Bible Questions Page 43

(Romans Part 16):

Romans 7:24 - O wretched man that I am! who shall deliver me from the body of this death?

First, he says "O wretched man that I am!" The word wretched means destitute. He sees himself as just a destroyed destitute person. Who shall deliver me from the body of this death? He sees his body is the house that he lives in. Who's going to deliver me from this body of death? The term "body of death" is an interesting term within the Roman judicial system.

For some of the hardened criminals that committed murder, they would sentence them to serve their time with the dead body of the person that they killed strapped on their back. As it corrupted, and as it decayed, they corrupted and decayed with it. It eventually killed them.

Paul says that's what I feel like. I have died to sin. And I feel like I've got that old man, the old nature, the old life strapped on my back, reminding me and haunting me. It no longer lords it over me, but it just keeps working away, influencing and trying to get me away from the things of the Lord.

Romans 8:2 - For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus hath made me free from the law of sin and death.

The word sin has the definite article, the Sin Principle.

Romans 8:5 - For they that are after the flesh do mind the things of the flesh; but they that are after the Spirit the things of the Spirit.

The word mind has to do with the frame of mind, not individual thoughts, but just the direction that our thoughts flow. The people who are not saved and are walking according to the flesh are people whose minds are always governed by the flesh, but they that are according to the Spirit the things of the Spirit.



Only the Spirit of God can produce this frame of mind because we don't 100% in our thought processes think about the Lord. We've got "other things" to do! But it's the Spirit of God that gives us a frame of mind to participate with the Spiritual things of God. A non-believer doesn't have that.

The Bbide of Christ.

There is a great misunderstand I the church among many concerning who's in the. Bride . For while all true born children of God are alre all called to that " high calling" not all will respond or be ( ye also") ready ".

To be BORN again is be qualified. to " run the race"it dress not win us " the prize".

The 5 foolish Virgo's we not ready and did not enter into the " marriage" being found unrecognisable as the Bride. Wit the words " I know ye not" the wicked and the unsaved are barred from the Kingdom wit the words " I never knew you" being recognisable as children of God .

To be BORN again is to get out of Egypt . By the Word of God,the power of God and the blood of a Lamb .

It only took the, just over two years to get to the promised land . Butt. We have made the wandering in the wilderness for 40 years as the Christian norm.

The wilderness was supposed to be as it were a boot camp . Where they learnt to walk by faith and not by sight and to not live ad alone butby every word that proceedeth from though of God"

For is it not written the Bride will come out of the wilderness terrible as an army with banners leaning on the arm of her beloved"?

The book of Romans (Constitution of the Christian faith)

(Romans Part 6):

Romans 1:24 - Wherefore God also gave them up to uncleanness through the lusts of their own hearts, to dishonour their own bodies between themselves:

It says that God gave them up. Literally, God gave them over. Again, that is a judicial term that means to hand down a sentence to somebody. It is their punishment and their sentence. God gave them over, and watch this: To uncleanness through the lusts of their own hearts, to dishonour their own bodies between themselves: God gave them over. It's judgment! "You want to worship man? I'll give you some people to worship!"

Romans 1:28 - And even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge, God gave them over to a reprobate mind, to do those things which are not convenient;

And even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge, and you see, He's already there, but they don't want Him to be there! God gave them over. There it is a third time. That's to impress us with the fact that God's wrath is being revealed from heaven right now.

God gave them over to a reprobate mind. I love some of these words in the King James. The word reprobate means to reject. God gave them a mind to reject the truth. Why? Because they rejected the truth on their own. He gave them over to a reprobate mind, to do those things which are not convenient; which in our language means not right!

Romans 1:29 - Being filled with all unrighteousness, fornication, wickedness, covetousness, maliciousness; full of envy, murder, debate, deceit, malignity; whisperers,

This word "whisperers" is basically a person who gossips, but secretly behind person's backs.

Romans 1:30 - Backbiters, haters of God, despiteful, proud, boasters, inventors of evil things, disobedient to parents,

Inventors of evil things in the Greek basically means "Find a new way to do the old sin."

Does anyone have any ideas on what the Israelites might have shouted at the walls of Jericho ? We shan't know in this life but I am interested to hear what people think that they might have shouted .

TIME AND JUDGMENT (Part 5)

We find that the unfolding of God's salvation plan is in no sense haphazard or random, but that every aspect of that plan is worked out in time. We can't separate time from the law, they are inextricably linked together. Galatians 4:4 declares

"4 But when the fulness of the time was come, God sent forth his Son, made of a woman, made under the law, 5 To redeem them that were under the law, that we might receive the adoption of sons."

Today there are a number of people who are saying they know the timing of Christ's return. Whether God shall reveal the timing remains to be seen, but one thing is certain: Christ's return is imminent, and the time to make our calling and election sure is now.

Hebrews 2:3,4

"3 How shall we escape, if we neglect so great salvation; which at the first began to be spoken by the Lord, and was confirmed unto us by them that heard him; 4 God also bearing them witness, both with signs and wonders, and with divers miracles, and gifts of the Holy Ghost, according to his own will?"

2 Corinthians 6:2 "(For he saith, I have heard thee in a time accepted, and in the day of salvation have I succoured thee: behold, now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation.)"

Romans 9:27,28 "27 Esaias also crieth concerning Israel, Though the number of the children of Israel be as the sand of the sea, a remnant shall be saved: 28 For he will finish the [Greek: logos, proclamation of the gospel], and cut it short in righteousness: because a short [Greek: logos, proclamation of the gospel] will the Lord make upon the earth."

May the LORD open our spiritual eyes and ears as we search the scriptures, applying the principals that God Himself has laid out in His Word, the Bible. Praying that God, in His Mercy, might open our understanding. And that He might give us an earnest and ongoing desire to be obedient to that Word.

2 Timothy 3:16,17

TIME AND JUDGMENT (Part 3)

Matt 21:19 "And when he saw a fig tree in the way, he came to it, and found nothing thereon, but leaves only, and said unto it, Let no fruit grow on thee henceforward for ever. And presently the fig tree withered away."

This verse relates directly to Matt 24:32, because this verse is saying there were leaves only, that is, there was no fruit. In the Bible, fruit relates to salvation. We also read in Luke 13:7

"7 Then said he unto the dresser of his vineyard, Behold, these three years I come seeking fruit on this fig tree, and find none: cut it down; why cumbereth it the ground?"

Despite Jesus ministering personally to the nation of Israel for approximately three years, healing the sick and raising the dead, very few believed on him. Fact is, the spiritual rulers wanted him crucified because he dared to make himself equal with God. Therefore, Jesus cursed the fig tree, saying, "Let no fruit grow on thee henceforward for ever". This curse extends to the very present day, more than seventy years since Israel was officially reconstituted as a nation in May of 1948. That event of Israel being reconstituted as a nation identifies with the fig tree putting forth leaves in Matt 24:32, and please note, there is nothing said about fruit, only leaves.

Note that the verse says, "When his branch is yet tender, and putteth forth leaves, ye know that summer is nigh." Summer in the Bible identifies with harvest, which implies there is going to be some great activity of salvation taking place. Then in the next verse, God declares, "So likewise ye, when ye shall see all these things, know that it is near, even at the doors." By that statement God is declaring that we are presently in the end-time scenario described in Matt 24. This is because a wise man's heart shall discern both time and judgment, and because we are at that time in history when God is taking the seals off of those truths that have been kept sealed during the church age.

More in part 4

TIME AND JUDGMENT (Part 2)

When we turn to Matt 24, the setting for the entire chapter is set forth in verse 3 when the disciples asked Jesus, "Tell us, when shall these things be? and what shall be the sign of thy coming, and of the end of the world?"

Later in the chapter God declares in Matt 24:32-33

"32 Now learn a parable of the fig tree; When his branch is yet tender, and putteth forth leaves, ye know that summer is nigh: 33 So likewise ye, when ye shall see all these things, know that it is near, even at the doors."

This is an important calendar time reference, because the Biblical fig tree is national Israel, which is the nation that Jesus came out of according to the flesh. It is the nation that Jesus ministered to very personally for three-and-a-half years by the sea of Galilee. And yet, there were very few who believed on him during that time, so much so, that Jesus declared the following in Matt 11:20-24

"20 Then began he to upbraid the cities wherein most of his mighty works were done, because they repented not: 21 Woe unto thee, Chorazin! woe unto thee, Bethsaida! for if the mighty works, which were done in you, had been done in Tyre and Sidon, they would have repented long ago in sackcloth and ashes. 22 But I say unto you, It shall be more tolerable for Tyre and Sidon at the day of judgment, than for you. 23 And thou, Capernaum, which art exalted unto heaven, shalt be brought down to hell: for if the mighty works, which have been done in thee, had been done in Sodom, it would have remained until this day. 24 But I say unto you, That it shall be more tolerable for the land of Sodom in the day of judgment, than for thee."

This underscores that when Jesus cursed the fig tree, he was in fact referring to national Israel."

Matt 21:19 "And when he saw a fig tree in the way, he came to it, and found nothing thereon, but leaves only, and said unto it, Let no fruit grow on thee henceforward for ever. And presently the fig tree withered away."

More in part 3

TIME AND JUDGMENT (part 1)

"...A wise man's heart discerneth both time and judgment." Ecclesiastes 8:5

There is nothing that is quite as controversial in the Bible as the matter of time, and specifically, the question of where we are presently in terms of time. The Bible lays down a fundamental principle that we may not shy away from in Ecclesiastes 8

"...4 Where the word of a king is, there is power: and who may say unto him, What doest thou? 5 Whoso keepeth the commandment shall feel no evil thing: and a wise man's heart discerneth both time and judgment. 6 Because to every purpose there is time and judgment, therefore the misery of man is great upon him. 7 For he knoweth not that which shall be: for who can tell him when it shall be?"

Here God is laying down a fundamental principle. A "wise man" is referring to Christ, who indwells each and every believer in the person of the Holy Spirit.

We also have another fundamental principle laid down in Daniel 12:1-4

"1 And at that time shall Michael stand up, the great prince which standeth for the children of thy people: and there shall be a time of trouble, such as never was since there was a nation even to that same time: and at that time thy people shall be delivered, every one that shall be found written in the book. 2 And many of them that sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake, some to everlasting life, and some to shame and everlasting contempt. 3 And they that be wise shall shine as the brightness of the firmament; and they that turn many to righteousness as the stars for ever and ever. 4 But thou, O Daniel, shut up the words, and seal the book, even to the time of the end: many shall run to and fro, and knowledge shall be increased."

In verse 4, God declares, But thou, O Daniel, shut up the words, and seal the book, even to the time of the end. Already there is an implication that the believers must know something about time, for how else shall we know that we are at the time of the end?

More in part 2

THE BIBLE (part 4)

Ephesians 1:3-5 "Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ: According as he hath chosen us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before him in love: Having predestinated us unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to himself, according to the good pleasure of his will,"

2 Peter 3:3-13 Knowing this first, that there shall come in the last days scoffers, walking after their own lusts, And saying, Where is the promise of his coming? for since the fathers fell asleep, all things continue as they were from the beginning of the creation. For this they willingly are ignorant of, that by the word of God the heavens were of old, and the earth standing out of the water and in the water: Whereby the world that then was, being overflowed with water, perished:But the heavens and the earth, which are now, by the same word are kept in store, reserved unto fire against the day of judgment and perdition of ungodly men. But, beloved, be not ignorant of this one thing, that one day is with the Lord as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day. The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance. But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night; in the which the heavens shall pass away with a great noise, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat, the earth also and the works that are therein shall be burned up. Seeing then that all these things shall be dissolved, what manner of persons ought ye to be in all holy conversation and godliness,Looking for and hasting unto the coming of the day of God, wherein the heavens being on fire shall be dissolved, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat?Nevertheless we, according to his promise, look for new heavens and a new earth"

AND WITHOUT A PARABLE SPOKE HE NOT

Luke 8:10 "And he said, Unto you it is given to know the mysteries of the kingdom of God: but to others in parables; that seeing they might not see, and hearing they might not understand."

Mark 4:9-12 "And he said unto them, He that hath ears to hear, let him hear. And when he was alone, they that were about him with the twelve asked of him the parable. And he said unto them, Unto you it is given to know the mystery of the kingdom of God: but unto them that are without, all these things are done in parables: That seeing they may see, and not perceive; and hearing they may hear, and not understand; lest at any time they should be converted, and their sins should be forgiven them."

Mark 4:33,34 "And with many such parables spake he the word unto them, as they were able to hear it. But without a parable spake he not unto them: and when they were alone, he expounded all things to his disciples."

Matthew 13:33,34 "All these things spake Jesus unto the multitude in parables; and without a parable spake he not unto them: That it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophet, saying, I will open my mouth in parables; I will utter things which have been kept secret from the foundation of the world."

Daniel 12:4 "But thou, O Daniel, shut up the words, and seal the book, even to the time of the end: many shall run to and fro, and knowledge shall be increased."

Daniel 12:8,9 "And I heard, but I understood not: then said I, O my Lord, what shall be the end of these things? And he said, Go thy way, Daniel: for the words are closed up and sealed till the time of the end."

In the Bible, a PARABLE is an earthly story with a Spiritual meaning. Christ, God Himself, is the author of the entire Bible and He declares that "without a parable spoke He not".

Is not then every historical account in the Bible not only a literal account but also a HISTORICAL PARABLE teaching some aspect of the Gospel? ceremonial Law, lamb of God, book of Ruth, etc.?

Mind of the Spirit___

I appreciate both of you for your reply to my question on Romans 8/27.

"And he that searcheth the hearts knoweth what is the mind of the Spirit, because he maketh intercession for the saints according to the will ofGod."

You definitely proved that the "TRINITY" exists and are One.

The Spirit is a person.

Your information helped to clarify the scripture in

1 Cor. 2:16 that speaks about the

"Mind of Christ."

"For who hath known the mind of the Lord, that he may instruct him? But we have the mind of Christ."

And the scripture in

Ephesians 4:23 that speaks about

"Your Mind"

"And be renewed in the spirit of your mind."

I close by saying that God is a Spirit. We worship him in spirit and in truth.

Amen: Thank you!

Numbers 14 : 18 iniquity of the 3rd -4th generation, does this mean we pay for our ancestors sins?

Do you thirst?

Jesus said in John 7:37-38.

"In the last day, that great day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried, saying, IF ANY MAN thirst, let him come unto me, and drink.

He that believeth on me, as the scripture hath said, out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water.

My little children, these things write I unto you, that ye sin not. And if any man sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous:

And HE IS THE PROPITIATION FOR OUR SINS: AND NOT FOR OURS ONLY, BUT ALSO FOR THE SINS OF THE WHOLE WORLD. 1 John 2:1-2.

Blessings.

Genesis 18:25

"That be far from thee to do after this manner, to slay the righteous with the wicked: and that the righteous should be as the wicked, that be far from thee: SHALL NOT THE JUDGE OF ALL THE EARTH DO RIGHT?

God's exchange with Abraham gives us insight that we can expect God to do things according to his Nature!

He's a righteous Judge and though he's sovereign and can do as he pleases.

It's blasphemous to believe what pleases him is to NOT provide a way of salvation but to only a fraction of a WORLD he says he loves!

ALL have sinned and ALL was facing condemnation.

THE WHOLE WORLD!

God displayed his love to the WHOLE WORLD, that he gave his only begotten Son!

God didn't elect only a fraction of mankind for salvation and ordain the rest to be condemned to show love to those he saves!

God doesn't allow someone to go to hell because he's is sovereign and felt like it.

We can't one minute say God can't do things outside his nature and then turn around and say he creates and destroys those he haven't chosen/elected to send them to hell because he's sovereign!

THE SOVEREIGNTY OF GOD.

The idea that God has absolute power and authority over all things, and is the right of God to rule over his creation. The Bible teaches that God's sovereignty is a fundamental part of his identity. "That's the sovereignty of God"

God displays his power and authority over all things, and the right to rule over his creation IN RIGHTEOUSNESS as displayed in Genesis 18:25!

Blessings

What is the TRUE GOSPEL? (Part 4)

The True Gospel is transparent to nationality or economic status or political standing. It has nothing to do with economic prosperity or with socio-political issues. When the churches become involved in political activism or social or economic issues, they forget that the task of the believers is to be an ambassador of the kingdom of God. When Jesus was placed on trial for his life at the behest of the chief priests, Jesus said to Pontius Pilate:

John 18:36 Jesus answered, My kingdom is not of this world: if my kingdom were of this world, then would my servants fight, that I should not be delivered to the Jews: but now is my kingdom not from hence.

Concerning political rulers, the Bible commands in Romans 13:1-5 Let every soul be subject unto the higher powers. For there is no power but of God: the powers that be are ordained of God. Whosoever therefore resisteth the power, resisteth the ordinance of God: and they that resist shall receive to themselves damnation. For rulers are not a terror to good works, but to the evil. Wilt thou then not be afraid of the power? do that which is good, and thou shalt have praise of the same: For he is the minister of God to thee for good. But if thou do that which is evil, be afraid; for he beareth not the sword in vain: for he is the minister of God, a revenger to execute wrath upon him that doeth evil. Wherefore ye must needs be subject, not only for wrath, but also for conscience sake.

The true gospel has been emasculated in our day as the churches have become more involved with the social and physical and political issues of the day, which in themselves have nothing to do with the true gospel.

Even more significant, virtually every church today proclaims a man-made do-it-yourself gospel of grace plus works where they will tell you how to become saved.

The TRUE GOSPEL is beautifully expressed in Eze 36 & Jer 29. God does 100% of the work of Salvation. Read Jonah 3 and Joel 2:12-14.

Whar is the TRUE GOSPEL? (Part 3)

Christ did not make atonement for sin to give us whole bodies, as many teach. That will only take place at the resurrection of the Last Day when we shall instantly be changed from corruption to incorruption, and from mortal to immortal. Our present bodies are fashioned from the dust of the ground and shall return to the dust. When mankind fell into sin, God cursed the ground from which man was formed. Surely, it can be said, if Christ died to give us physical health or physical healing, then the gospel is an abject failure, because each and every day, approximately 150,000 people on average die all over the world. They die for a variety of reasons, most of which relate to physical disease of one form or another. If they became a true child of God, are they prevented from physically dying? No. If someone who is sick becomes well again, is the faith of that person what healed him? God can heal, but God can heal in the life of one who is not saved just as quickly as one who is saved. The emphasis of the gospel is on the spiritual, not the physical. The believers who have experienced the first resurrection, namely the resurrection of their sin-sick souls, shall receive a brand new incorruptible spiritual body at the Last Day.

When Christ and the apostles performed miracles and healed the sick and gave sight to the blind, those were physical portraits pointing to some spiritual aspect. Once Christ went back to heaven and the apostles died, any miracles of that kind ceased. When Christ healed the sick, he did so to demonstrate that he has power on earth to forgive sins.

Matthew 9:6 But that ye may know that the Son of man hath power on earth to forgive sins, (then saith he to the sick of the palsy,) Arise, take up thy bed, and go unto thine house. (see also Mark 2:10; Luke 5:24)

Continued in Part 4

What is the TRUE GOSPEL? (Part 2)

The true gospel has to do with the primary problem facing mankind, the wages of sin, which is death, and the penalty demanded by the law of God, which is the second death, eternal damnation, eternal destruction. God sent his only begotten Son, Jesus Christ, into the world to save sinners. Christ, who is eternal God in every sense of the word, and who was without sin, was laden with the sins of all the elect who were given to him by the Father before the foundation of the world, which had nothing to do with their works. Christ paid the FULL PENALTY demanded by the LAW OF GOD on behalf of the elect, and ONLY the elect, who are just a remnant, a tiny part of the whole.

Acts 4:12 Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved.

Ephesians 1:3-11 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ: According as he hath chosen us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before him in love: Having predestinated us unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to himself, according to the good pleasure of his will, To the praise of the glory of his grace, wherein he hath made us accepted in the beloved. In whom we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of his grace; Wherein he hath abounded toward us in all wisdom and prudence; Having made known unto us the mystery of his will, according to his good pleasure which he hath purposed in himself: That in the dispensation of the fulness of times he might gather together in one all things in Christ, both which are in heaven, and which are on earth; even in him: In whom also we have obtained an inheritance, being predestinated according to the purpose of him who worketh all things after the counsel of his own will:

Continued in Part 3

What is the TRUE GOSPEL? (Part 1)

The True Gospel is circumscribed by the Bible, Alone and in its Entirety, the 66 books of the Old and New Testaments, in its original languages. The King James Version, is translated from the oldest and most reliable manuscripts available, and the translators sought to stick as closely as possible to the original text; This is in stark contrast to the modern translations that use inferior manuscripts and seek to reinterpret the original text and put it in more understandable language. That said, the KJV is far from perfect, it does contain errors, and the KJV translators were heavily influenced by the doctrines of the church, which when viewed from the superior vantage point of our day when we are very near the end of time and God is opening our understanding to many truths that were previously kept sealed (read Daniel 12:4,9), were often faulty. Therefore, the serious Bible student should always carefully check the original languages of Hebrew, Aramaic, and Greek using the modern tools that are readily available, such as interlinears and concordances, which are keyed to the KJV.

By definition, any gospel that cites an authority that is outside the 66 books of the Bible, or narrower than the Bible, is a False Gospel. That includes gospels that look upon other books as divinely inspired or that feature the teachings of those who claim to have received direct revelation from God, whether in a dream or a vision or tongue, as in the tongues described in 1 Corinthians 14.

Revelation 22:18-19

"18 For I testify unto every man that heareth the words of the prophecy of this book, If any man shall add unto these things, God shall add unto him the plagues that are written in this book: 19 And if any man shall take away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God shall take away his part out of the book of life, and out of the holy city, and from the things which are written in this book."

Continued in Part 2

GOD'S SOVEREIGN FREE WILL AND MAN'S WILL

HUMANITY:

Adam and Eve were created by God good, sinless, and innocent of evil. In this state they had the ability to choose according to their nature as God's creatures. Like the angels, they could choose to sin or to obey. Unlike the angels, Adam and Eve were not elected to remain sinless as the elect angels were.

These facts bring up some important questions:

Did God ordain Adam and Eve to sin?

Would Adam and Eve had sinned if Satan had not tempted them?

Did Adam and Eve have it in themselves innately by nature to remain sinless forever?

How was Adam and Eve's volition limited compared to God's sovereign freedom to will as He pleases?

God is good, so He would not have caused Adam and Eve to sin. But for the greater good of His glory and grace, He may have ordained creation history to involve sinning on the part of mankind. The wisdom of this is truly beyond what we could understand.

In our humanness, we would have done the opposite of what God ordained. We would have not allowed sin to enter creation in any way. But we are the creature, not the creator and we should humbly believe that God's ways are right and true and beyond questioning. We should have reverence in this matter because we are unable to see the whole of what God has purposed, willed, and ordained sovereignly.

Since Lucifer was able to create sinful desires in himself without outside temptation, I think that likewise, Adam and Eve could create sinful desires in themselves without outside temptation. But God allowed sinful temptation to come to Adam and Eve through Satan. In this way, Satan's condemnation and eternal judgment is greater than Adam and Eve and all of sinful mankind. Yet, even so, Adam and Eve chose to freely sin on their own according to their desire and most dominant preference.

Hi Momsage.

You sent me this message earlier this week but I don't see it on the site. I viewed it on my email.

Perhaps you took it down?

It was a reply to my earlier posts.

Here's the quote.

( Past sins not future sins unless they are repented of.) End quote.

I didn't have time to search the threads to find one where I could reply to you directly.

When time permits I will reach out directly.

God bless.

Can someone please tell me what TULIP is please ?

Momsage,

(Part 1):

For some reason, I received your message last night but have yet to see it posted on this forum. Please allow me to respond.

First, I am truly sorry that you feel this way. Secondly, what you are accusing me of doing is so far from the truth. I have been working hard, spending a great amount of time putting together something that you personally asked me to share with you. If you recall, in our previous discussions, I had mentioned to you that there are differences between what the Greek text says, and what our English translations, including the KJB say. You personally asked me to share those differences with you. So, that is what I am doing. I am not working to discredit any truth as you falsely accuse me of. With this being said, if you have found anything that I have shared to be in error, please show me the error and we can discuss it. That would be a much better route to go than to make false accusations.

Now, you stated, and I quote, that I am "Still working to discredit the truth that the Holy Ghost moved on men to write the King James Bible and not just the men themselves."

Is that really the truth? Did the Holy Ghost indeed move on these men to write the King James Bible? You have yet to show me any proof to your claim. Please read what the translators themselves had to say and then tell me which one of these men claimed to be moved by the Holy Ghost to write the King James Bible. The truth is that these men (translators) were commissioned by King James himself to produce another English translation, a translation that you and I both read and study from.

GOD'S SOVEREIGN FREE WILL AND MAN'S WILL

I don't think that Scriptures give thorough answers to these questions but we can understand some things as true.

God is the only one who has it in His nature to remain sinless forever.

The angels had it in their nature to be able to sin.

God elected the majority of the angels to remain sinless forever.

He allowed non-elect angels to rebel against Him into continual opposition to Him forever.

If God had not acted in election of the angels, all of the angels could have chosen to follow Satan. God's sovereign will, power, and grace keeps these elect angels from ever sinning. It is not of themselves, but is a choice and action of God upon them to preserve them from ever sinning.

Some may object to attributing God's grace to angels because we tend to think of grace only being given to humans who are sinful. But grace is unmerited favor. In the case of the angels. They did not in themselves merit to be elected to be kept sinless, but God favored them to remain so according to the plan of creation determined prior to creation within the Godhead.

The angels do not receive any form of redemption from sin, whether elect or fallen. The elect are given the joy of never experiencing sin. The fallen are never given grace to be redeemed from their freely chosen sin. How different this is from humanity.

God, in His eternally perfect wisdom chose this to be for the heavenly hosts just as He chose what He will to be for humanity. These choices are different, but both are equally good and just.

So, what freedom of choice did the angels have? They were free to choose according to their nature as creatures under the sovereignty of God. At the time of the rebellion of the angels, each angel chose whether to sin or to obey. But God graced some to stay holy and did not grace the others with the same grace. But their choices were true choices ruled by their own desires and highest preferences.

GOD'S SOVEREIGN FREE WILL AND MAN'S WILL

Scripture that speaks of God's sovereign free will:

Is. 55:11 "So shall my word be that goeth forth out of my mouth; it shall not return to me void, but shall accomplish that which I please, and it shall prosper in the thing whereto I sent it."

Is. 14:24 "The Lord of hosts hath sworn, saying, 'Surely as I have thought, so shall it come to pass; and as I have purposed, so shall it stand."

Is. 46:9-10 "Remember the former things of old; for I am God, and there is none else; I am God, and there is none like me. Declaring the end from the beginning, and from ancient times the things that ae not yet done, saying, 'My counsel shall stand, and I will do all my pleasure."

Dan. 4:35 "And all the inhabitants of the earth are reputed as nothing; and he doeth according to his will in the army of heaven; and among the inhabitants of the earth; and none can stay his hand, or say unto him, 'What doest thou?'"

There are a multitude of verses that speak to God doing as He pleases and His will cannot be altered. I encourage readers to explore more verses that say this.

ANGELS:

Obviously, angels were created with the ability to make choices. In the beginning, all angels were created good and sinless. At some point Lucifer and a third of the heavenly hosts used this will to freely sin against God, although God had ordained it to happen (because nothing happens that God does not control or ordain. He is not the author of sin, nor does He tempt anyone to sin. He is sinless and is not responsible for the free choices of any creature. Two-thirds of the heavenly hosts did not choose to sin. They are called "God's elect and these holy angels" and will never sin in all of eternity.

This leads to some important questions:

Was Lucifer's fall into sin willed by God?

Was He internally free to choose to remain sinless?

Do the holy elect angels have it in their nature to remain free of sin forever?

How does God's sovereignty affect the will of angels?

Amos 3:

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3 Can two walk together, except they be agreed?

Thank You LORD, for the salvation I have in Your Son, the LORD JESUS CHRIST.

GOD to shine His face on all who call and worship Him in truth and in spirit.

May our nation be prayerful in CHRIST name as we go to the polls in November.

October 19, 2024 Happy Holidays!

Where we are today?

As we look at what is going on in the world and in the churches and congregations today, what do we see?

We see a world where sin, i.e. disobedience to God's law, is and has been multiplying as never before.

We see churches and congregations exhibiting a love for the world as the worship service has become a place for entertainment. And an abandonment of the Bible, the Word of God, as being the ultimate authority; where the church itself is the authority and not the Bible. We see a gospel being proclaimed where man is in control of their salvation and not God alonea do-it-yourself gospel where Christ has done His part and now it's up to us.

So where are we in God's time table of His plan for the churches and the world?

We are, I believe, living in the period describe in Matthew 24 and Mark 13, the Great Tribulation. A period where God's judgment has fallen upon the churches as we read in 1 Peter 4:17 and 2Thessalonians 2:1-12. And where God is preparing the world for His return on the clouds of glory at the Last Day.

It is also a time where God is reveling truth from His Word, the Bible, that has been hidden in times past as we read in Daniel 9 and Daniel 12.

Daniel 12:9 9 And he said, Go thy way, Daniel: for the words are closed up and sealed till the time of the end.

But God, in this time, is saving a "great multitude" as we read in Revelation 7:9. Ezekiel 36:24-38, Jeremiah 29, Jeremiah 30 and many other passages which are pictures of God's salvation during this time.

If there were ever a time where we should be searching the scriptures and praying that God in His mercy might lead us into truth, this is that time.

But we must search the scriptures using the principles that God lays down in His Word. A key principle is that Christ is the author of the entire Bible and that He "spoke in parables, and without a parable spake He not" Matthew 13:34 and Mark 4:34.

May God in His mercy open our spiritual ears as we search the scriptures.

Biblical Greek Perspective

(Acts Part 31):

Acts 13:1 - Now there were in the church that was at Antioch certain prophets and teachers; as Barnabas, and Simeon that was called Niger, and Lucius of Cyrene, and Manaen, which had been brought up with Herod the tetrarch, and Saul.

Now there were in the church that was at Antioch,

So, Barnabas and Paul and John Mark made their trek back to Antioch after delivering the goods because of the famine that was there.

They are back at Antioch and there were certain prophets and teachers. A prophet in the New Testament was one who spoke the word of God. In fact, the word prophet means spokesperson and teachers.

Now according to the Greek text, these are broken up. We are given five names. The first three apparently are prophets, and the last two are teachers.

The first three are Barnabas, Simeon that was called Niger, as in Nigerian, and Lucius or Luke of Cyrene. And Manaen, which had been brought up with Herod the tetrarch, and Saul.

So, this Manaen grew up and was childhood buddies with Herod, but he has since received Christ, and he is part of the faith. But notice the last person that's mentioned. It is Saul. Barnabas is mentioned first. He appears to be the lead pastor in Antioch. And Saul was listed last.

Acts 13:6 - And when they had gone through the isle unto Paphos, they found a certain sorcerer, a false prophet, a Jew, whose name was Barjesus:

In Aramaic, Bar means son. And of course, Jesus both means Jesus and represents Joshua. So, he called himself the son of Jesus.

Acts 13:10 - And said, O full of all subtilty and all mischief, thou child of the devil, thou enemy of all righteousness, wilt thou not cease to pervert the right ways of the Lord?

The word "right" is the word straight, the straight ways of the Lord. So, he's accused of perverting the straight ways, putting curves and whatever in the highway making it harder for people to come to the things of Christ.

Q&A "Fire of the altar"

Q: God is a consuming fire and the prayer of saints are thrown into the fire as Re.8:5 says,"And the angel took the censer, and filled it with fire of the altar, and cast it into the earth: and there were voices, and thunderings, and lightnings, and an earthquake." How does it work?

A: This is set in heaven immediately following the silence 'about the space of half an hour.' You have to read from vv.3-5. While the seven angels are ready to sound,

it is 'another angel' who approaches the altar. To him with the golden censer was given "much incense, that he should offer it with the prayers of all saints upon the golden altar which was before the throne.". The Ancient of days with his fiery throne represents the Law of the Spirit. So there is no collateral damage but the wrath of God is directed to those on the earth who offend. in v.4 we read, the smoke of the incense, which came with the prayers of the saints, ascends up before God. In v.5: "And the angel took the censer, and filled it with fire of the altar, and cast it into the earth." The Spirit inserts this formula to inform us that it is the determined Will of God. "and there were voices, and thunderings, and lightnings,". This resonates with God descending on mount Sinai."on the third day in the morning, that there were thunders and lightnings, and a thick cloud upon the mount, and the voice of the trumpet exceeding loud."(Ex.19:16). The mountain shook and we read 'and an earthquake."(8:6)

The angels with trumpets as with the Lamb breaking open seven seals set forth consequences so wrath of God against all those who hold truth in unrighteousness shall take effect. It is for this reason the volume of saints and the wicked are apportioned. For example,"And the third part of the creatures which were in the sea, and had life, died; and the third part of the ships were destroyed." Third part is a cue for the Son and do not mean that ships are broken up in three parts.

Q&A "Altar of incense" (2 of 2)

Abel is not forgotten and this verse indicates its certainty. "And the angel took the censer, and filled it with fire of the altar, and cast it into the earth: and there were voices, and thunderings, and lightnings, and an earthquake."(8:5) The voices, and thunderings, and lightenings assure us that His judgment is just. The Gospel has spoken. The blessed shall go to the kingdom prepared for them from the foundation of the world. By the same reckoning the wicked shall be sent to the everlasting fire.

Jesus asks, "how can ye escape the damnation of hell?/ Wherefore, behold, I send unto you prophets, and wise men, and scribes: and some of them ye shall kill and crucify; and some of them shall ye scourge in your synagogues, and persecute them from city to city:/That upon you may come all the righteous blood shed upon the earth, from the blood of righteous Abel unto the blood of Zacharias son of Barachias, whom ye slew between the temple and the altar./Verily I say unto you, All these things shall come upon this generation. "(Matt.23:34-36)

The seven angels with seven trumpets are about to pronounce judgment which shall go on as prophesied by the Son of man.

Q&A "Altar of incense" (1 of 2)

Q: "The seven angels are yet to begin sounding their trumpets. What does the activity around the altar in vv.3-5 signify?"

A: Jesus referred to everlasting fire, "Depart from me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels." (Matt.25:41) By the same everlasting covenant for the blessed has another place prepared for them. " Come, ye blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world." (25:34) This is the kingdom to which the covenant has been drawn up between God and Man, and of the latter we discussed already. In order to indicate his earthly ministry the Spirit gives us a sign, which is silence in heaven 'about the space of half an hour.'

Judgment upon the covering cherub follows "from the day that thou wast created, till iniquity was found in thee." The same day covers the works of man. "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." (1 Co.3:13). The same fire judged the two sons of Aaron. "the sons of Aaron, took either of them his censer, and put fire therein, and put incense thereon, and offered strange fire before the Lord, which he commanded them not./And there went out fire from the Lord, and devoured them, and they died before the Lord." God judged similarly the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah.

The Altar of incense metonymically refers to the body of a believer. Curse on man was fixed after the murder of Abel. God tells Cain, "the voice of thy brother's blood crieth unto me from the ground./And now art thou cursed from the earth, which hath opened her mouth to receive thy brother's blood from thy hand."(Ge.4:10-11). In Re.8:4 we read,"And the smoke of the incense, which came with the prayers of the saints, ascended up before God out of the angel's hand." Abel is not forgotten by God