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It is always such a good blessing to marry a believer! My husband, Steve, and celebrate our 45th wedding anniversary this month on the 22nd. I can't even imagine a marriage that isn't in the Lord since we have been so blessed with unity and harmony on all fronts in our marriage over the years. We have our ups and downs, but we are hedged in by the Lord and that is a great place to be.
:)
Thus, there are 1,290 years from Jacob's affliction in 1877 B.C. to the tribulation of Daniel's day in 587 B.C., and 2 x 1,290 = 2,580 years from Daniel's tribulation to the year 1994 A.D., which brings us to the heart of what the prophecy of Simeon is referring to. The year 1994 A.D. marked the official end of the church age, when there is a famine of hearing the words of the LORD in all the churches, and the beginning of the latter rain, that is, the final harvest of those that are becoming saved outside the churches.
Outside the churches, God is empowering the true believers to understand the things concerning the end and God is blessing his word to the hearts of those who are God's elect, which are typified by the men of Nineveh, of whom God declares:
Jonah 3:5,8-9 5So the people of Nineveh believed God, and proclaimed a fast, and put on sackcloth, from the greatest of them even to the least of them. 8---let man and beast be covered with sackcloth, and cry mightily unto God: yea, let them turn every one from his evil way, and from the violence that is in their hands. 9Who can tell if God will turn and repent, and turn away from his fierce anger, that we perish not?
Daniel 11:35 declares: 35And some of them of understanding shall fall, to try them, and to purge, and to make them white, even to the time of the end: because it is yet for a time appointed.
To purge and make white is the language of salvation. Thus, we see a literal fulfillment of Simeon's prophecy in Luke 2:34 "Behold, this child is set for the fall and rising again of many in Israel", that is, the Israel of God consisting of all those who name the name of Christ and are chosen in Christ. What a marvelous Savior we have, whose birth we observe during this Christmas time.
May all of us cry mightily to God that God might have mercy on ourselves and our loved ones. It is still the day of salvation!
The End
In addition, we can think of 1 Kings 6:1, where we read: And it came to pass in the four hundred and eightieth year after the children of Israel were come out of the land of Egypt, in the fourth year of Solomon's reign over Israel, in the month Zif, which is the second month, that he began to build the house of the LORD.
1 Kings 6:1 provides a 480-year time bridge from Israel going out of the land of Egypt to the fourth year of Solomon's reign, which was the year 967 B.C., when Solmon began to build the house of the LORD. Israel going out of the land of Egypt represents God's salvation plan. God declares, "I am the LORD thy God, which have brought thee out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage" ( Exodus 20:2). That is like, "I am Jehovah who has saved you." This physical representation of salvation occurred 430 years after the time Jacob went into the land of Egypt ( Exodus 12:40-41). It was the year 1447 B.C.
According to I Kings 6:1, it was exactly 480 years later, that is, 480 years after 1447 B.C., the year 967 B.C., when Solomon began to build the temple. We have learned that the temple of the Old Testament was a representation of the New Testament congregations and churches. It was also a representation of Christ Himself. Remember, He told the Jews, "Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up" ( John 2:19). When did Jesus, the spiritual temple, come to this earth to be the temple? While we do not have absolute proof that Jesus was born in the year 7 B.C., all of the circumstantial evidence points to 7 B.C. as the year of His birth. And 7 B.C. is exactly 960 years after Solomon's temple foundation was laid in 967 B.C. Thus, the total period from the going out of Egypt in 1447 B.C. to the birth of Christ in 7 B.C. is 1440 years. The 480-year period is one-third of this 1440 years. The 960 years is two-thirds of this 1440 years.
Cont in Part 14
The waste and desolate places have reference to the churches and congregations worldwide, no exceptions, in our day. Spiritually they have become desolate and no one is being saved there. The key verse is verse 20: The children which thou shalt have, after thou hast lost the other, shall say again in thine ears, The place is too strait for me: give place to me that I may dwell. The children which are lost is a reference to the churches and congregations the vast majority of which have no true believers within them. There may be a few that remain, and they will be brought out or come out before Christ appears. The children which thou shalt have are all those who are being saved outside the local congregations during this final great tribulation period.
Now going back to Daniel 12:11, we saw that if we go 1,290 years from 1877 B.C. at the time of Jacob's great affliction, we landed on 587 B.C. at the time of Daniel's great tribulation. Now, if we fast forward 2 x 1,290 years from 587 B.C., we to land on the year 1994 A.D. which is a key milestone in God's salvation plan. God occasionally employs a 1/3, 2/3 rule, as in:
Zechariah 13:7-9 7Awake, O sword, against my shepherd, and against the man that is my fellow, saith the Lord of hosts: smite the shepherd, and the sheep shall be scattered: and I will turn mine hand upon the little ones. 8And it shall come to pass, that in all the land, saith the Lord, two parts therein shall be cut off and die; but the third shall be left therein. 9And I will bring the third part through the fire, and will refine them as silver is refined, and will try them as gold is tried: they shall call on my name, and I will hear them: I will say, It is my people: and they shall say, The Lord is my God.
Cont in Part 13
Remember Isaiah 48:10 "I have refined thee in the furnace of affliction". Remember Zechariah 13:9 "I have brought the third part through the fire, the furnace of affliction." These verses coalesce around this present great tribulation in regards to God saving a great multitude which no man can number outside the churches, which were typified by Jerusalem back that came under judgment in 587 B.C. Referring to Micah 4:10, Jerusalem (typifying the local congregations) is the city that the woman being in travail shalt go forth from, and shall dwell in the field, that is, in the world ( Matthew 13:38), even to Babylon, that is, the secular world. There is where she shall be redeemed and delivered. It is crucial to note that it is outside the churches, in the secular world, where God is saving today. The phrase, "as a woman in travail," means that this woman is about to give birth, and indeed that is the case. Another passage that relates directly to this is Isaiah 49, where God is speaking metaphorically to the woman in travail:
Isaiah 49:18-21 18Lift up thine eyes round about, and behold: all these gather themselves together, and come to thee. As I live, saith the Lord, thou shalt surely clothe thee with them all, as with an ornament, and bind them on thee, as a bride doeth. 19For thy waste and thy desolate places, and the land of thy destruction, shall even now be too narrow by reason of the inhabitants, and they that swallowed thee up shall be far away. 20The children which thou shalt have, after thou hast lost the other, shall say again in thine ears, The place is too strait for me: give place to me that I may dwell. 21Then shalt thou say in thine heart, Who hath begotten me these, seeing I have lost my children, and am desolate, a captive, and removing to and fro? and who hath brought up these? Behold, I was left alone; these, where had they been?
Cont in Part 12
Revelation 12:1-2 1And there appeared a great wonder in heaven; a woman clothed with the sun, and the moon under her feet, and upon her head a crown of twelve stars: 2And she being with child cried, travailing in birth, and pained to be delivered.
The woman typifies the body of believers. The sun typifies the Lord Jesus Christ, who is the Sun of righteousness arising with healing in his wings ( Malachi 4:2). The moon typifies the law of God, which is a reflection of the sun. The moon under her feet signifies that the believers are dead to the law; the law no longer has any claim on them. Christ as their substitute has fulfilled all the demands of the law on their behalf. The crown with twelve stars signifies the fullness of all believers, which are typified as the stars of heaven. She being with child cried, travailing in birth, pained to be delivered.
An interesting commentary on Revelation 12:2 is found in Isaiah 66:7-8 7Before she travailed, she brought forth; before her pain came, she was delivered of a man child. 8Who hath heard such a thing? who hath seen such things? Shall the earth be made to bring forth in one day? or shall a nation be born at once? for as soon as Zion travailed, she brought forth her children.
God is saying, before she travailed, before her pain came, she was delivered of a man child. The man child is the Lord Jesus Christ, whose birth we observe each year at Christmas. The woman being in travail has reference to the great tribulation period. And note God's declaration, for as soon as Zion travailed, she brought forth her children. When the Bible says, Shall the earth be made to bring forth in one day, it is a rhetorical statement that has reference to the literal, bodily resurrection of the believers at the last day when Christ appears in great power and glory.
Cont in Part 11
Jeremiah 42:10-12 10If [turning back from going into Egypt] ye will still abide in this land, then will I build you, and not pull you down, and I will plant you, and not pluck you up: for I repent me of the evil that I have done unto you. 11Be not afraid of the king of Babylon, of whom ye are afraid; be not afraid of him, saith the Lord: for I am with you to save you, and to deliver you from his hand. 12And I will shew mercies unto you, that he may have mercy upon you, and cause you to return to your own land.
That same promise was made in Micah 4:9-10 9Now why dost thou cry out aloud? is there no king in thee? is thy counsellor perished? for pangs have taken thee as a woman in travail. 10Be in pain, and labour to bring forth, O daughter of Zion, like a woman in travail: for now shalt thou go forth out of the city, and thou shalt dwell in the field, and thou shalt go even to Babylon; there shalt thou be delivered; there the Lord shall redeem thee from the hand of thine enemies.
The woman in travail are the true believers during this time of great tribulation. God typifies the body of believers as a woman in Revelation 12.
Cont in Part 10
Ezekiel 4:4-6 4Lie thou also upon thy left side, and lay the iniquity of the house of Israel upon it: according to the number of the days that thou shalt lie upon it thou shalt bear their iniquity. 5For I have laid upon thee the years of their iniquity, according to the number of the days, three hundred and ninety days: so shalt thou bear the iniquity of the house of Israel. 6And when thou hast accomplished them, lie again on thy right side, and thou shalt bear the iniquity of the house of Judah forty days: I have appointed thee each day for a year.
Numbers 14:32-33 32But as for you, your carcases, they shall fall in this wilderness. 33And your children shall wander in the wilderness forty years, and bear your whoredoms, until your carcases be wasted in the wilderness. 34After the number of the days in which ye searched the land, even forty days, each day for a year, shall ye bear your iniquities, even forty years, and ye shall know my breach of promise.
Thus, we have Biblical validation for substituting a day for a year or vice versa. Amazingly, when we jump 1,290 years from Jacob's affliction, which occurred in 1877 B.C., we land on 587 B.C. What happened that year? There was a physical famine, in that the Babylonians had laid siege to Jerusalem, allowing nothing to leave or come in. Ultimately Babylon destroyed Jerusalem with fire, and took Daniel and Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego captive to Babylon. And even as God cared for Jacob and his family in the land of Egypt, so God was with Daniel and the others taken captive to Babylon. God had made a promise in Jeremiah 42:10.
Cont in Part 9
Acts 7:9-11 9And the patriarchs, moved with envy, sold Joseph into Egypt: but God was with him, 10And delivered him out of all his afflictions [Greek: thlipsis], and gave him favour and wisdom in the sight of Pharaoh king of Egypt; and he made him governor over Egypt and all his house. 11Now there came a dearth over all the land of Egypt and Chanaan, and great affliction [Greek: thlipsis]: and our fathers found no sustenance.
Jacob's affliction stemmed from the fact that they were forced to leave the land of Canaan, the land flowing with milk and honey, a land that Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob had dwelt in for 215 years, due to the famine. And in regards to famine, remember Amos 8:11?
Amos 8:11-12 11Behold, the days come, saith the Lord GOD, that I will send a famine in the land, not a famine of bread, nor a thirst for water, but of hearing the words of the Lord: 12And they shall wander from sea to sea, and from the north even to the east, they shall run to and fro to seek the word of the Lord, and shall not find it.
Amos 8:11 is speaking about our day, which is parallel to Jacob's tribulation in that within the churches there is a famine of HEARING the words of the LORD, meaning the Holy Spirit is no longer present in the churches to give spiritual ears to hear.
God has provided a time bridge of 1,290 years between Jacob's tribulation and the tribulation of Daniel's day. The 1,290 years comes from Daniel 12:11.
Daniel 12:9-11 9And he said, Go thy way, Daniel: for the words are closed up and sealed till the time of the end. 10Many shall be purified, and made white, and tried; but the wicked shall do wickedly: and none of the wicked shall understand; but the wise shall understand. 11And from the time that the daily sacrifice shall be taken away, and the abomination that maketh desolate set up, there shall be a thousand two hundred and ninety days.
God occasionally substitutes a day for a year, as in Ezekiel 4:4-6.
Cont in Part 8
Matthew 24:1-3 1And Jesus went out, and departed from the temple: and his disciples came to him for to shew him the buildings of the temple. 2And Jesus said unto them, See ye not all these things? verily I say unto you, There shall not be left here one stone upon another, that shall not be thrown down. 3And as he sat upon the mount of Olives, the disciples came unto him privately, saying, Tell us, when shall these things be? and what shall be the sign of thy coming, and of the end of the world?
The temple that God has in view are the churches and congregations that are scattered all over the earth. The word "buildings" in Matthew 24:1 is the same Greek root word translated "building" in 1 Corinthians 3:9 9For we are labourers together with God: ye are God's husbandry, ye are God's "building".
God goes on in 1 Corinthians 3:10-15 to describe that there are two kinds of materials in this spiritual building: gold, silver, precious stones, typifying true believers, and wood, hay, stubble, typifying those who externally identify with the kingdom of God and yet are not born from above, and are fit to be burned and consumed by God who is a consuming fire.
The statement of Matthew 24:2, "There shall not be left here one stone upon another, that shall not be thrown down," means that there are no exceptions.
We are living in the period of great tribulation, spoken of in Matthew 24:21-22 21For then shall be great tribulation, such as was not since the beginning of the world to this time, no, nor ever shall be. 22And except those days should be shortened, there should no flesh be saved: but for the elect's sake those days shall be shortened.
The word 'tribulation' is the Greek word thlipsis translated "affliction" twice in Acts 7:10-11.
Cont in Part 7
2 Thessalonians 2:1-4 1Now we beseech you, brethren, by the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, and by our gathering together unto him, 2That ye be not soon shaken in mind, or be troubled, neither by spirit, nor by word, nor by letter as from us, as that the day of Christ is at hand. 3Let no man deceive you by any means: for that day shall not come, except there come a falling away first, and that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition; 4Who opposeth and exalteth himself above all that is called God, or that is worshipped; so that he as God sitteth in the temple of God, shewing himself that he is God. 5Remember ye not, that, when I was yet with you, I told you these things?
The man of sin spoken of in 2 Thessalonians 2:3 is a reference to Satan, who comes into the congregations as the master deceiver, and because God is empowering him, he will succeed.
Daniel 8:23-25 23And in the latter time of their kingdom, when the transgressors are come to the full, a king of fierce countenance, and understanding dark sentences, shall stand up. 24And his power shall be mighty, but not by his own power: and he shall destroy wonderfully, and shall prosper, and practise, and shall destroy the mighty and the holy people. 25And through his policy also he shall cause craft [deceit] to prosper in his hand; and he shall magnify himself in his heart, and by peace shall destroy many: he shall also stand up against the Prince of princes; but he shall be broken without hand.
This prophecy is taking place, has taken place, in the churches worldwide today. There are no exceptions, and those who think there are exceptions should read again Matthew 24.
Cont in Part 6
Romans 11:1-12 I say then, Hath God cast away his people? God forbid. For I also am an Israelite, of the seed of Abraham, of the tribe of Benjamin. 2God hath not cast away his people which he foreknew. Wot ye not what the scripture saith of Elias? how he maketh intercession to God against Israel, saying, 3Lord, they have killed thy prophets, and digged down thine altars; and I am left alone, and they seek my life. 4But what saith the answer of God unto him? I have reserved to myself seven thousand men, who have not bowed the knee to the image of Baal. 5Even so then at this present time also there is a remnant according to the election of grace. 6And if by grace, then is it no more of works: otherwise grace is no more grace. But if it be of works, then is it no more grace: otherwise work is no more work. 7What then? Israel hath not obtained that which he seeketh for; but the election hath obtained it, and the rest were blinded 8(According as it is written, God hath given them the spirit of slumber, eyes that they should not see, and ears that they should not hear;) unto this day. 9And David saith, Let their table be made a snare, and a trap, and a stumblingblock, and a recompence unto them: 10Let their eyes be darkened, that they may not see, and bow down their back alway. 11I say then, Have they stumbled that they should fall? God forbid: but rather through their fall salvation is come unto the Gentiles, for to provoke them to jealousy. 12Now if the fall of them be the riches of the world, and the diminishing of them the riches of the Gentiles; how much more their fulness?
God is declaring, you see, in verse 11, through their fall salvation is come unto the Gentiles (non-Jews). Now the same is true of the fall of the churches in our day during the great tribulation.
Cont. in Part 5
But now return to the prophecy of Luke 2:34, "Behold, this child is set for the fall and rising again of many in Israel," rising again has to do the resurrection, that is, the resurrection of our soul when we become born from above by the power of God, which is called the first resurrection. When Christ crucified and his body placed in the tomb, he arose on the third day. Even so, those who become saved have experienced the resurrection of their soul to spiritual life.
The fall and rising again of many in Israel can be viewed from at least two perspectives: the fall and rising again of the elect as a consequence of the fall of national Israel, and the fall and rising again of the elect resulting from the fall of the churches and congregations in our day. First, let's look at the fall of national Israel.
Romans 10:1-4 Brethren, my heart's desire and prayer to God for Israel is, that they might be saved. 2For I bear them record that they have a zeal of God, but not according to knowledge. 3For they being ignorant of God's righteousness, and going about to establish their own righteousness, have not submitted themselves unto the righteousness of God. 4For Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to every one that believeth.
Cont. in Part 4
The Israel that God has in view is spiritual Israel consisting of all those who are born from above by the Spirit of the living God and justified by the faith of Christ.
We read in Galatians 6:14-16
14But God forbid that I should glory, save in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom the world is crucified unto me, and I unto the world. 15For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision availeth any thing, nor uncircumcision, but a new creation. 16And as many as walk according to this rule, peace be on them, and mercy, and upon the Israel of God.
The Israel of God consist of all those who are in Christ Jesus, regardless of whatever political nation they may come from. We read in Romans 2:28-29
28For he is not a Jew, which is one outwardly; neither is that circumcision, which is outward in the flesh: 29But he is a Jew, which is one inwardly; and circumcision is that of the heart, in the spirit, and not in the letter; whose praise is not of men, but of God.
To be a Jew inwardly, and to be circumcised in the heart, means to have one's sins cut off by virtue of the atoning work of the Lord Jesus Christ, who gave his life that men might be set free from bondage and slavery to sin. It has nothing to do with whatever nation one comes from.
Cont in Part 3
We read in Luke 2
25And, behold, there was a man in Jerusalem, whose name was Simeon; and the same man was just and devout, waiting for the consolation of Israel: and the Holy Ghost was upon him. 26And it was revealed unto him by the Holy Ghost, that he should not see death, before he had seen the Lord's Christ. 27And he came by the Spirit into the temple: and when the parents brought in the child Jesus, to do for him after the custom of the law, 28Then took he him up in his arms, and blessed God, and said, 29Lord, now lettest thou thy servant depart in peace, according to thy word: 30For mine eyes have seen thy salvation, 31Which thou hast prepared before the face of all people; 32A light to lighten the Gentiles, and the glory of thy people Israel. 33And Joseph and his mother marvelled at those things which were spoken of him. 34And Simeon blessed them, and said unto Mary his mother, Behold, this child is set for the fall and rising again of many in Israel; and for a sign which shall be spoken against; 35(Yea, a sword shall pierce through thy own soul also,) that the thoughts of many hearts may be revealed.
The key verse in this passage is verse 34, "Behold this child is set for the fall and rising again of many in Israel; and for a sign which shall be spoken against."
Let's first understand which Israel is God talking about. Is God talking about the political nation of Israel alongside the Mediterranean Sea? The answer is, absolutely not! Christ spoke in parables, and without a parable spake he not unto them ( Mark 4:34). A parable is an earthly story with a heavenly or spiritual meaning. All kinds of people read the Bible superficially or literally and think that God is talking about the political nation of Israel. Nothing could be further from the truth.
Cont in Part 2
I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God .
There's no confusion in this statement , no hidden meaning , nothing should be added or taken away from this simple yet most powerful confession .
Jesus Christ is the Son of God .
It is the Truth .
God hasn't chosen us because of our abilities.
Gods work in us does not depend on persuasive words of man's wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power:
Very humbling passage!
Blessings.
I Cor. 15:10__
Sometimes we find ourselves in a bad place. Keep moving forward toward the goal of us all.
To be "Acceptable in his sight"
These are the words of the Apostle Paul.
9For I am the least of the apostles, that am not meet to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the church of God.
10But by the grace of God I am what I am: and his grace which was bestowed upon me was not in vain; but I laboured more abundantly than they all: yet not I, but the grace of God which was with me.
May God bless us all.
" Arise, shine; for thy light is come, and the glory of the LORD is risen upon thee. For, behold, the darkness shall cover the earth, and gross darkness the people: but the LORD shall arise upon thee, and his glory shall be seen upon thee. And the Gentiles shall come to thy light, and kings to the brightness of thy rising. Lift up thine eyes round about, and see: all they gather themselves together, they come to thee: thy sons shall come from far, and thy daughters shall be nursed at thy side. Then thou shalt see, and flow together, and thine heart shall fear, and be enlarged; because the abundance of the sea shall be converted unto thee, the forces of the Gentiles shall come unto thee. The multitude of camels shall cover thee, the dromedaries of Midian and Ephah; all they from Sheba shall come: they shall bring gold and incense; and they shall shew forth the praises of the LORD. All the flocks of Kedar shall be gathered together unto thee, the rams of Nebaioth shall minister unto thee: they shall come up with acceptance on mine altar, and I will glorify the house of my glory. Who are these that fly as a cloud, and as the doves to their windows? Surely the isles shall wait for me, and the ships of Tarshish first, to bring thy sons from far, their silver and their gold with them, unto the name of the LORD thy God, and to the Holy One of Israel, because he hath glorified thee. And the sons of strangers shall build up thy walls, and their kings shall minister unto thee: for in my wrath I smote thee, but in my favour have I had mercy on thee. Therefore thy gates shall be open continually; they shall not be shut day nor night; that men may bring unto thee the forces of the Gentiles, and that their kings may be brought. For the nation and kingdom that will not serve thee shall perish; yea, those nations shall be utterly wasted."
Isaiah 60 along with the other "prophetic" books have everything to do with God's salvation and judgement program during our Day.
1 Corinthians 2:13 - Which things also we speak, not in the words which man's wisdom teacheth, but which the Holy Ghost teacheth; comparing spiritual things with spiritual.
Literally in the Greek text, comparing spiritual words with spiritual things. You see, the things of God are Spiritual. They're not human. They're not physical. God's Spirit takes spiritual words and spiritual truth, and God's Spirit teaches us.
1 Corinthians 2:16 - For who hath known the mind of the Lord, that he may instruct him? But we have the mind of Christ.
The word mind is the word NOUS. Again, this is the perceptive abilities. We don't have His brain. I think that there are some people that misunderstand this text. There have been people in the past that said, "Now that I'm saved, everything that passed through my brain is God's thoughts, and therefore I speak whatever my thoughts are, and they're all of God because I have the mind of Christ."
Well, there are several Greek words. PSEUKE, mostly for the brain, but there are several other words that describe the function of the brain. And the word NOUS describes the perceptive abilities of the mind. So, when it says we have the mind of Christ, we've got the Spirit of Christ that is revealing to us and giving us the ability to perceive spiritual truth.
It's not just a head knowledge, it's a perception, and we're able to perceive because we've received Christ. Then we have His Spirit giving us the perception of Christ.
1 Corinthians 3:1 - And I, brethren, could not speak unto you as unto spiritual, but as unto carnal, even as unto babes in Christ.
The word carnal in this verse is the word SARKINOS. This is a normal type of carnal. There is another Greek word for carnal which is SARKIKOS which is abnormal.
1 Corinthians 1:31 - That, according as it is written, He that glorieth, let him glory in the Lord.
The word glory KAUCHASTHO is the word boasting. So, if God does something great, the believers are not supposed to put on a flesh show, a human show. God hasn't chosen us because of our abilities. God has chosen us because we are the chiefest of sinners, and hopefully you're one of those that the world has rejected. You're just not able to fit in.
People that don't fit in with the world have an easy time walking with the Lord. If you surrender your life to Christ, you'll find your identification. It's the people that have a lot of involvement with the world that say "I can't give up that success. I can't give up this, and I can't give up that!"
1 Corinthians 2:4 - And my speech and my preaching was not with enticing words of man's wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power:
And my speech and my preaching was not with enticing words of man's wisdom. The word enticing is the Greek word for persuasion. It was not with persuasive words of man's wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power:
What a tremendous verse!
1 Corinthians 2:6 - Howbeit we speak wisdom among them that are perfect: yet not the wisdom of this world, nor of the princes of this world, that come to nought:
The word perfect, TELIOS, denotes somebody who is saved and complete. It is the same word that Paul used in Colossians 2:10, that we are complete in Him.
1 Corinthians 2:12 - Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the spirit which is of God; that we might know the things that are freely given to us of God.
That little term "freely given" is the Greek word CHARISMA, which means expression of grace. We've received the Spirit of God so that we can know the things that are freely graced to us of God.
1 Corinthians 1:8 - Who shall also confirm you unto the end, that ye may be blameless in the day of our Lord Jesus Christ.
Concerning Christ, who shall also confirm (Again, the word establish). He will establish you unto the end, because God is faithful! So not only are you established now in Christ, but this same Jesus is going to establish you all the way to the end. Paul is giving them a promise. He will establish you unto the end because God is faithful. He keeps his word.
Romans 1:21 - For after that in the wisdom of God the world by wisdom knew not God, it pleased God by the foolishness of preaching to save them that believe.
For after that in the wisdom of God the world by wisdom knew not God, it pleased God by the foolishness of preaching. Literally, the Greek word isn't preaching. It's the preached message. It pleased God that through the foolishness of the gospel message to save them that believe. How can words on a page be used to save anybody? God's Spirit uses it. That's His designed plan!
1 Corinthians 1:24 - But unto them which are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God, and the wisdom of God.
Notice the two things. Greeks seek wisdom, and the Jews seek a sign. Christ is the power, and Christ is the wisdom to everybody who believes!
1 Corinthians 1:26 - For ye see your calling, brethren, how that not many wise men after the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble, are called:
The word noble means wellborn, born into nobility. I can't recall where I read this, but Queen Elizabeth, several years ago when she visited Canada, she was asked if she's a Christian. She said yes. And she said this was her favorite verse, 1 Corinthians 1:26. She says my favorite letter in the alphabet is the letter "M." She says not many noble. She said if the "M" wasn't there, it would be not any noble. So, she says not many. She said I was born into nobility and I believe!
1 Corinthians 1:2 - Unto the church of God which is at Corinth, to them that are sanctified in Christ Jesus, called to be saints, with all that in every place call upon the name of Jesus Christ our Lord, both theirs and ours:
To the church of God which is at Corinth, to them that are sanctified in Christ Jesus. Sanctified is a Perfect Tense word that means they are in a condition. Sanctified means to be set apart for Christ. When the Holy Spirit comes into my life, I am set apart and I belong to Jesus Christ.
They are called saints. Again, the words "to be" are in italics because it's not in the original text. They are saints by calling. The word saint doesn't mean purity. It means position. You are set apart. The word saint and the word sanctified both come from the same Greek word (HAGIOS). It means to be set apart for Christ. So, Christ called them, and they responded to Christ.
1 Corinthians 1:3 - Grace be unto you, and peace, from God our Father, and from the Lord Jesus Christ
He says grace to you, and peace. Grace is the normal greeting to the Gentiles, especially to the Greeks. And peace is the normal greeting to the Jews, the Hebrew people.
He says grace and peace. The source: from God our Father, and from the Lord Jesus Christ. Grace and peace can only come from God as His favor and His peace. Those are the normal ways of addressing a letter in Greek. They were in scrolls, so you wanted to unroll the scroll to see first of all who wrote it and who it's written to. And then the third element is always a thanksgiving from the writer. Paul follows that in that form in every one of his letters except for Galatians.
1 Corinthians 1:6 - Even as the testimony of Christ was confirmed in you:
That the testimony of Christ has been established amongst you. The testimony of Christ was confirmed. The word confirmed is the Greek word BEBAIOS which means to establish somebody. The testimony of the Lord has been established amongst you.
1 Corinthians (Letter to a Carnal Church containing Correction and Instruction)
(1 Corinthians Part 1):
1 Corinthians 1:1 - Paul, called to be an apostle of Jesus Christ through the will of God, and Sosthenes our brother,
As I noted before in an earlier study, in all of Paul's letters, the words "to be" are in italics. It's because it is not in the original Greek transcript. He is literally saying that he is a called apostle. He's expressing what kind of apostle he is. He is an apostle by calling. It was his emphasis that this is not his ambition or his choice. The word apostle means someone sent out with a commission.
Notice that he claims himself not only to be a called apostle, but he is an apostle of Jesus Christ, not of people. In Galatians 1:1, Paul told them that he is an apostle, not through men, not from men (plural) meaning a committee, nor through a man (singular), meaning no human element appointed him. His appointment to be an apostle came from God.
So, number 1, he's a called apostle. Number 2, he's an apostle of Jesus Christ. And again, in Galatians 1:10, Paul says if I try to please men, I would no longer be a servant of Christ. That's a verse that needs to cut through the heart of every person in the ministry. If you represent Christ and His word, you can't work for anybody else. You've got to represent Christ and His word. And then thirdly, he's an apostle through the will of God. This is God's will for his life. Again, not ambition nor appointment.
I am sorry that your wife has this infection in her airways. I will lift her up in prayer that it will resolve quickly without complications.
Thank you so much for your kind message. I am also thankful for you and everyone else who comes here with something to share because we learn from each other. Romans is one of my favorite books. It's where we come to learn the truth of Christ, the truth of God's justice system, and what Christ has done for us.
It is such a blessing to us all to be able to come here and share our love for the Lord and to fellowship together by sharing what knowledge and understanding we receive from Him. I would like to make one correction to what I shared on Romans 16:18. I meant to say naive in both places, not nave.
Again, thank you and may the Lord continue to speak to our hearts and minister to us, and out of His faithfulness continue to draw us to His word so we can be established and grounded in the foundation of the Christian faith. I have nothing to boast of in my knowledge or understanding. The Lord may use me from time to time, but I'm just one beggar telling another beggar where to find bread.
Blessings to you in Christ!