Bible Discussion Replies PAGE 160

Re.11:1-4 (3of 3)

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) 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 the Lord of 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.

In order to understand the significant of numbers used by the Spirit we need a fair grasp of what the ministry of Reconciliation of Jesus intended to achieve. "I am the Resurrection and life" and as such we are dead to the world so we may live in Christ in heavenly places by faith.

"And there was given me a reed like unto a rod: and the angel stood, saying, Rise, and measure the temple of God, and the altar, and them that worship therein."(11:1) Paraphrasing the word of God every one of us need to answer this question, "where is the house that ye build unto me? and where is the place of my rest?" While we are in this earthly tabernacle we are engaged in gathering with Christ and have part as fellow laborers. So the angel asks John to measure the temple himself. Prayer and praise are set as memorial in heaven of which the four and twenty elders and four beast signify Glory of His grace and His Gospel. Are we in step with the realities of heaven or scattering His grace and gospel for praise of men?

Re.11:1-3 (2 of 3)

Gospel is one

. "For all the Prophets and the Law prophesied until John,"(Matt.11:13) Worthy was the Lamb who is revealed in control of the seven Spirits of God. Spirit of prophecy was one and spirit of Christ is another. So we are seeing the fulness of God in Jesus Christ to which St Paul alluded in his epistle to the Colossians. Forty-two months refer to him by the same measure as a thousand two hundred and three score days. What was the measure of Jesus Christ we discussed in the previous post Golden Reed," according to the measure of a man, that is, of the angel."(Re.21:17) The temple of God can only be measured by the risen Christ which has a spiritual body,- that is an angel signifying the world of the Spirit and the other the measure of the Son of man. Without abiding in him we do not fit neither here nor there.

We shall refer the vision of Zechariah,

Two Olive Trees

"These are the two olive trees, and the two candlesticks standing before the God of the earth."(v.4)

Key to understand these olive trees we need go back to the Book of Zechariah and the inaugural vision of St John. Iconography employed by the Spirit in the vision of John and of Zechariah is similar but their significance 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 Lamp stand instructs us.

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)

Study: Re. 11:1-3 (1 of 3)

Gospel Is One

"And there was given me a reed like unto a rod: and the angel stood, saying, Rise, and measure the temple of God, and the altar, and them that worship therein./ But the court which is without the temple leave out, and measure it not; for it is given unto the Gentiles: and the holy city shall they tread under foot forty and two months./ And I will give power unto my two witnesses, and they shall prophesy a thousand two hundred and threescore days, clothed in sackcloth."

"And I will give power unto my two witnesses, and they shall prophesy a thousand two hundred and threescore days, clothed in sackcloth."

What do we make of the term 'my two witnesses'? The clues are given in this chapter. Firstly all power is given to them and it is what we see in the Lamb 'as it had been slain, having seven horns and seven eyes, which are the seven Spirits of God sent forth into all the earth."(Re.5:6) . Power devolved from one who prevailed upon to open the book bound with seven seals is worthy to send them forth on his behalf. "And no man in heaven, nor in earth, neither under the earth, was able to open the book, neither to look thereon."(Re.5:2-5). It is as though we are seeing the night vision of Daniel through the light of the Son. The Ancient of days gave the authority. "I saw in the night visions, and, 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./ And there was given him dominion, and glory, and a kingdom, that all people, nations, and languages, should serve him: his dominion is an everlasting dominion, which shall not pass away, and his kingdom that which shall not be destroyed."(Dan.7:13-14)

Secondly they are prophets and also a time frame is appointed as a day is appointed for the Son. Jesus himself gave testimony and it is the spirit of prophecy.

Golden Reed (2 of 2)

This is set on a mountain, curiously enough the Spirit sets Ezekiel in his vision under almost identical circumstances. "And set me upon a very high mountain, by which was as the frame of a city on the south./ And he brought me thither, and, behold, there was a man, whose appearance was like the appearance of brass, with a line of flax in his hand, and a measuring reed; and he stood in the gate."(Ez.40:2-3) Notice the significance of line of flax in his hand? The angel is none other than a fellow servant even as John whose measuring reed is mentioned specifically stated. We see in these two same distinction between the vision where Ezekiel as with Daniel represents the nation of Israel. Both mountain serving as a backdrop establishes Zion as intended, as His holy habitation. In the next post we shall examine another vision which again is pendent on this temple. (Re.11:1-2)

This comparative method is for our instruction in righteousness and we shall not escape judgement since the standard unit of the golden reed is for the believers meeting the requirement of the gospel. Significance of the line of flax is inadequate since Jesus Christ shed his blood for us. Follow me, learn of me are not famous lost words but we ought to learn of him. One baptism by water makes only your faith expressed, and without works faith is dead as flax is consumed by fire.

For meditation: "Every man's work shall be made manifest: for the day shall declare it, because it shall be revealed by fire; and the fire shall try every man's work of what sort it is./ If any man's work abide which he hath built thereupon, he shall receive a reward./ If any man's work shall be burned, he shall suffer loss: but he himself shall be saved; yet so as by fire."1 Co.3:13-15

Re.21:13-15 (1 of 2)

Golden Reed

"And he that talked with me had a golden reed to measure the city, and the gates thereof, and the wall thereof./ And the city lieth foursquare, and the length is as large as the breadth: and he measured the city with the reed, twelve thousand furlongs. The length and the breadth and the height of it are equal./ And he measured the wall thereof, an hundred and forty and four cubits, according to the measure of a man, that is, of the angel."

Here the Spirit instructs us how the city of God shall be measured. "The angel speaking with St John had a golden reed. This measurement is uniform for both worlds of the Spirit and the earth. "According to the measure of Christ so the Gospel of God is same as that of Gospel of Christ. The length of 12x1000 refers to the gospel work so we are not looking at the day appointed for the Son but 'now is the day of our salvation.' It is 120. This basic unit of 120 days we already mentioned in the post Blood of the Lamb.( Ge.6:3)

"And the Lord said, My spirit shall not always strive with man, for that he also is flesh: yet his days shall be an hundred and twenty years." 12x10 refers to the Son of man who reconciled both heaven and the earth and St Paul speaks of Jesus Christ who holds them both (Col.1:16) Thus his atoning work brought us under a single scale and 120x100 speaks the entire day decreed for the Son. Both length breadth and height of it are equal. Every saint redeemed from the earth has thus a certain volume in which both worlds of the Spirit and the earth are represented. (An earlier post with regards to the measurement of Noah's Ark deals with it.)

The golden reed represents faith. Faith is one as gospel is. ("One Lord, one faith, one baptism"- Ep.4.5)

Hi Jema,

Only this morning I wondered, 'am I casting bread upon the waters?' Glory be to God. As I freely received I pass it on trusting God shall do the rest. May God bless you and keep you.

Enjoying your posts very much , there's a lot to take in though , hope there isn't going to be a quiz afterwards :) . Thank you .

:) me too Jim , some parts of Revelation are crystal clear to me and others....I'm at a total loss with , somewhere in between there is lots of things that I think I understand but I'm not 100 percent sure about . We shall understand everything one day :) .

Two Witnesses

, "Moreover, brethren, I would not that ye should be ignorant, how that all our fathers were under the cloud, and all passed through the sea;/ And were all baptized unto Moses in the cloud and in the sea." (1 Co.10:1-3) Baptized into Moses makes sense that He was a stand-in for the Son but as a servant.(Nu.12::7). Jesus is the only Way.

What we are in this post assaying to do is to present a total picture. "In the cloud and the sea for the doctrinal truth of baptismIt is the life of Jesus we cling to. Hypocrites settle for Jesus talk. As baptism of water it is a sacrament to be performed once as has been demonstrated by these nominal Christians every where. If we have died to sin and the world whence comes nationalism of the baser sort that even scoundrels shrink from, and hunger for praises from men?

Moses merely served God as faithful in all his house. But He would not let him step where the position could only be filled by his Son. This is what Jesus referring to as the baptism of fire.

"Yet now, if thou wilt forgive their sin--; and if not, blot me, I pray thee, out of thy book which thou hast written.' (Ex.32:32) In the passage God did not take the offer however well meaning it was. In the divine Will the day was decreed for the Son and it had to end in a conflagration into which all the artefacts,- cultural and social, of the ungodly would be consigned to fire. This would only after his Son had perfected the will of his Father. As the Son he was referring to his coming passion and the division that would follow. The manner Seth stepped into the breach made by Cain the wicked one, he knew what his Advent would entail. St Peter refers to the purging by fire. (2 Pe.3:7,10)

Ro.15:1-7

" For even Christ pleased not himself; but, as it is written, The reproaches of them that reproached thee fell on me./ For whatsoever things were written aforetime were written for our learning,"

Part III (7 of 7)

Luke 12:49-56

Two Witnesses

"Ye hypocrites, ye can discern the face of the sky and of the earth; but how is it that ye do not discern this time?"(v.56).

This could be Jesus asking in our times and with the climate on a crisis mode how apt it is! In continuation to the series we have just covered we shall begin with the face of the sky and face of the earth representing two worlds of the Spirit and of the body. An overcomer has to handle both worlds as one, and no other way. It is hypocrisy to set divisions on the face of the earth and expect the Christians to be part of the same body of Christ. Hunting with dogs, ('Beware of dogs') and running with hares during revival meetings shall have only one winner, and it is Satan. But Jesus was manifested to destroy the works of the devil. In the vision of the Woman Clothed with the Sun the 10 horns of the great dragon tell that he is under judgment. So whosoever backs his gospel and his anti-christ is doomed for destruction.

Jesus said in the above mentioned text,-and he gave a strong indication of the great tribulation his Advent would mean but the life of men called to be witnesses in a wicked world has to be by the light he represents. It is a fire already kindled to which we shall cite the destruction of Sodom and the cities of the plains. God lives in unapproachable light but also as we see in the night vision of Daniel is a consuming fire. (Dan.7). We shall begin with his quote: "I am come to send fire on the earth; and what will I, if it be already kindled?/ But I have a baptism to be baptized with; and how am I straitened till it be accomplished!"(vv.49-50)

In the previous post titled "With the Remnant of Her Seed" we had mentioned two witnesses namely water and fire. The two pillars that served the Israelites till they reached Canaan were forerunner of the baptism of which the various sects are mostly taken up with only that of water. (1 Co.10:1-3)

Part III (6 of 7

12:11 " 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." This is as direct as the verse, In the beginning God created.."(Ge.1:1) As instruction in righteousness the Spirit is not looking for continuity but reconciling the world of the Spirit and the world of the body and for example the v.11 is apt. The Spirit gives us the list of martyrs from Abel cited by Jesus (Matt.23:35) and all those who would be consumed by the virulence of false gospel preached the anti-christ. These are to occur yet in future but the Spirit assures that it as realities in the light of the living God. This shall explain the key verse,

"The remnant of her seed, which keep the commandments of God, and have the testimony of Jesus Christ."

God rejected the nation of Israel as they rejected his Son. Yet a remnant of the woman's seed shall realize that Jesus Christ is indeed the Messiah their forefathers looked for. "Behold, he cometh with clouds; and every eye shall see him, and they also which pierced him: and all kindreds of the earth shall wail because of him."(Re.1:7). The Spirit considers their repentance and forgets their past sins just as He forgave our former lives and as though they were born again and set in heavenly places. It is thus the left out church shall be deemed as righteous having kept His commandments and has the testimony of Jesus Christ. The sealing of 144,000 in Re.7 explains their redemption. "And I heard the number of them which were sealed: and there were sealed an hundred and forty and four thousand of all the tribes of the children of Israel."(Re.7:4)

Re.7:4-10 We have reference to the great tribulation and they have been found to be righteous, "These are they which came out of great tribulation, and have washed their robes, and made them white in the blood of the Lamb."(v.14)

Part III (5 of 7)

Re.12:17

With The Remnant Of Her Seed

"And the dragon was wroth with the woman, and went to make war with the remnant of her seed, which keep the commandments of God, and have the testimony of Jesus Christ."(v.17)

Significance of this vision is only matched by the abstract attached to the God document. The Seven day account gave us the will of the Father and on the seventh He rested from his labour. "And God blessed the seventh day, and sanctified it: because that in it he had rested from all his work which God created and made." (Ge.2:3) From all his work required only one thing, which was to believe in the Son whom he appointed as the heir of all that He created and made.

Whereas the vision of St John stands as the point where the remnant of the seed of the woman are reconciled before the great day of the Lord. In the face of the great tribulation both the left-behind church from the gentiles and a remnant of the nation of Israel will have to close their ranks. The same manner Seth stepped in place of Abel the remnant of church left out shall get the opportunity to redeem itself. The key text refers to it and till the appearance of the rider on the white horse the narrative continues with the judgement of the ungodly world from another standpoint, than thee narrative carried in chapters 6 to the ch.11. Where the time of the Gentiles is merely introduced (Re.11:2) to continue with the Beast emerging along side steps the anti-christ.(Re.13)-19). So this vision deserves a close examination. Besides it gives us a sample of the narrative mode employed by the Spirit in the Bible.

Where God warns the woman of her seed ("And I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed; it shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel-Ge.3:15)"the seed is like a kangaroo word carrying remnant of nations, tribes, clans and families. It is thus we interpret the wilderness, and it reveals how God led the nation of Israel as well

Part III (4 of 7)

The Great Tribulation

Close in heels follow hunger famine, all attendant evils, without exception war is the devil's business however much man may say it is for king and country. All the more hollow his reasons sound when the only one who thrives from these miseries is death! "And I looked, and behold a pale horse: and his name that sat on him was Death, and Hell followed with him. And power was given unto them over the fourth part of the earth, to kill with sword, and with hunger, and with death, and with the beasts of the earth."(v.8)

The vision of the Book bound with seven seals helps us understand this particular vision where the woman labouring to deliver the man child is similarly set on a reconstituted time. Whereas v.11 is relevant for us setting our overcoming lives in context of the eternal word of testimony, "by the blood of the Lamb, and by the word of their testimony."

By the same token the three horsemen color-coded are set against the rider on the white horse who is none other than the Word of God who is in control of the proceedings that simultaneously happen in the world of the Spirit and on the earth.

The Third major division concerns the Earth, which abides forever because the Blood of the Lamb, the Spirit and the Word agree in the Son. "And there are three that bear witness in earth, the Spirit, and the water, and the blood: and these three agree in one."(1 John.5: 8)

Referring to vv.15-16 "And the serpent cast out of his mouth water as a flood after the woman, that he might cause her to be carried away of the flood./ And the earth helped the woman, and the earth opened her mouth, and swallowed up the flood which the dragon cast out of his mouth,' The two witnesses of water and fire we find in the testimony of Jesus Christ shall preserve us. "When the enemy shall come in like a flood, the Spirit of the Lord shall lift up a standard against him."(Is.59:19b)

For meditation: Is.59

Part III

Overcomer (3 of 7)

. Every overcomer fights with full armour of God and back up from heaven. This is what spiritual blessings jn heavenly places in Christ would mean.

So we shall tackle the question who were they? "And there was war in heaven: Michael and his angels fought against the dragon; and the dragon fought and his angels,"(v.7) Michael and his angels represent the world of the Spirit and simultaneously albeit bound by time and place we are also joined the battle so the exhortation, 'Watch ye, stand fast in the faith, quit you like men, be strong,' is meant for us. "Wherefore take unto you the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand."(1 Co.16:13; Ep.6:13) For both worlds there is only only one article that prevails over the enemy; blood of the lamb. This is well illustrated by this vision of St John in ch.5.

"And in the midst of the elders, stood a Lamb as it had been slain, having seven horns and seven eyes, which are the seven Spirits of God sent forth into all the earth."(5:6)

Re.12:13

The Great Tribulation

"And when the dragon saw that he was cast unto the earth, he persecuted the woman which brought forth the man child."(v.13)

Jesus had foretold of the persecutions that were inevitable. He was aware of the enemy and his wiles. The devil sins from the beginning. He was manifested among his disciples for this reason. So he forewarned them. "Then said he unto the disciples, It is impossible but that offences will come: but woe unto him, through whom they come!"(Luke.17:1)

The Spirit presents the devil with a colour code, which refers to the rider of the red horse in the chapter 6 of the Book. The red dragon makes his entry in the cavalcade, "And there went out another horse that was red: and power was given to him that sat thereon to take peace from the earth, and that they should kill one another: and there was given unto him a great sword."(6:4) .

Part III

(2 of 7)

We only need compare the life of Abraham and of the king of Tyrus whose authority came from Satan. God allowed Abraham to walk the land and breadth of the land promised to him. "Arise, walk through the land in the length of it and in the breadth of it; for I will give it unto thee."(Ge.13:17) God expected him to walk in faith in the world of the body and live accordingly Because God was his reward. His perfection came from his faith matching His. No more or no less. He was to be coheir with his Son.

The cherub was perfect till iniquity was found in him. The red dragon was perfect with seven crowns and seven heads, But ten horns established iniquity of pride and he was under judgment. On account of it the beast mentioned in Re.13 was in great wrath, knowing the time is short. " And power was given unto him to continue forty and two months." The rider on the white horse the Word of God shall take him and cohorts and throw them into the lake of fire. (Re.19:11-21) We are on the cusp of the end times.

Re.12:11

Overcomer

" 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."

'And they overcame him'

Who are they? Before answering it we look at the verse below. " Therefore rejoice, ye heavens, and ye that dwell in them." The Holy Spirit is referring to the cloud of witnesses, and the angelic hosts who dwell in the heavens." Ye are blessed of the Lord which made heaven and earth./ The heaven, even the heavens, are the Lord's: but the earth hath he given to the children of men."(Ps.115:15-16) In short God blessed man with all spiritual blessing which require us reorient ourselves in His presence. We are negotiating two worlds at the same time so whosoever denies the world of Spirit having claim of him, is a liar. Truth is written in his inward parts and God has placed eternity in his heart. In refusing to accept the truth he is resisting God.

Part III

(1 of 7)

Bible Study: Re.12:3

The Red Dragon

"And there appeared another wonder in heaven; and behold a great red dragon, having seven heads and ten horns, and seven crowns upon his heads."

There was perfection in the cherub and it speaks of his sonship. "Thou wast perfect in thy ways from the day that thou wast created, till iniquity was found in thee."(Ez.28:15) As with Adam he was created and the Psalmist speaks of the angels being of different order. What is man? "For thou hast made him a little lower than the angels, and hast crowned him with glory and honour."(Ps.8:5). In his divine Will the man created had to be in a specific likeness for which his obedience was counted more. His Son settled for the body that He has prepared. It was thus God formed him from the ground and later breathed into his nostrils to make him a living soul. His glory and honour devolved from the faith of his dear Son who said, "Then said I, Lo, I come: in the volume of the book it is written of me,/ I delight to do thy will, O my God: yea, thy law is within my heart." (Ps.40:7-8). The same faith was expected of Adam.

On the other hand the cherub was placed in heavenly places, "Thou art the anointed cherub that covereth; and I have set thee so: thou wast upon the holy mountain of God; thou hast walked up and down in the midst of the stones of fire."(Ez.28:14) God made angels, spirit and were perfect but he wanted much more glory and honor and he would wrest it if God does not. Haven't we heard this before? False teachers would force the tight-fisted God by their faith. Where did they learn from? Lucifer would want more holiness that God has, as it were. "For thou hast said in thine heart, I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God." (Is.14:13)

Part II

(4 of 4)

"Therefore rejoice, ye heavens, and ye that dwell in them. Woe to the inhabiters of the earth and of the sea! "

Here the Spirit is giving us two nations, which according to the divine promise to Abraham have their position in heavenly places as well as in the wilderness God assures the patriarch, "But he that shall come forth out of thine own bowels shall be thine heir./ And he brought him forth abroad, and said, Look now toward heaven, and tell the stars, if thou be able to number them: and he said unto him, So shall thy seed be." (Ge.15:4-5) We have the two groups as summed up by the writer to the Hebrews, "Therefore sprang there even of one, and him as good as dead, so many as the stars of the sky in multitude, and as the sand which is by the sea shore innumerable./ These all died in faith,"(He.11:12-13)

What are these dead in the presence of the Living God? Are not they redeemed by the living word? The everlasting gospel assures them everlasting life. It is what God promised the Son. So the Spirit sets the woman clothed with 12 stars ("and upon her head a crown of twelve stars") which is made of 4x3. The command number Three refers to the Son. While St Matthew sets down genealogy of Jesus to Abraham (Matt.1:17) gives us 42 generations. (14x3) God's promise to Abraham is backed by the eternal Word.

Inhabiters of the sea refer to wicked nations like troubled sea keep churning up wild outlandish policies at home and abroad. The beast really comes into his own after the saints are redeemed for the earth. He is a demagogue a populist. The Spirit tags the preceding chapter with number 42 which ties up the following chapter as well. The authority of the beast came from the dragon. The Spirit addresses the inhabiters of the land and the sea 'and woe to ye' sums up the great tribulation period. The beast as the proxy for the devil is 'come down unto you, having great wrath. In short the Spirit presents us a shape of things to come.

Part II

(3 of 4)

Having given this by way of introduction we have this time ' time times and a half' which the Spirit uses to describe the woman in the wilderness vis-a-vis the serpent. The dragon is cast out into the earth and he is epitome of evil, an angel gone rogue. This vision is set between the beast who kills the two witnesses from God and the beast and anti-christ appearing on the world stage.(Re.13). As with serpent in the Garden we have the beast confronting the woman in the wilderness. "The beast that ascendeth out of the bottomless pit shall make war against them, and shall overcome them, and kill them."(Re.11:7)

In the book of Daniel we have a reference to the context, which shall explain this. Daniel asks "How long shall it be to the end of these wonders?" and the man clothed in linen answers,"And sware by him that liveth for ever that it shall be for a time, times, and an half; and when he shall have accomplished to scatter the power of the holy people, all these things shall be finished."( Dan 12:6-7)

What this vision of St John tells us is about the end times. If we see bigotry and crude nationalism without responsibilities at the high place be certain that the beast has come and his downfall is about to happen.

"And all the world wondered after the beast./ And they worshipped the dragon which gave power unto the beast: and they worshipped the beast, saying, Who is like unto the beast? who is able to make war with him?/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." (13:3-5)

The beast is proxy as the serpent was for Satan. The beast is given forty and two months, another way of saying the time, the times and a half.

Part II (2 of 4)

Ge.12:13-14

From The Face Of The Serpent

"And when the dragon saw that he was cast unto the earth, he persecuted the woman which brought forth the man child./ 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."

Before we get into the topic we shall brush up some facts in terms of history. Three and half years of the ministry of Jesus can be fixed and also give the date of crucifixion as April 3, AD. 33. The point we want to make is that death could not hold him back and he promised, "And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am."( John 14:3-NIV ) He has his work while he is set down on the right hand of the Most high. He upholds all things by the word of his power is precisely according to the everlasting covenant. So what we considered so far was in terms of a base line that is one thousand two hundred and three score days. This applies to the world of the body where we speak of the Word become flesh, to give it a generic term we settle it to say,'in human likeness.' Being risen he shall never die again, "For the death he died he died to sin, once for all, but the life he lives he lives to God."(Ro.6:9-10-ESV)

Before 'the hour' of judgment of Babylon is come we have this, "And I saw another angel fly in the midst of heaven, having the everlasting gospel to preach unto them that dwell on the earth, and to every nation, and kindred, and tongue, and people,"(Re.14:6). Jesus Christ is the same yesterday today and forever. So we have four gospels covering both heaven and the earth. 'Lo, I am with you' (Matt.28:20) The everlasting gospel explains the word sent forth before the worlds began returning to God and it shall never return to him in void. This explains the command number 4 so Jesus was seen for 40 days after resurrection.

Part II

Re.12:6-14

Into The Wilderness (1 of 4)

"And the woman fled into the wilderness, where she hath a place prepared of God, "

Here the Spirit uses the fall of man as the springboard to her redemption, which is indicated with the place where she is nourished for a time. Earthly ministry of Jesus is established there so when St Paul speaks of strong meat it is to gospel he is referring. "And I, brethren, could not speak unto you as unto spiritual, but as unto carnal, even as unto babes in Christ."(1 Co.3:10)

The place prepared for her as God warned Eve is the ground from which man was taken and her conception shall be accompanied with sorrow. It is cursed because of their disobedience. "Unto the woman he said, I will greatly multiply thy sorrow and thy conception; in sorrow thou shalt bring forth children;"(Ge.3:16) Even so God has made provisions for them so Isaiah's quote 'Glorify ye God in the fires' (Is.24:15) is very relevant for us. Is the wilderness experience terrible if God is in control over you? ""Therefore, behold, I will allure her, and bring her into the wilderness, and speak tenderly to her."(Ho.2:14) What we see in our times is the folly of man without God.

In v.14 we read of the two wings of a great eagle given to her so she could be led 'into her place as the Lord did with the nation of Israel. "You yourselves have seen what I did to the Egyptians, and how I bore you on eagles' wings and brought you to myself."(Ex.19:4-ESV). 'Brought you to myself'" is how the Spirit annotates the divine will in terms of sending his Son to the same cursed ground "In all their affliction he was afflicted, and the angel of his presence saved them; in his love and in his pity he redeemed them; he lifted them up and carried them all the days of old."(Is.66:9)

This is where the significance of clothing Adam and Eve comes in focus. "Unto Adam also and to his wife did the Lord God make coats of skins, and clothed them."(Ge.3:22)

"Thank you I will have to investigate this further...

Below is a little of what I found on the subject.

The terms "Book of Life" and "Lamb's Book of Life" are used in Christian theology to refer to a concept found in the Bible. However, it's important to note that there is some variation in how different theologians and denominations interpret and use these terms.

1. **Book of Life:** The "Book of Life" is a term used in several places in the Bible, including the Old and New Testaments. It generally refers to a heavenly record or register in which the names of the righteous, the faithful, or those who belong to God are written. For example, in the Old Testament, Exodus 32:32-33 mentions the Book of Life. In the New Testament, Revelation 20:15 mentions the Book of Life, which is associated with the final judgment. Those whose names are found in the Book of Life are seen as those who will inherit eternal life.

2. **Lamb's Book of Life:** The term "Lamb's Book of Life" specifically appears in the Book of Revelation in the New Testament. It is often associated with the idea that those who belong to Christ, the Lamb of God, have their names written in this book. Revelation 13:8 and Revelation 21:27 are the primary verses where the Lamb's Book of Life is mentioned. Those who have their names in the Lamb's Book of Life are considered to be the redeemed and saved.

In some theological interpretations, these terms are used interchangeably to refer to the same concept, while in others, they are seen as distinct but related concepts. The interpretation of the Book of Life and the Lamb's Book of Life can vary among different Christian denominations and theological traditions.

In summary, both terms refer to the idea of a divine record in which the names of the saved or righteous are written. The specifics of how these books are understood and their significance in salvation can vary depending on theological perspectives."

Jim Miller,

I would say no, not at all. Revelation 3:5 says, "He that overcomes." That's a Present Participle. It should read "To the one who is overcoming, the same shall be clothed in white raiment; and I will not blot out his name out of the book of life, but I will confess his name before my Father, and before his angels."

The Old Testament tells us there's more than one book ( Exodus 32:32-33, Daniel 12:1-2, Daniel 12:7-10, Psalm 69:28).

There's the book of life which has listed in it everybody that has received human life. And then there's the book of the Lamb, those who belong to Christ.

In the book of life, if a person rejects Christ, their name is removed from the book of life as if they've never been born. They're gone!

But no one is ever blotted out of the Lamb's book of life.

If you go back into the Old Testament and you study from those references, it will show you that there's more than one book. And the Jews knew that.

It's not that God has books up there. But it's just a human example or an illustration that God knows everything, all the people that have been born, and all the people that belong to Christ.

He say I will not blot out his name out of the book of life. And I will confess his name before my Father, and before his angels. Jesus said that He would do that.

A person whose name is in the Lamb's book of life will never be blotted out. That's how permanent salvation is!

God Bless!!!

Jim Miller, Amen!

This parable speaks of those who have never been born of Gods Spirit. One who has been born from above is one who Jesus knows. This parable of the foolish virgins describes a person who has never received Christ, has never been born of His Spirit.

The Lord knows His sheep, all those who belong to Him. He will not lose one. I agree with you wholeheartedly. A true believer, (one who has been born of Gods Spirit) will never hear the words "depart from me, I never knew you."

Blessings to you!

Dear Raincloud,

I am glad that your cataract surgery was successful. Even though your sight is not totally restored, you can see distance now without glasses. But most people our age do need glasses for near vision. I need cataract surgery on both eyes. I will most likely schedule these surgeries this year. I have worn glasses since the fourth grade, so to be able to see distances without glasses will be amazing for me.

I pray that your eyesight will stabilize and that you get used to the vision adjustments you need to make at this time in your life.

The kingdom of heaven here is the sphere of profession, as in Mt 13. All alike have lamps, but two facts fix the real status of the foolish virgins: They "took no oil," and the Lord said, "I know you not." Oil is the symbol of the Holy Spirit, and "If any man have not the spirit of Christ, he is none of his" Rom 8:9

Nor could the Lord say to any believer, however unspiritual, "I know you not."

"Ronald Whittemore"

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

First I have to make a confession of all the books of the entire bible I am the weakest on the book of Revelation.

My question is having this verse in revelation:

Revelation 3:5 (KJV) 5 He that overcometh, the same shall be clothed in white raiment; and I will not blot out his name out of the book of life, but I will confess his name before my Father, and before his angels.

Doesn't that cause a real issue for the "once saved always saved" advocates?

The Kingdom of Heaven is Matthew 13:47-50

Matthew 24:14 "And this gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in all the world for a witness unto all nations; and then shall the end come

Read and Believe.

Conclusions (for now) on OSAS

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.

Hi Giannis,

Amen well said; We are in a race, and as it is said "Let us run with patience the race that is set before us". "In your patience possess ye your souls". "Here is the patience and the faith of the saints." This race has a finish line, and we cannot come up short, we must cross this finish line. "So run, that ye may obtain." The prize is not given until we cross the finish line and are told, "Well done thou good and faithful servant".

God bless,

RLW