories to explain it. It is cringeworthy to have lived through the manner Reason had lost its soul when fools laid claim to it. This is the same pride the people demonstrated after the great flood. They chose the plains of Shinar. Similarly the spirit of mammon personified by the two women, with the wings of stork. The ephah has found her base. We are living it!

Ze.5:5-9 (2 of 2)

"The Flying Ephah"

Hence serving mammon and serving God at the same time shall never work. In short the Angel of the Lord is showing wickedness the church is under judgment even while everlasting gospel is announced.

For this reason we shall consider the quote from Isaiah in the previous post. The chapter begins by asking, " Wherefore do ye spend money for that which is not bread? and your labour for that which satisfieth not? hearken diligently unto me, and eat ye that which is good, and let your soul delight itself in fatness./Incline your ear, and come unto me: hear, and your soul shall live; and I will make an everlasting covenant with you, even the sure mercies of David." (Is.55:2-3)

God cursed nations that shall offer 'happiness' to thieves who shall plunder the weak by trickery or brute force. When they set up their business empires what they miss is the weight of lead, a talent to lead, and it is to spring surprise when they least expect. Babylon like an ephah is a symbol. "The merchants of these things, which were made rich by her, shall stand afar off for the fear of her torment, weeping and wailing,/And saying, Alas, alas that great city, that was clothed in fine linen, and purple, and scarlet, and decked with gold, and precious stones, and pearls!/For in one hour so great riches is come to nought." In one hour all those wealth filched by the thieving magpie for centuries have gone!

It is what we see before the mighty Babylon was judged. The angel casts down a great millstone from heaven, "What city is like unto this great city!" (Re.18:18,21)

(Ze.5:7-9)

Ze.5:5-9 (1 0f 2)

"The Flying Ephah"

"Then the angel that talked with me went forth, and said unto me, Lift up now thine eyes, and see what is this that goeth forth./6And I said, What is it? And he said, This is an ephah that goeth forth. He said moreover, This is their resemblance through all the earth."

The earth as a global village. The ephah is used as a symbol representing the trade and commerce which till lately in the global market held some meaning. A single measure with which to determine the trade between nations. Now after the war in Ukraine it is clear that it does not work. The vision of the four beasts in Dan. ch.7 still resonate in the manner the third beast opened up the new world for world commerce. "the beast had also four heads; and dominion was given to it."(Dan.7:6) None of the four heads had any right to their dominion but the powers with their firepower and sheer audacity trampled the natives and siphoned off their wealth to build up their empires. The curse in the flying roll however judged them.

It has in turn presented this second vision where the ephah was not a just weight but as we are familiar with the Age of consumerism, is free enterprise. Is it anymore fair or free than this ephah with a woman sitting in the midst of it? It is always weighted in favor of the entrepreneur since he set up the business isn't it? Similarly the v.7 tells the wickedness of the woman is helped by two women with the wings like the wings of a stork. Compare the wings with wings God gave the left behind church. "And to the woman were given two wings of a great eagle, that she might fly into the wilderness, into her place, where she is nourished for a time, and times, and half a time, from the face of the serpent."(Re.12:14) God gave the left behind church prayer and praise two wings to help her survive the great persecution. Not so with the wings of the stork, which is what the prince of the power of the air can give.

Ze.5:1-4 (2 of 2)

"The Curse"

England being drawn into WWI was not mere coincidence. The two wars stoked by the European powers follow the scenario laid out in the v.4. The fire entered the house of plunderers and consumed the timber thereof and the stones thereof.. John Bull is no longer the same. It is all the more worse after Brexit Do we not see a moral miasma in the manner the curse lays nations lower?

4I will bring it forth, saith theLordof hosts, and it shall enter into the house of the thief, and into the house of him that sweareth falsely by my name: and it shall remain in the midst of his house, and shall consume it with the timber thereof and the stones thereof.

Have the West learned the lesson despite of the word of God warning in severest terms the consequences of thieving? The fellow in a crowded market may be a thief snatching purse or mugging an old lady in an alley to rob her small change. All over the world what we see are the signs of God's judgment calling to account. God is not deceived with such violence and bloodshed, and has strong medicine to deal with thieves and perjurers.

Ze. 5:1-4 (1 of 2)

"The curse"

So far we have been considering the everlasting gospel that was set in motion from the word that went out of the mouth of the Lord. The Ch.55 of Isaiah is very relevant in order to understand the significance of the two visions narrated in this chapter. So we shall begin with a specific verse, "So shall my word be that goeth forth out of my mouth: it shall not return unto me void, but it shall accomplish that which I please, and it shall prosper in the thing whereto I sent it."(Is.55:11)

Here below is the text and we shall take it up line by line..

"Then I turned, and lifted up mine eyes, and looked, and behold a flying roll.

This cannot be classified with UFO news of which catches attention than truth to the world. The ungodly may well hide from harsh truth but judgment contained in this flying roll gives how nations rise and fall never to rise again. God judged them and it is partial judgment. The roll is identified as we read in.v,2

2And he said unto me, What seest thou? And I answered, I see a flying roll; the length thereof is twenty cubits, and the breadth thereof ten cubits. This is similar in some ways with the book bound with seven seals. "a book written within and on the backside, sealed with seven seals.".(Re.5:1)

3Then said he unto me, This is the curse that goeth forth over the face of the whole earth: for every one that stealeth shall be cut off as on this side according to it; and every one that sweareth shall be cut off as on that side according to it.

On one side we have the curse laid out against thieves and it shall zero in on the house of the thief. On the back side against those who swear falsely. What was colonial expansion of the mid 19th century? Africa under Cecil Rhodes was a lesson the Zulus shall never forget. (1879-1915). England being drawn into WWI was not mere coincidence. The two wars stoked by the European powers follow the scenario laid out in the v.4.

Ze.4:11-14 (2 of 2)

Two Witnesses

The four living beasts on the other hand are shown in the vision of John constantly praising God."And the four beasts had each of them six wings about him; and they were full of eyes within: and they rest not day and night, saying, Holy, holy, holy,LordGod Almighty, which was, and is, and is to come." They work in tandem.( In the vision of the seven golden candlesticks these two olive trees are given a body. )

The emblem of the slain Lamb was a symbol in heaven but when Jesus came to the world he was seen as the Lamb of God that takes away the sin of the world. By the same token spirit and soul of man serves him as two witnesses. So when David says,

"Whither shall I go from thy spirit? or whither shall I flee from thy presence?/If I ascend up into heaven, thou art there: if I make my bed in hell, behold, thou art there./If I take the wings of the morning, and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea;/Even there shall thy hand lead me, and thy right hand shall hold me." (Ps.139:7-10).

This foreknowledge revealed to John the Baptist who Jesus of Nazareth was. God had revealed to him as He revealed Simon Peter. " He saith unto them, But whom say ye that I am?/ And Simon Peter answered and said, Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God./ And Jesus answered and said unto him, Blessed art thou, Simon Barjona: for flesh and blood hath not revealed it unto thee, but my Father which is in heaven." (Matt.16:15-17) Similarly David found it amazing.

Ze.4:11-14

Two Witnesses

Then answered I, and said unto him, What are these two olive trees upon the right side of the candlestick and upon the left side thereof?

12And I answered again, and said unto him, What be these two olive branches which through the two golden pipes empty the golden oil out of themselves?

13And he answered me and said, Knowest thou not what these be? And I said, No, my lord.

14Then said he, These are the two anointed ones, that stand by theLordof the whole earth.

They are the two anointed ones that stand by the Lord of the whole earth.. The spirit and soul of every man are represented therein. God is a Spirit which is one. In the night vision of Daniel the Son of Man is given dominion and it being a vision the Spirit is specific: like the Son of man, "behold, one like the Son of man came with the clouds of heaven, and came to the Ancient of days, and they brought him near before him."(Dan.7:13).

'The books were opened and the judgment was set' in v.10 is about the everlasting covenant Thus the Lord Almighty in terms of the Law and judgment is one party and the God the Son is the other party in the Fellowship between God and Man. In the fulness of time the Son shall have a body, the word become flesh is thus about Father Son relationship where when God breathes into the nostrils of Adam he becomes a living soul and his spirit also is formed in him.(12:1) Thus the relation man holds with God is primarily in the matter of body where the spirit and soul are two witnesses. The two witnesses are like olive branches sustaining a man of God so he shall be able to worship God in Spirit and truth. That is love the Lord with all heart and might. Ignore them is at your peril.

It is for this reason God has two memorials in heaven, the twenty-four elders ("The four and twenty elders fall down before him that sat on the throne, and worship him"-Re.4:10) whose prayer is one aspect of body.

Ze.4 (2 of 2)

The Golden Candlestick-2

Interesting additions are the two witnesses in the olive trees on either side. The Spirit lays emphasis in the rhetorical question which he himself answers (vv.12-14) and these are very pendent on the point of golden oil. Two pipes indicate from God the Father and God the son nourishing the prayer and praise aspect of every believer. "Then said he, These are the two anointed ones, that stand by theLordof the whole earth"(v.14).

The whole tenor of Jesus while on the earth highlighted both aspects.

To sum: the Golden Candlestick bridges each heart to the throne of grace. "He that dwelleth in the secret place of the most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty."(Ps.91:1)

Ze.4

The Golden Candlestick-2 (1 of 2)

Key to understand the chapter 4 is in the verse: "I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I now live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me."(Gal.2:20). Not I but Christ is what the central stem of the candlestick signifies. On the other hand the inaugural vision of St John had risen Christ in the midst of seven candlesticks, ("And in the midst of the seven candlesticks one like unto the Son of man-Re.1:14) and it was the risen Christ in relation to the body of Christ in the making. There were seven churches representing the entire body. The apostate church shall be removed from its place. It is as simple as that.

Iconography employed by the Spirit in the vision of John and of Zechariah is similar but their significance for the reason mentioned above is vastly different. While the risen Christ was shown in the midst of Seven Golden Candlesticks (Re.1:12-13) its intended message was for the church per se. Whereas the vision of Zechariah was to instruct believer of the eternal Will of God in terms of his heart which is what the central stem of the Lampstand.

Heart of man serves as a sanctuary. It was solid gold, the royal highway in one sense taking the heart to the throne of heaven where seven lamps represent God a Spirit.(Re.4:5b) "And behold a candlestick all of gold, with a bowl upon the top of it, and his seven lamps thereon, and seven pipes to the seven lamps, which are upon the top thereof:" (Ze.4:2) The Bowl upon the top of it and the manner it fed are the ways of God feeding separately each agency, whether it is the Spirit of Christ or the spirit of counsel, 'Of his fullness have all we received, and grace for grace'( John 1:16). Interesting additions are the two witnesses in the olive trees on either side. The Spirit lays emphasis in the rhetorical question which he himself answers (vv.12-14)

Ze.4:1-3

Golden Candlesticks

"And the angel that talked with me came again, and waked me, as a man that is wakened out of his sleep." (v.1)

From the curious phrasing the Spirit would have us pay attention to it. In the case of Daniel visions were either morning or night visions.. Here the angel wakes up Zechariah as he did earlier with Elijah. So there is certain urgency and it was vital for his ministry. There lay a long road before Elijah but he was spiritually and physically exhausted, "Then he lay down under the bush and fell asleep. All at once an angel touched him and said, "Get up and eat." (1 Ki.19:5-NIV). While it was confusion what with such opposition building up before Joshua and Zerubabbel, the angel of the Lord wakes Zechariah in order to demonstrate the vital ingredient required in the temple building either in Jerusalem or in heaven. The candlestick signifies unity of the Spirit. In the king's dream that Daniel interpreted had a single measure,- the gold standard of faith. Against which the quality of nations showed up as gold, silver, brass, iron and miry clay.

In the vision which the angel of the Lord shows Zechariah is something else: 'behold a candlestick all of gold.". In the coming posts we shall examine in detail how every saint of God is set down,- and his ministry no matter what, can never be approved without each part supplying the whole. "And of his fulness have all we received, and grace for grace."( John 1:16) Jesus Christ the Mediator between heaven and the earth signifies the solid gold candlestick and each of us must be centered in it, "At that day ye shall know that Iamin my Father, and ye in me, and I in you."( John 14:20)

For meditation: "This is why it is said: "Wake up, sleeper, rise from the dead, and Christ will shine on you."(Ep.5:14)

Has anybody seen the Mike Lindell deposition? I know as Christians we can get upset and frustrated, but we really need to watch what we say. We are what non-believers see as "Christian." He is using profanity and such during the deposition. Watch on youtube.

James 3:1-12 (KJV) 1 My brethren, be not many masters, knowing that we shall receive the greater condemnation.

2 For in many things we offend all. If any man offend not in word, the same is a perfect man, and able also to bridle the whole body.

3 Behold, we put bits in the horses' mouths, that they may obey us; and we turn about their whole body.

4 Behold also the ships, which though they be so great, and are driven of fierce winds, yet are they turned about with a very small helm, whithersoever the governor listeth.

5 Even so the tongue is a little member, and boasteth great things. Behold, how great a matter a little fire kindleth!

6 And the tongue is a fire, a world of iniquity: so is the tongue among our members, that it defileth the whole body, and setteth on fire the course of nature; and it is set on fire of hell.

7 For every kind of beasts, and of birds, and of serpents, and of things in the sea, is tamed, and hath been tamed of mankind:

8 But the tongue can no man tame; it is an unruly evil, full of deadly poison.

9 Therewith bless we God, even the Father; and therewith curse we men, which are made after the similitude of God.

10 Out of the same mouth proceedeth blessing and cursing. My brethren, these things ought not so to be.

11 Doth a fountain send forth at the same place sweet water and bitter?

12 Can the fig tree, my brethren, bear olive berries? either a vine, figs? so can no fountain both yield salt water and fresh.

Ze.3:5-10

"Helmet of Salvation"

And unto him he said, Behold, I have caused thine iniquity to pass from thee, and I will clothe thee with change of raiment./And I said, Let them set a fair mitre upon his head. So they set a fair mitre upon his head, and clothed him with garments. And the angel of theLordstood by."

Joshua is held up before Prophet Zechariah as a figure in an objective lesson and in vision the time aspect bears no relation to the earth time. He represents those who are saved in the eleventh hour. Jesus had this mind when he during his earthly discourses laid down the mode of inversion, "So the last shall be first, and the first last:"(Matt.20:16). Also significant is the Parable he spoke preceding it. Merely because these 144,000 were allowed in the eleventh hour and were given change of raiment, neither the office of royalty nor the priesthood suffers because it is God who settled the matter. "Is it not lawful for me to do what I will with mine own? Is thine eye evil, because I am good?" Jesus Christ did not die for a few but for the whole mankind. It is God who has equipped those whom He has chosen in the Son. "And hath made us kings and priests unto God and his Father;" We have received of his fulness and grace for grace. So when the Lord commands.'Let them set a fair mitre upon his head' it is salvation. Not because a TV evangelist can thump a Bible better and draw more viewers.

"And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God:"(Ep.6:17)

Greetings Brother Jesse,

When we stay in the Word which washes us daily, attend Church, are active in Christian activities, when we fellowship with other Christians these things help guard against us going down the path of sin and eventual backsliding.

If you notice when Christians start not reading their bible, don't attend church as much, not involved in Christian activities such as witnessing or whatnot, then they start to backslide. They are spending more and more time in the WORLD and not on their Christian matters.

During spiritual warfare, Satan's primary attacks target your thinking and emotions. If he can condition you to think and feel contrary to God's Word, he has won a significant victory. That's why he attempts to fill your mind with lies, immorality, false doctrine i.e. Universalism and such, and half-truths. He tries to blur the line between righteousness and sin by surrounding you with evil influences that increase your tolerance for sin.

Koosees,

Thanks for the Wonderful verses relating to sin and how so much scripture tells us "over and over" that sin interferes directly with our expected/anticipated salvation.

I will add a few more here.

1 John 3:8 "He that committeth sin is of the devil; for the devil sinneth from the beginning. For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that he might destroy the works of the devil."

1 John 3:9 "Whosoever is born of God doth not commit sin; for his seed remaineth in him: and he cannot sin, because he is born of God."

1 John 1:6 "If we say that we have fellowship with him, and walk in darkness, we lie, and do not the truth:"

As Christains we should take these verses to heart!

GBU

I agree with you GiGi.

"I have met people who claim to have reached sinless perfection in their lives, but in reality, I notice many sins happening in their lives. They have just pridefully either deluded themselves, or ignore these sines, or else attribute them to mistakes or weaknesses, but do not admit them to be sin."

This type of individual's current state is very concerning and DANGEROUS! It felt off in my Spirit when you mentioned it. This can be an individual who has RESISTED the Holy Spirit for SO long or so many times they don't "hear" the Holy Spirit. They go AGAINST their [([([( CONSCIENCE ])])])] so many times they may have damaged it beyond repair. Paul talks about having a damaged conscience. 1 Timothy 4:2 (KJV) 2 Speaking lies in hypocrisy; having their conscience seared with a hot iron;

In 1 Tim Paul states that a person has gone against their conscience SO many times it is dead. It is now leading them in the wrong direction! What is right is wrong and what is wrong is right and they make sense of it in their minds! This is utterly terrifying and a good illustration and warning to others to NOT go against your conscience as that may be the Holy Spirit trying to move you a certain way. So don't do that before it is TOO late!

Jimbob, what reference did you use to come up with how many times "the" is in the KJV Bible. When I searched this website it wouldn't give me the exact word "the" only, but "the" and words that begin with "the" like "there" and "them". The total for that search was 33119, for "in" 9526", for "earth" 906, for "Amen" 72 which totals 43623. It seems like your way of interpreting the scripture is very complex and confusing. Jesus emphasized "keeping his commandments" as the important reason we should read and study the scripture. Rev. 22:14 Blessed are they that do his commandments, that they may have right to the tree of life, and may enter in through the gates into the city. Eccl. 12:13 Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: Fear God, and keep his commandments: for this is the whole duty of man. Read John 14.

Ze.3:8-10 (2 of 2)

In vv.9-10 Zechariah is given a vision where iniquity of the land shall be removed in one day. It is in the Now of divine Will. "Now is the day of salvation.'

The foundation for the latter temple is laid in heaven. The stone is cut and polished and seven facets of it carrying a name that is personal. "and will give him a white stone, and in the stone a new name written, which no man knoweth saving he that receivethit."(Re.2:17)

9For behold the stone that I have laid before Joshua: upon one stone shall be seven eyes. Behold, I will engrave the engraving thereof,' saith theLordof hosts, 'and I will remove the iniquity of that land in one day./In that day,' saith theLordof hosts, 'shall ye call every man his neighbor under the vine and under the fig tree.'

For meditation:

"Then they that feared theLordspake often one to another: and theLordhearkened, and heard it, and a book of remembrance was written before him for them that feared theLord, and that thought upon his name./And they shall be mine, saith theLordof hosts, in that day when I make up my jewels; and I will spare them, as a man spareth his own son that serveth him.

Then shall ye return, and discern between the righteous and the wicked, between him that serveth God and him that serveth him not." (Mal.3:16-18)

Ze.3:8-10 (1 of 2)

"When I make up my Jewels"

The angel of the Lord is promising Joshua and it is for our understanding how we should approach it."Hear now, O Joshua the high priest, thou and thy fellows who sit before thee; for they are men wondered at. For behold, I will bring forth My Servant theBranch."(v.8) The branch refers to the order of Melchizedek and their qualifications to serve as high priest belongs to the new order even as the Lord shall shake the heavens and the earth, so the new temple is altogether different in quality, "And I will fill this house with glory, saith theLordof hosts".(KJ21)

Joshua as a representative of the Branch is exhorted to follow the instructions, "If thou wilt walk in My ways, and if thou wilt keep My ordinance, then thou shalt also judge My house, and shalt also keep My courts, and I will give thee places to walk among these who stand by." The righteousness as a Garment we have already seen from the Parable of the Wedding Guest is issued freely, "I will clothe thee with change of raiment.' The next vital point is often missed, and it concerns 'among these who stand by.' These are the 144,000 who have stepped in the breach of the Levites. The believers to all intent and purpose are the Gentiles belonging to the left behind church are the priests and kings of the new order. Their iniquity has been blotted out by their intense suffering and by God's mercies.

There is a temple building program under way in heaven even while he and Zerubabbel the governor are spearheading the rebuilding of the temple in Jerusalem. This is what Haggai speaks of events on the ground. "Yet now be strong, O Zerubbabel, saith theLord; and be strong, O Joshua, son of Josedech, the high priest; and be strong, all ye people of the land, saith theLord, and work: for I am with you, saith theLordof hosts:/According to the word that I covenanted with you when ye came out of Egypt, so my spirit remaineth among you: fear ye not.(Hag.2:4-5)

Friends,

How do you explain what Holy Spirit says in 1Cor 15:34 Romans 6-8 & 1John 3:6-9 ?

& what Jesus says in John 8:34 Matt 5:48 ?

Hi Jim

Lets keep the discussion going.

In your post you wrote, "Post-baptismal sin can not make anyone lose their salvation... Only individual apostasy can do that".

I disagree. An imaginary story: A christian dies. He (or she) was a good christian, he followed Jesus all the way, kept the faith, strived to live rightously BUT he left some issues in his life unsolved. Maybe he was feeling hostile towards that neighbor because that neighbor did something to him, and he can't get over it or don't want to get over it and forgive that neighbor. Maybe he was unjust towards a person, maybe he cheated the state by not paying his fair share of taxes he should had done. Maybe he was looking passionately at that woman neighbor and didn't try to fight and cut that feeling off. Anything really. Any issue which was not cleared before he goes. Do you think he is still eligible to enter heaven? In my opinion no, he will not get there because he died in an unrepentant state. He didn't repend about those sins although he had done everything else properly. So, in my opinion, post-baptismal sin can lead you to hell as long as we are not willing to fix some issues. And since we do not know the day and time of our death/rapture (pre or post doesn't make any difference) we must always be in a repentance mode and not only that but in a mood to fix/restore practically out relationships with all those we have problems with. So it is not only individual apostasy that makes you lose your soul, it is more than that.

The Rapture (part 3) REASONS FOR THE RAPTURE

I have in other posts described why the Rapture is going to occur. It fulfills scriptures such as Malachi 3:16 in the book of remembrance of those who OFTEN talk about the Lord and it is to reward those who patiently wait for His coming ( James 1:12 and other supporting text). My commentary also discussed how it is for the reunion of all the saints; past and present at the Lord's feet; and for us to be presented in the church as "kings and priests" who will rule and reign with Him ( Rev. 5:10). We are the armies of heaven who will eventually return with Christ in Revelation 19:14; and be accompanied by angels as well.

Psalm 40:3 shows how many shall see and fear us being lifted up from the miry clay (verses 1-2). The provoking of the Jews to jealousy ( Romans 11:14) perhaps will occur when the times of the Gentiles are full ( Romans 11:25). In any event the time of Jacob's trouble is specifically for the week of testing for seven years ( Jeremiah 30:7; Daniel 9:26-27) which is also known as Daniel's 70th week.

Let us assume for a moment that the Rapture IS going to happen before the end of this year for instance. How many are ready for His coming? How many have their garments unspotted and unwrinkled ( Eph. 5:27). I have mentioned before that whether people believe the Rapture is Pretribulation or some other later date; it is the fruit of our lives that is most important. A theoretical concept won't keep those away who are true servants of the Master; but I guarantee those who are espousing a PreTrib Rapture but whose lives are not according to His will will by and large be shocked in many cases being left behind. Whether all these people never believed inthe first place or the Rapture is a reward issue; surely a great multitude will be saved but die as martyrs in the Tribulation ( Rev. 7:9). That is the purpose for the Tribulation for God's children; along with gathering the unregenerate for destruction.